Just wondering about non-pitchers pitching

[mdbdotcom]

30 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

That already happens if you use a position player who's already in the game.  The Orioles lost the DH in the Chris Davis Game.

For your rule to be effective you'd have to establish definitions and assignments for who is a pitcher and who is a position player, which currently doesn't formally exist.  For example, Hanser Alberto is a baseball player who usually plays a position other than pitcher.

Yes, but there has been discussion about limiting the number of pitchers on a roster to 13, which would require those same definitions and assignments. I think those discussions had something to do with increasing the active roster to 26 next year. 

Hanser Alberto is a baseball player? Who knew?

[DrungoHazewood]

5 minutes ago, LookinUp said:

Didn't the mid-80's Cardinals rotate lefties and righties between LF and P? I have a vague recollection, but I was pretty young.

Some team did that in that timeframe.  I think there's a rule that says you can only do that once or twice or something in a game.  

I think the answer to the Oriole pitcher playing a position is it hasn't happened since '54.  Milt Pappas was listed as the starting second baseman in this game, but was removed before he batted or played the field.  I'm not quite sure what was going on there.

Edit from the bullpen wiki: "He is credited with a game played at second base on September 11, 1958 against the Kansas City Athletics (Boxscore), but this was in fact a ploy by Orioles manager Paul Richards to avoid batting a couple of weak hitters, Jim Busby and Billy Gardner, in the 1st inning. Fellow pitcher Jack Harshman, hitting fifth, gave way to pinch hitter Gene Woodling when his time to bat came up, and Pappas was replaced by Gardner when the Orioles took the field in the bottom of the 1st, the top of the inning having ended before he had to bat. Under today's rules, Pappas would not be credited with a game played in the field if such a strategy were used."

[DrungoHazewood]

4 minutes ago, mdbdotcom said:

Yes, but there has been discussion about limiting the number of pitchers on a roster to 13, which would require those same definitions and assignments. I think those discussions had something to do with increasing the active roster to 26 next year. 

Yea, they'd have to do that and it's something I'm in favor of.  I'd be fine with losing the occasional Jace Peterson inning in a 17-2 game if it meant nine-man pitching staffs.

[Frobby]

It’s been done often enough by other teams.    Joe Maddon apparently used three pitchers in LF in one game.   Randy Johnson once played in the OF.   https://www.sportscasting.com/mlb/mlb-pitchers-played-outfield/

[Frobby]

I went to two games in one season where Sam McDowell got moved to the field solely to avoid pitching to Frank Howard, then was moved back to pitcher.