April 5, 2013

Theo DH Epstein

Theo Epstein wants the National League to adopt the designated hitter:

Epstein is all for it, primarily because of the disadvantage the rule imposes on National League teams.

“I think the AL has a big advantage,” Epstein told USA Today. “When a team goes into Boston, they have to face [David] Ortiz, and you’re putting a guy who’s a utility player as your DH.”

Maybe the NL could carry one fewer pitcher and carry players like in the old days, a true hitter used for pinch hitting situations. With fewer position players, teams no longer carry three catchers or a true pinch hitter.

5 thoughts on “Theo DH Epstein

  1. Scooter

    I’ve thought & thought & thought about this over the years, but I’m still not clear on why having to face David Ortiz (when visiting an AL park) is clearly worse than having to bench David Ortiz (when visiting an NL park).

    I mean, when the AL was dominating interleague play recently, that success included road games, too, yes? Which suggests that if roster construction is the determining factor — which it might not be — then maybe the NL teams should get a David Ortiz of their own.

    In short: I agree with you.

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  2. Boston2AZ

    Let’s face it – they’re never going to eliminate the DH from the AL. How about they just do the common sense thing and have the DH in both leagues?

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  3. Joseph Finn

    Agreed, Boston. I might be a huge DH fan, but either way the disparity in rules is simply silly, 40 years on.

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  4. arthur john kyriazis

    re: Theo Epstein wants the NL to adopt the DH

    Dear Mr. Epstein:

    You are now with the chicago cubs, an NL team.

    As Aerosmith once sang, Dream on, Dream until your dreams come true, but no way is the NL going to adopt the DH.

    After all, some of us would like to see the NL go back to a single eight team league, others of us would like to see baseball be played in the day time only, others of us would like to see instant replay banned forever, others of us would like to see three leagues of eight teams each or four teams of eight teams each rather than the current disaster we now have.

    It would be nice if the Braves were back in Boston, the Browns were back in St. Louis, the As were back in Philly, the beanball was still used properly and rookies got paid very little and got razzed a lot.

    The DH is wrong because it violates the rule against unlimited substitution. We may as well have someone hit for every bad hitter who can field his position well once we go there. Eventually someone is going to propose a DH for every slick fielding SS, 2B, 3B and so forth, until eventually you’ll have nine hitters and nine fielders whose only jobs are to hit and to field and pitch.

    The DH is the end of the notion of all-around play.

    The best pitchers of history could hit and field their positions–guys like Bob Lemon, Steve Carlton, Cole Hamels.

    Jim Kaat won many gold gloves as did Greg Maddux.

    Finally, it’s silly to think the DH is creating jobs. The same number of players will be on major league rosters–25 x 30 major league teams, DH or no DH.

    The DH does not create or destroy major league jobs. That is a union canard.

    The better way to make baseball uniform is to abolish the DH.

    The reason for its adoption has long expired–the reason having been the AL’s inferior offensive numbers as of 1973.

    Now, the AL is even with the NL, and the extra hitter is causing their offense to be greater by the expected 9/8 ratio.

    AL baseball, as a result, is just not real baseball.

    Theo Epstein and the Cubs can vote any way they want, but NL baseball is not played with a DH, and the old style AL guys like Casey Stengel, Connie Mack, Babe Ruth et al, would have scoffed at the notion of a DH.

    It’s silly.

    Art Kyriazis, Philly

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