The main flaw in your theory is starters don’t give max effort. Watch the All Star game and you’ll see starting pitchers are pacing themselves all season.
Sure teams value hard throwers, but they don’t develop them. Kids grow up believing 95mph radar gun readings get them drafted in the top fuce, or a free ride at Arizona State. Plenty of kids out there are bringing their own high octane arms to the draft. And even their parents believed it - remember about 10-20years ago, when there was tjis trend where parents would subject their perfectly healthy teenagers to Tommy John surgery because they had this mistaken belief their kids would throw harder? MLB teams aren’t doing that.
But some point, MLB pitchers did price themselves $20-30mill per year. And teams actually signed on. But when you’re paying a pitcher that much, he’s not just a roster spot; he’s an investment. And teams will protect their investments. This is probably why Early was allowed to throw more pitches than Crochet.
And that Early has potential is why he (and no other pitcher) is allowed to throw 125 pitches anymore. And especially not in March…