It's called a simulated game and it is used... sparingly at the major league level but very common in the minors either for rehab assignments or as training. Th

It's called a simulated game and it is used... sparingly at the major league level but very common in the minors either for rehab assignments or as training. There are also fancy pitching machines that can recreate different types of pitches at various speeds for hitters to work with in batting cages. The answer is an unsatisfactory maybe. Pitchers good enough to throw game-quality pitches and do it often enough are already playing professionally for a team. And teams don't generally want any extra workload being put on their pitchers arms because (1) good pitching is rare and (2) it's expensive to develop (time to majors) and control ($$$ to retain). Back to simulated games... Starting pitchers throw practice sessions between starts and teams might occasionally put hitters out there to take some cuts. Not sure it actually has a tangible benefit compared to just using a machine. My guess is no. Edit: I'll liken it a little bit to golf. Matches are a terrible way to get better at golf. You make the biggest gains through repetition work at the range. Getting your swing to be consistent, working on making good contact, etc. Good mechanics can turn you from a guy who shoots well over 100 to someone that shoots low 90's consistently. But the range isn't a game situation. Game situation golf teaches you how to get out of jams and situations you just cannot get into on a range... but they're hopefully few and far between. So biggest gains end up coming from repetitive practice while going from good to really good (lets say shooting mid-80's) comes from good mechanics and knowing how to move around a course.