Designated hitter coming to NL in 2017?

[Dan Druff]

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I don't like this at all.

DH takes a major strategy element out of baseball.

Why not start taking every weak hitting position off the field? How long until we have a 2nd DH for the catcher's position? Or a 3rd for the shortstop?

This is just an artificial way to create more offense, which has rapidly been declining in the NL.

The DH is also why the NL keeps getting pwned in the interleague games in AL parks. Most NL teams just don't have a DH-worthy player sitting on the bench, nor are their pitchers used to facing a 1-9 lineup with no pitcher's spot to help them out of jams.

[BeerAndPoker]

Depends how you look at it but the NL will continue to lose some big key hitters, especially later in their careers when they can come to the AL and aren't forced to play a position every day.

By adding the DH position the NL can keep some of these hitters from jumping to the AL.

Just wait to the day Kershaw or another key Dodgers pitcher goes on the DL for a few months due to an injury they suffered while hitting then you might look at this differently. This did happen to a few NL pitchers last year if I recall.

[gut]

Depends how you look at it but the NL will continue to lose some big key hitters, especially later in their careers when they can come to the AL and aren't forced to play a position every day.

By adding the DH position the NL can keep some of these hitters from jumping to the AL.

Just wait to the day Kershaw or another key Dodgers pitcher goes on the DL for a few months due to an injury they suffered while hitting then you might look at this differently. This did happen to a few NL pitchers last year if I recall.

I think Scherzer got hurt hitting last year.

Anyway...whatever I'm all for it. Game needs more offense now anyway. As much fun as the double switch is for baseball nerds, it doesn't make for entertaining TV. A pitcher who hasn't worked on hitting since he was 16 and is hitting .082 also doesn't make for good TV.

It would kinda suck for guys like Bumgarner and Greinke and their teams, since thats a HUGE advantage having a pitcher that can hit right now. But eh long run DH in both leagues is the smart move.

[hongkonger]

Get rid of the DH entirely. And raise the pitcher's mound back up to where it was before 1969 while you're at it.

[IAmProfessionalTalk]

The DH is also why the NL keeps getting pwned in the interleague games in AL parks. Most NL teams just don't have a DH-worthy player sitting on the bench, nor are their pitchers used to facing a 1-9 lineup with no pitcher's spot to help them out of jams.

Every advantage AL teams have playing interleague at home is offset by an equal and opposite disadvantage playing in NL parks. Any gap in win% is attributable to talent and luck.

[jsearles22]

The DH is also why the NL keeps getting pwned in the interleague games in AL parks. Most NL teams just don't have a DH-worthy player sitting on the bench, nor are their pitchers used to facing a 1-9 lineup with no pitcher's spot to help them out of jams.

Every advantage AL teams have playing interleague at home is offset by an equal and opposite disadvantage playing in NL parks. Any gap in win% is attributable to talent and luck.

This isn't even remotely true

[IAmProfessionalTalk]

Every advantage AL teams have playing interleague at home is offset by an equal and opposite disadvantage playing in NL parks. Any gap in win% is attributable to talent and luck.

This isn't even remotely true

Don't take my word for it. Bill James will tell you the same thing. Go post about it on Tango or Think Factory and see who agrees with you.

This isn't really even a sabermetrics question, it's Logic 101.

[JimmyG_415]

Depends how you look at it but the NL will continue to lose some big key hitters, especially later in their careers when they can come to the AL and aren't forced to play a position every day.

By adding the DH position the NL can keep some of these hitters from jumping to the AL.

Just wait to the day Kershaw or another key Dodgers pitcher goes on the DL for a few months due to an injury they suffered while hitting then you might look at this differently. This did happen to a few NL pitchers last year if I recall.

I agree w/Druff, but this is the reason,
This gained traction when Both Puljos and Fielder both signed those long term deals.
The AL could sign them for 10 years w/the DH in mind. The NL can't compete.

[herbertstemple]

So real baseball could be going away in 2017.

For me AL games are boring as hell. Sometimes a 13 - 9 game is fun, but it gets old. The DH was one of the factors that took speed out of the game. That is a big loss for MLB. With the DH, team depth is much less important. The next obv step is to cut down rosters a player or two getting rid of players you just don't need.

I don't care if the AL or NL team have an advantage when playing. That's a silly argument. Take holdem. The NL plays the game we know today. The AL wants to spice up the game and make 2's, 3.s and 4's wild, then say they have a better game.

[jsearles22]

So real baseball could be going away in 2017.

For me AL games are boring as hell. Sometimes a 13 - 9 game is fun, but it gets old. The DH was one of the factors that took speed out of the game. That is a big loss for MLB. With the DH, team depth is much less important. The next obv step is to cut down rosters a player or two getting rid of players you just don't need.

I don't care if the AL or NL team have an advantage when playing. That's a silly argument. Take holdem. The NL plays the game we know today. The AL wants to spice up the game and make 2's, 3.s and 4's wild, then say they have a better game.

Without looking it up, I believe the Royals and Astros have been tops in steals the last few years. Baseball is constantly evolving

[DJ_Chaps]

Every advantage AL teams have playing interleague at home is offset by an equal and opposite disadvantage playing in NL parks. Any gap in win% is attributable to talent and luck.

This isn't even remotely true

Yes it is, he fuckin nailed it.

[chinamaniac]

The AL has won the World Series 23 times to the NLs 19 times at a clip of 54.74 % since 1973 when the DH was put in.

AL won interleague Play in terms of wins and losses over a 16 year sample I just looked at from 1997 to 2012 12 years winning and 4 losing and the tail end of that sample over like a 7 or 8 year span the AL is about 250 games over 500!!

It is absolutely foolish to have one league doing one thing and another doing another. I am in favor of a DH for both leagues and I am sure most owners will be too considering the amount of money they are investing in pitchers these days.

[chinamaniac]

All Time Interleague Record 2,565 win for the AL and 2,299 for the NL

.527 Win % for AL

[gut]

The AL has won the World Series 23 times to the NLs 19 times at a clip of 54.74 % since 1973 when the DH was put in.

AL won interleague Play in terms of wins and losses over a 16 year sample I just looked at from 1997 to 2012 12 years winning and 4 losing and the tail end of that sample over like a 7 or 8 year span the AL is about 250 games over 500!!

It is absolutely foolish to have one league doing one thing and another doing another. I am in favor of a DH for both leagues and I am sure most owners will be too considering the amount of money they are investing in pitchers these days.

At the same time, baseball does this on a team-by-team basis with the different ballparks. It always amazes me that this doesn't get touched on much in todays "everything must be fair" climate.

Imagine the Patriots all of a sudden switching to a 120 yard field, or Golden State playing with 11 foot rims.

[Dan Druff]

The AL has won the World Series 23 times to the NLs 19 times at a clip of 54.74 % since 1973 when the DH was put in.

AL won interleague Play in terms of wins and losses over a 16 year sample I just looked at from 1997 to 2012 12 years winning and 4 losing and the tail end of that sample over like a 7 or 8 year span the AL is about 250 games over 500!!

It is absolutely foolish to have one league doing one thing and another doing another. I am in favor of a DH for both leagues and I am sure most owners will be too considering the amount of money they are investing in pitchers these days.

Do you have the home-road splits of AL and NL teams in interleague play?

Every time I have looked, the NL is just getting pwned silly when they play in AL parks, even when the NL team is significantly better.

It's to the point where I actually sit most of my NL-only-league fantasy pitchers when they pitch in AL parks, unless they are top pitchers. And this strategy has WORKED (along with the more obvious play of sitting my pitchers when they pitch in Colorado), and has contributed to me having among the best pitching stats most years.

Can someone explain to me where the NL has an advantage without the DH when they are at home, aside from typical home field advantage?

I guess there's a small advantage in that the AL team might have to sit one of their best hitters (or play him in the field where he will be brutal defensively), but honestly once a player gets to that point defensively, he's also usually on the downswing of his offensive career as well.

Pitchers being able to hit better in the NL? Umm... again, a small advantage, but there are only a handful of pitchers who aren't completely pathetic at the plate.

Speed? As jsearles pointed out, the AL is running now, too. And the Dodgers, in the NL, had zero speed last year, despite finishing first in the west. So I don't buy the speed argument.

I also think that the factor of NL pitchers not being used to facing a lineup of 9 actual hitters is being under-emphasized. Pitchers are creatures of habit, and they get into grooves and routines. A starting pitcher cannot give 100% the entire game, or he will wear out in 1 or 2 innings. So every NL pitcher has gotten used to getting a "break" near the bottom of the lineup, whereas in the AL it's capable hitter after capable hitter, and that can be stressful and unnerving for a pitcher who isn't used to dealing with that.

I would also like to see the stats of NL pitchers with overall ERAs between 3.00 ad 3.75, and their road ERAs in NL parks versus AL parks. I bet you will see a large difference.

[Suicide King]

Complete bullshit. Bumgardner is gonna be pissed.

[WillieMcFML]

i'm anti-dh, but i can see the advantages as well

every team has a bullpen full of studs throwing mid-upper 90's, and offense has been lagging

it also balances the leagues, so everyone is playing by the same rules

[BeerAndPoker]

Cespedes just signed a 3 year $75 mil contract to stay with the Mets. He gets $27.5 mil the first year and can opt out after that.

These type of shorter deals are what NL teams could trend more towards doing because it's already a huge risk as it is for the second half of these huge contracts no matter where the guy plays but worse in the NL for positional players.

The big slugger who wants 7+ years at 30 to 32 years old is likely to want to play in the AL because of the DH position. If the person don't mind risking potential nagging injuries or just falling off performance wise they might gamble with a deal like Cespedes just signed that could lead to an even bigger deal if he crushes next year then opts out but at the minimum he has three years locked up.

[WillieMcFML]

Cespedes just signed a 3 year $75 mil contract to stay with the Mets. He gets $27.5 mil the first year and can opt out after that.

These type of shorter deals are what NL teams could trend more towards doing because it's already a huge risk as it is for the second half of these huge contracts no matter where the guy plays but worse in the NL for positional players.

The big slugger who wants 7+ years at 30 to 32 years old is likely to want to play in the AL because of the DH position. If the person don't mind risking potential nagging injuries or just falling off performance wise they might gamble with a deal like Cespedes just signed that could lead to an even bigger deal if he crushes next year then opts out but at the minimum he has three years locked up.

this is very true

a lot easier for the angels to sign a player like pujols at his age when they know he can always DH

and also because of this, the AL becomes more of an attractive option for that pujols type player

[MrTickle]

I don't know if I want to watch baseball anymore if I can't see Bartolo bat again