For my entire existence, the Designated Hitter has been the norm, not the exception. I grew up in an American League city, went to American League games, and, for a long time, just kind of assumed that the DH was how the game was played. Playing Little League didn't change that perception, despite the lack of DH, because the pitcher was usually one of the best hitters.
As I grew up and began talking to people with a wider variety of backgrounds, I soon realized that this was not reality for a lot of baseball fans. Many (mostly older) fans longed for the days without a DH, and claimed that it is a disgrace to not have the pitcher also bat. While I do understand the nostalgia that is invoked with the NL rules, I think it is pretty naive to think that Major League Baseball would ever get rid of the DH entirely.
In fact, in recent years, the idea of a universal DH rule has been gaining a lot of momentum. It seems inevitable at this point that the DH will be coming to the National League. It definitely won't be in 2016, probably not in 2017, but 2018 or 2019 would certainly be plausible, if not likely. While it seems like a straightforward proposition, to just have a DH instead of a pitcher, I think there is a better way. Let me lay out my plan, that I think would be interesting for traditionalists and modernists alike:
Just like in the American League currently, the DH-rule would be expanded to both leagues, but with an additional wrinkle. A team can select to NOT use the DH at the beginning of the game if they so choose. While it might seem like this would never be used, I could imagine the Giants or the Diamondbacks or the Cubs or the Marlins would consider it. If this option is chosen, the team has the option of re-implementing the DH at any point in the game. So let's say Madison Bumgarner is pitching AND hitting, and he is taken out for a reliever. Bruce Bochy would be able to designate a bench player to become the DH for the pitcher, OR he could have a current fielder become the DH and a bench player would replace him in the field. Once the DH has been put back in, traditional DH substitution rules go back into effect.
Would this option ever actually be used? It's hard to say. On one hand, nobody wants to see a pitcher get hurt swinging a bat or running the bases. On the other hand, there are a handful of pitchers who are MLB-quality hitters. In 2014, Madison Bumgarner was tied for the 4th highest OPS on the Giants. For his entire NL career, Zack Greinke has been an above replacement level hitter, including 2013 where he had an oWAR of 1.3 and the highest oWAR per 600 PA on the team (10.8).
My guess is that this option would hardly ever be used. Considering that the top pitchers are now making over $30mil per season, it would be hard for a manager to justify the risk to an owner. But it certainly adds the option and keeps some of the strategy for which traditionalists have bargained.
No comments:
Post a Comment