But there's also Brendan McKay in Tampa Bay, reliever/outfielder Michael Lorenzen in Cincinnati and more in the minor league pipeline. "I don't have to punch out every time I go up there," Washington Nationals pitcher Austin Voth said.Ĭuriously, the push away from pitchers hitting comes at a progressive time when creative teams seem much more inclined to experiment with two-way players than in the past.ĭH/starter Shohei Ohtani is the biggest such star with the Los Angeles Angels, of course. Not to mention legions of fans who'd much rather see a muscular DH taking dangerous cuts than an inexperienced starter flailing away or trying to sacrifice.įor them, the new rule is a welcome relief that saves some embarrassment. Of course, for every Zack Greinke (.280, three homers, eight RBIs last year) or Adam Wainwright (10 career homers, 71 RBIs) or German Marquez (.300 average in 2018), there are dozens of other pitchers who appear completely overmatched at the big league level with a bat in their hands. "I think that's pretty much the consensus for all of our pitchers. 267 hitter last season who homered off Clayton Kershaw in the 2018 NL Championship Series. "I get it for this year, but I hope it doesn't continue," said Milwaukee Brewers All-Star starter Brandon Woodruff, a. No more one-in-a-million surprises from funny-looking pitchers at the plate - like Bartolo Colon's rousing home run in 2016, and Dae-Sung Koo's long double off Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in 2005. "I'm upset I can't get a Silver Slugger," joked San Diego Padres right-hander Chris Paddack, who batted. And even if not next year, it seems a universal DH is coming soon that would mean pitchers never hit regularly again.ĭecades of hot debate.
There's no guarantee the change will stick beyond this abnormal season sheared to 60 games - but it certainly might. Looking to protect pitchers and simplify roster construction in the middle of a pandemic, Major League Baseball players and owners agreed to expand the DH this year to the National League, a rule in place for AL clubs since 1973. I think that's obviously where everybody wants the game to go, so it is what it is." I'll sit there and pitch and that's it for now.
"Well, obviously my thoughts don't really matter," said a smiling Bumgarner, the Arizona Diamondbacks newcomer who leads active pitchers with 19 career home runs. Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox.
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