2015 MLB Season Thread with Postseason Discussion

[AnPheitseog]

Adam Wainwright blows out his Achilles after hitting a routine grounder. Done for the year.

In the meantime, "The Best Fans in Baseball" immediately call for the National League to adopt the DH.

players get hurt, oh well

Take or leave the DH, but never forget that a pitcher is a baseball player too, just like the other 8 players

[teddthebucfan]

Boy I sure am glad that the White Sox game yesterday I had ridden all the way from West Virginia to see got cancelled in advance thanks to rain! I would hate for my self and all those players to be out in the pouring rain like that in the afternoon!

West Virginia? People usually don't even ride in from Tinley Park.

My school sponsored a bus trip to Chicago.

[2001mark]

Adam Wainwright blows out his Achilles after hitting a routine grounder. Done for the year.

In the meantime, "The Best Fans in Baseball" immediately call for the National League to adopt the DH.

players get hurt, oh well

Take or leave the DH, but never forget that a pitcher is a baseball player too, just like the other 8 players

Unpopular: I'd not mind seeing Pitchers and DHs batting. The hell with it... get them all in.

[Raysfan12]

The Rays are now in 1st place!

[WissX]

Brewers Won!

[AnPheitseog]

Adam Wainwright blows out his Achilles after hitting a routine grounder. Done for the year.

In the meantime, "The Best Fans in Baseball" immediately call for the National League to adopt the DH.

players get hurt, oh well

Take or leave the DH, but never forget that a pitcher is a baseball player too, just like the other 8 players

Unpopular: I'd not mind seeing Pitchers and DHs batting. The hell with it... get them all in.

my honest thoughts on the whole thing.

I hate full time DHs(see Ortiz, V. Martinez, what Parades is turning out to be)

If you cant play defense, then you shouldnt be in majors.

I dont mind, per say, the idea of pitchers not batting but a player shouldnt be able to make a full time job be a DH, so cap it at maybe 40gm/year for one player.

though for your idea, it would be hillarious to watch. Make it like little league, have all the players bat even if they arent fielding.

[2001mark]

though for your idea, it would be hillarious to watch. Make it like little league, have all the players bat even if they arent fielding.

Honestly, my dreamiest idea would be cut the season to 154 games, with 8 man batting order. DHs can shove it, Pitchers can take a bath.

3 ABs roughly a game/8 fewer games... 24 fewer ABs, the historical benchmark stats could still work themselves out in the wash yes?

I dunno, MLB & esp the MLBPA are surely never going to start axing veteran productive DH ABs from the game.

[masterchaoss]

I hate DH for 2 reasons why should some old player take a roster spot from a prospect who deserves it, and why should a pitcher be allowed to play in the game and not hit, if Babe Ruth were alive today he would probably laugh at the DH and the idea that pitchers can't hit.

[cmm]

Pro-DH folks who want to deprive us of watching Bartolo Colon at-bats are un-American sociopaths who deserve to be jailed and waterboarded.

[Raysfan12]

Pro-DH folks who want to deprive us of watching Bartolo Colon at-bats are un-American sociopaths who deserve to be jailed and waterboarded.

I disagree with this just because the DH allows guys like Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, and Edgar Martinez (Hopefully be in Cooperstown sooner than later) to extend their careers and help their clubs win. Baseball has been better since the introduction of the DH and the NL should adopt it earlier than later.

[rams80]

David Ortiz's career wasn't extended by the DH so much as it only existed because of the DH.

[FGM13]

Why is it that it has to be DH or no DH? Why cant it just be like it is now? I think its perfect the way it is.

[TheOldRoman]

David Ortiz's career wasn't extended by the DH so much as it only existed because of the DH.

And the HGH.

[pmoehrin]

Here's my thoughts on the DH:

The biggest objection to it is the use of it at lower levels. I think any level lower then AA shouldn't have it. I think anyone at those levels is still learning the game and that kind of specialization is something that I don't think should be encouraged.

As far as the major league level in concerned, I think it makes for a higher quality of play. It extends careers, takes a bad fielder off the field, takes a bad bat out of the lineup. All of those are positives and its why the AL has so dominated the NL when it comes to interleague play.

The only thing I don't like about the DH is that it takes out the importance of bench play and that's where the real difference between the two leagues comes into play. There isn't a single team in the NL that isn't worried about their bench and there's teams in the AL that could care less. The Kansas City Royals last year basically played the entire season with 10 position players.

For people who don't like the DH, that's the reason why. Bench strategy plays a much bigger role in the outcome of games without the DH then it does with the DH.

With that in mind, I would propose Larry Dierker's model as potentially something both leagues could get on board with. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/27435474/

Another idea I've heard is to tie the DH in directly to the starting pitcher as in when he is removed, the team forfeits the DH as well. Either the DH would have to come into the game to play the field, or be taken out completely, which I would be okay with as well. I think either of those models would get you closer to having the best of both worlds then having a pure yes or no on the the DH rule, with minimal rule complications.

[cmm]

Pro-DH folks who want to deprive us of watching Bartolo Colon at-bats are un-American sociopaths who deserve to be jailed and waterboarded.

I disagree with this just because the DH allows guys like Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, and Edgar Martinez (Hopefully be in Cooperstown sooner than later) to extend their careers and help their clubs win. Baseball has been better since the introduction of the DH and the NL should adopt it earlier than later.

To me, this isn't a good thing. If your defense is so bad that teams can't justify putting you in the lineup, then it's time to move on, grandpa. This is a young man's game. Or become a Rusty Staub circa 1983 pinch-hit specialist.

Why is it that it has to be DH or no DH? Why cant it just be like it is now? I think its perfect the way it is.

I can live with the status quo. I kind of like keeping the only thing that differentiates the leagues. But every so often there's a call for the NL to adopt the DH (there's never a call for the AL to drop it since the MLBPA would fight) and we have to make sure that never happens.

[OnWis97]

Here's my thoughts on the DH:

The biggest objection to it is the use of it at lower levels. I think any level lower then AA shouldn't have it. I think anyone at those levels is still learning the game and that kind of specialization is something that I don't think should be encouraged.

(then goes on to say it should be at the MLB level)

What value is there to having pitchers hit in the minors if they are not going to be made to in the majors? May as well give someone on the bench a chance to pick up a bat.

As much as I hate the DH and find the NL game much more interesting to watch, I think it's time to get uniformity in the rules.* As recently as the 1980s, the two leagues were still somewhat different and the odd rule differences (which may have included how many players can visit the mound?) were kinda neat little quirks. But by now the "leagues" are essentially conferences.

The DH was not introduced for integrity of the game; it was introduced because casual fans like 8-5 more than 2-1. Had the NHL enlarged its nets after the last work stoppage, the rationale would have been similar. It's really depressing to me that we are fairly close to having the simplified game in both leagues; but it's time. And as much as I'd advocate going to baseball as it was meant to be in both leagues, that's just not realistic. After all, the Angels still have to pay Pujols.

*I hope they hold off though, because obviously once they do go for uniformity, the DH is staying, not leaving.

That Dierker plan is intriguing. It leaves us with similar strategies regarding the starting pitcher. But I don't think anyone realistically thinks that this kinda of innovation and change to the game is coming. Why do that when you can just have a fat guy on each team to the pleasure of 80% of fans knowing full well that the 20% will get on board soon enough?

[AnPheitseog]

Here's my thoughts on the DH:

The biggest objection to it is the use of it at lower levels. I think any level lower then AA shouldn't have it. I think anyone at those levels is still learning the game and that kind of specialization is something that I don't think should be encouraged.

As far as the major league level in concerned, I think it makes for a higher quality of play. It extends careers, takes a bad fielder off the field, takes a bad bat out of the lineup. All of those are positives and its why the AL has so dominated the NL when it comes to interleague play.

The only thing I don't like about the DH is that it takes out the importance of bench play and that's where the real difference between the two leagues comes into play. There isn't a single team in the NL that isn't worried about their bench and there's teams in the AL that could care less. The Kansas City Royals last year basically played the entire season with 10 position players.

For people who don't like the DH, that's the reason why. Bench strategy plays a much bigger role in the outcome of games without the DH then it does with the DH.

With that in mind, I would propose Larry Dierker's model as potentially something both leagues could get on board with. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/27435474/

Another idea I've heard is to tie the DH in directly to the starting pitcher as in when he is removed, the team forfeits the DH as well. Either the DH would have to come into the game to play the field, or be taken out completely, which I would be okay with as well. I think either of those models would get you closer to having the best of both worlds then having a pure yes or no on the the DH rule, with minimal rule complications.

to that last idea, i think it might be better the other way around. That is, the pitcher would have to bat or be pinch hit for through the first five innings(so effectivly, the SP. i use innings to prevent a one batter "starter" to get around the rule)

That, or have the pitcher be freely hit for, but with a stipulation

A player could hit for the pitcher only once, and then cannot enter the game, just like if he was substituted out.

[RedSox44]

Real baseball fans shouldn't want to watch a pitcher stare at three pitches and then walk back to the dugout. Nothing ruins the momentum of a game like a :censored:ty at bat from someone who doesn't know or care about what they're doing. If I were a pitcher in the National League, I wouldn't want to risk my career by batting and running the bases.

Now with Scherzer and Waino getting injured doing something they shouldn't be wasting their time doing, you're going to start seeing NL teams be more open to the NL adopting the DH. Which will happen. Maybe not next year, maybe not in ten years, but eventually it will happen. One league shouldn't be more appealing to others players who can hit better than field, and pitchers who don't want to waste five minutes they could be preparing for the next frame by standing at the plate.

[2001mark]

RE. lower levels of baseball... how about if the DH couples itself to an age limit? lols like Champions Tour Golf.

35yrs+ DHs... both AL & NL.

[rams80]

Real baseball fans shouldn't want to watch a pitcher stare at three pitches and then walk back to the dugout. Nothing ruins the momentum of a game like a :censored:ty at bat from someone who doesn't know or care about what they're doing. If I were a pitcher in the National League, I wouldn't want to risk my career by batting and running the bases.

Now with Scherzer and Waino getting injured doing something they shouldn't be wasting their time doing, you're going to start seeing NL teams be more open to the NL adopting the DH. Which will happen. Maybe not next year, maybe not in ten years, but eventually it will happen. One league shouldn't be more appealing to others players who can hit better than field, and pitchers who don't want to waste five minutes they could be preparing for the next frame by standing at the plate.

Or you know, pitchers could actually work at getting better at swinging a bat. At least it gives managers something to do.