tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post817202549978616937..comments2023-10-31T06:31:41.395-04:00Comments on Bottom of the Barrel: Bill Plaschke Also Claims Baseball is Dying, But Don't Worry, He Has SolutionsBengoodfellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-87156415184164440402015-03-06T14:11:19.273-05:002015-03-06T14:11:19.273-05:00Snarf, that's a good point. I'm an NL guy,...Snarf, that's a good point. I'm an NL guy, so I don't always feel bad that an AL team has a guy who can't field his position and hit. Your second point is also good. For example, Evan Gattis would still be a Brave if they could justify carrying him on the roster and not on the field. But they couldn't afford to do that, so he was traded. Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-18268871071169728032015-03-05T23:13:30.328-05:002015-03-05T23:13:30.328-05:00Without the use of their DH, Billy Butler, the rul...<b>Without the use of their DH, Billy Butler, the rules change seriously hurt the Royals this October, and it almost always hurts the American League team. Of the last nine World Series, 25 games were played under National League rules, and the AL team is 8-17 in those games.</b><br /><br />I'm not sure I agree with this. AL teams may not be able to use a weapon at the DH position, but if that guy is really so important, he can be played somewhere on the field generally. Ortiz and Butler are both 1B when asked to play the field. Butler has played 400 games at 1B over his career, so I'm not sure what the point is. If they need his bat so badly, play him at 1B. It's not like the Giants were able to use a DH in games under NL rules. Is it unfair that they have guys who can hit and field their positions?<br /><br />If anything, I think the alternating rules favor the AL. Over the course of the year, the AL teams can justify carrying (and more importantly paying) a strong hitter who can't field for shit because they can play him at DH and hide him as a defensive liability. NL teams cannot justify this expense, so they generally do not have an additional bopper like Ortiz or Butler that is not already playing in the field somewhere.Snarfnoreply@blogger.com