John Smoltz 'guarantees' MLB will change one rule

[Diamond_Dog]

https://shorturl.at/jZjZD

*****snip*****

Jayson Stark of The Athletic , who popularized the idea, dubbed it the "double hook." The idea is fairly straightforward. When a manager removes his starting pitcher from the game, he loses his designated hitter, too. The manager is thus incentivized to keep his starting pitcher in the game as long as possible so he can keep his DH in the lineup, too.

Four years ago this would not have been practical. Now that the National League has adopted the DH rule, it is. Smoltz is a fan. So is current Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer, a member of the MLB Players Association's bargaining committee.

MLB was intrigued enough to test the idea in the Atlantic League in 2023 . Smoltz thinks it could potentially reach the major league level someday.

"Two, three years ago people lost their mind on the shift, the base-stealing, and the pitch clock (rules) and the game's better for it," he said in an interview with John Ourand on The Varsity podcast . "The game will be better for it once this comes into place. People will throw their arms up and complain but In six months to a year you'll never know the difference."

[Drum]

1. Interesting!

🤔

[underpants]

2. I don't like it.

If a pitcher can’t go any more they shouldn’t be forced to.

[NoRethugFriends]

3. They are noty forced to. DH sucks anyhow.

[MiHale]

4. No! It makes no sense...

Pitchers are different beasts…that’s why the pitch count exists. How would injuries to starting pitchers be handled look at the Tigers this year.. we actually had bullpen days of pitching…chaos baseball. Starters in those games went one, maybe two innings, then the switches took place.
The nuances would be too much to rule upon.

[cloudbase]

5. I like the idea.

[rubbersole]

6. So, do the replacement pitchers have to hit in the DH spot?

Only 8 hitters in the lineup after the starter leaves? Could be an advantage in some situations. Getting a certain position player to the plate earlier might help.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. The Explanation I Heard Was...

. .that the manager would also designate another hitter. So, the new pitcher wouldn't bat, just a different guy would slot into the DH role.
There was discussion of this on sportsradio here in Chicago.

[rubbersole]

14. TY!

[dem4decades]

7. Who would be for this? A team with shitty relievers?

You're going to pay a DH, usually a fan favorite, millions of dollars to play half a game?

And unlike when Smoltz played, pitchers are now tuned to go 5 or 6 innings, they all get Tommy John surgery if they pitch too much.

The fans won't like it, the DHs won't like it, the pitchers won't like it, who likes it?

[wysimdnwyg]

8. This is not workable

Scenario A: The pitcher goes six innings (commonly considered a quality start, but already becoming more rare as pitch counts are reduced and most starts only last five and change). The DH is removed, resulting in the need for a pinch hitter - or the pitcher bats - at least one, often twice. If the team gets lucky, the DH made the last out and they’re leading after 8 1/2 innings at home, but even then there’s a decent chance of at least one AB for the “pitcher’s spot”.
This is more or less the ideal, and is reasonable.

Scenario B: The pitcher goes five innings, which is pretty typical today. The “pitcher’s spot” likely comes up two or three more times. That means two or three pinch hitters.
This is starting to get questionable under today’s roster restrictions which only have 13 position players, including the DH.

Scenario C: A bullpen game that runs through six, perhaps even eight or nine pitchers. Your DH probably starts as a bench player so your best DH can be brought in to hit in a big situation. With five position players in addition to the eight regular starters, you’re almost certain to have to use all five to hit through the course of a game. That includes your backup catcher, so you better not have anyone get hurt during the game. And that it’s over after nine innings.
Unless the roster rules are changed, this scenario just doesn’t work.


Outlook: You might as well go back to having the pitcher hit, and that is a complete non-starter for the players.

[Auggie]

9. Stupid. Quit fucking with the rules and give us a REAL SALARY CAP and REVENUE SHARING.

[Diamond_Dog]

10. Auggie, I agree with you 100%.

[The Madcap]

11. Exactly!

We need a bit more parity in the payrolls so that colossus teams can no longer be bought. That would be the most beneficial change they could make.

[The Madcap]

12. Terrible idea.

Every year, MLB seems to think it wise to tinker with the rules. Before you know it, it will be just like the NFL...no continuity from year to year.

I really like the full-time DH. I don't want to see pitchers "hit," nor do I want to deprive the managers the ability to pitch whomever they wish. It's a 162-game schedule, after all. There has to be some sort of roster flexibiity, or you're going to see even more pitchers with blown-out elbows.

At some point, all the changes just become a joke.

[ificandream]

15. Lousy idea.

And of course Smolz is suggesting it. He won't have to deal with it.