Major League Baseball Thread

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:01 am Post subject:

I'd rather see a pitcher hit. That's the rule when the game was created, that's the way it should be. Each player has to play both sides of the game, not just play to hit.

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:07 am Post subject:

I would much rather have a pitcher hit, that leads to more strategy near the end of the game when you have to pull the pitcher. With a DH the manager just has to keep the hitters in, no juggling of the lineup and double switches.

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:30 am Post subject:

I'd rather see a pitcher hit too. If a player only wants to play one side of the ball, play football.

Plus, it's not like a bat is foreign to these guys. Most of them grew up playing several different positions, and many of them were decent hitters even through college. I'm tired of seeing the position of pitcher become more and more specialized.

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:06 am Post subject:

Give me the pitcher hitting any day of the week. I have no interest in seeing a has-been trying to extend their career by hitting a HR or bust.

Plus, for the AL manager, there is really not much skill involved compared to the NL. In the AL, if a pitcher is ready to come out, out he goes. In the NL, there is how close to pitch's spot in the line-up, who is on the bench or should they make the double switch.

The biggest thing against the NL that most people have is they know nothing about the teams. Yeah people hear about the Cubs and select players, but that is it. With ESPN and various other channels of sports news, all you hear is Yankees or Red Sox. I mean, more people who who Joba Chamberlin is instead of Tim Lincecum, which says a lot.

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:12 am Post subject:

I agree with everyone on this page, though I think most fans prefer to go a game filled with home runs instead of a 2-1 game with 20 k's. Then again Juan Pierre is still my favorite player, so obviously I like bunting, stealing etc Very Happy

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:19 am Post subject:

I don't like seeing pitchers hit. What if a pitcher is pitching great & then comes up to bat & gets nailed & ends up being hurt? It always scares me when the Yankees play in interleague play & the pitchers have to hit. Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, & A.J. Burnett all have played in the NL so they have experience but I would rather the pitcher rest their arm in between innings and not worry about batting during a game. Even though I'll still never get over Pettitte hitting that RBI in game 3 Taiko Really Happy

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:29 am Post subject:

^ Do you suggest that a pitcher throw from behind a bp net also? I'd wager that more NL pitchers miss time from getting nailed by line drives or stumbling off the mound to get a ball than they do because they were HBP. Instances like David Wright getting drilled and missing a lot of time this year are very rare.

Injuries happen to everyone, its as much a part of the game as is umpires missing calls (I, for one, do not want to take that human element out of the game. Balls/Strikes and Safe/Out should be sacred)

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:29 am Post subject:

So here is some data to support my stance that the AL is the better league:

Since 1991, the AL has won 11 championships and the NL 6. The AL won 56 WS games and the NL won 37 (.600%).

For Interleague play, since 1997, the AL holds a 1,674 to 1,534 lead. Since 2004, the AL has won 169 more interleague games than the NL.

Obviously the Al has won 12 straight All-star games, however I agree it really doesn't mean much.

The league averages (in hitting/pitching) really doesn't mean a whole lot. The AL obviously has the better hitting stats (avg, OPS, etc) than the NL. The one thing I found interesting, though, is pitching stats. Since 2000, the AL has averaged a 4.48 ERA compared to the NL 4.30 ERA. The AL is only .18 runs more, or a 4.2% increase. If you consider that the AL has a tougher lineup because they have to face an extra hitter, it suggests the AL to have stronger pitching (only a 4.2% higher ERA while they face a 12.5% increase in quality hitters).

The AL has had more "dominant" teams than the NL (90+ wins) since 2001 (40-29).
For the wild card, the AL wild card winner has averaged 96.4 wins (.600), the NL wild card winner has averaged 91.3 wins (.560).

For players switching leagues, I'll post their AL vs NL stats.
CC Sabathia (AL: 3.77 ERA, 2.59 SO/BB. NL: 1.65 ERA, 5.12 SO/BB)*
Josh Beckett (AL: 4.05 ERA, 9.0 SO/9. NL: 3.46 ERA, 8.2 SO/9)
Cliff Lee (AL: 4.01 ERA, 6.7 SO/9. NL: 3.39 ERA, 8.4 SO/9)*
Roger Clemens (AL: 3.21 ERA, NL: 2.40 ERA - did this late in his career).
Rudy Seanez (AL: 5.45 ERA, 1.51 SO/BB. NL: 3.62 ERA, 2.3 SO/BB)
Ted Lilly (AL: 4.52 ERA, 2.07 SO/BB. NL: 3.85 ERA, 3.27 SO/BB)
Joel Pineiro (AL: 4.50 ERA, 1.99 SO/BB. NL: 4.14 ERA, 3.05 SO/BB)
Brady Penny (BOS: 5.61 ERA, SFG: 2.59 ERA)*
John Smoltz (BOS: 8.32 ERA, 7.4 SO/9, STL: 4.26 ERA, 9.5 SO/9)*
Randy Johnson (AL: 3.6 ERA, 2.57 SO/BB. NL: 2.92 ERA, 4.6 SO/BB)

*small sample size. As for hitters, it appears that there really isn't much of a difference between leagues. The small differences may be accounted for by park factors, lineup spot, and pitching strength.

I think the DH makes a big difference. The NL team has a clear disadvantage when playing with a DH. That is why I believe the AL has had the edge on interleague matchups (regular and post season). On top of having an extra good hitter on the team, the AL pitcher also have the tougher experience. AL pitchers face the toughest lineups all year, where as NL pitchers get to work with a free out, thus it is more difficult for a NL pitcher to adjust to facing a DH.

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:36 am Post subject:

Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:49 am Post subject:

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