Author Topic: Public Policy Polling (May 2016): Only 25% of baseball fans prefer DH baseball  (Read 6263 times)

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Offline UMDNats

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The days of huge, overweight, DH-only players are fading away anyways. How many pure-DHs are there under the age of 30?

Offline HalfSmokes

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The days of huge, overweight, DH-only players are fading away anyways. How many pure-DHs are there under the age of 30?



That's the kind of thing that will ebb and flow- if it goes on long enough, some gm get a fat guy whose stuck in aa because they can't field and if he hits 30 home runs, others will follow suit

Offline UMDNats

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That's the kind of thing that will ebb and flow- if it goes on long enough, some gm get a fat guy whose stuck in aa because they can't field and if he hits 30 home runs, others will follow suit

I could see that, sure. But I also think the way players are built and trained and fed in college and the minors (with so many trainers, schedules, etc.), the "big guy who can't field anywhere" will become rarer and rarer. I just think it's a weak argument to say, "DH'S ARE JUST FAT GUYS WHO CAN'T FIELD!!!"

Offline varoadking

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I could see that, sure. But I also think the way players are built and trained and fed in college and the minors (with so many trainers, schedules, etc.), the "big guy who can't field anywhere" will become rarer and rarer. I just think it's a weak argument to say, "DH'S ARE JUST FAT GUYS WHO CAN'T FIELD!!!"

So you're saying that some of them can field?


Offline UMDNats

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So you're saying that some of them can field?



I think teams are less and less willing to have a guy on their roster who is unplayable in the field. Not every kid coming up these days is an adequate defender, but usually they're athletic enough to throw out there somewhere and live with it because their bat is good.

The DH has been used more as a "give a guy a break/he's banged up/let's get him some ABs" slot than a "throw a masher in there" these days, I think. Like, there's a reason we don't see many young players right now who fit the mold of Adam Dunn or David Ortiz.

Offline Elvir Ovcina

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You plan on doing away with the DH in HS, college, and minors?

Yes.

Offline nats2playoffs

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I think teams are less and less willing to have a guy on their roster who is unplayable in the field. Not every kid coming up these days is an adequate defender, but usually they're athletic enough to throw out there somewhere and live with it because their bat is good.

The DH has been used more as a "give a guy a break/he's banged up/let's get him some ABs" slot than a "throw a masher in there" these days, I think. Like, there's a reason we don't see many young players right now who fit the mold of Adam Dunn or David Ortiz.


Offline MarquisDeSade

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I think teams are less and less willing to have a guy on their roster who is unplayable in the field. Not every kid coming up these days is an adequate defender, but usually they're athletic enough to throw out there somewhere and live with it because their bat is good.

The DH has been used more as a "give a guy a break/he's banged up/let's get him some ABs" slot than a "throw a masher in there" these days, I think. Like, there's a reason we don't see many young players right now who fit the mold of Adam Dunn or David Ortiz.

There's a guy in the HOF (Paul Molitor) that was great defender and base stealer that wound up moving to DH when he couldn't stay on the field because of injuries.  For every David Ortiz or Frank Thomas (a decent 1B early on in his career) there's a Paul Molitor or Carlos Beltran or Kendrys Morales that gets to keep playing because of the DH.  I don't think the Cubs would be crying if Kyle Schwarber was DHing instead of praying the ball doesn't get hit to him in LF. 

Offline skippy1999

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There's a guy in the HOF (Paul Molitor) that was great defender and base stealer that wound up moving to DH when he couldn't stay on the field because of injuries.  For every David Ortiz or Frank Thomas (a decent 1B early on in his career) there's a Paul Molitor or Carlos Beltran or Kendrys Morales that gets to keep playing because of the DH.  I don't think the Cubs would be crying if Kyle Schwarber was DHing instead of praying the ball doesn't get hit to him in LF. 

Schwarber was the first name I thought of too, although I've seen a couple games this year and he's made some decent plays in left field.

Offline MarquisDeSade

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Schwarber was the first name I thought of too, although I've seen a couple games this year and he's made some decent plays in left field.

Stanton in Miami and Sano in Minnesota are in a similar situation - huge guys, big bats, great arms, could probably get more ABs if they were DHing from time to time, but make some decent defensive plays for guys their size from time to time.  I just don't get the DH hate. 

Offline UMDNats

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There's a guy in the HOF (Paul Molitor) that was great defender and base stealer that wound up moving to DH when he couldn't stay on the field because of injuries.  For every David Ortiz or Frank Thomas (a decent 1B early on in his career) there's a Paul Molitor or Carlos Beltran or Kendrys Morales that gets to keep playing because of the DH.  I don't think the Cubs would be crying if Kyle Schwarber was DHing instead of praying the ball doesn't get hit to him in LF. 

Another great point.

Offline Mattionals

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Burn me at the stake if you must, I WANT the DH in the NL. Joe Maddon showed how to do it in Tampa. While it is fun to watch a pitcher get a hit, I want to think that with at least a guy on first and one out, pitcher up, I feel like that is nearly an auto double play if the pitcher makes contact, or an auto strikeout. Imagine having Lind or Wieters hitting everyday instead of the pitcher. I'll take one auto out from Lobaton instead of two.

Offline imref

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Burn me at the stake if you must, I WANT the DH in the NL. Joe Maddon showed how to do it in Tampa. While it is fun to watch a pitcher get a hit, I want to think that with at least a guy on first and one out, pitcher up, I feel like that is nearly an auto double play if the pitcher makes contact, or an auto strikeout. Imagine having Lind or Wieters hitting everyday instead of the pitcher. I'll take one auto out from Lobaton instead of two.

#NABBF

Offline whytev

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Not just pitchers either.  I got so sick of Danny Espinosa.  I am sick of watching Jose Lobaton and MAT.  All three of those guys have value, just not in a batting order.

Competitive integrity can never be achieved so long as MLB has guaranteed contracts.  Players who would otherwise not get playing time are given playing time solely because of their contract status.

All of those guys are in arbitration or at league minimum. They don't have guaranteed contracts. They could be dropped at the end of any season.

Offline UMDNats

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Burn me at the stake if you must, I WANT the DH in the NL. Joe Maddon showed how to do it in Tampa. While it is fun to watch a pitcher get a hit, I want to think that with at least a guy on first and one out, pitcher up, I feel like that is nearly an auto double play if the pitcher makes contact, or an auto strikeout. Imagine having Lind or Wieters hitting everyday instead of the pitcher. I'll take one auto out from Lobaton instead of two.

:clap: Sanity.

Offline Minty Fresh

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:clap: Sanity.

x2

All of those guys are in arbitration or at league minimum. They don't have guaranteed contracts. They could be dropped at the end of any season.

Yes.  But they still get paid the entire amount whether they play or bag groceries at the Piggly Wiggly. 

While we're making the game better:  LEGALIZE PED'S.

Offline skippy1999

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While we're making the game better:  LEGALIZE PED'S.


:shock:

but I agree about hgh, I mean it helps you heal faster so guys can come back from injury quicker so why the heck is that such a bad thing? :shrug:

Offline Minty Fresh

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:shock:

but I agree about hgh, I mean it helps you heal faster so guys can come back from injury quicker so why the heck is that such a bad thing? :shrug:

I think if you legalize them all you could regulate through team doctors.

However, I agree with your HGH point.  As of now, there is no credible evidence that HGH is anything less than beneficial.

Offline HalfSmokes

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I think if you legalize them all you could regulate through team doctors.
like toradol in the NFL?
Quote
However, I agree with your HGH point.  As of now, there is no credible evidence that HGH is anything less than beneficial.

so mayo clinic is fake news http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/growth-hormone-parenteral-route/side-effects/DRG-20069416?

Offline skippy1999

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like toradol in the NFL?
so mayo clinic is fake news http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/growth-hormone-parenteral-route/side-effects/DRG-20069416?

great point about the toradol but all drugs have a laundry list of possible side effects.

Offline HalfSmokes

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great point about the toradol but all drugs have a laundry list of possible side effects.

some more than others, and most drugs have a positive health benefit that doctor and patient see as outweighing the side effects. Personally, I'd like to see players allowed to shoot up testosterone and blow lines of coke before at bats because that would result in the best product, but I don't like people categorizing some banned PEDs as less bad than others- steroids help you heal, that doesn't mean that's the reason players used it; I think the same goes for HGH

Offline DPMOmaha

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@DaveCampbellAP  2 hours ago

The entire American League is batting .248. Cumulative average hasn't been sub-.253 since 1972, the year before the DH, when it was .239.

Offline nats2playoffs

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@DaveCampbellAP  2 hours ago

The entire American League is batting .248. Cumulative average hasn't been sub-.253 since 1972, the year before the DH, when it was .239.

Lower the mounds:


Offline Minty Fresh

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like toradol in the NFL?

Anecdote. 

Plus, if the NFL does it, it's probably done wrong anyway.

Offline imref

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@DaveCampbellAP  2 hours ago

The entire American League is batting .248. Cumulative average hasn't been sub-.253 since 1972, the year before the DH, when it was .239.

This is due to Ryan Zimmerman of course.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/who-needs-a-dh-the-nl-is-outhitting-the-al-somehow/