The designated hitter is cause for big debate among MLB fans. This will likely increase next year when we start to have interleague games every day. Both sides are very adamant in their beliefs of which is superior. There's validity to both arguments: the DH puts better hitters in the lineup to provide the games with better offenses, and supporters argue that pitchers shouldn't bat and waste a spot in the lineup; supporters of the opposite strongly believe that if you're on the field you should be in the lineup, the team should not get the luxury of having an extra hitter to replace the pitcher, and there is more strategy with in-game managing when you are dealing with a pitcher in the lineup.
I don't think there's a right or wrong here, there's value in both. I grew up as a fan of a National League team so I'm against the designated hitter, and I think for most, if not all people, they support the side that they grew up with, that they're used to, that their team plays with. So I'm curious if there is anyone out there who goes against this and prefers the other side. I have a feeling it's more likely that an NL fan would prefer DH than vise versa, but still would be rare.
And there could be Brewers fans who grew up with an AL team who then switched to the NL, and any Astros fans are preparing for the change to the AL, so those opinions could be interesting as well.
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so there is literally one starting NL pitcher who kind of brings something offensively (and by bring something, I mean bats at a subpar average and probably gets less RBIs on average than any of their other starters).
Pitchers batting is a complete waste of time, and merely a reflection of typical reactionary baseball fans who refuse to change anything ever.
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It's rare that pitchers have watchable ABs, and the strategy of pinch hitting isn't really anything to speak of. If there was no DH, it's the exact sort of thing I would suggest be put in place. But yeah I'm certainly a fan of an AL team.
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pitchers shouldn't bat, it's both bad for the entertainment value of the game and also exposes them further to injury for no good reason. MLB is just going to continue getting less popular because of it's stubborn inability to change archaic traditions.
It's not even a matter of modernization, so I don't know where this is coming from. Pretty sure most of the people in this topic, no matter which side they're on, are for modernization.
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Micah Owings Career: .283/.310/.502, 8 HR over about a season's worth of at bats.
That said, I like it as it is now. It allows for different elements of strategy. Small ball makes far more sense in NL situations, and you have stuff like the double switch and having to decide whether to pinch hit for the pitcher. On the other hand, several big league managers have talked about how it can be more difficult managing in the AL because the situation does not dictate what to do (take a pitcher out for a pinch hitter, etc) and it is certainly more challenging for the pitchers. And don't tell me it takes more talent to be able to bunt twice a game than it does to face David Ortiz instead of the pitcher three times per start.
And just like aging hitters can go to the AL, declining pitchers can go to the NL and face one less batter in the lineup
Either way, I don't buy much into the traditionalist argument of "THAT'S NOT HOW BASEBALL IS SUPPOSED TO BE". The game evolves. Replay is certainly an excellent addition. So was integration. You could debate that the rise of relief pitching (and accompanying decline in complete games) has made for better competition. MLB expanded to 30 teams, diluting the talent pool but opening the game up to new audiences. Tradition has always been important in baseball, but so has evolution of the game.
In fact I would even go so far as to say that the 9 on the Field and the 9 in the lineup shouldn't necessarily correlate at all. I'd be completely fine with every team just putting out their absolute best defensive lineup and best offensive lineup independent of each other.
You know, like football.
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I'm neutral. On one hand, the DH rule provides more flexibility in the lineup and prevents the 9th bat in the order from necessarily being a giant black hole (never mind the fact that the Mariners regularly play about 3 or 4 people who are worse batters than most pitchers). I don't really think it adds to the "strategy" that you know the 9th hitter is going to suck every time and that you can just pinch hit for him in between pitching changes. On the other hand, it's more symmetrical to just have the same nine people bat and play defense, and sometimes it's really funny when a pitcher actually has a good game batting, and as an AL fan it's really interesting to see pitchers hit who I've never seen hit before. One time Felix Hernandez hit a grand slam in an interleague game. That was awesome.
The problem with pitchers coming to the plate is that once a pitcher becomes a professional player in the U.S., coaching and management almost strictly focus on their pitching and the only aspects of hitting that they work on is for perfecting a sacrifice bunt when men are on base.
In fact I would even go so far as to say that the 9 on the Field and the 9 in the lineup shouldn't necessarily correlate at all. I'd be completely fine with every team just putting out their absolute best defensive lineup and best offensive lineup independent of each other.
You know, like football.
I don't want baseball to be football, though. There's nothing wrong with sports having separate offenses and defenses, but I prefer the way the other three big American sports do it. You can put a guy out there who is really good in one area and really bad at everything else, but such over-specialization could end up costing you, and you may have to compensate for that player's deficiencies.
That being said, I do think having separate offenses and defenses is better than just a single DH.
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I don't mind the idea of a tradeoff in pitching/hitting/fielding skill, like if Ortiz had to play 1B or whatever, it's just that pitchers are sooooo bad at hitting and sacrifices are simply bad baseball.
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Donny: Are they gonna hurt us, Walter? Walter: No, Donny. These men are cowards.
From: Xuxon | #026 It's fine when they're completely separate, but not so much when there's interleague games going on the entire season.
How many more intereleague games will we actually see under the new schedule?
And having the interleague all season instead of all at once is LESS of a problem for AL teams (they don't have to keep their DH on the bench for a week at a time), while NL teams don't suffer but don't really benefit.
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From: Xuxon | #030 Well, I'd say it's a problem even now, because AL pitchers aren't used to batting or running the bases for the few times they actually have to.
If they spread it out all season, it will be less of a problem. Because they will be used to it.
Because they'll make it part of their training (though a minor part) throughout, instead of going "Oh **** we should do that" two weeks before intereleague.
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From: AlecTrevelyan006 | #031 If they spread it out all season, it will be less of a problem. Because they will be used to it.
Because they'll make it part of their training (though a minor part) throughout, instead of going "Oh **** we should do that" two weeks before intereleague.
I've considered it from that angle, but it seems to me that they'll just have to get used to it 3-5 different times instead of only once, and ultimately waste a lot more time with it.
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