The National League & the DH

[Scrapps]

Quote: Originally Posted by Margelofskya

I don't think the DH rule compares with another sports. If anything it is like basketball in that every player needs to play offense and defense.

Well, except Melo....

[p00p1]

I've always thought it was equivalent of having a player on an NBA team to just shoot free throws for you.

[Elldarre]

It will happen at some point, but my guess is that it's at least ten years off.

Personally, I think both leagues should have the DH. The NL is the only professional league that makes pitchers hits, and the results show it. With very rare exceptions, pitchers hitting is pretty much the worst thing about baseball. I also don't get the strategy argument. Pitchers bunt in obvious spots. The decision of when to hit for the pitcher is usually obvious. It doesn't take an advanced degree to make a double switch.

In the interests of realism, I leave the DH setting alone. Of course, I play my franchises as an AL team.

I realize my take on the DH probably puts me in the minority.

[p00p1]

What about intentionally walking the #8 hitter late in a game to try to force the opposing team to PH for a pitcher or leave him in.

Or managers trying to squeeze an extra out or two out of a reliever so they can PH for the pitcher's spot, vs in the AL where managers have no repercussions and can change pitchers at will.

Or double switches, which means you'll see a lot more backups get playing time than in the AL, where PH is almost an afterthought.

Or maybe in the continued interest in speeding up games, I bet pitcher ABs go by a lot faster than #9 hitters in the AL.

Or that in 2015 the AL WAR for DH was -0.5 and -.07 the year before.

[OhioCub]

Abolish the DH in all of baseball and play the game the way it was meant!

For the person who asked why the NL doesn't have the DH, it used to be neither league had it. Then back in the 50s or 60s (not for sure about the time frame) the AL adopted it as an experiment. Well, they never ended the experiment and the NL, so far, has refused to add it.

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[Ghost Of The Year]

I'd almost as just as soon rather instead of having a DH, if MLB doesn't want pitchers to bat, then just use 8 batters, no need to add a guy that can;t play defense.

[OhioCub]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ghost Of The Year

I'd almost as just as soon rather instead of having a DH, if MLB doesn't want pitchers to bat, then just use 8 batters, no need to add a guy that can;t play defense.

That's not a bad idea. Thing is though, now with the money that's in baseball the union would never agree to that because it'd be taking away jobs.

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[redsox4evur]

Quote: Originally Posted by OhioCub

That's not a bad idea. Thing is though, now with the money that's in baseball the union would never agree to that because it'd be taking away jobs. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Yet by not having the DH in the NL they are doing the same thing.