Who is your favorite DH? What is the point of a DH?

Question

I mean, I know they hit in place of the pitcher but why are they just in the American League. Personally, I think if you don't play a position on the field, you don't deserve to bat. If I was a pitcher, I would want to be a pitcher in the National League so that I get a chance to bat. I mean look at Babe Ruth, he was a pitcher and has the third best career home run numbers.

What do you think?

I like your guys answers so far, but there is one thing. If the DH is a good thing than why does only the AL have them. This disadvantages the NL. I know in the world series the NL picks a DH, but during interleague play, etc. I don't think they do. Should the NL get DHs or should we eliminate them all together?

Answer 1

The DH rule is an abomination. Any player who wants to be a DH is part of the problem, any pitcher who doesn't want to hit is a coward.

Baseball is a game of strategy. When your pitcher is coming up in the middle innings or late in the game, how do you handle it. Well if he's a good pitcher he probably makes it a harder decision, unless he is a good baseball player as well. Tom Glavin is known as a good hitting pitcher, not because of HR's, but because of bunts. Well, he can't play the field very well but he can hit, well maybe he should be a HR contest ringer, not a baseball player. If you can't play defense, but can hit then learn to play D. This isn't football, where you have overspecialization. This isn't basketball or hockey where you have free substitutions.

The AL isn't baseball. The DH has no part in the game, and should be eliminated immediately. If the players union cries, then expand the rosters to 26 and 41, so that the hitters who can't field, can be pinch hitters. It's time to get rid of this atrocity.

Answer 2

The DH was first contemplated in the 1920's by the National League. It was tested by the American League during spring training in 1969. The American League was looking to add some more excitement/scoring to the game to draw more attendance to their games. The National League was consistently drawing more fans with a more exciting brand of baseball.

In 1973 the American League first started a three-year experiment with using the DH. One of the benefits of the DH was that starting pitchers stayed in the game longer. The National League had only one 20 game winner while the American League had 12 in 1973; in 1974 the AL had 9 while the NL had only 2.

I have to say that I like watching both version of baseball. I do not like watching the pitchers ground out and strike out all the time; but I do like the strategy of the double switch.

I believe that we can have the benefits of both leagues by tying the DH to the starting pitcher. Each time a pitcher is removed, a new DH would have to come into the game the next time the DH's place in the batting order comes up. By doing this we keep the benefit of the hitter and HOPEFULLY the managers will decide not to change pitchers so often if they lose the starting DH.

Answer 3

The answer above this one is terrible. Are you really saying that it is too much to ask a man making an average of 3.3 million dollars who only works once every five days for at most eight months of the year to swing a bat? My favorite DH is Bernie Williams, because at least at one point in his career, he was a center fielder to be feared. The DH gives the American League an unfair advantage in interleague and postseason play. Take for examply, the Red Sox, the White Sox and the As. These teams use Big Fat Poppy, Thome and Frank Thomas to DH, respectively. Now, let's look at the Cardinals and the Astros. Last night, the Cardinals DHed Scott Speizio, the 'Stros DH is usually Mike Lamb or Jason Lane. National League teams do not have a 10 million dollar hitting specialist waiting on the bench to use in these situations. Sure, in the NL parks, the pitchers are more used to hitting and are better bunters, but tell that to Chris Carpenter's sub .190 average. Is that really making any difference? And sure, the AL is then forced to put fielding derelicts like Ortiz in the field, but all of those players fielding percentages are over .900, and their fielding rarely effects the games. Additionally, the AL teams then have an everyday players waiting to come off the bench. If this is not an inequality, then I do not know what is.

Answer 4

I love the idea of a DH. My favorite all-time is Edgar Martinez.
I'm more of an American league fan for that reason alone.
There's many players who are older and can't play the field as well as they used to but can still swing a mean bat. IMO, having the pitcher bat is a waste of a bat. Most of the time they're an easy out because they practice batting so little as it's their pitching they have to concentrate on. In the NL when a pitcher comes up to bat you know for a fact one of two things are going to happen (99% of the time)he's going to strike out or he's going to try and bunt. Both of those things are extremely boring!
Look at Frank Thomas this year, he had an extremely successful year being a DH.
Comparing any player to Babe Ruth is unfair as he was one of the best players ever.

You mention interleague play where the NL has to use a DH. You forgot to mention that while in a NL park the AL has to have the pitcher bat. Sounds fair to me.
Also, if a NL pitcher does manage to hit the ball very often he hits into a double play. There's not a more rally deflating move then hitting into a double play.
*yawn*

Answer 5

Wow, that reference to Babe Ruth is really relevant. There are ZERO good hitting pitchers today and only a handful that you aren't concerned about completely butchering your lineup with Dontrelle Willis, Mike Hampton, Bronson Arroyo, and Kerry Wood being decent enough with a stick that as a manager you aren't guaranteed to yank him in a close game in the 6th inning or later if the bases are loaded and you need the runs.

While NL people attempt to reference the strategy of the game, having a pitcher hit makes the #8 hitter almost as useless as the pitcher in the 9 hole. You talk about not playing a position on the field, but I would much rather watch David Ortiz hit then Brad Penny. I want to watch the best 9 hitters go against a team's pitcher instead of 7 1/2 hitters.

It is worthless to have a speedy guy bat 8th in the NL because he is going to get clogged up on the bases. If you have power in the 8th spot, they just walk him to get to the pitcher. And since the #8 hitter usually isn't that good anyways, if there are two outs, they will do what they can to get him out so they can get the pitcher to start the next inning, or the manager has to pull the pitcher if he doesn't want to waste an out.

While you do hear about the pitchers that hit the occassional HR, they don't show you the countless strikeouts and all of the runners stranded on base because they don't know what they are doing.

Wanting to see a pitcher hit in an important game is like wanting to see Adam Vinatieri play QB for the Colts for one game. Just because he CAN throw a football and might throw an occassional pass on a fake FG, doesn't mean he is considered a QB, just like pitchers aren't really considered hitters.


Side note to poster below me pdigoe: So, the two days after a pitcher starts a game, and he is rehabing his shoulder, elbow, etc.; he should go out and practice hitting for 4 hours each day?

Baseball is a great game not because some NL manager makes a double switch but because the best 9 hitters should go up against the best pitcher(s).

How can watching a #8 hitter in the NL get pitched around so a team can face the pitcher exciting? That is a waste of 22% of a lineup. How about when the pitcher has to come up in the next inning, but you are down by a couple runs? OOPS, that pitcher who was pitching well now has to be pulled so some .250 hitter can come up to bat and probably not get on base. Or the pitcher stays in and you're nearly guaranteed to begin the inning with one out. Yes, it is strategy and YES, it's a waste of time.

As for keeping the game sacred to it's original past, why don't they raise the mound back up like it used to be when Bob Gibson was pitching so the ERA's can drop down.

I would much rather watch a 7-5 game where 9 quality hitters are going against a good starting pitcher instead of a 3-1 game where teams struggle to score runs because 1 of their hitters is pitched around to get to a guy that can't swing.

P.S. The Tigers had the best ERA in either league which shows good pitching always outlasts good hitting, regardless of the league.

Answer 6

I recognise! Every time I re-learn DH I believe disenchanted. Especially whilst I take into account me studying that aspect that I'm presently feeling disenchanted on that I learn on July twenty first.. if that is smart? DOBBY! NO! I'd not ever had the sort of tantrum. And even Hedwig! The first loss of life... :( You're no longer mad, I do not suppose. Either that, or we are each insane! It's such an emotional guide, normally considering it is last all of the ties within the sequence, and the whole thing is completed :( I wish JKR writes anything, by some means, furthering our favorite guide sequence EVER. She can not stop now! She cannot. There's nonetheless such a lot that may be explored... All us HP enthusiasts are within the identical boat, are not we? Clinging onto wish that anything will pop out. Can't watch for HBP! -Tim

Answer 7

To be a pitcher in the majors, you have to spend a lot of time practicing pitching. That means you have a lot less time to practice hitting. It's like asking a quarterback to run the ball. They can, but they don't look as comfortable doing it. And Babe Ruth stopped being a pitcher when he started really focusing on hitting.

My favorite DH: Edgar Martinez

Answer 8

Frank Thomas is the best DH--I think that both leagues should use the DH rule--pitchers are what they are--PITCHERS you dont see the other guys playing the Field come into pitch.

Answer 9

Not a fan of the DH. The National League is the only league that plays baseball the way it is supposed to be. Do you think that Roger Clemons would have been as dominate if he had to bat after all the people he plunked. I don't think so!

Answer 10

The only reason that the AL has them is to score more runs, so they could generate more fan interest. (not sure what yr. it was instituted)
They will never get rid of it, if they did what would fans of each league argue about?
Certainly not which team will win the World Series, the All-Star Game, or interleague play.