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Diamond_Dog

(34,354 posts)
Tue Oct 29, 2024, 03:14 PM 23 hrs ago

John Smoltz 'guarantees' MLB will change one rule

https://shorturl.at/jZjZD

*****snip*****

Jayson Stark of The Athletic , who popularized the idea, dubbed it the "double hook." The idea is fairly straightforward. When a manager removes his starting pitcher from the game, he loses his designated hitter, too. The manager is thus incentivized to keep his starting pitcher in the game as long as possible so he can keep his DH in the lineup, too.

Four years ago this would not have been practical. Now that the National League has adopted the DH rule, it is. Smoltz is a fan. So is current Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer, a member of the MLB Players Association's bargaining committee.

MLB was intrigued enough to test the idea in the Atlantic League in 2023 . Smoltz thinks it could potentially reach the major league level someday.

"Two, three years ago people lost their mind on the shift, the base-stealing, and the pitch clock (rules) and the game's better for it," he said in an interview with John Ourand on The Varsity podcast . "The game will be better for it once this comes into place. People will throw their arms up and complain but In six months to a year you'll never know the difference."
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John Smoltz 'guarantees' MLB will change one rule (Original Post) Diamond_Dog 23 hrs ago OP
Interesting! Drum 23 hrs ago #1
I don't like it. underpants 22 hrs ago #2
They are noty forced to. DH sucks anyhow. NoRethugFriends 22 hrs ago #3
No! It makes no sense... MiHale 22 hrs ago #4
I like the idea. cloudbase 22 hrs ago #5
So, do the replacement pitchers have to hit in the DH spot? rubbersole 22 hrs ago #6
Who would be for this? A team with shitty relievers? dem4decades 22 hrs ago #7
This is not workable wysimdnwyg 21 hrs ago #8
Stupid. Quit fucking with the rules and give us a REAL SALARY CAP and REVENUE SHARING. Auggie 18 hrs ago #9
Auggie, I agree with you 100%. Diamond_Dog 17 hrs ago #10

MiHale

(10,623 posts)
4. No! It makes no sense...
Tue Oct 29, 2024, 03:33 PM
22 hrs ago

Pitchers are different beasts…that’s why the pitch count exists. How would injuries to starting pitchers be handled look at the Tigers this year.. we actually had bullpen days of pitching…chaos baseball. Starters in those games went one, maybe two innings, then the switches took place.
The nuances would be too much to rule upon.

rubbersole

(8,292 posts)
6. So, do the replacement pitchers have to hit in the DH spot?
Tue Oct 29, 2024, 04:17 PM
22 hrs ago

Only 8 hitters in the lineup after the starter leaves? Could be an advantage in some situations. Getting a certain position player to the plate earlier might help.

dem4decades

(11,849 posts)
7. Who would be for this? A team with shitty relievers?
Tue Oct 29, 2024, 04:21 PM
22 hrs ago

You're going to pay a DH, usually a fan favorite, millions of dollars to play half a game?

And unlike when Smoltz played, pitchers are now tuned to go 5 or 6 innings, they all get Tommy John surgery if they pitch too much.

The fans won't like it, the DHs won't like it, the pitchers won't like it, who likes it?

wysimdnwyg

(2,250 posts)
8. This is not workable
Tue Oct 29, 2024, 04:35 PM
21 hrs ago

Scenario A: The pitcher goes six innings (commonly considered a quality start, but already becoming more rare as pitch counts are reduced and most starts only last five and change). The DH is removed, resulting in the need for a pinch hitter - or the pitcher bats - at least one, often twice. If the team gets lucky, the DH made the last out and they’re leading after 8 1/2 innings at home, but even then there’s a decent chance of at least one AB for the “pitcher’s spot”.
This is more or less the ideal, and is reasonable.

Scenario B: The pitcher goes five innings, which is pretty typical today. The “pitcher’s spot” likely comes up two or three more times. That means two or three pinch hitters.
This is starting to get questionable under today’s roster restrictions which only have 13 position players, including the DH.

Scenario C: A bullpen game that runs through six, perhaps even eight or nine pitchers. Your DH probably starts as a bench player so your best DH can be brought in to hit in a big situation. With five position players in addition to the eight regular starters, you’re almost certain to have to use all five to hit through the course of a game. That includes your backup catcher, so you better not have anyone get hurt during the game. And that it’s over after nine innings.
Unless the roster rules are changed, this scenario just doesn’t work.


Outlook: You might as well go back to having the pitcher hit, and that is a complete non-starter for the players.

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