Designated Hitters?

[SmoothieX]

Catcher is an interesting position. You have the most demanding day to day position on the field, are expected to either be a good defender or good hitter, but not both unless you are truly a great, and have to call the game and manage the pitcher's psyche. It's a lot to have on your plate.

The Posada and Mauers of the world are a rare breed.

 

[Tom Servo]

isn't Baseball Lite when you fill 1/9th of your batting lineup with a guy batting .082 lifetime?

Well, if you don't like Baseball Lite, maybe Handicapped Baseball or Special Baseball would work better for you.

Real Baseball requires the manager of a team to weigh every players strengths and weaknesses and determine how to make the most of them to win the game.

I'm sure it won't be long before catchers have designated hitters/runners because of knee problems from their positions (I'm sure someone in the AL has already proposed this). My feeling is that if you can't play baseball well enough to make a team normally, then you shouldn't be playing baseball. It seems funny that anyone would want to change the rules to lower the standards of those who qualify as athletes in a professional sport.

Do AL pitchers have lower salaries because they work less?

The AL pitcher works less? Im pretty sure the AL pitcher has to work more. Im sure Jon Lester would much rather see Jamie Moyer batting ninth rather then someone like Brett Gardner. There is a reason that there is usually a performance dropoff when NL pitcher move to the AL, and the weakness of the 8th and 9th hitters in NL lineups have something to do with that.

You guys can give me the comparison of a catcher batting .160 being no different then a pitcher. But please find me a catcher with a BA of .160. An everyday catcher at that. Because that is that kind of hitting performance that you'll get out of a pitcher every day in the NL.

 

[SmoothieX]

^ I'm not a DH guy, but I agree my light hitting .200 catcher with 2 homers is still a hell of lot better hitter than the 2 at bats every 5 days pitcher.

 

[DeafPoet]

I think NL rules probably make for more interesting baseball, but I grew up almost exclusively watching AL games with the DH and I'm used to it. It's honestly not that big a deal to me one way or the other.

 

[Kronos]

The funniest thing to me from DH defenders is "Well it's tradition" this "tradition" has slightly less history behind it then Disco, the AL/NL were the same for 70+ years.

isn't Baseball Lite when you fill 1/9th of your batting lineup with a guy batting .082 lifetime? Can't understand the appeal of spending your time watching someone bat that, if he couldn't pitch, wouldn't crack the AAA team with his bat.

It's 1 guy and his at bats, seriously 1 guy, it's not like it's 9 guys a game, and that's a slippery slope, lots of guys because of their D get jobs even though they can't swing a bat, catchers and shortstops being prime examples, should we DH them as well?

If you just want to watch offense, skip the game and take in batting practice.

 

[RAMA]

What do you think of the DH rule?
Are you a fan of the American or National League?
Do you like Interleague play?


Personally I don't care for the DH, I like the fact that pitchers suck at hitting and can be a challenge in management strategy. You just don't see pinch hitters, double switches, etc all that often in the AL.

I also don't like interleague play. I like the fact that the teams from each leage only meet during the World Series (aside from the All Star game).

Love interleague play...I think it should be expanded. I love the rivalries it creates.

I also like the designated hitter...its good for offense, good for older players who can still hit, and good for baseball in general. Watching losers go up to hit isn't much fun..it may as well be an automatic out.

RAMA

 

[Scout101]

The funniest thing to me from DH defenders is "Well it's tradition" this "tradition" has slightly less history behind it then Disco, the AL/NL were the same for 70+ years.

isn't Baseball Lite when you fill 1/9th of your batting lineup with a guy batting .082 lifetime? Can't understand the appeal of spending your time watching someone bat that, if he couldn't pitch, wouldn't crack the AAA team with his bat.

It's 1 guy and his at bats, seriously 1 guy, it's not like it's 9 guys a game, and that's a slippery slope, lots of guys because of their D get jobs even though they can't swing a bat, catchers and shortstops being prime examples, should we DH them as well?

It's (on average) 2 automatic outs per game, and an easy spot for pitchers every time through the lineup. Can you give me some current examples of guys that "can't swing a bat" but have jobs as starters right now? I still maintain that if a starting player was hitting anywhere NEAR a pitcher's average, he'd be out of a job, and either fired or demoted to AA where he belongs. What's an average for pitchers? .100, give or take? Light hitting defenders all still bat at least .200+

 

[Pegaritaville]

I think NL rules probably make for more interesting baseball, but I grew up almost exclusively watching AL games with the DH and I'm used to it. It's honestly not that big a deal to me one way or the other.

Pretty much the same for me.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

It's not an automatic out either. Even if we ignore the possibility of a sacrifice, there was a game where the Phillies hit around for their entire rotation (including their pitcher, which I think was Moyer) with 2 outs. Just because you can plan on the pitcher being an out doesn't make it one. You still have to make the play (and the pitcher can successfully get a hit instead).

 

[Scout101]

if the pitcher is batting .083, the plays don't appear to be all that difficult, if they get put into play at all. It's pretty automatic. If there's less than 2 outs, and anyone on base, he's gonna bunt for a sacrifice. Otherwise, take a pitch or two, a bad cut on a breaking ball, and call it an inning. Not EVERY time, but far more likely than not...

 

[Starbreaker]

Braves have pretty good hitting pitchers. Can't tell you how many times Hanson or Huddy or Medlen has come through with good hits. Vazquez is a great hitter too. He'll probably pick up a few in IL play for the Yanks. And Dan Haren is batting close to .500 for the D-Backs. He's a beast... and who was that relief pitcher that hit a HR for the Astros this week? Stuff like that is fun to watch.

 

[Scout101]

^I can tell you. Tommy Hanson is a career .083 hitter. Tim Hudson is .178 (Had 3 seperate years where his AVG was 0.000 after full seasons! Medlen is batting a career .148.

Haren IS batting well this year (.405), but limited sample size problems (37 at bats). Career .222 hitter, best of the bunch!

It's a tough thing to search out (and define), but don't think any of these numbers would beat ANYONE, or almost anyone, that's a starting player on a MLB team. There are a few exceptions, I'm sure, but I'd wager most anyone with an average below .200 is hurt, or has been hurt and played through it, during this season. Not sure anyone with a Career Average below .200 is employed on a MLB roster at all. Except the pitchers...

It IS something different, but I don't enjoy watching it at the Major League level. I'd rather watch someone with a chance to hit the ball, and not give the pitcher a soft spot in the lineup. Having a DH spot is also nice for people coming back from injury, or when you want to give a fielder a bit of a break, but keep the bat in the lineup. Not a perfect system, but I prefer it. The double switch is over-rated...

 

[SmoothieX]

Braves have pretty good hitting pitchers.

I remember the Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux "Chicks dig the long ball" days. They prided themselves on being serviceable at the plate.

 

[Scout101]

Just to keep throwing numbers out:

Smoltz: Career .159 hitter, 5 HRs (never more than 1 in a season)
Glavine: Career .186 hitter, 1 HR
Maddux: Career .171 hitter, 5 HRs (hit 2 one year with the Braves, other 3 were with Cubs)

If chicks were digging the long ball with these guys, it was because they were serving them up, not hitting them

These numbers are even worse if you consider that between these 3 pitchers, they represent a combined 66 years of MLB experience. 11 HRs in 66 total seasons isn't exactly serviceable, nor is the rough .172 AVG

 

[SmoothieX]

If chicks were digging the long ball with these guys, it was because they were serving them up, not hitting them

I was bringing up the commercial from the 90s, that's all. Always just thought it was funny.

 

[Corran Horn]

No, I don't like it. And it's patently silly that the two leagues have such a large difference in the rules. It'd be like if one side had the wild card and one didn't.

 

[Starbreaker]

If chicks were digging the long ball with these guys, it was because they were serving them up, not hitting them

I was bringing up the commercial from the 90s, that's all. Always just thought it was funny.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ltD21rYWVw[/yt]

And I'm not saying that any of the pitchers are better than other position players.

Huddy hit .000 those three years because he was in Oakland. He had 3 ABs one year.

 

[mimic]

I dislike the DH. I will be very upset if the NL ever adopts the AL's rules.

With a DH in play, we would never have gotten that epic walk of Brett Myers off of CC Sabathia that set up Shane's grand slam against the Brewers in the 2008 playoffs.

 

[Scout101]

Not sure how much 'epic' and 'walk' go together

Besides, without the pitcher batting, you would have had an actual hitter in that spot, and just might have gotten those 4 runs in chunks rather than at once. Or, better yet, the DH and Shane could have gone back to back with HRs

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Not sure how much 'epic' and 'walk' go together

Did you see the play? It was amazing (and an actual batter would have been far less cool).