Quote:
Originally Posted by chucksabr
Pitchers already do something that nobody else does. The pitcher is already going way above and beyond what the other eight guys on the field do, by a factor of multiples, and that's in addition to fielding his position, too, just like the other guys do. Pitching is the ultimate in specialization. It's also why pitchers don't work on hitting: nobody gives a s*** about their hitting, including the pitcher himself, in most cases, and their performance at the plate is the proof of that.
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They most definitely care in non-DH leagues. The problem is the DH's use at lower levels, so pitchers stop learning it early. That's why the DH has to be banned in the minors and my rule with 2 years' notice that would force it out of NCAA and most international play would be a big step forward.
Often in college baseball, the pitcher is still a good batter who plays another position when not pitching. Get rid of the DH in college, the minors, and international leagues that feed MLB, and they'll still be pitchers who can't hit at all, but there'll also be pitchers, as used to be the case, who hit as well as some middle infielders.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chucksabr
As for the double switch, yes, it is a pretty simple decision, and the player to swap out is always the guy who made the last out, unless he's the team superstar or you have literally have no one on the bench to take the position, then you go to the guy ahead of him. Could a monkey manage a double switch? No, I would agree that a monkey could not do that. But it's not advanced game theory, either. It's fairly simple IF-THEN logic, and anyone who has average or better baseball knowledge can fairly easily determine exactly when and how it's going to go down. I would guess you do it in your own OOTP league, and flawlessly. Unless you're willing to confess to us that it's too complex for you?   |
I do it all the time, but flawlessly? There is no such thing as that. If you'd always take out the batter who made the last out, I don't do that. For example, on my current team, I have a great hitter/very poor fielder in LF that I love to double-switch out, because with a lead, if I expect him not to come back up, I'd defensive-sub him out anyway. That's come back to bite me if the spot comes back up in an important situation. A horrible part of the DH rule is that with it, I could just play him at DH and not worry that he can't field. He'd never come out of a game unless tired or injured. Yawn.