Friday, December 7, 2018

DH rule change: for starting pitcher only.

I just heard Brian Kenny mention this on MLB Network and it's devilishly simple and clever. Kenny gives credit to Dale Murphy for the idea and Murphy credits Buck Showalter:

Limit the DH to the starting pitcher and have the same rule in both "leagues". Remove the starting pitcher and you lose the DH. Remember, the designated hitter is really a designated pinch hitter but only for the pitcher. It should have been for any batter to allow for Babe Ruth ... and now Shohei Ohtani but it wasn't. But since it was restricted to the pitcher this change could be a good fit, with an obvious benefit of teams having an incentive to keep the starting pitcher in the game. Plus, MLB could finally have the same rule throughout.

Perfect for Ohtani. If he's removed as the starting pitcher, simply move him to the outfield, which I had advocated even with the current DH rule. I think the Angels mismanaged him fundamentally.

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