Boo!
Draft Lottry and Universal DH
- Thread starter Bring Back The Oilers
- Start date
Used to not be a fan of the DH, but it's to the point now where some of these pitchers haven't swung a bat in a game since Babe Ruth League. Some of the really good athletes did hit and pitch in high school, but most of the pitchers on my college team didn't have an at-bat in their careers. It'd be one thing if MLB was the only place these guys aren't hitting, but most of these guys didn't pick up a bat after like age 15 until they get to the majors.
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Hell, most of em can’t even bunt anymore. I would have fought tooth and nail against it in the 90’s since the Braves had pretty good hitting pitchers, but now it’s a waste. But on days Max Fried pitches, I’d start Heredia in CF and use the DH for his spot to keep Fried in the lineup
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The argument against the DH is not about having the pitcher hit. Ignoring the “9 men vs 9 men” aspect, it is about the trade off of cost vs benefit. If you have a man on 2nd with 2 outs in a 0-0 game in the 6th, do you take out your SP to increase your chances of getting that man in? It also makes a bigger difference in the type of hitters you place in the 7 and 8 hole. Putting an OBP guy in the 8 slot is pointless. But placing a 3-outcome-hitter there would be a better option.
Also, if you have a Carlos Zambrano or Madison Bumgarner or Shohei Ohtani, then you have a HUGE advantage. Rare, sure, but the Giants pitchers in ‘12 were some of the most watched ABs all season. Ever SP had at least 1 HR that year, and I think as a staff, they had about 12 HRs. That was FUN. The Giants got the equivalent production of a moderate hitting SS or C out of the pitching slot. HUGE advantage.
Also, if you have a Carlos Zambrano or Madison Bumgarner or Shohei Ohtani, then you have a HUGE advantage. Rare, sure, but the Giants pitchers in ‘12 were some of the most watched ABs all season. Ever SP had at least 1 HR that year, and I think as a staff, they had about 12 HRs. That was FUN. The Giants got the equivalent production of a moderate hitting SS or C out of the pitching slot. HUGE advantage.
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I don't think you meant 2012, I only see 3 HRs for Giant pitchers that year (1 for Cain and 2 for Bumgarner) and I've got them hitting .123/.174/.165 as a group that season.
Maybe 2015? They had 9 HRs (5 by Bumgarner) that year and had 3 starters with an OPS+ above 40, I have just the starting pitchers batting .178/.199/.305 that year. Now that's really not "a moderate hitting SS or C" level of production but it is an advantage.
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I don’t remember the exact year. It may have been ‘15.
Anyway, the exact year and numbers was not the point. The point was the Giants got OK production from their pitchers that year. That was a competitive advantage.