No DH in NL next Year

[ArnoldRothstein]

2019  AL: .253 vs NL: .251

2018  AL: .249 vs NL: .247

2017  AL: .256 vs NL: .254

2016  AL: .257 vs NL: .254

2015  AL: .255 vs NL: .253



There doesn't seem to be a large difference as measured by an entire season.


Here's the Triple A leagues:



2019 PCL .277 IL .266

2018 PCL .270 IL .252

2017 PCL .274 IL .257

2016 PCL .269 IL .254

2015 PCL .272 IL .255



All other things being equal, you'd have to think that the PCL consistently has better hitters, but everyone knows you have to take the PCL numbers with a grain of salt because the cities and ballparks are just good places to hit. The AL and NL cross over somewhat now, but they're still separate environments and you can't expect all the stats to align.



Basically, if the American League never existed, so had never gone to the DH, I think I'd still look at the hitting stats for NL pitchers over the last century and decide that it was time to stop the fight.

[BellevueBuc]

747C7F485E7B5C533D0 wrote: The NL DH is a tragedy. You can call me old fashioned or whatever. I don’t care. The game was perfect for over 100 years. They keep messing with something that wasn’t broken. Want to attract young fans? End blackouts and actually do something for cord cutters. Sorry, but I hate the DH, I hate the extra innings gimmick, I hate the three batter minimum rule, I hate what MLB is doing to the game. NL baseball was better. It was a more strategic game, and that made it more exciting. Who wants to watch pitchers “flail away,” you say? I do. Because it’s how the game has always been played in the National League. It’s not as exciting! Listen...if you’re watching baseball hoping for it to be “exciting,” you’re watching the wrong sport. Want non-stop action? Watch hockey. Want fast, exciting plays? Watch football or basketball. Want America's pastime? Watch baseball. The entertainment value in baseball is the marathon season, watching your favorite team day after day in a pennant race. If I need a DH to keep me “entertained,” in a way that watching a pitcher hit won’t, perhaps I need to reflect on whether or not I’m really a baseball fan, or if I’m just a fan of home runs and base hits.



I’m a millennial. I guess I am getting old though. Crazy to think that I’ll be 40 next year. I guess MLB has passed this fan by.  :-/



If MLB wants to win this fan back, they need to do three things, in no particular order:



1. End blackouts...stop blacking out a third of the Pirates games in Iowa each year.

2. Bring back real baseball, payed under the same rules we’ve played under for over a century—including throwing four pitches for an intentional walk.

3. Increase the competitive balance. Give me a realistic hope that I’ll see the Pirates win the World Series once before I die.


Baseball has constantly changed its rules. Changing rules to help certain teams win seems like a bigger problem than making sure it has uniform rules across the league.



Using a DH has been considered since they decided to reduce the amount of balls in a walk from 8 to 6 to 4.



The NL would already have the DH if it was not for a fishing trip.

[BellevueBuc]

01322E2F2C24122F3428333425292E400 wrote:



2019  AL: .253 vs NL: .251

2018  AL: .249 vs NL: .247

2017  AL: .256 vs NL: .254

2016  AL: .257 vs NL: .254

2015  AL: .255 vs NL: .253



There doesn't seem to be a large difference as measured by an entire season.


Here's the Triple A leagues:



2019 PCL .277 IL .266

2018 PCL .270 IL .252

2017 PCL .274 IL .257

2016 PCL .269 IL .254

2015 PCL .272 IL .255



All other things being equal, you'd have to think that the PCL consistently has better hitters, but everyone knows you have to take the PCL numbers with a grain of salt because the cities and ballparks are just good places to hit. The AL and NL cross over somewhat now, but they're still separate environments and you can't expect all the stats to align.



Basically, if the American League never existed, so had never gone to the DH, I think I'd still look at the hitting stats for NL pitchers over the last century and decide that it was time to stop the fight.


Pitchers have always been terrible hitters. They have not hit over .200 in 90 years, and that comes with a qualifier since that was also the only year NPs hit over .300. About 60 years ago they stopped pretending they were even trying, the K rate skyrocketed up. K rate has obviously gone up in general, but pitchers K rate was dramatic. Everything else is fairly static in comparison.

[BellevueBuc]

497C6B6B60596B6B60676B0E0 wrote: If you like basketball and seeing replays of Shaq at the foul line.....



5.  Understanding that the AL isn't reversing course, the NL adopting the DH will level the playing field.  We've had asterisks without asterisks for nearly 50 years.



If there is one thing "traditionalists" enjoy > "tradition," it's statistical comparisons.



MLB is one entity, accept it or not.  To have members operate under different rules makes it appear amateurish as a business.  The closest thing that comes to mind is the NCAA.  I'll give MLB credit.  At least it doesn't vote to see who makes the playoffs.


Agree on the two league thing. Silly at best. Not putting the toothpaste back in the tube on the DH. Fools errand.



Traditionalist views seem to forget all the rule changes that have taken place in baseball over the last 150 years.

[2drfischer@gmail.c]

02312D2C2F27112C372B3037262A2D430 wrote:



2019  AL: .253 vs NL: .251

2018  AL: .249 vs NL: .247

2017  AL: .256 vs NL: .254

2016  AL: .257 vs NL: .254

2015  AL: .255 vs NL: .253



There doesn't seem to be a large difference as measured by an entire season.


Here's the Triple A leagues:



2019 PCL .277 IL .266

2018 PCL .270 IL .252

2017 PCL .274 IL .257

2016 PCL .269 IL .254

2015 PCL .272 IL .255



All other things being equal, you'd have to think that the PCL consistently has better hitters, but everyone knows you have to take the PCL numbers with a grain of salt because the cities and ballparks are just good places to hit. The AL and NL cross over somewhat now, but they're still separate environments and you can't expect all the stats to align.



Basically, [highlight]if the American League never existed, so had never gone to the DH, I think I'd still look at the hitting stats for NL pitchers over the last century and decide that it was time to stop the fight.[/highlight]


But if the DH never came to be, pitchers would have been taking batting practice and getting game at bats all throughout their professional careers. I would think they would've been taking hitting more seriously as opposed to not even trying, as we see now.



And I think some of the poor hitting we're seeing from pitchers lies with the organizations. It can't be that hard to have the starting pitchers take BP everyday. It's not like they don't have the time. I would think it would lead to more hits and more at bats where the ball is put in play. Over 162 games, that should lead to more runs and maybe even an extra couple of wins.

[GreenWeenie]

If pitchers should practice anything, it's pitching.



I don't want them to practicing hitting any more than I want to see position players practicing pitching.

[Bobster21]

5164737378417373787F73160 wrote: If pitchers should practice anything, it's pitching.



I don't want them to practicing hitting any more than I want to see position players practicing pitching.
If batting is part of a pitcher's job, he should practice it. Pitching is not part of a position player's job. But they practice both their batting and their fielding.

[GreenWeenie]

Doesn't alter my opinion.

[Bobster21]

0C392E2E251C2E2E25222E4B0 wrote: Doesn't alter my opinion.
Fine. But your apples to oranges example didn't alter mine either.

[GreenWeenie]

Didn't expect it to.