Posted on 02/11/2019 10:07:24 PM PST by TBP
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that there could be many potential rule changes applied to both the American and National Leagues. One of these potential rule changes is adding the universal designated hitter (also referred to as “DH”). This would take pitchers out of NL lineups and replace them with a hitter of the manager’s choice.
The AL implemented the DH in 1973, but the NL has always stayed away from it until now. This has been one of the most frequently talked about topics over the years. So let’s take a look at why the the universal designated hitter would be bad for MLB.
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Sports Illustrated ✔ @SInow MLB is reportedly discussing rule changes including a three-batter requirement for all pitchers and adding a universal DH http://go.si.com/cWuMBCt
44 8:51 AM - Feb 6, 2019 34 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy The Universal Designated Hitter Would be Bad for the MLB Rule 1.01 This is the first and main reason the designated hitter should not be added to the National League. Rule 1.01 in the official Major League Baseball rule-book states “Baseball is a game between two teams of nine players each…” This rule has remained static for decades in the NL, and when you add a DH to the lineup, teams are technically playing with ten players. This new universal DH rule would break this first objective as well as disrupt baseball’s historical significance.
It Takes Strategy Out Of The Game Many fans of the game believe watching pitchers hit is a boring part of baseball and dread for the ninth spot in the lineup to be on deck. But when pitchers are a part of the lineup, it adds much needed strategy to the game. It’s like Tom Verducci wrote: “If you like the DH, you like checkers. If you like NL style baseball, you like chess. Baseball without the DH is a better, more strategic game. Why tick off half your fan base and tell them you can’t have chess any more and you must like checkers?”
Pinch-hitting Managers must manage their bench and decide when to pinch-hit for their pitcher. At times a pitcher could be performing well but the team is struggling to score runs, so the manager will have to make a decision whether to substitute his pitcher for a player off the bench for a chance to breakthrough with some runs, or decide to leave his dealing pitcher in. Another example would be if a teams bullpen is depleted, the manager could decide to leave his pitcher in the game to bat even if it means risking a chance to score. These type of managerial decisions make the game of baseball much more exciting.
Bunting Another important strategy that is used when pitchers bat is bunting. Bunting is becoming obsolete in this era of baseball with everyone trying to swing for the fences. Although bunting adds a refreshing strategy to the game of baseball, it will become even more obsolete if the MLB decides to add the universal DH.
Pitchers Can Hit Most people who are anti-DH will point out players like Ivan Nova who has a career .042 batting average and 92 strikeouts in 144 at-bats. There are certainly many pitchers who cannot hit, but there are also plenty that can. Including the most notable like Madison Bumgarner who has clubbed 17 homers in ten big-league seasons, Michael Lorenzen who launched 4 home-runs last season, and Yovani Gallardo who has hit 12 homers in his career. These guys are not sluggers by any means, but they can definitely handle the bat.
Brandon Woodruff Just ask Brandon Woodruff if pitchers can hit. He took future Hall-of-Famer Clayton Kershaw deep in game one of the 2018 NLCS.
Bartolo Colon And let’s not forget about Bartolo Colon who hit one of the most memorable home runs in recent memory.
The Verdict The sad fact is MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will probably implement the universal DH in the next collective bargaining agreement in 2021. This will more than likely improve the NL offensively, but it will mean the very first objective in the Official Baseball rule book will be broken after decades. Additionally, it will take away a lot of the manager’s strategic decisions, and fans will miss out on the exciting moments such as Brandon Woodruff’s and Bartolo Colon’s home runs.
100% agree. The DH rule is the worst thing ever to happen to baseball. I hate it... Always have and I want rid of it completely.
I’ll see your radical and raise it.....
Stop all public funding of private business, including stadiums for professional athletes to perform the circuses.......
And as to the DH rule: I stopped caring way back with the last strike, if they never played another game I would never notice.
Agree. Perhaps equally disruptive is the minimum 3 batter rule for pitchers — also removes strategy and will cause some pitchers to lose their jobs (e.g., left hand specialists). Would increase pace of play somewhat, though.
One of the dozen reasons that it was approved in the first place, was to give aging players with no fielding capability...a chance to linger for two or three additional seasons. Frank Thomas is a great example...for the last ten years of his career, that gave him a chance to play.
For Jim Thome, probably 400 of his home runs were as a DH.
I agree. The DH is bad for baseball. While they’re at it they should all stop trying to play homerun derby. It’s boring to sit a wait for a homerun, that’s not baseball.
Nonsense. DH Rule should be universal. Most people don’t like watching batters make automatic outs. More offense and excitement if instead you have professional batters who can help get runs scored. Players like Edgar Martinez, Victor Martinez, J D Martinez, David Ortiz and Frank Thomas.
Baseball needs action. When balls are put in play, not only do you score more runs, you get great defense. Action! That’s what makes baseball fun.
The so-called strategy of using pinch-hitters for pitchers unnecessarily prematurely depletes your bench. This makes the later innings even more boring.
No.
It’s because they now want to switch pitchers out all the time.
Over the years I've gone from being ambivalent about the DH to being generally in favor of it in the NL. The anti-DH crowd would have a much stronger case to make if pitchers weren't almost universally such awful hitters.
This fixation on the "strategy" of the NL rules is mystifying, too. When did it become a GOOD thing for managers to pull a dominant starting pitcher in the late innings of a close game just because the guy's spot in the lineup was up?
Better the get rid of it in the AL.
I agree. The designated hitter rule is odd and artificial, and so it should be discarded.
But I’m not against suggestions that will keep baseball from being a snooze-fest. Among these are:
1. Get rid of the new pitcher warm-up. When a new pitcher takes the mound, his first pitch should count.
2. Get rid of the four-pitch intentional walk. If the pitcher wants to intentionally walk a batter, the pitcher should just point to first base. No more of those four dull, wide pitches.
3. Move the pitching mound back a bit. Passes make a football game more exciting. The NFL understands this. Hits make a baseball game more exciting. MLB does not understand this.
Screw the DH rule. Abolish it and teach pitchers to hit. Hell they can’t even bunt. Good managers manage not substitute. Open up the strike zone and make hitters hit. Call double plays at second tighter and quit the bull shitz walk up music. Get in the batters box and stay there. The games generally suck the way they are played now.
This was already implemented in 2017.
I like the DH rule. Nobody wants to see pitchers hit. Is there anything worse than your team having a rally going when the .065 hitting pitcher is up to bat? Even the article mentions there’s only been about 5 pitchers in history who were decent hitters. Besides it’s unfair for AL teams when a key component of their offense can’t hit in games at NL stadiums.
> This [an intentional walk rule] was already implemented in 2017. <
Really? That’s interesting. Thanks for the info. I last went to a MLB game this past summer, and I didn’t notice that. But then again, the game moved so slowly that I lost interest.
Of course, that’s just me. I fully understand that some people see the slow pace of a MLB game as a plus.
Why that would be PDJT, of course.
He has been designated as Hitler's reincarnation by virtually all of the most reputable news organizations in the world.
Ok, let me clean my eyeglasses and try again....
If they approve this, then the Designated Runner (Charlie Finley’s old gimmick) will also get new consideration.
The Players’ Union will never allow the AL to do away with the DH.
“Get rid of the four-pitch intentional walk. “
That has already been done.
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