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Thursday, April 03, 2008
The Case for the DH
Suppose two shortstops are competing for a roster spot. Shortstop A is a brilliant fielder but barely adequate with the bat. Shortstop B is a decent enough fielder and a star with the bat. Is it conceivable a team might choose B over A? On the other hand, Pitcher A is a decent hurler with a great bat while B is a brilliant pitcher with no bat at all. Is there any chance that the team would select A over B for the rotation?
In other words (assuming we answer the questions the same way), while we ascribe practically no value to a pitcher’s hitting and never evaluate their effectiveness based on their bats, we insist that they should come to the plate to do that which we do not value. We rhapsodize over a game where the pitcher is a “complete” player, but only care about it when arguing theoretically. In practice, it plays no part in our choices.
The case against the DH, by Tevye: “Tradition!”