The Ohtani Rule

[TheLordofOuts]

If MLB was smart, they would make a rule change where a pitcher could stay in at DH. They have a rising  superstar in Ohtani. He has generated interest in baseball, even to non-baseball fans.  It doesn’t really help them to have him on the bench just because he has a bad start.   How many people have now stopped watching the game cause Ohtani is no longer playing?  Sure, it does give the Halos an immense advantage.  But, I’m certain that other teams will soon develop some amazing 2-way players in the future.  And, they can take advantage as well  

If they’re gonna have this silly extra inning rule where the inning starts with a runner on 2nd, they can do this. And, it will help them in the long run. 

[Stradling]

No.  

[TheLordofOuts]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

No.  

Yes

[ScottT]

 I don't see any reason for the rule to be what it is.

It'd be a much better rule change than the three batter minimum.  They should get rid of that one and the wackiness about the DH.

[Stradling]

I’m more in favor of adjusting the DH rule to be a hybrid DH, where both leagues have the DH until you take the starting pitcher out of the game.  It would force managers to let pitchers pitch and not have the quick hook.  

[ScottT]

I don't want to see pitchers hit.  I do not want to see people suck at baseball.

https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-state-of-pitchers-hitting/

That is not, however, far off the American League pace as a whole. AL pitchers, in 2018, posted a .109/.129/.147 slash line; in 2017, .118/.154/.143. Both lines ranked well below their National League counterparts, who were good for a .116/.145/.149 line in 2018, and a .125/.157/.163 line in 2017.

[AngelsLakersFan]

3 hours ago, ScottT said:

I don't want to see pitchers hit.  I do not want to see people suck at baseball.

 

They why are you an Angels fan?

[AngelsLakersFan]

3 hours ago, Stradling said:

No.  

Why?

[Angelsjunky]

I think its a bit sketchy to change a rule for one player, but the rule as-is is kind of dumb. 

[Ender]

1 hour ago, cals said:

Remember when they let ichiro have his first name on his jersey? 

That doesn't affect the actual game though. The rule is dumb, but so is what was proposed. 

There is never going to be another Ohtani, no team is going to create some once in a lifetime 2 way player. No reason to create a special Ohtani clause in the rulebook. Risk vs reward .... just don't put him in the line-up when he pitches once every 5 days if you're worried about how it might affect the batting order when he comes out. 

[namssa]

They should treat the DH like a position where you can do a double switch.  Ohtani would go from P to DH.  The DH would have to leave the game and be replaced by a new P.  This would require a position player to be DH'd for at the beginning of the game but so what.

[Angel Oracle]

16 hours ago, ScottT said:

 I don't see any reason for the rule to be what it is.

It'd be a much better rule change than the three batter minimum.  They should get rid of that one and the wackiness about the DH.

And dump the runner on 2B in extra innings.

[Stradling]

2 hours ago, namssa said:

They should treat the DH like a position where you can do a double switch.  Ohtani would go from P to DH.  The DH would have to leave the game and be replaced by a new P.  This would require a position player to be DH'd for at the beginning of the game but so what.

I’d be ok with the pitcher going to DH, but not if the pitcher was previously hitting.  

[eligrba4ever]

You don't write a rule tailored to a single player, no matter how talented the athlete is. If Ohtani gets shelled early, one choice is switch him to the outfield and remove one of the corner outfielders, who is replaced by a pitcher whose slot in the lineup will be either filled by that pitcher who can bunt a couple of times if he hast to cover more than an inning.

The second choice is to remove him immediately and his bat is replaced by pinch hitters. That is what Joe did.

The third option is he pitches and somebody else is DH.

Frankly, I would not want Ohtani running around concrete walls any more frequently than he already has this season. Two innings late in the game limits the risk. A collision in the third inning is something I don't even want to think about.

[AngelsLakersFan]

It just doesn't really make sense for an AL team to be punished for foregoing the DH. I'm not sure what the origin of the rule was but I wonder if they wrote it this way to force AL managers to adopt the DH when they may have been on the fence about it.

[Slegnaac]

On 6/30/2021 at 5:21 PM, ScottT said:

I don't want to see pitchers hit.  I do not want to see people suck at baseball.

https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-state-of-pitchers-hitting/

That is not, however, far off the American League pace as a whole. AL pitchers, in 2018, posted a .109/.129/.147 slash line; in 2017, .118/.154/.143. Both lines ranked well below their National League counterparts, who were good for a .116/.145/.149 line in 2018, and a .125/.157/.163 line in 2017.

Sometimes the hyperbole is just laughable from some writers.

Both lines ranked well below their National League counterparts...

2018 Difference was

.007/.016/.002

2017 Difference was

.007/.003/.020

I am sure that difference was very glaring to the average fan.

They need the DH in both leagues if fans are upset about pitchers' hitting abilities. 

[zenmaster]

On 6/30/2021 at 5:04 PM, TheLordofOuts said:

But, I’m certain that other teams will soon develop some amazing 2-way players in the future.  And, they can take advantage as well  

Not sure it's possible to develop 2 way players like this. He's a freak of nature. There's a reason there's only been 2 players be successful at this in over 100 years.