Pitchers vs DH

[Dave Gray]

Discuss.

[StL FinFan]

Pitchers should hit, everyone else does.  Unless, as Hoodie suggested in another thread, they just have 9 guys on offense and 9 guys on defense.  I would not like that, but it makes about as much sense as having one guy only play offense and one guy only play defense while the other 8 play both.

[SportsChick]

I love the DH rule. Pitchers hardly take batting practice and more times than not are a sacrificial lamb or a very quick out. The DH makes the lineup harder to get through and more challenging for a pitcher

[Sunstroke]

Viva la senior circuit...the revolution will go extra innings.

Pitchers are baseball players...let 'em hit. If you lose the goofy DH nonsense, younger pitchers will be encouraged to take more BP as they come up from school through the minors and into the bigs.

...and a pox on the AL Elitist swine, with their fat wallets and even fatter DH's who can't tie their own cleats, much less field a ground ball. If your over the hill sluggers can't run any more, retire them already!

[Philly Fin Fan]

The pitcher hitting adds a lot more strategy to the game. A NL Manager needs to look at a lot of factors when making a pitching change- When is the pitchers spot coming up to bat in the next half inning? Should he do a double switch, and flip the pitcher into another spot in the batting order? Who's left on the opposing teams bench if they make a pitching change/double switch?

All of these factors make the game more challenging in the NL.

[Brian Fein]

Just cause pitchers don't practice hitting is an effect, not a cause.  They don't practice because they don't have to bat.  Its not that they don't bat because they don't practice.

This discussion, I fear, is gonna get heated.

I think the DH rule is stupid.

For every pitcher that can't hit, there's a DH that can't play defense.  Round and round we go.

Viva la national league!

[Dave Gray]

There is ONLY 1 reason that I can see that's valid to have the DH: It's boring for fans to watch a pitcher strike out all the time.

However, I think that things don't have to be like that.  Pitchers can practice hitting -- they do at other levels.  The value you get from a good game of strategy outweighs the lack of explosive batting from the position, in my opinion.

Also, I think that having pitchers bat keeps the game naturally under control.  If you're going to have to face guys, you're probably less likely to go head-hunting on a whim.

[Brian Fein]

These pitchers who "can't hit" at the MLB level often are great hitters at lower levels.  What makes their productivity at the plate fall off just because they play with better guys now?  Lack of cage time?  Seems like an easy fix...

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Pitchers should hit, everyone else does.  Unless, as Hoodie suggested in another thread, they just have 9 guys on offense and 9 guys on defense.  I would not like that, but it makes about as much sense as having one guy only play offense and one guy only play defense while the other 8 play both.

Actually you would not need 9 players on offense, it would work with 6.  And my proposal would not bar a player from playing both offense and defense in the same game.  But have the guys who are best at defense play defense, the player who are best at offense play offense.  Most NFL QBs could not play defense.  Just cause a guy can play WR doesn't make him a great DB.  Same deal in baseball, one might be a great outfielder but not be able to hit at all.  Someone who can hit might not be able to catch or throw a ball worth crap.  Unlike basketball or soccer where offense and defense flows back and forth naturally, both baseball and football have distinct phases of offense and defense so it is pretty easier to have different players for each.  In fact in baseball offense and defense is even more of a distinct phase than in football  -- in football you can score a touchdown on defense, you can not score a run in baseball when playing defense.   

[BigDaddyFin]

I'd like to see the DH in both leagues.  However I would much rather have it be the pitchers in both leagues batting than the way it is now.