The DH Debate - Where Do You Stand?

The DH takes alot of the strategy out the game and therefore a good bit of the drama out. It's so much harder to manange in the NL than the AL. Do you stick with you pitcher another inning or 2 because he's rolling? Or do you hit for him in the 6th inning? Plus, it forces to teams to run and actually play baseball rather than just wait for the HR. Pitchers are baseball players too, let them act like it.

I have a feeling most will be "homer" votes, what we grow up with will be what we like to see.

The DH is like watching the kicker of football step up to the plate. Its too specialized of a position with not enough reps in the actual game.

There are plenty of arguments against the DH, here are a couple:

1. To be viable in the AL, you need to have a viable DH. An above-average DH commands a high salary. Why add another burden to small market teams? Therefore, if you feel that the small market teams don't have a shot and don't believe that there should be a salary cap, one way to lessen the burden on small market teams is to eliminate the DH in the AL
2. Since pitchers in the AL have to face more offensively potent batters, in general, they will have to throw more pitches. Throwing more pitches is bad for starting pitchers. Therefore, if you think there is a problem with pitcher's arm injuries in MLB, then maybe one way to limit this problem that is to eliminate the DH in the AL.

It is not baseball. The DH has created a different, although closely related game. Canadian football is closely related to NFL football, but they are different games.

I like the DH because not having a DH can quickly kill an offensive rally. Having that automatic out in the nine hole (whether it be by pathetic swing or pathetic sacrifice bunt) is extremely boring.

Count me in against the DH

Yay! We have our first "If you disagree with me I'll give you a - participant"! I'm so glad I opened up this discussion so you could bring your closed-minded rage to the subject when I offer points from the other side.

Pitchers have enough to worry about. Making them hit increases their chance of injury. Why would you want your liability up at the plate, when you can replace him with a hitting specialist?! Maybe it is just now that i am noticing it, but this season there have been some really pathetic, no effort put forth-type swings by pitchers. Its like "yeah, i know i cant hit. ill just take the out." Plus, if by some chance the pitcher gets on base, do you want him running around and sliding like a chicken with his head cut off?!

I'm not AGAINST pitchers batting (if they can) but I said it before, will say it again - that's for YOU gator

I'll preface this comment by saying that I realize this idea is a huge departure from tradition, and there's no way MLB will put it into practice. But an interesting idea would be to remove the pitcher AND designated hitter from the batting lineup, so you have an 8-person lineup. A pitcher IS different from all the other players - a specialist like a kicker in football and a goaltender in hockey. So it's fine if they're not treated the same as the position players. I could live with the resulting decline in sacrifice bunts. On the other hand, the change would mean that everyone who hits does have to play a position and be a reasonably well-rounded player. Again, it's not going to happen, but it's an interesting thought. No matter where you stand, the one thing that should change is that pitchers should not be in the batting lineup for the All-Star Game, even in NL parks. Generally it's not an issue with pinch-hitting, but they should just remove the possibility of it happening. The game is supposed to showcase stars at their best. The NL doesn't normally use a DH, but somehow I don't think it would be hurt by plugging in Ryan Howard at that spot.

The DH rule should absolutely be added for both leagues. Watching NL pitchers bat is like watching a bird with a broken wing try to fly.

I think a few of you need to utilize a Showdown column and have this out.

I feel that no matter if there is a DH or not that the rule should be applied for both leagues. Personally, there should be a DH in both leagues.

I'd love to say that I'm against the DH for the purity of baseball - but when so many plate appearances by a pitcher are just throw-away at-bats, how can you say that is not also against the purity of the game? It's like having a right-fielder that you know will have the ball hit to him four times a game and he'd be lucky to catch it once. I know the DH has been around for some time, but now we should just view it as part of the specialization of 21st century baseball that includes set-up men, long relievers, defensive replacements and the "hold" as a pitching statistic. One could even argue that the DH lends itself to more intense relief-pitcher strategy in the AL because managers have the freedom to use whatever situational pitcher they want to maximize matchups without having to worry about who has to hit in his spot the next inning. The way so many managers screw up the double switch nowadays - is it even worth it?

One more note: In the last few seasons managers like Buddy Bell in Colorado and Tony LaRussa in St. Louis have used Mike Hampton and Jason Marquis as their first or second pinch-hitters off the bench - so I believe that if a pitcher can truly hit a manager will recognize this and use him in the way. I even think (without looking it up) Rick Rhoden DH'ed for the Yankees once.

Personally, I hate watching pitchers trying to handle a bat. Most of them simply cannot do it, so I wonder why they have to in the National League. As much work as pitchers put in trying to perfect their wind-ups and work on their changeups and breaking balls, why subject them to further work and abuse by having them swing a bat? You ask me, that's a little too much arm movement for a pitcher, and if a guy were to truly try and be great at both, I could see his arms falling off (okay, not literally, but you get the point). Not only that, but there comes a point in a game where the pitcher no longer bats. The manager purposefully puts in a pinch hitter to avoid having the pitcher come to bat. Staters rarely grab a stick after the fifth inning, and I can't remember the last time I saw a reliever bat for himself when his spot in the order came up. If they can't hit, and the manager knows they can't hit, why make them hit?

Is there anything actually wrong with the DH? If so, fine change it. But if there is no problem with it, why not just keep the rule how it is? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I would love it if the DH rule were taken away because I like to see pitchers hit and I think most of them need to take a little bit batting practice. I don't how ever go into a furry anytime I see an AL game I some times even enjoy an AL game (but usually I find them kind of boring). I also think that the people saying that pitchers spots kill a rally are just spit-ten bull. The pitchers spot in the middle of a rally brings strategy to a game. You can have the pitcher bunt hit and run or just pinch-hit (if the rally is that important it means you are down by some runs and the pitcher has not pitched to well), and sometimes the pitcher will come through. The DH has hurt pitchers in two ways, first they have another huge bat in the line up to face, and two it has lowered the standards on them which is not good for the pitchers or the team.

The DH provides a real differentiation between the leagues. Keep the DH (for the AL). Get rid of interleague play.