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News today out of Anaheim that Vlad Guerrero will only be dh'ing for the rest of the year.

This news will mostly be received with a shrug of the shoulders. Especially on a fantasy level. Vlad still qualifies in the outfield and next year both his offensive output this year as well as his dh only status, will drive him down most rankings.

I find it a little disturbing on this level, the dh is becoming defined as a hitter who moves as well as each of us getting ready for a dentist appointment.

Thome, Burrell, Ortiz, Hafner, Griffey, Giambi, and now Guerrero. These guys are all as brittle as Khalil Greene's ego. The dh is becoming a nursing home for those that can still swing a 29 ounce piece of lumber. That's lumber, not lumbago.

The Yankees would have several players that qualify, but they draw straws between Damon, Matsui, and Posada. These guys each throw as well as the arms on my easychair, but what are you going to do when you have three dh's?

There are no young dh's. Well, there is one, but KC hasn't been let in on the secret. The Royals haven't given up the fight to have Billy Butler man first base. If it weren't for Dick Stuart, Butler would be the original Dr Strangeglove.

The Twins use the dh well. Giving Mauer a breather from catching every once in awhile and trying to keep their four outfielders happy.

The other teams without a geezer don't do as well. The Jays even try to have Kevin Millar hit in the spot :rolleyes: (is there a sick to my stomach graemlin?)

Juan Pierre would make a wonderful dh. Resting his legs except for what he does on the basepaths could provide large dividends to a team that encourages to let him run at will. Adam Dunn and Ryan Doumit would be assets as well at designated hitter.

Mat Gamel and Jake Fox, and others are all said to be in the wrong league. They can't field worth a lick so it is just assumed that they should go to the AL to dh. They can't. Age discrimination. Most of the teams have a crusty dusty taking up space by the water cooler and electric blanket on the bench.

When baseball instituted the dh for the AL in 1973, I doubt they thought it would come to be manned by players who like to eat dinner at 4 pm everyday.

Guerrero joins the others who have been put put out to the dh pasture. Its too bad. The dh should be used like a weapon. Instead, it is treated like a pension, extending players careers and their dwindling offensive statistics. MLB teams should, for the most part, watch out and try to stay away from these guys, as they would an 85 year old behind the wheel of a Hummer.



[ July 20, 2009, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

all i can say is i enjoyed watching frank hit- even when he wasn't at his best. same with thome. in fact, thome is still a pretty good hitter. i am one who doesn't care how you get to 1st- just get there. thome does that about 4 in 10 times. good enough for me. kinda like the diff. in the 2 leagues.

I did have Thome and the "earlier vintage" of David Ortiz in mind when I said "for the most part". Thome still helps his team a bunch and Ortiz did until this year. Other than that, the position has become one of hanger on'ers trying to make more dollars than they are worth. And MLB teams are helping them.

Teams are also a victim of their own ignorance. There are days where the Rays have a better matchup on the bench than Burrell, same with Thome, same with Ortiz, but most of the time, managers feel obliigated to start the dinosaurs.



[ July 20, 2009, 05:09 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

Personally Dan - I think it is time for baseball to phase out the DH - the problem is you can't do it overnight - too many guys (Hafner as an example) signed for multiple years to do it immediately.



Also - the players union will fight it because if it was eliminated, teams would replace those multi-million dollar DH's with league-minimum utility guys or middle relievers.



The answer -phase it out over a 5 year period- giving teams ample time to prepare for the change and get guys like Hafner,Thome etc off the payroll.



To pacify the union- expand the roster to 26. This will provide 30 more MLB jobs and would help teams as well since the 13 man pitching staff has become more and more common.



The best reason for the DH is the ability for aging superstars to hang around for a few extra seasons - but it is time both leagues play the same game.

sorry- the numbers don't support this. same as they don't support getting rid of steroids. baseball knows that they have about 50% "casual fans" in those seats. those casual fans started showing up when scoring - and homers- increased. as homers go down- so will attendence. we are revisiting the 70's with the lineups- but the ballparks diff's will keep the homer comparables up around 25% or so (that is a guess on the %). like i said- thome (even now) is a guy i like to watch play- and no- the sox do not have better options against all righties and the trash lefties. funny how ozzie played quenton in the outfield and dh'ed fields. burrell- maybe so- but he isn't getting hot- like he can- sitting on the bench. the one thing i think is obvious- thome and big frank ( imho) being the exceptions; as the steroid era draws to a close- the aging big homer guys will be just aging old guys that can't hit- so the dh role could change- but the milwaukee brewers keep drafting all sorts of guys that can't play the field. maybe they should be the designated team for the designated hiiters. you want one- go see the brewers.

The sorriest case is Hafner. If he can't stay healthy just dh'ing, there is something wrong. The Indians have alot of young hitters and prospects and for the dh to be clogged up for them is a shame.

The Indians have to make alot of changes between now and next spring. Hafner will be 33. DFA'ing may be in their best interests.

Being a National League fan and somewhat of a traditionalist, I'm against the DH rule for the most part.



The one benefit I see is giving our kids an extra opportunity to see an icon like Griffey Jr. play.

My first year of really following this game was Aaron's last, a year where he was forced to DH.

I would have never had the opportunity to see him play if not for the DH. He wasn't the same, but he was still Aaron.....as was Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew and the like.

Maybe legends like Mantle, Dimaggio, etc. could have played another year or two after their legs went if they didn't have to roam the field, giving fans one last chance to see them at least swing the bat.



Again, not a DH proponent for the most part, but considering it is probably here to stay, looking for that silver lining......



Glenn

This is an interesting debate, and I do appreciate the "dinosaur" argument, and what lies beneath it.



The real key with all of this (from a fantasy perspective, which is all that matters), is "market timing", to borrow a term from the world of finance. Or in this case, player career timing, to be more specific.



If it is true that once great / good hitters are put out to pasture in the DH slot, then the key very simply from a fantasy perspective is to "time" the players at the end of their careers.



Sounds easy, and ... maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I'll give you some examples from my own fantasy life.



In the main event back I think in the very first year (2004), I drafted a DH -- a guy you might have heard of named Edgar Martinez (Sea). ... (long pause). ... yes, yes I did draft him -- round 15 in the first year of the NFBC, I just checked, and at that time (I think) it should have been considered a good "move". I mean, the record shows that in the previous year (2003), he hit 25 HRs, 98 RBI, a .294 AVG with a great OBP, and he was hitting in a (then) reasonable Mariners line-up. The only thing that made this a bad pick at the time was the brutal lack of positional flexibility that DH's give you in the NFBC, but for that "level" of ANTICIPATED -- and yes, that is the key word here -- production from Martinez, and the round value, I thought this was excellent value. Edgard (bless his heart) fell of the fantasy cliff that year, and the rest is in the public record. And history.



A different example. I drafted Frank Thomas also in the NFBC in 2006, in the 25th round. Now that, was what the Edgar move back in the begining was supposed to be. Frank hit .270, with 39 HR, 114 RBI, and a 926 OPS that year. And he had a very good final one for the Blue Jays the next year.



So you see ... it's not the GM's or the manager's fault for not using the DH properly. It's your job to figure out if there is a wily old veteran in there -- if he's going to perform at a level that warrants his current (like now, in a live draft) position, or auction dollars. Let's call it the Harold Baines rule.



So while the approach to the DH that you propose is a novel one -- and let's face it, some teams, like the Angels and Yankees get pretty creative with that DH spot -- for the forseeable future, it's your job to figure who's done (e.g., Giambi -- right now) vs. who still has tremendous value (e.g., Thome, who I incidentally bought at a 15 team mixed league auction this year, which uses OBP% as a measure, for just $2. Yeah, yeah I know -- it's a bush league, with no NFBC'ers!).



Cheers!

the indians need hafner to pitch. that staff is ugly- and will be even uglier next year. lee knew when he took the ball last night they needed 8-9 innings because the bullpen is warming up in the 5th the other 4 nights. so ya- trade lee away- then moan about how your pen is tired. save 5-10 million on lee and spend 40 on a pen. nolan ryan is pretty much gonna show these gm's how it is done. might take a few years- but i agree with what he is doing. yes- hafner needs to go and gamel can dh. that will happen. boston loses a few more- they might move someone- but i think they believe they can outlast the rays. we shall see.