What If....

[RyanK]

... The AL got rid of the DH rule and Pitchers had to hit?

How much of an effect do you think this would cause on how the game is played in the AL, and the face of the game at present time and future.




- Ill post my thoughts a little later tonight, just thought this could be a fun thread where we stick on a topic for awhile and talk about it, so after a day or so someone else posts a "what if" question.

[tecmobowl12]

David Ortiz would say "dang"

[wrveres]

You mean if the AL played the game the way it was intended?
I think that would be ideal.

[Big Cat]

The Twins would be more competitive in the AL Central and not have to spend the big bucks to get someone like Thome or Sheffield. Sounds good to me

[RocketsDWM]

I dont want to see pitchers bat and have the potential with injury by having them bat. Why not have the best lineup out there?

[sportsaddict]

The whole dynamics of the AL game would change, and teams would be directly affected by it. The White Sox couldn't have both Thome and Konerko, the Blue Jays couldn't have Overbay and Big Hurt, the Tigers would have to use Sheff exclusively in the outfield, Boston would have to use Ortiz at first (where he's terrible), the Indians would have to use Hafner at first... I could go on and on and on. Having a DH gives you one extra hitter in the lineup, and that changes everything. In the NL, the 9th hitter is an easy out (unless its D-Train or Jason Marquis ), but in the American League, the 9th hitter is used almost as an extra leadoff man- just looking at tonights Sunday Night Baseball game, the Yanks are using Cabrera and the Bo Sox are using Crisp at the 9 spot. It just gives you a huge advantage having a DH because your lineup becomes that much stronger.

Also, having a DH allows injured/fatigued players to get a day off essentially but still while batting in the lineup. Today the Rangers used Young at DH, so he was still in the lineup but wasn't playing the field. This is a huge advantage that AL teams have, as they are able to rest their players better and allow players with a nagging injury (see Johnny Damon) to not miss time.

Either have it in both leagues or don't have it at all. I like to joke about how boring NL baseball is but not having a DH is a more "pure" way of playing the game. The DH almost seems cheap to me, but I would like to either see it in both leagues or neither leagues.

I have a question too- does anyone know if the DH can be applied to a position besides the catcher? Like if you have a great hitting pitcher, could you DH the catcher and just have the catcher field but not hit?

[davidmarver]

Why not have the best lineup out there?

Why not follow rule 1.01 in baseball's rulebook?

Baseball is a game between two teams of nine players each, under direction of a manager, played on an enclosed field in accordance with these rules, under jurisdiction of one or more umpires.

[sportsaddict]

This is going to be an interesting NL vs. AL fan battle- you can already see it forming.

[Snakes Gould]

I dont want to see pitchers bat and have the potential with injury by having them bat. Why not have the best lineup out there?

why not have a defensive lineup and an offensive lineup then? best 9 fielders and then hit for whoever you'd like. have john mcdonald as your ss with frank thomas as your DSSH (designated shortstop hitter)?

[RocketsDWM]

Why not have the best lineup out there?

Why not follow rule 1.01 in baseball's rulebook?

Baseball is a game between two teams of nine players each, under direction of a manager, played on an enclosed field in accordance with these rules, under jurisdiction of one or more umpires.

Who would you rather see bat: Ortiz or Ben Sheets?

Seems like an obvious answer to me. Thats what I mean by the best possible lineup.

I dont want to see the star pitcher go down with an injury because he was swinging a bat.