An Argument for Banning the use of the Designated Hitter in Baseball - Term Paper Example

 «An Argument for Banning the use of the Designated Hitter in Baseball» When the designated hitter rule came into baseball in 1973, it was met with a great deal of controversy. This is because many baseball purists believed that it made such a great change in the rules that the game would never be the same. The designated hitter rule simply means that in American League games, a hitter is allowed to bat in place of a pitcher, giving that team an offensive advantage, since pitchers are generally weak hitters. This rule is not in place in the National League and over the years, this has left the National League at a tremendous disadvantage. This is because it allows the American League to keep an additional good hitter on the roster, which is something that the National League does not have the luxury of doing. It also makes the American League game more appealing to the fans, which will drive up revenues, which allows these teams to spend more money on talent in the upcoming years. When all of these things are combined, it is easy to see why American League teams have held a distinct advantage over National League teams in recent years, largely due to the existence of the designated hitter. There are some people out there who believe that it would be easy for the National League to compete with the American League because all they have to do is carry a good hitting bench player to play designated hitter during the World Series. This theory does not work, however, as all good hitters want to play everyday. Therefore, the National League is forced to put a bench player into the game during the World Series and during interleague games that are held in American League ballparks. The difference in hitting ability between these two players is significant, as was proven in a game in May 17, 2008 between the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since both of these teams play in the same city, they have the same economics and, therefore, they should have a similar amount of money to spend on players. During this game, however, the Los Angeles Dodgers were forced to start Mark Sweeney, who hit .130 with zero home runs and 5 Runs Batted In during the 2008 season, at DH, while the Angels started Vladimir Guerrero, who finished the season with a .303 batting average, 27 home runs and 91 RBIs in 2008. The difference between these two players is substantial and it happens every time the American League and National League meet in an American League park. While the Dodgers did manager to win this particular game, the American League still holds an advantage all time and it is largely because of the skill level of their designated hitters (“Los Angeles Dodger/Los Angeles Angels Box Score“). Another reason why the American League has an advantage is that they are able to keep one-dimensional players on their rosters. One such player is David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox, as he is a great hitter, but he cannot play any defence whatsoever. During the 2006 season, Ortiz batted .287 with 54 home runs and 137 RBIs, making him one of the more productive offensive players in the major leagues. At the same time, however, he did not have to play any defence over the course of the season. Over that entire season, Ortiz only played 10 games at first base, which is his natural position, and he was the designated hitter for the rest of those games.(“David Ortiz Career Statistics“). Ortiz would not be as productive of a player in the National League because his defence is well below average and, therefore, managers would have to take him out of games in order to have a better defensive player at first games. In fact, many National League managers probably would not even want him on the team because he cannot play defence. In the American League, however, every team would want him, as he is one of the best hitters in the league. This is the major difference between the two leagues, as managers in the American League do not have to take players like Ortiz’s defence into question and can simply put him as the DH every game. A similar player to Ortiz in the National League is Prince Fielder. He is an excellent power hitter, but he struggles defensively at times, as can be seen by the 17 errors he made during the 2008 season (“Prince Fielder”). In the American League, Fielder would probably spend most of his time as a designated hitter but in the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers are forced to put up with his poor defence because he is such a great hitter. There has been no series where the designated hitter had a greater role in the outcome of a series than the 2004 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. During this season, the Red Sox were a miracle team of sorts, as they came back from a 3-0 series deficit against the New York Yankees and rode that momentum into the World Series against a very strong Cardinals team. The Cardinals had a very good roster from top to bottom and their pitching staff was also very good, so this had the makings of a very good series. The main difference between the two teams was at DH, where David Ortiz was a huge star for the Red Sox, but Reggie Sanders was little more than a role player for the Cardinals. He had enjoyed a good season, but he was nowhere near the hitter that Ortiz was. Game one of this series was in Boston, so the DH rule was in effect and Ortiz went 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs, while Sanders went 0 for 3 and struck out twice. The Red Sox won the game 11-9 because of the extra star hitter that they were able to keep on their team because of this rule. In game two, Ortiz did not have as big of an impact, but he still scored a run. The Cardinals moved Reggie Sanders to left field for this game and used Marlon Anderson as their designated hitter. Anderson also went hitless and was not a factor in the outcome of the game as the Cardinals lost 6-2. By games three and four, the Cardinals had lost their confidence and could only score one more run over the rest of the series. Ortiz played first base for both of these games, but was replaced by Doug Mientkiewicz late in game three for defensive reasons. If the game had gone into extra innings, the Red Sox would have been at a distinct disadvantage because their best hitter would have been out of the game. Luckily for them, however, this did not happen and the team was able to hold on and win. It should also be noted that in the games where Ortiz started at first base, the Red Sox had Kevin Millar, who hit .297 that season, to use as a pinch hitter, which is something that very few, if any, National League teams would have the luxury of doing (“World Series 2004“). In addition to helping American League teams on the field, the DH rule also helps them at the box office, as there are more runs, and more specifically more home runs, during American League games, which makes the league more fan-friendly for the casual fan. Fans want to see action and the American League provides this actions. During the 2008 season, only the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves had payrolls of over $100 million, with the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals coming up just short of that number. Likewise, in the American League, the Los Angeles Angels, the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the Seattle Mariners all has payrolls over $100 million and the New York Yankees and a payroll of over $200 million. The Toronto Blue Jays also came up just short of the $100 million mark, meaning that the American League had seven teams with these extremely high payrolls. The only reason why these teams are able to spend so much is that they are popular in their own markets, which happens because they hit a lot of home runs. Being able to carry an extra power hitter on the roster is one of the main reasons for this, as these teams do not have to worry about that play being a defensive liability. They also do not have to take that player out of the game for a defensive replacement, which means that the power hitter will get extra at bats and more chances to hit home runs. If you have a weak defensive player in the National League, you are forced to make a decision between offence and defence at certain points of the game. While fans want to see offence, managers will always opt to take defence, which creates a less fan-friendly product. This is a non-issue in the American League, which gives the league an advantage (“2008 American League Statistics and Awards“ and “2008 National League Statistics and Awards“). What must be done in this situation is the abolishment of the designated hitter rule. Baseball is a game that has, throughout the ages, required players to play both offence and defence. It is not a game like football where there is a separate offence and defence, but is rather a sport where all of the players play both sides. It is similar to hockey or soccer in that manner, as while there are offensive specialists and defensive specialists, all of the players must chip in at both ends of the ice or pitch in order for the team to be successful. If a team want to pay a player who is a great hitter but cannot play any defensive position, that team should be able to do so, but they should suffer the consequences for that choice. Once again, similarly to ice hockey, if you have a great offensive player who is not strong defensively, you must be prepared to sacrifice that defensive responsibility for some extra scoring. You will also have the option of not playing that player late in games, so that he does not make a defensive mistake, but you must sacrifice offensive scoring in order to do so. The only difference is that in baseball, a player cannot re-enter the game once he has left, so there is a lot more strategy involved when making a decision. Baseball is a thinking man’s game and abolishing this rule would also lead to harder decisions for the manager to make. True baseball fans would appreciate this aspect of the game, as the manager would be faced with these types of decisions every game. If this rule was abolished, defensive players might get a lot more credit as well. All true baseball fans know that pitching and defence win championships, but it is the offence that sells tickets. Therefore, David Ortiz makes much more money than Doug Mientkiewicz does, even though Mientkiewicz might be the better all around player. The reason for this is that the fans will pay to see Ortiz hit a 400-foot home run, while they will not pay just to see Mientkiewicz make a diving play on a ball hit down the first base line. If there was no DH rule, players like Mientkiewicz would be in high demand because many teams would have to acquire a defensive specialist to play defence late in games and these players would become similar to closers, except for they would play a defensive position. In time, teams and fans would adjust and would get used to seeing pitchers hitting again and not having the luxury of carrying an extra power hitter in the line-up. This might shorten the careers of some players but if these players cannot carry the load defensively, they should not be playing anyway. Baseball purists have been saying this for years but since this situation creates such an un-level playing field, the time to make the change is now. Baseball must do something to protect the integrity of the game because they should be focusing on keeping long-term baseball fans happy. The popularity of the NFL has made baseball much less popular than it ever has been and more home runs are not going to change that. Baseball is a game that was built on tradition and that tradition has been tarnished by the DH rule. This rule has also made things unfair for the National League, as they cannot simply keep a good hitter on their bench all season just so he can pinch hit the odd time and DH during interleague play or during the World Series. Good hitters want to play everyday and in the American League, they are able to do so because their defensive limitations have become obsolete. In the National League, however, every player must pull his own weight in every aspect of the game. This has led to American League teams having better hitters on their rosters, which has also led to more home runs and these teams becoming more marketable. The National League is at a disadvantage because they play baseball the way it was meant to be played, without the gimmick that is called the DH rule. Baseball must get back to its roots and embrace the reasons why it became America’s pastime in the first place. Otherwise, the sport will continue to decline in popularity, as the best athletes in the country will continue to play football and the NFL will continue to grow in popularity. What Major League Baseball must do is realize that for every David Ortiz out there, there is a Doug Mientkiewicz out there waiting for his chance to get the same respect as the home run hitters in the league. There are countless ways that baseball could improve its products, but allowing to two leagues to compete with one another on a level playing field is one of the more important ones. If the National League is unable to compete on a yearly basis, the teams in that league will slowly die and it will become a secondary league. While this is a long way from happening, it is possible to see how it could, as younger fans do not understand why the pitchers must hit in that league. These younger fans also do not appreciate the strategy that is involved in the National League game, as it becomes a battle between the two managers, just as much as between the teams. In many cities, young fans will choose an American League team to root for because they love the team’s power hitting DH and hate watching pitchers bat. At the end of the day, it is up to Major League Baseball to correct the problem that it created long ago by eliminating the DH and allowing the game to be played the way it was meant to be played. Works Cited "2008 American League Statistics and Awards". Baseballreference.com. Viewed 10 December 2008. 30 October 2008. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL_2008.shtml "2008 National League Statistics and Awards". Baseballreference.com. Viewed 10 December 2008. 30 October 2008. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL_2008.shtml "David Ortiz Career Statistics". MLB.com. Viewed 10 December 2008. http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_stats_player.jsp?playerID=120074 "Los Angeles Dodger/Los Angeles Angels Box Score". Yahoo! Sports. Viewed 10 December 2008. 17 May 2008. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=280517103 "Prince Fielder". Yahoo! Sports. Viewed 10 December 2008. 27 October 2008. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7290/career;_ylt=Av_ecp6BS1zPIvj8O6YHvfyFCLcF "World Series 2004". MLB.com. Viewed 10 December 2008. 27 October 2004. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/ps/y2004/index.jsp Read More