Week 1 Blog

Though the changes in baseball throughout the years has been mostly beneficial to the game and players, the implimentation of the designated hitter rule has been a negative influence on the game. Not only does it overpays players past their prime, it also negatively affects American League baseball.
For those who don't know much about baseball, the designated hitters rule allows the American league teams to be able to have another hitter in place of the pitcher for the game. Visiting teams are also allowed a D.H. if they are playing at an American League team's field. One of the biggest problems I have with the D.H. is when I see players, physically incapable of playing the field due to age or inability, get paid millions upon millions of dollars to swing a bat three times a game. Take Jim Thome, for example. This past MLB season, he played 99 games as a designated hitter and 32 as a pinch hitter. For his "hard" work, he was payed $13 MILLION dollars. Are you kidding me?! You can look at a player like Ryan Braun, top-10 in multiple hitting categories for the National League, get paid roughly 1/13th of Jim Thome's salary.
Another problem I have with the D.H. rule is the way it hurts American League games. By putting another polished hitter in the line-up rather than a pitcher (usually a sure out), you negatively effect pitching statistics for A.L. pitchers. Looking at MLB.com's earned run statistics for the most recent season, only six of the top 25 earned run average leaders came from the American League. It also takes some strategy away from the game. Being able to not have to worry about pinch hitting for your pitcher can allow the manager to keep a starting pitcher in longer and be able to have much more options towards the end of the game, a luxury the National League teams do not have.
Overall, I think baseball as a whole would benefit by abolishing the D.H. rule once and for all by allowing baseball to become equal again, rather than the American League having an advantage due to the D.H. rule.