After months of return-to-play discussions, a shortened 2020 season looks to be upon us — and with it comes the long-anticipated and highly divisive implementation of the universal designated hitter. National League fans and baseball traditionalists recoil at the idea, but both polls we’ve conducted on the universal DH have shown that fans are pretty evenly split on the notion. In our poll earlier this spring, some were open to the idea for 2020 alone if that was one of the health/safety conditions necessary to bring about a 2020 season of some form.
That proved to be the case. And while there was talk about implementing the DH in 2021 as well, that was only on the table in the jointly negotiated season proposals between MLB and the MLBPA. The 2021 universal DH went out the window when no agreement was reached and commissioner Rob Manfred implemented a 60-game season. The two sides could — and very likely will — revisit a 2021 implementation this winter. Most expect that the DH will be here to stay, although for the time being, it’s still a temporary quirk to the upcoming campaign.
The expected lifting of the transaction freeze on Friday could lead some clubs to add a new bat to this mix — Yasiel Puig remains unsigned, and trades will again be allowed — but here’s a high-level look at each club’s options (with links to more in-depth explorations)…
NL West
- Dodgers: As explored earlier this spring, the Dodgers have a ridiculous amount of depth that should allow them to play matchups and keep their players fresh. With Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger in the outfield, one of Joc Pederson or A.J. Pollock was likely to be on the bench on a given day. Others like Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, Enrique Hernandez or youngsters Edwin Rios and Matt Beaty could get DH looks at times, too.
- Diamondbacks: The D-backs have a number of options, including veteran Jake Lamb, but 2019 minor league home run king Kevin Cron might be a more intriguing option, as profiled here a couple months back.
- Padres: Outfield has been a carousel in San Diego for awhile, and trades might’ve brought some more stability to the mix but they pushed some outfield options to a more likely DH role. As Jeff Todd examined recently, Wil Myers, Josh Naylor and Franchy Cordero are among the many options.
- Giants: That late pickup of Hunter Pence looks all the more valuable now, and the Giants have plenty of other options both young and old to rotate through the spot. Plus, they’re reported to be interested in Yasiel Puig, which could impact the mix.
- Rockies: Perhaps the DH could be a means of both keeping Daniel Murphy healthier and removing his glove from the regular defensive alignment. That’d help to finally get Ryan McMahon some more regular at-bats. Ian Desmond seems likely to get some reps as well.
NL Central
- Cardinals: The Cards already had plenty of inexperienced players vying for limited at-bats (Tyler O’Neill, Rangel Ravelo, Lane Thomas, Dylan Carlson), and the DH helps to create an easier path. Veterans like Brad Miller and Matt Carpenter could factor, too.
- Cubs: Kyle Schwarber has long been mentioned in DH talks. Defensive metrics are all over the map on his performance in left, but it seems likely he’ll get some looks there in 2020. Steven Souza Jr. could see some time there as he eases back into action after a grisly knee injury.
- Brewers: There’s a crowded outfield scene in Milwaukee, particularly after adding Avisail Garcia, which could mean that Ryan Braun will have the opportunity to stay fresher at DH. The Crew also added Justin Smoak, Jedd Gyorko and Ryon Healy this winter. There are options.
- Reds: With a deep outfield mix featuring Nick Castellanos, Shogo Akiyama, Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino, Cincinnati isn’t short on options. As Jeff Todd wrote back in May, if the Reds are willing to use Senzel in a super-utility role (still playing near every day), their flexibility would be enviable.
- Pirates: I wrote last month that the Buccos’ options at DH are pretty limited. A rebuilding, small-market club that didn’t spend money this winter after a last-place finish doesn’t have much to offer. But the short season could be used to get top prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes an audition at third base, pushing current corner infielders Colin Moran and Josh Bell to DH more often.
NL East
- Nationals: The Nats have a deep roster themselves and plenty of options. MLBTR’s TC Zencka explored the roster’s composition and how it’s well-stocked with DH options — likely led by playoff hero Howie Kendrick.
- Braves: Atlanta has a blend of veteran options (Nick Markakis, Adam Duvall) and younger players (Austin Riley) who could cycle through the DH spot. It may not be the absolute best unit in the league, but the pieces are there for a solid group.
- Phillies: Between the versatility that Scott Kingery brings on the defensive side of things and the looming presence of top prospect Alec Bohm, the Phillies should be able mix-and-match their way to a largely productive group. Kingery allows them to rest virtually anyone on a daily basis — and they could particularly lean into that on days when Bohm plays third base. Bohm could also see time at first and push Rhys Hoskins to DH occasionally.
- Mets: A pair of aging veterans (Robinson Cano, wild card Yoenis Cespedes) and a blocked former top prospect (Dominic Smith) might all benefit from the addition of a DH spot to the lineup over in Queens.
- Marlins: Matt Kemp’s ugly 2019 season makes it easy to forget that he was a very strong hitter as recently as 2019. Connor Byrne profiled Kemp and several other options in exploring the Marlins’ DH picture earlier this spring.
Here’s to AL (and of course NL) pitchers no longer getting injured performing an on field task during interleague play.
I will cry a river for their plight. Such a burden for those AL pitchers to have to stand at the plate for 3 long pitches.
Trade one group of one dimensional players for another one…..the fat body AL DHs. Great.
Manfred recently rumored, that depending on injuries of these mono-skillers, he may unilaterally institute ghost runners in 2021. This is long been an AL wish list item. Tony Clark, through an anonymous source, has stated he will only allow ghost runners if they are added to the 40 man roster and receive a MLB league minimum salary.
When you can’t logically argue against the DH you change the argument to free substitution.
I doubt you will find a single person on this board who is pro free-substitution.
Because unlike the DH, free-substitution would take away from the strategy of the game.
Terrance Gore: “my time has come”
I want Nearly Headless Nick for my team. Unless, of course, Casper is available.
Who said you cant logically argue agaisnt the DH? You? Um, youre an Angels fan, and that proves the counter arguement already.
The DH is easily the simplest to argue against, if you truly understand the finer details of the game and/or are not a mouth-breathing video game junkie.
I really have no horse in this race, DH no DH it doesn’t matter to me, so I’d love to hear the arguments for it. I’m a Jays fan and only know the DH, but I would be intrigued to hear why so many NL fans are opposed to it.
Halo11fan DH takes away strategy…..Do you keep the pitcher in the 7th or do you pinch hit. Joe Torre slept through 7 innings before the gerbil woke him up to get Mo ready
Yeah those double switches are incredible.
Ah, in today’s game where the average pitcher barely pitches over 5 innings!
Assume: shows how much you know….similar situation exists for a middle reliever.
And the skill of bunting will be lost forever within a generation of universal DH. I’m a National League lifer and find AL games less intricate tactically, almost boring to be honest.
What bothers me is that most NL fans want no part of a DH unless playing in an AL park.
Where’s our voice? Who’s representing our collective billions of dollars of investment in the game?
johnnydubz
I’ve been a fan since the 60s, the pitching hitting does not add strategy.
Give me the situation in the 7th. In the AL, a manager has to make a decision if his pitcher is still effective.
Which is never an easy decision.
In the NL, the decision is based on where he is hitting in the order. And it’s always an easy decision.
I agree. The only strategy added is whether to make a bad decision or a worse decision.
I don’t ever care to see another pitcher batting. But hey, if teams don’t want to use a DH, they don’t have to.
Adds more offense and takes away the boring BS that should’ve been eliminated years ago that is pitchers hitting, though.
Don’t knock it. It has to be tough for a young guy to decide between becoming a brain surgeon or an NL manager.
EXACTLY, Patrick. Nothing in the rules says that a manager can’t have his pitcher hit. If the NL managers are SO worried about the integrity of the game and the wrath of their fans, just plug the pitcher into the 9th spot and hand in the lineup card.
Same I don’t care eighter way. But I always found it weird that both leagues had different rules and it kinda bothered me.
The DH in the NL is here to stay. This is their opportunity to keep it.
Maybe Rickey Henderson can make a comeback as a “ghost runner”. I’m sure he can still run the 100 yard dash faster than I can now in my 30s.
Typical northeast moron attitude Boston:
Heres a stumper: kid has choose between an AL manager or pumping gas in NJ because those people are incapable….
clepto
What? Are you insane. Comparing pumping gas to managing an AL Team?
Gosh, maybe the reason you have such strong opinions about this is because you know nothing about this.
Congratulations Halo….you must have been trying hard. You finally did it. You became even more of moron poster than even Xabial and Cards81.
When you learn a little baseball, contact me. Otherwise, do the world a favor and sthu.
Tip: managing in the AL is FAR less strategy than managing in the NL, but obviously, this hasnt sunk into your 4 inch thick skull bone of the 50 years of baseball you have claimed to watch. Note: playing in the kids climber at a baseball game is NOT really watching baseball.
Maybe you should start with a little Ken Burns Baseball and get an understanding of why the “beer league” was even started.
clepto
That means a lot to me. I’m not the least big offended. Thanks.
People like you are a dime a dozen. You can’t make any rational point. You can’t justify your opinion with anything other than hyperbole then you call someone a name.
And you cant make a point.
Change subject
Contradict your own points
Divert away
Grab at straws
Look for others to save you.
Typical.
Now go watch Ken Burns Baseball and go away.
Here is my point.
The game is better without a dead spot in the lineup.
Everything else on the subject is misdirection and hyperbole.
You can call the position a one dimensional position and if you don’t include baserunning, that’s true. But you can’t call the players one dimensional players. They are not.
Yeah, this back-door integration of the DH is both insultingly transparent and horribly misguided, as if come 2021 NL fans can be persuaded to adopt the unpopular DH rule. There is a reason why it is so universally hated in the Senior circuit, it does not improve the game. Remember when the commissioner was an arbitor between players, fans, and management? I do, and I know it is naive to believe those days will ever return. I just wonder if fans will not see through the management position, that players are the greedy ones. Owners are betting the general populous, still side with management. Players need a PR push to tell their side of the story. I have said it before and I will say it again, no one goes to a game to watch owners own. They go to see players play. The players only want 1/2 of the revenue, like other sports, and the owners resist. Wake up fans!
Of course we can disagree, I think it does improve the game. I think a game without a dead spot in the lineup is a better game.
However, after the starting pitcher is removed. The pitchers spot is no longer a dead spot so the two games are almost identical.
clepto
Middle Relievers, I forgot about that. Good point. In the AL a middle reliever has value because he can go multiple innings. In the NL they get pinch hit for, so the need for a middle reliever who can go multiple innings has much less value.
Is a pinch hitter who doesn’t play the field for that game also a one dimensional player?
I will say the easy and most simple — and most logical — of arguments against the DH be baseball is a game where you play both offense and defense and requires nine members in the active lineup.
To substitute one given member offensively for a tenth man that doesn’t play defense is non sensical.
Further, that the DH can be used for ANY position — it is not tied to the pitcher — underscores its absurdity.
The DH is trash.
Source: lead off hitter small ball center fielder type through college. I lived off small ball and the strategy of the game behind it.
Halo, Stomped again, idiot
Leave him alone please.
How can a DH make the game boring? For me, as an Astros fan who used to watch them in NL, when the pitched, I was bored.
I love the DH. No wasted at bats.
Actually, there’s a 3-batter minimum being implemented this year, unless that was waived for this season as well.
You enjoy that? Watching a pitcher stand at the plate for 3 pitches? I can’t think of anything in baseball that is less interesting.
But it’s fun watching some pitchers bat. The ones that swing wildly or the ones that hit the ball straight back or the ones that actually connect and forget to run…
I like the pitcher in the lineup not because I don’t like the DH. I like old school baseball. I find a slugfest less entertaining than a perfect game. But differing opinions is what makes the world go round.
Did I enjoy hack a Shaq and Shaq at the line with free throws or really any close ending to any important basketball game that ends in free tosses?
No.
But it’s the game.
Priggs – who’s fault is it that pitchers can’t hit? Answer: pitchers.
Less interesting? A 315 foot lazy fly ball sneaking over a short porch for a homerun. Not impressive or interesting.
Meanwhile, coating puig’s bat in powdered Carolina reaper should help covid protocol compliance concerns.
Pitching itself is an unnatural motion. Guys tear up shoulders, elbows, backs… but sure, let’s propose a toast to the fact that AL pitchers (gasp) don’t have to grab a bat anymore, and risk pulling a muscle.
Lets change baseball and say that every player has to play every position throughout a 9 inning game.
Let’s remove the one dimensional players from the sport.
The one dimensional player critique is not a good argument.
I don’t think people against the DH can stick to the discussion without using hyperbole.
Hyperbole? Re-read your, yet flawed again, follow up comment please.
After, go do a little reading on baseball. Maybe learn its origins and why certain things were put in place.
When you are done with that, why dont you sit down and actually watch REAL baseball in the NL and maybe pay attention in the later innings how the game unfolds when a pitcher comes to bat.
When you completed that, then, just maybe, might you have a legit comment on the DH. Right now, an Angels fan, a bottom 5 ballpark, with a bottom 3rd front office management team. Doesnt quiet make you an expert, now does it??
He lost the argument because you’re too lazy or ignorant to glance at the history of baseball? Your comment can be interpreted as strident.
Takes a lazy thinker to want a lazy position made permanent like the DH. At least you’re consistent?
I’m saying the logic of athletes is flawed having to be well rounded is flawed.
And I remember the origins of the DH. I lived through it.
It’s a much better game when a pitcher has to work his way through a lineup. I can’t stand watching the pitcher work his way through an inning until the pitcher spot comes up. In the NL, you lose two or more innings of game play every game.
“Lets change baseball and say that every player has to play every position throughout a 9 inning game.”
I actually love this idea.
@ goodbye/hello
you forgot to mention that the players union wants it. They think it will add an extra roster spot.
Pitchers don’t bat anyplace other then the NL. So if you like watching a player who hits .050 hit then that’s good for you.
It’s comedy watching a guy hit .050. Want to change that? Work on your hitting.
And if you like watching someone too out of shape to even play first base hit, then that’s good for you.
hiflew
And who is that?
Pretty much half of all DHs in the AL.
Like who?
Are you saying KC wouldn’t find a spot for Jorge Soler? Are you saying the Red Sox wouldn’t find a spot for JD Martinez?
Who are these players you are talking about? Nelson Cruz? Even Voglebach DHd only 24 more games than he played first base.
So give me an example of these players who are so one dimensional.
WORK ON your hitting boy!!!
I know you’ll only get 3 abs on average per week but BOY you need to start hitting!
That’s a nice fantasy that the best pitchers in the entire world are going to be able to continue to be the best pitchers in the entire world and hit the best pitching in the world. Hit the best pitching in the world with 3 total ABS a week.
I know you are being sarcastic, but if you don’t have fast twitching muscles, you can work on your hitting till the cows come home and you still wont be able to hit.
Few human beings are born with the ability to throw a mid 90s pitch and have the ability to hit a mid 90s pitch. Ohtani is beyond believe. People really should appreciate him.
It’s like saying a world class sprinter could become a world class miler if he only worked harder.
There has only been one Eric Heiden.
Of course. IF said pitcher even has the athletic ability to hit a baseball. Which certainly isn’t going to be most pitchers. That guy gets 3-5 abs a week to do that and work on the most important part of his job, pitching.
Absolute fantasy. Pitchers historically have and always would hit like garbage.
No different than a utility player who only plays 1-2 times per week. Some, many actually, find success as a hitter because they work at it and prepare to play. Now, you have be unable to grasp that reality yet. You will get there. Maybe.
There are plenty of ways to get good laughs. This isn’t one:
Two outs, runner on second. The 8th man in the lineup gets walked. Pitcher strikes out. Wow. Hahaha.
Pinch hitter? … also even great hitters are unsuccessful 60% of the time so good chance a non pitcher makes an out also. I prefer no DH
It’s about health. Yordan Alvarez has bad knees. In the NL, he’d be out of baseball in a few years as a young man. I prefer a game with Alvarez, and other players who physically can’t play in the field 150 times a year.
Pitchers are extremely fragile, and this limits their exposure to injury.
The funniest thing to me about NL enthusiasts is that they don’t care that No DH in NL rule is about money. The NL owners don’t care about whatever strategy the purists laud. It’s about saving them $8M/year.
Yes. Let us never expect professional athletes perform feats of athleticism.
No player is more one dimensional than pitchers. Other than pitching, no one expects them to perform feats of athleticism.
Hitting is the hardest thing to do in sports. So someone who does the hardest thing in sports shouldn’t be allowed to do the hardest thing in sports? That person should forgo his opportunity to play so someone who can’t do anything except pitch takes his spot?
That’s just wrong on so many levels.
“No other player is more one dimensional than a pitcher”
How many times can you be dead wrong in 1 afternoon???
A DH is definition of 1 dimension. Period. End of discussion.
A pitcher, in the NL, has to bat, and field, and pitch. And some are quite good at it. Maybe you want to have a chat with Steven Brault or Aj Burnett?? Oh, Brault? Yea, he steals bases too.
How about you just zip it for the rest of today, and not be wrong again….
Clepto is correct. DH is as one dimensional as it gets. Pitchers could be better hitters but choose not to work as hard at it as they could or should. Instead of chasing tail at night, go to bed early and get some hitting reps in at 6am.
Didn’t know AJ Burnett still played. A DH is one dimensional, ok. Can we also remove RPs or closers too since they’re also one dimensional? Maybe a SP should play all innings including extras too. SMH. The game has evolved in so many ways. Time for change in the NL.
A DH is much more dimensional than a pitcher. Edgar Martinez was a much much better fielder than 99% of the pitchers are hitters.
Halo you are better than this. Stop re-writing history or conveniently neglecting what actually happened to Edgar Martinez.
Due to numerous issues with his knees he was relegated to DH. Seattle barely considered him for 1B. Therefore, Edgar became a one-dimensional player basically at age 30-31. Really bad example on your part.
Okay and? Greg Maddux was a much much better fielder than 99% of DHs are fielders. A DH has a job because there is one thing they do well. If they did other things well then they’d have a true position.
Reliever Terry Forster was a helluva of a hitter in his day, even though he was a ‘fat tub of goo’ according late-night tv host David Letterman.
Manager Chuck Tanner used to use him as a pinch hitter.
Well, you got the end-of-discussion part right: There won’t be a DH this year, possibly not in 2021, and almost certainly not in 2022 and beyond following the new CBA.
I understand the disappointment and sentiment, but repeating the same complaints and arguments will go nowhere. Firing off on fans who like the idea isn’t constructive, either.
That said, I’m going to buy each and every anti-DH fan a drink, just to show there are no hard feelings. Send the bill to Halo11 and I’ll take care of it from there…
Am I the only one who reads the comments and pictures sweaty, red faced, power typing, get off my lawn, middle aged type people on this site? Because if I am… you guys should try it. Its ultra fun.
Lets do this history.
The DH has been around almost 50 years, name a few one dimensional players, who had a good career, who were strictly DHs.
Seldom are DHs one dimensional players.
Maddux was horrible at holding runners on base. How is that not at least as important as catching a ground ball.
If you want an example, use Langston, but I would call Langston a one dimensional player as well.
Quality NL pitching prospects probably get no more than 150 PAs in their minor league careers. AL prospects get zero PAs. Quality MLB position prospects probably accumulate 800 to 1500 PAs in the minors. There’s no way the vast majority of pitchers have sufficient opportunity to be productive as batters in MLB. The exceptions like deGrom were also position players in college at some point — or are phenomenal athletes.
clepto
Just for background.
I’ve been an angel fan since the 60s. I have vivid memories of Jim Fregosi’s and Dean Chance’s 1964 seasons.
I can’t think of any Angels, who had any kind of career, who was a one dimensional player.
They are few and far between.
wild bill tetley
Who are these one dimensional DHs. Few teams have them, few last long, and those that do last are only one dimensional because they got older.
So who are all these one dimensional players are you talking about.
Do DH’s play defense during the game? Only if they are forced to be brought in to play, thus bringing the pitcher into the lineup to hit once the DH plays a position.
That is a clear definition of being one-dimensional. Remember, it was you saying pitchers are one-dimensional. I just used an actual league-wide rule. You did not.
I guess you can make the argument it’s a one dimensional position, but few are one dimensional players.
So lets stop talking one dimension.
So, is having a dead spot in the lineup better baseball than not having a dead spot in the lineup?
Isn’t that the argument? Isn’t everything else just misdirection?
I don’t like pitchers being about to pitch around hitters to get to the pitcher. But if you think that’s a better game, Ok. But that’s the argument. Everything else is just talking points.
Actually what happened is that Edgar Martinez came up as a shortstop in the minors. He landed the everyday third base job in 1989, but he then seriously tore one of his hamstrings (or it may have been his groin, I can’t remember exactly). It wasn’t just any tear, this was almost completely tore off the bone.
After sitting out for the rest of that year, when he came back in 1990 he tried to play third but after that muscle tear, he was never able to have the mobility he originally had, and he kept re-tweaking it. So that’s what made him a DH, and he never went back to playing the field regularly after that.
My point is I can’t think of a player that could only DHs and that Edgar could probably play defense better than 99% of the pitchers could hit.
But once that was conceded, the discussion went to DH being a one dimensional position and not so much the player being one dimensional.
Even in the NL, if a player can hit, they’ll find a spot for him.
Why is baseball entitled to have offensive juggernauts 1 through 9? You say you’ve watched baseball since the mid-1960’s. It was still an exciting game if the 8-hole hitter couldn’t hit but could field like a magician.
The offensive explosion from the 1994 season onward has been a bigger detriment to the game of baseball, ranging from length of games, the slow death of the starting pitcher and the sense that certain allowances given to hitters has cheapened the accomplishments. Do we really need to hold this idea that the DH makes the league better? When we see TOR starters go down for a year with an arm injury, THAT hurts the game more than any DH rule or whether we can help a 7-hole hitter mash 30 homers and strikeout 150 times.
Pitchers have plenty of injuries on the mound, not while hitting or running as you try to make us believe this BS. Way more TJS happening while pitching than playing offense. Bad take.
Absolutely! If we made a list of all the injuries pitchers sustained on the mound, and stacked them up against pitchers hurt at the plate or on the bases- I know which one would be higher without doing the research. We could limit that solely to the NL, too, so the data isn’t skewed.
So how many is too many?
TJS? Seems nobody cares, so it’s never too many.
Position players get hurt all the time. Why are pitchers suddenly immune?
Because pitchers don’t now what they are doing at home plate.
Do you actually believe the excrement that you spew. Jeezus all you do is argue terrible points of view.
Dotnet22
I have no idea who that is directed to, but what terrible point are you addressing.
Pitchers know what they are doing. They just do not work at it. Players do not starting becoming an exclusive pitcher at the age of 9. They hit. They stop working on hitting. But don’t give them excuses. They make enough money to pay for hitting instructions if they care about their craft on both sides of the ball.
wild bill tetley
Completely different muscle set. Michael Jordan was baseball slow. Baseball athletes are the quickest athletes in the word. Their reaction time is second to none. Hitting is all about reacting.
The odds of a pitcher having an elite arm and lightning reflexes are not enormously high.
Michael Jordan was not baseball slow. He hadn’t played baseball since high school and was thrown into AA pitching in his mid 30’s. He trained a completely different muscle set to get ready for baseball though. That part is correct.
Ludicrous to suggest that pitchers could just work on hitting and suddenly be good at it though. Even for the Pitchers that could’ve potentially been major league position players they simply do not get enough AB’s for that to be possible. It’s nearly impossible to get into any kind of rhythm playing once a week. Then you have your large majority of major league pitchers who simply do not have the athletic ability to hit that caliber of pitching. That will never change.
If you are looking for pitchers to rock 20 bombs and hit over .300, yes.
It was ludicrous to ask middle infielders to hit 40 years ago. They’ve stepped up. It is not out of the question to see an improvement out of the pitcher’s spot. If a bench player can play once or twice a week and hit over .200, why can’t a pitcher? That blows your rhythm excuse BTW.
Lol.
How about your boy Mad Bum? The biggest cheerleader for pitchers hitting? I would assume we all believe he works on it, right?
For his career he hits 54% below the league Average with a .170 BA and .220 OBP. Really can’t hit a lick in the postseason. But We’ll chalk those 30 horrible ABS to a small sample bias.
Greinke?
Only a mere 39% below league average. But finally there’s one with a career average above .200!!!!
Pitchers will never hit buddy. Scalping a few outliers who really don’t “hit” at all doesn’t change that. If it was some market inefficiency that teams thought they could exploit by having pitchers who could hit— they would’ve tried it already. Pretty obvious ML teams didn’t find it possible. But if wild Bill and the head in the sand boys do I suppose that’s all the matters.
And what I did was just pick the top of the starting pitcher hitting class. Essentially the equivalent of telling you what JT Realmuto and Wilson Contreras could do and tell you that all catchers can hit like that. Then think about the AL pitchers who get to hit once a month if they’re lucky.
Ludicrous.
Having Ces and Davis in the same lineup would be huge
Mets seem to be big winners with this.
Get the fainting couches and smelling salts ready. Personally, I think this is the perfect time to try it out. What do they have to lose? This season is going to be interesting.
Darick Hall is a sleeper pick for the Phillies DH spot
He did not hit well in AA and has 0 AAA abs. He also isn’t on the 40 man roster.
That’s a 1 in a million shot
Pirates are going to go full run prevention and defense when they have an infield of Hayes, Tucker, Newman/Frazier, Craig/Osuna in the infield with Reynolds, Dyson and Polanco in the outfield.
Polanco wont help with that. Nor will he help with an offensive minded team either.
You could do a lot worse than Polanco. Not saying he’s fantastic or anything, but he isn’t a complete butcher.
I highly doubt that the Pirates will have Ke’Bryan Hayes up this year, and I don’t have any problem with that. They need to max out the amount of years that they will be able to afford him.
The Pirates will make sure he first passes the super two thing before he gets put on the 25/30 man major league roster. This is just how they always do things, and I doubt they will change now, regardless of the new GM.
As a Pirates fan, I absolutely disagree that they should be manipulating Hayes’s service time in order to maximize the time he stays under contract. I think that’s a loathsome practice no matter who does it.
If Hayes is good enough this year to make the MLB roster then he should be on the roster, period. I agree that that might not be likely to occur, but I strongly believe it *should*
They need to max out his development. The bat still needs plenty of work.
Agreed, he still needs some work on his hitting anyway, so keeping him back is serving multiple purposes.
my thoughts here:
DH allows Atlanta to start both Ozuna and Markakis on a frequent basis.
Carp can be kept more healthy and focus more on hitting while Edman handles 3B
I’d rather see Duvall out there than Markakis. Duvall in left, Ender in center and Acuna in right with Ozuna DH
Shift Acuna to center when Snitker wants to get Markakis in there for a day or injury insurance.
I know Riley and probably Camargo will get outfield chances too but I hope they keep Riley at third with Culberson/Camargo as the super utilities.
Hope it’s just for this messed up one year. I tried hard watching American League baseball but it just doesn’t compare to the National League.
Why doesn’t it compare?
Because not everyone is like you. Different people are allowed to like different things. I don’t think caviar compares to pizza, but I’m sure there are other people that would have the exact opposite reaction. That doesn’t mean that either side should be forced to eat the food they don’t like. There is no reason both can’t be enjoyed by the people that enjoy one or the other. Or if you like both, there is option for you as well.
The NL fans are not trying to take away the DH from the AL. If you like it, you have a league to watch. Why does it bother you so much that the people that do not like the DH have a way to watch the game too?
This! Thank you, Hi! I feel like there is a segment of people that believe all of us who are anti-DH want to eliminate it from the AL. I, for one, don’t care that the AL has it. My opinion is simply I don’t enjoy it, and so I don’t root for an AL club, or really watch AL ball.
The part I don’t understand is what is the rationale argument for forcing on us NL fans who hate it? As if the unending labor strife isn’t enough to drive fans away, is that extra log on the fire really necessary?
I’ll deal with it this year because the season is already jacked up, anyway. Whatever. Long-term though, I don’t know. Why can’t we just leave the game alone?
I simply abhor the DH in NL idea and quite simply want both leagues to be left as is. Why force change?
See as an AL fan I find it hard to watch the pitcher go up and whiff or not try and be pretty much an automatic out. I think the late game bullpen and bench management is interesting and I’m still kind of confused by the double switch, but the 2-3 automatic outs per game makes me question it all.
Guys you have to understand that these NL fans can not get over the feeling of nostalgia. They’ve watched a pitcher flail around at the plate their entire lives.
These same people are very upset that Sears and Roebuck is no longer an American Staple!
I don’t even mind the pitcher hitting all that much… what I hate is the uselessness of the number eight hitter.
In the AL, a pitcher actually has to work his way through the lineup.
this is why things should stay the same. both sides seem to prefer what they have and it provides an interesting variation in game styles.
It’s going to be really hard for staunch NL fans to get use to not watching a pitcher fail to execute a bunt or swing and miss out of their shoes! Please understand their frustration guys!
Why have pitchers at all? They get hurt, slow the game down warming up, they throw the ball too hard, they suppress run production, and sometimes they even hit these precious DHs.
Get pitchers out of MLB entirely.
As I said, it’s hard for the anti-dh crowd to argue their point without the use of hyperbole.
I’m not anti-DH, just anti NL DH. As a fan, why do you wish to change the league we love?
Even more rule changes that I think change the game too much, but hey, at least baseballs back!
It baffles me why some fans champion catering to incompleteness in a player’s skillset by just saying, well let’s not make them do it.
I see an argument that they don’t bat in the minors. Well, why not? You see defensive OF players that can’t hit held down until their at least semi-capable with a bat. Why is there a double-standard? If you’re not good at something, you’re supposed to work to improve.
I see the argument that AL pitchers have to hit in NL parks. No, they don’t. You can PH for them if you don’t want them to hit, or skip their start, or just have them stand there and take a walk or a K. Is it a disadvantage? Sure is! That’s what happens though when you choose not to work on a skill that’s a fundamental part of the game.
In football, how many kickers or punters can tackle? They don’t employ designated tacklers, though. How many centers in basketball can’t shoot a free throw? They don’t have designated shooters.
I don’t understand this position that we just change the game so guys aren’t challenged to do things they’re not good at.
The DH allows for a better game. There isn’t a baseball player in the major leagues who is as one dimensional as a pitcher.
A CF is not drafted or climbs through the minor leagues if he has NO ABILITY to hit.
I think there is a place in this game for Edgar Martinez… you don’t.
Wrong. Again.
That was an insightful comeback.
More insightful than the barrage of stupidity you have one display in this article. Face it: you have been stomped on by multiple people. Need more stomping? Are you S&M?
You say it’s a better game, but isn’t that just an opinion?
You also claim there isn’t a baseball player in the MLs as one dimensional as a pitcher. The irony in that statement is your team’s BEST pitcher is also your DH most days.
Also, I do think there was a place in the game for Martinez- it was 1B.
Baseball was more popular when there was no DH. Maybe it’s not a better game afterall?
Baseball was more popular when only whites played the sport. Maybe that was a terrible move to let in colored players?
Baseball was more popular when steroids were used in every clubhouse. Maybe Bud Selig should’ve continued to turn a blind eye?
Sorry, traditionalists. The NL DH this year probably means the beginning of DHs in both leagues going forward. For better or for worst, we’ve all seen the recent changes in the game. Expanded rosters and the union still wants more jobs.
The Players want it, the owners want it. It will happen.
if it’s really that popular then why hasn’t it happened yet?
Because the fans don’t matter.
It will extend the careers of Hall of Famers Rob Refsnyder and Blake Swihart.
As much as I like seeing pitchers batting I’m glad they implemented this rule so that we have enough room to start Dom.
Cespedes, Cron, and the Reds could be the biggest benefactors of the universal DH.
Being someone who has experienced both leagues as a Brewer’s fan, I am not a fan of the DH. When the Brewer’s were in the American League, I always wondered why the National League didn’t have it. I always thought the game was better without pitchers batting. Once the Brewer’s went to the National League and I had to watch pitchers bat, I found out there was a lot more to the game and it made the game more interesting. Pitchers batting makes you think about what a manager should do next. Just my opinion but I think it challenges fans to think about what is happening during that game and how it could affect the next game or games (with the use of relievers). People say the game is somewhat boring to watch, at least with pitchers batting there is still a lot of strategy involved in the game.
I like the AL ball is more about the players than the manager, though I still think there is lots of AL strategy that NL enthusiasts don’t acknowledge.
Not baseball the way it was meant to be played. The Junior circuit gimmick.
Congratulations for all the one dimensional hitters out there. you now have the whole mlb market. Face it the only people this really effects are Hitters who can’t field and all but a handful of starters and really not them all that much.
BUT i can understand for the short basically throw away season just less time to prepare in live sessions. lets just hope it and that the CPU strike zone idea goes away next year.
Pitchers getting hurt while batting/running is not a valid reason to put in a DH. They probably get hurt more on come backers.. just eyeballing it.
Maybe we should put a robotic pitcher out there and have the pitcher control the throw with an xbox controller? (sarcasm duh)
Ball players be ball players.
We could just put the ball on a tee. I feel as if there is a segment of fans who would love it! The box score in September might read 45-35, LA over Miami- and we could blind guess if that’s Dodgers and Marlins, or Chargers and Dolphins! Lol
T-Ball could lower the number of Tommy John surgeries per season.
i… actually like that idea. that would allow me to play! as long as i have a designated runner…
This is despicable. Absolutely despicable. The pitcher NEEDS to hit. This generation of pansies ball players doesn’t want to work too hard!
They get rid of Toys R US. Then they’re working on getting rid of Sears and Roebuck. Gosh Damnit I just want to sit down and shop from a catalog. And do you know what else really pisses me off?
That all cars aren’t manufactured in America. And I’m not talking about those sissy cars that Elon Musk makes. Remember the good old days when your car was AMERICAN made!
woops, correction needed 2018
matt kemp’s ugly 2019 season makes it easy to forget that he was a very strong hitter as recently as 2019
“Not baseball the way it was meant to be played?”. Like, only during the daytime and by only white guys?
Personally, keep the DH, lose the DH, I’m fine either way. But having a differant set of rules is just madness. Same game, same rules. MLB has to expand its horrizions, not limit them.
Games were played during the day for many reasons that you couldn’t fathom since you did not live during those times. Also, playing the race card is a bad look. In case you still don’t have a clue, check the MVP voting in the 1950s. No discrimination unless you are looking for it.
And you don’t know why there are “differant” set of rules. At one time they were considered two separate leagues under one branch; major league baseball.
i disagree. i see no need to standardize DH rules as long as their is a NL and a AL. sure there are interleague games but those seem like they’d be clumsy with or without the DH in play.
I was a big A’s fan in the early 2000s (loved watching Zito/Hudson/Mulder/Harden pitch) but I got so tired of watching some guy that belonged more in a softball league, waddle up to the plate and take all the strategy out of the game with him. There’s no thought of intentionally walking the 8th place batter to get a hot pitcher out of the game because chances are a pinch hitter comes up in a big spot. There’s no double switches or managerial anything until “pitcher looks tired. Maybe we should call the bullpen. I’m going back to sleep”
I’m sure I’m in the minority but yes I absolutely want to watch the strategy unfold between pinch hitters and double switches late in the game much more than I want to watch Albert Pujols/Edwin Encarnacion bat.
There are 5 tools in baseball. Cool so they can hit/hit for power but do nothing else so at best they’re 40% of a baseball player.
Very good point!
Universal DH is lame. So is Manfred.
Pitchers hitting is lame. So is Manfred.
Pitchers hitting sucks. Waster of an entire inning.
And Manfred sucks
Why? What the heck does this have to do with short seasons and/or COVID. I get bored watching AL games. And it’s no challenge for the managers. Look at the “great” Joe Torre. He was a bad manager with the Braves, Mets, and Cardinals, and a flipping genius in the Bronx. Sorry, you’ll never convince me on this one.
Fuck the DH.
So terrible, so sad.
Fuck pitchers hitting.
So terrible, so sad.
There is a decent chance AJ Pollock is sitting out. His wife just gave birth to a very at risk newborn.
I think you are way off on the Pirates DH.
It will most likely be Josh Bell at DH everyday, with Jose Osuna playing first base.
They know they need to have Osuna’s bat in the lineup everyday, and he is a good fielding first baseman, so he fits perfectly this way.
It’s as much of a no-brainer as a no-brainer can get.
Colin Moran will probably be playing third, mainly for his bat, and also because the Pirates are not likely to have Ke’Bryan Hayes on the major league roster until he passes super-two status.
Jose Usuna could also play some third base once in a while.
Osuna was and is my prediction at DH, but given the Pirates arent winning anything anyway it does make sense to give Hayes some DH time.
Hayes won’t even be on the roster, mark my words.
Osuna will play first base, Josh Bell will DH.
They won’t have Hayes on the team until he passes super-two status.
They did it with Andrew McCutchen, they did it Gerrit Cole, they did it with Starling Marte, and they will do it with Hayes.
(and Cutch and Marte were far more ready as hitters than Hayes is right now. He actually can use some work on his hitting, unlike Cutch & Marte when they finally came up.)
Oh and they did it with Gregory Polanco too. I forgot about him.
Ok, if the pitchers aren’t going to take their swings at the plate, then shouldn’t they be able to pitch more than 100 pitches per game, or 5 innings? Imagine what Nolan Ryan would have told a manager if he told him he was pulling him because of pitch count.
They’d have gotten the same treatment he gave to Robin Ventura
Exactly!
Nolan Ryan threw two pitches when he pitched all those innings.
It’s not the fast ball that kills ya.
What happened to Frank Tanana ?
I think the best analogy for NL vs AL style baseball is playing the card game euchre either with or without sticking the dealer.
For the uninitiated, after dealing a hand of euchre, the dealer turns the next card in the deck face up for all players to see. Players then go around the table and have the option to select the face up suit as the trump suit. If all players pass, it goes around a second time and players have the option to select any of the other three suits as trump.
If all players pass a second time, the stick the dealer rule comes into play. If a game is using that rule, the dealer is forced to select a trump suit regardless of how good or bad their hand is. If a game is not using that rule, dealers can pass so the hand is not played and the next player takes their turn as dealer.
In my decades of playing euchre I have never met a euchre aficionado that played without the stick the dealer rule. It forces players to think more strategically with their bids — not just the dealer, but also his or her teammate and in some circumstances the opposing team. Without the rule, nobody makes risky bets since the consequences of bad bets outweigh the benefits.
NL baseball feels the same way to me. Managers are forced to make decisions on a number levels. It even affects roster construction, since NL teams have a much greater need for players that can play multiple positions around the field. AL baseball feels so much more white bread.
kevin cron 280/340/620 easy.
Just for the record, there is nothing stopping the pitchers from becoming better hitters or stopping teams from finding better hitting pitchers.
For a sport that prides itself on supposedly seeking every single competitive advantage, they don’t actually do it that often.
Can’t wait to watch 9 guys in a row swing for the fences on every pitch, though. Riveting.
You’re right! They should get more pitchers who can hit and preferably can’t pitch very well!
Joshy I’m gonna let you in on a secret. No pitchers can hit very well because they only get an opportunity to hit once a week against the best arms in the world.
Dies Ohtani bat in the games he pitches?
stevep-4.
No.
Writers seems to have forgotten about Will Craig in the Pirates system. All well, the brainless writers know it all lol
I agree that Will Craig is being overlooked. I hope he gets some playing time, but Jose Osuna has earned an everyday role, and he is ahead of Craig right now.
Eventually Craig will earn a spot if he just gets the opportunity.
I really hope Craig makes the 30 man roster though, the Pirates will need his power and run production. He will make for a very good bat off the bench right now.
If Polanco gets hurt again, Osuna will probably be pressed into duty back in right field as he did last year. Or even if Moran gets hurt, Osuna can move to third.
Either way, that would open a spot for Will Craig to play steadily.
I look forward to him getting his chance because I believe that Will Craig is being very under-estimated.
I honestly believe Craig and Bell in the lineup, provides some pop the Pirates desperately need. With the DH, one of the two can man 1B and the other DH. But again, everyone writes him off so quickly for new blood like Hayes. I can’t wait to see him in the majors, but he hasn’t figured it out offensively. He’d be a defensive replacement at 3rd base in the majors right now. If I had to choose either offense production or a defensive replacement on my roster (with DH in my back pocket), I’d pick offense production.
It would be interesting to see what the OBP of the #8 hitter in the NL has been over the years? I’d assume that it would be higher than the #8 hitter in the AL.
I bet it’s much higher. But what often happens is the pitcher wont give the number 8 hitter anything to hit hard which kills his ability to drive home runs. Knowing the pitcher is on deck, the #8 hitter chases.
And if there are two outs, the pitcher leads off the next inning, and that’s two innings that are screwed up because you have a pitcher in the lineup.
I have grown to hate that aspect of the NL game. After the starting pitcher is out of the game, the NL game becomes a lot more like the AL game.
Since the only safe place to play baseball is on Mars, they should call it the Universe DH.
Good. It’s about time! DH/No DH I. The same sport was dumb. Plus putting you (usually) highest paid player at then plate while 100 mph fastballs are being thrown at them is just unnecessary and all it really serves in doing in making the game less interesting. It messes up the batter before the pitcher and the batter after the pitcher. Making a third of the hitting lineup expendable. F that nonsense
That’s the argument in a nutshell.
Do you find the game more interesting with a dead spot in the lineup as long as the starting pitcher is in the game.
I don’t.
Everything else is misdirection.
So if we break it down to that simplistic of a view, you’ve got 2 geoups of fans, that like two different styles of play. Luckily, we have 2 leagues, with 2 different styles of play! Don’t like one style or the other, don’t watch.
Why then force a change on one side, and alienate an entire group of fans the sport needs? Someone PLEASE answer me that question.
Because players and owners want it.
It’s going to happen.
Not all players want a Universal Dumb Hitter & neither do millions of Baseball fans & the only people who want a Universal Dumb Hitter Rule wants to further the destruction of the Traditional Game of Baseball.
Don’t bet on it since the Universal Dumb Hitter rule will only be used in the short 2020 season per the March agreement
Since you don’t like Pitcher’s hitting then DON”T WATCH THE NATIONAL LEAGUE GAMES & quit trying to further destroy the game of baseball for millions of fans who oppose the Dumb Hitter
Some of us don’t enjoy easy-mode baseball, either, without any manager moves hardly.
I’d love a game without moves.
One of the best games I ever saw was a 1972 game where Messerschimdt out-dueled Jim Lonborg. Both pitched complete games.
Today, without the DH, Lonborg would have been pulled in the 6th.
Pinch hitting was limited to catchers.
Moves don’t make the game.
Strategy makes the game & there is very little strategy to the American League Game
I guarantee you a universal DH will not change the way pitchers are being used. Complete games will not happen in today’s game. I would argue having a DH will make it harder because the DH will use up more pitches and be a tougher out than the pitcher’s spot.
What will allow pitchers to go the distance will take a few more rule changes that will be fought off by the fans who want to see more scoring. They would not care to lose that for the pitcher’s duel you are referring to. Personally I think superstar hurlers bring more people to watch.
America’s medical experts have grossly mis-handled this virus. We knew in January that SARS-V2 was at least twice as contagious as influenza because of it’s robustness. Instead of a shutdown places of business & education should have been required to enforce proper protocol to enter a place. What is that?
1) Mandatory washing of hands with a bleached moist towelette.
2) Mandatory spraying of outer mask with a bleach soln.
3) Mandatory wearning of mask, ear protection, & eye protection.
Had they implemented these rules, social distancing could have been cut to 2 ft.
What that means for sporting events, cinemas, bars, & restaurants is every other seat.
Why bleach? Because it’s been proven to disrupt the virus’ RNA. Even if transmission occurs the virus will have a very difficult time multiplying. That’s ideal for trying to develop
herd immunity.
The 3 rules I’ve mentioned should be part of the MLB employee (incl players) protocol as well. The minor leagues could re-open if they observe the 3 rules.
Fans thinking 60 games is worthless need to think BIG picture. MLB needs to play this season to prepare for future seasons. While it’s true that some SARS victims still have antibodies vs that virus over a decade ago, it’s also true that Chicago & other big cities in America have a more robust strain of the virus than China. It could be more than 3x more contagious than influenza here. Cases are growing at a time influenza is out of season.
SARS-V2 likely isn’t defined by a season & it only takes one group of people with short-lived antibodies to keep it from every dying out.
MLB & the rest of America must get on with the business of living admist the virus.
While Vegas is betting on the NYY vs LAD for the 2020 WS, I still feel the Chicago White Sox have a rich stable of healthy arms this year to greatly reduce their Runs Against. They
did a lot of heavy lifting in the off-season to raise their Runs Scored.
lol white sox will go 20-40
I believe the Nationals were around that after 60 games last season and they won the World Series! Anything is possible through 60 games! A bad couple of weeks or good couple of weeks can decide whether you’re getting in.
Kyle Schwarber is an underrated Left fielder. He makes 2 errors in the 2015 nlcs and he’s suddenly the worst fielder in baseball. Just about everyone can be a dh for them everyone except Rizzo can play 2 or more positions.
The Universal Dumb Hitter (DH) rule will only be used this year & NOT during the 2021 Season & Rob Manfred & others like him needs to quit FLUCKING with the game of Baseball. The National League is more interesting because there is more strategy to be used in the game.
Like pinch hitting every 5 innings yeah that’s real interesting
Now if you don’t like the National League game THEN DON’T WATCH THE NATIONAL LEAGUE & watch the American League where there is very little strategy.
Why try and change something if it’s so divisive?
Why remove a strategic component to a game beloved for its tactics?
The pitcher v pitcher duel…
An RBI to remedy for that run you gave up last inning.
Have we so soon forgotten Bartolo?!
We rightly complain about the “HR or K” approach these days, yet we long for the uni DH.
The compromise between AL and NL is set. Why conform to something with so many reasons not to?
Ah, and probably the #1 thing that actually lengthens games? More offense…
I like it as it is. Disagree with all the arguments that claim watching a pitcher hit is boring, that they’ll get hurt, etc… hate to see the strategy involved disappear, and, yes, I do believe making the pitcher hit adds strategy and intrigue. That being said, I’ll get over this change quick. DH in the NL is not my preference, but I’ll live with it.
Pitchers hit .128 last year and struck out 45.3%
Hit .115 in 2018.
I guess that’s progress…..
Bring in the DH
DH—boring. Just my opinion. This idea that offense equates to quality, while lowering scoring games are inherently better is nothing more than my own argument—some just find pitchers hitting boring. Fair enough, the majority rules. And the majority always gets it right.
Sorry, meant inherently worse. My bad.
IDK the details, but I think the NL will use the DH because all pitchers including starters will reside in the bullpen. Both the dugout & bullpen require some social distancing so they won’t be nearly as crowded as in the past. You can expect this for the forseeable future.
We still do not know the maximum time antibodies vs this virus remain in the body. There are some reports of 6 mo’s or more, but there are several classes of risk groups.
The lowest risk group might be years or even decades but the highest risk group might just be months. if people with diabetes can’t maintain the antibodies, we may never see a month when reported cases is 0.
What about the Angels slugging pitcher?
There should be a limited exception & I hope the MLBPA has the foresight to get it passed. If a pitcher is sure to get a PA the next time his team is at bat, he should be able to use the other team’s on deck circle to take swings. He never has to go to a dugout. He’s either at bat, in his team’s on deck circle, or in the other team’s on deck circle. When his PA is over, he’s out on base, or scores he simply goes back to the bullpen. If he’s not guaranteed to get a PA, the DH hits for him.
Every time a pitcher is sure to get a PA, the team can opt to let him hit or use the DH.
NL fan here! Love my Braves!
I am personally glad that this day has finally come! The ridiculousness of the pitcher hitting is finally coming to an end.
I used to be anti-DH many years ago. That is until I finally opened my mind about 10 years or so ago and realized it’s much better for the game. The pro’s of having a DH easily outweigh the pro’s of having your pitcher hit.
First, something people don’t ever put into consideration. The No8 hitter. In the NL game, this guy has it tough. Especially when runners are on base. A pitcher rarely gives him any good pitches to see because he knows that the guy on deck is an easy out. So when there are runners on base, one of two things usually happens; A) no8 hitter swings at a bad ball and gets himself out or B) he gets walked. Pitcher comes up and is an easy out. So much for the wonderful “strategy” that people like to argue for huh? I would say that the strategy here is 20x easier in the NL than it is in the AL. To me, as an NL team, you better hope that you are able to drive in your runners with the 1-7 slots in the lineup or it becomes much more difficult. I don’t have the stats in front of me but I would speculate that the no8 hitter in the NL has a much lower average than a no8 hitter in the AL does. Now this doesn’t happen all of the time but I have watched enough baseball in my life to know that I have seen this happen countless times. The addition of the DH will help everybody in the lineup.
Free agency. Now lets not forget that the DH isn’t just used for those big and slow sluggers. People use this slot to rotate people in and out of to get some rest throughout a long season. Especially when players have minor injuries that they are dealing with. When you’re a free agent, lets say you have a choice between an AL and NL team. The AL team will be provide you with a little extra benefit of being able to DH once in a while, while the NL cannot. This is definitely more important when a player is in the middle to end of his career. The NL teams may not be able to offer you what the AL teams can. This is a no brainer and unarguable. It’s point blank obvious that the AL has had an advantage over the NL on this for many years. Additionally, look at players like Ohtani. This guy could not be used to his full potential in the pitcher hitting NL. He would only be able to pinch hit off the bench and bat as a pitcher once every five days. In the AL, he can pitch one day and bat the next four days full time. This is huge. No wonder he chose the AL over the NL! As an NL fan, how can you not see the writing on the wall that this puts you at a slight disadvantage?
The most obvious knocks at the pitcher batting are the possibility of them getting hurt. This isn’t my biggest knock at it as I realize that injuries can happen anytime. Some notable injuries have occured with pitchers on the basepaths. Elimination of this can definitely reduce the chance that they are injured. My biggest critique against pitchers batting is the fact that they are just plain awful at it. And here’s why. These guys spend most of their lives practicing to become a great pitcher. They don’t spend an awful lot of time focusing on batting. Once they get to college, they likely never go up to the plate again. And now, all of a sudden, they get called up to the highest level of baseball to face some of the best pitchers in the world, and now they are expected to go up to the plate and bat? If this was something that was a regular thing all throughout their baseball lives through college and the minors, I would certainly have a greater understanding of it. But just expecting them to go swing a bat after spending most of their lives not doing it is just silly. Their batting average definitely reflects that. What was it the last few years? Something in the range of .120?
NL purists who hate the DH. Did you know that every team in the AL (with a DH) still has the option to have their pitcher bat anyways (instead of a DH)? They can still do this anytime that they want. So if your team can’t get past the “tradition” and “strategy” of having a pitcher bat, go ahead and let them bat still. Adding a DH to your league doesn’t change this. This is one thing that makes me laugh the most. The DH is just being given to you as an option, it’s not like you have to follow it. But guess what? All teams will use it. You know why? Because it’s much more logical.
Last thing. All I hear about online is how great the “strategy” of the NL game is. Strategy? You really enjoy double switches? You enjoy having to decide on whether or not to take your pitcher out of the game in the 5th or 6th inning for a pinch hitter? To each their own. I don’t agree with this opinion but I can certainly respect others who may disagree with me. But let me ask you this. What’s the main reasoning for a double switch? What is the main reasoning for a pinch hitter? The main reason is to decrease the likelihood of the pitcher batting!! Well, now, you get the chance to do that without pulling him early or wasting a bench spot too early in the game, and that’s a BAD thing? Also, if you want to talk about strategy. The strategy of managing a pitcher in the AL game is much more difficult. They have to face a full lineup of hitters and don’t have the luxury of being able to pitch around a few spots to face as many weaker hitters. Bunting? Yeah, I love bunting too actually. This is one aspect of baseball it saddens me to see less of nowadays. I wish more players were practicing this skill regularly. I think it’s pretty easy to see that this has been declining for all teams, with or without the DH. Even most pitchers who were asked to do it, weren’t very good at it anyways. This is one argument I see but I don’t necessarily think it will be impacted all that much with the addition of the DH.
I could go on all day about this subject. These are just some of the most important reasonings as to why I believe that having the DH is 1000000x better than not having the DH. It’s not because I want to “see more offense” its just more that I want to see a better overall game. NL fans who love the news, I am excited for you to get to see a better lineup constructed. To the ones who don’t love it, I am sorry, but you’ll just have to get used to it. Most Houston Astros fans I have met or chatted with now love having the DH after getting used to it. I know there will be some people who will comment that they strongly disagree with me but it’s no biggie to me. It’s whatever. To each their own. Take care everybody.
Tim Hudson was one of the top hitters in the SEC when he played for Auburn.
I don’t know that we’ll see any teams utilizing this strategy, but technically the DH doesn’t have to bat for the pitcher; not just in the sense of forgoing the use of the DH.
A DH can be used for any hitter in the lineup.
In theory, a team that’s comfortable with their pitcher batting (and by extension, the continued use of PH and double-switches) can play somebody with an elite glove without having to worry about the negative value of their bat/baserunning.
I hope that teams that have the Ohtanis and Lorenzens of the world would be open to doing something akin to that to get the Jeff Mathises and Austin Hedges of the world more defensive reps without the concern of giving away ABs.
That would more than likely impact the construction of said rosters and would require a complete rebuild of the current arbitration system (which is overdue anyways). So that’s probably not much more than a fun thought exercise.
Edit: apparently I was thinking of lower levels of organized baseball, still a fun thought exercise, as there was always an essentially 0% chance of that happening.
Might as well just have a DH for every position… then you can just bat whoever you want and field whoever you want. For that matter, let’s just have the same guy hit over and over until he gets a hit. They can all watch batting practice in front of no fans and put a man on 2nd in the 10th while a pitcher gets shelled because he hasnt faced 3 batters yet. Wow great product MLB.
It’s very difficult to not laugh at how many times I have read somebody post this ridiculous exaggeration.
We’re talking about one DH here. To replace the Pitcher. Not 9 of them. Nobody has ever come close to suggesting something this ridiculous would happen. Thanks for the nice laugh!
The DH is blasphemous!