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Changes to MLB All Star Game - including DH rule in NL parks

nevadaO

By nevadaO
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nevadaO Hangout Grand Counsel

nevadaO

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New York, NY (Sports Network) - Major League Baseball announced Wednesday it has made several changes to the All-Star Game, including the full-time use of the designated hitter.

The DH will be used by both teams, regardless of whether the All-Star Game is played in an American League or National League stadium. The NL's designated hitter will be chosen by the NL manager, while the AL's will continue to be selected through fan balloting.

Additionally, the league announced three other changes, which will be in effect for this year's contest, scheduled for Tuesday, July 13 in Anaheim.

Rosters will expand from 33 to 34 players, consisting of 21 position players and 13 pitchers. The previous 33-man rosters had 20 position players.

This additional position player will help with another rule change, being that each All-Star manager will designate one position player on his team as eligible to return to the game. That player will be used in the event the last position player at any position is injured.

Also, any pitcher selected to an All-Star team who starts the Sunday immediately before the All-Star Game will not be eligible to pitch in the game and will be replaced on the roster. That replaced pitcher will, however, be recognized as an All-Star and introduced in uniform.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=mlb/news/newstest.aspx?id=4307513

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RShack Hangout Grand Counsel

RShack

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Don't you mean the AL needs to get rid of the DH for good.

The NL and one of the Japanese leagues are the only leagues on the planet where they don't use the DH. P's don't even get very many MiL AB's, so it's not like the NL really takes it seriously. It's only a matter of time...

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Mark Carver All-Star

Mark Carver

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Don't you mean the AL needs to get rid of the DH for good.

Why? Let's see...

The use of the designated hitter rule in amateur baseball is nearly universal.
The DH is used in most professional baseball leagues around the world. One notable exception is the Central League of Japan, where pitchers bat as they do in the National League.
All of the non-independent minor leagues have adopted the designated-hitter rule for use in their games. At the double-A and triple-A level, when both teams are National League affiliates, they have their pitchers bat; otherwise the DH is used.

source

So, the DH is used universally in amateur, international and minor league baseball, with a few exceptions... so let's do away with it? Nothing like watching a pitcher that doesn't know how to bat, forced to learn how to bat once he makes it to a NL team... I just loved watching Daniel Cabrera keep the bat on his shoulder when he was forced to bat in IL games for the Orioles.

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BRob51 Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

BRob51

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Not even close.

Who likes watching pitchers hit?

I actually do. Not all of them suck that bad. Remember that most MLB pitcher were the best hitters on their HS and possibly college teams. Former professional position players too. Also, I don't want to see good pinch hitters go extinct.

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kali3 Newbie

kali3

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The DH does take a lot of strategy out of the game and IMHO makes baseball less exciting. If AL got rid of the DH you could be sure that pitchers would be hitting in the minors.

Also lack of DH reduces the importance of bench players. There are a lot less substitutions and pinch hitters in the AL.

NL baseball without the DH is more of a total team effort.

As for the "watching pitchers hit is boring nonsense" well you could argue watching catchers run is boring too. Much more exciting to have speedsters on the bases. Why not institute a designated runner rule. Or just add in free substitutions to the game (like the are doing in the All Star game).

Once you start messing with the rules like this baseball's history and stats lose their meaning.

I mean is David Ortiz's batting stats comparable to a guy who had to play the field everyday and take the stress and injuries that come with that?

I just think the DH diminishes the game. The one good thing about interleague play is being able to watch the Orioles play proper baseball with everyone hitting.

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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I like the DH change. If there's ever a game in the whole universe that everyone should agree needs a DH, it's the All Star game. This is an exhibition of the best players in the world. There's no place for a .087 hitter who's just trying to not get hurt.

The roster expansion I couldn't disagree more with. Ok, I'm not that worked up about anything that has to do with a meaningless exhibition (la la la... not listening to stuff about WS home field advantage la la la). But, IMO, the reason the game has really lost something is that it's not a baseball game anymore. It's a LaRussian thought experiment in how to get 32 players into a nine inning game. I'd be much happier if they made the rosters 22 instead of 34. I'd rather see nine innings of Pujols and Chipper and Ichiro than two innings of them and two innings of whoever is hitting .280 with 11 homers at the break for the Royals.

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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The DH does take a lot of strategy out of the game and IMHO makes baseball less exciting. If AL got rid of the DH you could be sure that pitchers would be hitting in the minors.

I think lots and lots of pitcher specialization takes much, much more strategy out of the game than the DH ever could. When everybody has two LOOGYs and a ROOGY, they have to keep 12+ pitchers, so everyone has a short bench. So they can't platoon, they can't pinch hit, they can't do strategic defensive subs, they can't pinch run.

With pitchers hitting you have a higher number of bunts. But that's not strategy. That's a defensive mechanism. Strategy is a choice. Strategy is two managers with differences of opinion on how to win. Pinch hitting for an .055 hitter when you're down three runs in the 5th isn't strategy, it's automatic. The double switch is a no-brainer a monkey could handle. Let's see... the pitcher's slot is due up 2nd, and I'm down a run, what should I do... maybe I'll do two subs so I don't have the worst hitter in the organization batting 2nd!

You want to see some strategy, look at Earl Weaver's teams after the DH was implemented. He had games where he strategically subbed out 2/3rds of the lineup after the 6th inning. And he could do it because he didn't have to worry about burning through his subs with automatic pinch hitting appearances for the pitcher's slot 2-3 times a game.

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