MLB Officially Announces Rule Changes

[Number5]

[Redskins Rick]

12 minutes ago, Enjoy Terror said:

Pitchers don't DH unless they are two-way players. 

Sorry, IMO, most DHs are players that can hit, but not play a position.

I trust dont see it.

his OPS of .697 is going to set the world on fire, either.

Agree to disagree here.

[atomic]

I think all the rule changes are for the better. I would also like to see them have starters face at least 7 batters.   

Also, I would like the DH to go away. Player Association would probably have a problem with that so it would most likely have to be part of a bargaining agreement. 

[SteveA]

1 hour ago, Number5 said:

Seems like we should designate Davis as a two-way player.  No downside if we have to keep him on the IL 5 more days.

He has to pitch 20 innings to allow us to do that.

[DrungoHazewood]

41 minutes ago, Number5 said:

Would have never qualified.  He never had a season where he pitched and played more than three games as a position player.

[Tony-OH]

8 hours ago, InsideCoroner said:

I’ll be curious to see how many relievers get “injured” before they face three batters once the matchups are no longer in their favor. I expect there might be a few more blisters or ankle sprains than normal. 

 I would honestly be surprised if we don't see this kind of gamesmanship. One of the reasons I hate this rule.

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, atomic said:

I think all the rule changes are for the better. I would also like to see them have starters face at least 7 batters.   

Also, I would like the DH to go away. Player Association would probably have a problem with that so it would most likely have to be part of a bargaining agreement. 

Yikes, if anything, adding the DH to the NL is the smarter way to go. The National League is the only major baseball league, including college and high school that does not allow a DH. Watching teams use "strategy" to pitch around the 8th batter with an open base and runner in scoring position to face a .123 hitter is not strategy, it's boring. 

[Philip]

3 hours ago, Redskins Rick said:

How many players in all of MLB, could be considered a legit 2 way player?

 

Besides Ohtani

Mychal Givens was a passable shortstop. I have often wondered if he could play the position well enough to be a strategy option late in games. If he’s moved to short stop, then he’s now a position player

[mdbdotcom]

Will pitchers be allowed to pinch run? Doesn't happen much anymore, but Palmer did quite a bit of pinch running in his career, even as late as the '83 playoffs.

[Philip]

7 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Yikes, if anything, adding the DH to the NL is the smarter way to go. The National League is the only major baseball league, including college and high school that does not allow a DH. Watching teams use "strategy" to pitch around the 8th batter with an open base and runner in scoring position to face a .123 hitter is not strategy, it's boring. 

 I strongly prefer the significant difference between the two leagues caused by one having the designated hitter and one not. I think it would make the game much less interesting if we had a universal DH. But it’s worth discussing.

Another black mark on Manfred is that he’s ignoring this topic and instead coming up with all kinds of loopy gimmicks that serve no particular purpose except to make us hate him more.

[Redskins Rick]

3 minutes ago, Philip said:

Mychal Givens was a passable shortstop. I have often wondered if he could play the position well enough to be a strategy option late in games. If he’s moved to short stop, then he’s now a position player

I thought he was moved to pitcher as his skillset for position player and bat, wasnt going to play out at the major league level?

I believe if my memory is correct, they scouted him and drafted him with the intention of making him a pitcher from the get go.

[Philip]

1 minute ago, Redskins Rick said:

I thought he was moved to pitcher as his skillset for position player and bat, wasnt going to play out at the major league level?

I believe if my memory is correct, they scouted him and drafted him with the intention of making him a pitcher from the get go.

I don’t know about your second paragraph: I thought he was moved because he couldn’t hit but had a wonderful arm. If that was the plan from the beginning, well, he’ still an excellent defensive player, constantly lauded as being based on his excellent defense at short.

Regardless, the question remains, is he a competent enough defender that short he could be used there in a double switch type situation? Maybe he can’t hit, but such a change would only be for presumably 1/2 inning.

[SteveA]

14 minutes ago, mdbdotcom said:

Will pitchers be allowed to pinch run? Doesn't happen much anymore, but Palmer did quite a bit of pinch running in his career, even as late as the '83 playoffs.

Sure, don't see why not.   That has nothing to do with any of the rule changes.

[Redskins Rick]

4 minutes ago, Philip said:

I don’t know about your second paragraph: I thought he was moved because he couldn’t hit but had a wonderful arm. If that was the plan from the beginning, well, he’ still an excellent defensive player, constantly lauded as being based on his excellent defense at short.

Regardless, the question remains, is he a competent enough defender that short he could be used there in a double switch type situation? Maybe he can’t hit, but such a change would only be for presumably 1/2 inning.

You are correct, IMO, double switch sure.

I dont see him as a 2 way player.

But, thats just my opinion.

I stand corrected about Givens drafted as pitcher was planned.

Quote

The Baltimore Orioles selected Givens in the second round, with the 54th overall selection, of the 2009 MLB draft.^[2][3] He signed with the Orioles, receiving a reported $800,000 signing bonus rather than enrolling at Oklahoma State University.^[4] The Orioles began to develop Givens as a shortstop.^[5] Playing for the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League in 2010, he was batting .222 when he sprained his thumb.^[6] He required surgery to correct the injury.^[5]

In 2011, Givens returned to Delmarva, and hit .195. He was demoted to the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League.^[7] Givens played for the Perth Heat in 2011–12 Australian Baseball League season and played in the 2011 Australian Baseball League All-Star Game. He batted .243 in Delmarva in 2012.^[8]

Before the 2013 season, the Orioles approached Givens about becoming a pitcher.^[2][5][8] In 2013, he pitched 40 innings for Delmarva, recording 36 strikeouts and a 4.22 ERA.^[2][9] With the Frederick Keys of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League in 2014, he had a 1–2 record and a 3.24 ERA.^[5] The Orioles assigned Givens to the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League after the 2014 season.^[10] The Orioles opted not to add Givens on their 40-man roster, which would have prevented him from being eligible in the Rule 5 draft. Givens went unselected.^[11]

 

[SteveA]

One implication I see of the rule changes is that when you first bring a 2 way player up, I guess you have to label him a pitcher until he meets the requirements for being a 2 way player.   If you label him a position player,. he can only pitch when your team is down by 7 or more and the game is in extra innings.   Until he would get 20 innings that way, so that you could designate him a 2 way player, you would have to label him as a pitcher.

So the next Ohtani would have to be labelled a pitcher on Opening Day or else you would not be able to pitch him in meaningful situations.   Only after he started 20 games at DH with at least 3 plate appearances could you designate him as a 2 way player so he wouldn't count against the 13 pitcher limit.