Adam Wainwright tells @dgoold: No reason to have a DH in both leagues. “It was a fluke thing and baseball needs to stay exactly where it is”
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) April 29, 2015
Even before the injury to Wainwright, two writers from Sports on Earth took opposing views on the NL adopting the designated hitter.
Tim Healey believes the NL should consider implementing the DH. Among his reasons are more offense, extended careers, roster flexibility and more uniformity between leagues. On the other hand, Richard Justice urged the National League to stay status quo and not employ the DH. He spoke with several baseball officials and that is the feeling he is receiving from them. Even Grantland is taking on the debate…
So what are my thoughts? I’m glad you asked. As we’ve noted previously, I lean towards baseball purist tendencies. However, I also believe the game should change – see the Chris Rock video on HBO Sports as something I side with. But in terms of the designated hitter, I am totally against it. Here are the reasons why:
1. Games could be longer – I’m surprised no one has brought this argument to the fold yet. We know the AL scores more runs than its counterpart (but not by much). This graphic from Tim Healey’s article…
More runs scored = longer innings. Longer innings = longer games. Having a designated hitter means more quality AB’s for a player like David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. This means more opportunity to score runs which elongates innings. Have you ever watched a Red Sox – Yankees game? (Just turn on ESPN and you’ll see one) My lord, it’s an eternity. Maury Brown, a fantastic follow on Twitter, wrote an article for Forbes about the length of games the MLB and included the following graphic:
Notice the teams at the top of the list – out of the top 15 only four are National League teams and one of those is Colorado. In the thin air of Denver, more runs are the norm, hence the longer game times. I was fortunate enough to attend the second game of the 2015 season at Wrigley and I immediately took note of the timer at the lower right corner of the famous scoreboard. It tracks time between innings and during pitching changes. MLB instituted these rules at the beginning of the season. Brown penned another article earlier this season about said rules. I honestly believe it made (and is making) a difference. There shouldn’t be any hang-up about the number of pitching changes and such with the timers now. The game slows down when David Ortiz takes his protracted home run trot. At the same time, who was the most vocal proponent of the rule changes forcing batters to keep one foot in the box at all time? That’s right, David Ortiz. You may think I’m reaching here but I fully believe the DH can have an impact on the time of an MLB game.
2. Interleague play confusion – the NL does get to use the DH when it plays interleague games in an American League park. I believe this is a disadvantage for the National League as it completely changes the type of strategy that is normally used the rest of the year. They essentially start one man down on the bench because of the DH. Plus, if the DH “allows” the NL to use more pitchers in a game because they don’t have to hit – then it can immediately backfire once they return to NL play. With the unbalanced schedule of today some NL teams may play consecutive series against NL teams while another NL team plays an IL series followed by an NL series. Your bullpen is taxed while your opponent isn’t; is that a level playing field? That’s a weakness in the system. Personally, I would like the see interleague play go away. One of the great things about baseball growing up was the argument about which league was better. I’ve always been an NL guy though we never got to find out until the All-Star Game and the World Series. I liked it that way. It made those games and series special. But then good old Bud Selig shoehorned his Milwaukee Brewers into the NL in 1998. He had been “acting” commissioner since 1992 and the Brewers were able to move to the NL in 1998 in order to create a rivalry with the ever popular Chicago Cubs to have competitive parity. Once Selig became the official commissioner in 1998 he relinquished his ownership role to his daughter, Wendy Selig-Prieb. One good thing about the move was that it allowed a balanced schedule to occur because two new teams were added that year, Arizona and Tampa Bay. With Milwaukee’s move the NL now had 16 teams and the Devil Rays replaces the Brewers in the AL to remain at 14 teams. In their infinite wisdom (#sarcasm) the MLB decided that both leagues should have the same amount of teams. As opposed to their 1998 reasoning, they believed that interleague play was here to stay and wanted league parity (in terms of teams). When the Houston Astros were being sold by Drayton McLane in 2011, one of the caveats was that they had to move to the AL to even up the leagues. First off, why should Houston be forced to move when Milwaukee was the defector from the AL? Second, and more importantly, this triggered the unbalanced schedule and interleague play games every day. Which I hate. (More on the “ripple effect” of the Astros move here from ESPN)
3. Takes away strategic moves – Not permitting a designated hitter necessitates a more strategic approach in the National League. In game situations, especially in the late innings, require a manager to consider all the different moves that can possibly be created for a pitching change. Double switches, pinch hitters and the like are all part of the fabric of National League baseball. Managers HAVE to use their benches wisely or face circumstances where they run out of players. A great manager can be an extremely huge benefit for a team. At the same time, the general managers have to think differently as well when building a roster in the National League. How many catchers do we keep? How many pitchers, especially relief pitchers, will we have on the roster? Which bench players can play multiple positions to allow us to better stock our bench? These are all scenarios that NL GM’s have to consider more strongly than their AL counterparts. Add to that the hiring of the manager who manipulates the roster on a daily basis and NL general managers have a more difficult job, IMO.
4. Baseball players need to be baseball players – I am lucky enough to get the chance to broadcast high school baseball games (on IndianaSRN.org if you’re interested) and something that drives me absolutely insane is the use of the DH in high school. Are you serious? As a kid growing up we were taught how to hit, throw, catch and run. I was never taught to leave my glove at home because I was only going to hit. For crying out loud, the best all-around players in youth baseball are THE PITCHERS. They can hit, pitch, and do it all. But then those kids reach a certain age and adults feel the need to live out their major league fantasies through these kids and begin to focus on their pitching talent in hopes they’ll make it to the show someday. First, here’s a thought – why don’t we let the kid decide what they want to do. Allow them to just enjoy playing the game and grant them the opportunity to find their niche themselves. Second, gloves are made for a reason – to catch the ball! ALL baseball players should have a glove and play a position. Goaltenders in hockey still use sticks to shoot pucks, soccer goalies still kick the ball when needed, all basketball players can shoot the ball, so why can’t pitchers hit? It’s maddening. How much of an advantage would it be to a team to draft correctly and get that excellent pitcher who also hits well? To me, it’s laziness, pure and simple. The scouts can easily differentiate between hitters and pitchers. But again, the strategy involved in drafting the right player based on their overall talent makes the entire process more exciting, no?
5. More players = higher salaries = higher ticket prices – the MLBPA loves the thought of having the DH in the National League because it would allow more players to not only make it to the show, but stick around longer. Players like Paul Molitor, Edgar Martinez and Jason Giambi are just a few names who elongated their careers via the designated hitter. The DH position is not going to be filled by the journeyman who rides the pine most of the time. It will be a quality player at the end of their career who teams can squeeze a few more good years out of in order to help the team. These players are guys who have significant accomplishments in the major leagues. Therefore, they’ve most likely been free agents and have signed big money contracts. These competitors will not take significant pay cuts to become a DH. If they can produce, they’ll want to get paid. At the same time, you’re not only creating another opportunity for a player but you’re taking one away as well. The player who gets the shaft is that utility player. He probably makes the minimum and has options so he can be sent down to the minors. Owners need to counteract the additional salary needed for a quality DH and could very likely hike up ticket prices. WE are going to be the ones to pay for this.
6. No bush league head hunting – In case you’ve been hiding under a rock you’ve missed quite a start to the season for Yordano Ventura of the Kansas City Royals. He’s been involved in a few fracases already this year (A’s, Angels and White Sox among them) and is currently serving a suspension for a dustup in a game with the White Sox. What does this have to do with the DH, you’re asking? A lot. This article details Ventura’s run in’s with Mike Trout, Bret Lawrie and Adam Eaton all of which fall squarely on the shoulders of the immature Ventura. To make matters worse, check out what Kelvin Herrera decided would be good idea the next day against the A’s.
Now, here’s my point. Would Ventura or Herrera act the same way knowing they had to put o n a helmet and step into the batter’s box? I think not. No pitcher in his right mind is going to pull these hijinks knowing they themselves could possibly bear the wrath of the opposing pitcher. The DH gives these pitchers false confidence and it dangers their fellow teammates. I’d be very wary if I were a fellow Kansas City Royal the next time I face the A’s or White Sox. This isn’t over. Especially when a knucklehead like Hererra points at his head as he’s being escorted off the field after throwing behind Lawrie. It’s just plain stupid and if the pitchers themselves had to tread lightly in the box in fear of being dotted they’d think twice before beaning someone else.
It’s pretty plain to see that I am vehemently against the DH in the National League, and to be quite honest, I’d love to see the AL scrap it as well. That will NEVER happen because the MLBPA would get involved since “players would lose jobs”, etc, etc… If they could use a glove they wouldn't lose their job, but I digress. The designated hitter is a polarizing topic amongst baseball fans and I’ll be more than happy to give you my opinion on the topic, as well as any other MLB or pro sports topic. Just tweet me at @illini3sc and we can have friendly conversation.
Until next time,
Shawn
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