# All MLB Goes to DH? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [March 11, 2022, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866 "2022-03-11T02:53:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/141 "2022-03-14T20:04:09Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The other part is that pitchers don’t get nearly as much practice at hitting as other players. A starting pitcher only plays every fifth game, and usually not the whole game, so they don’t get nearly as many at-bats as most position players. And, as noted upthread, with the DH having become predominant in lower levels of baseball over the past few decades, many MLB pitchers stopped getting much (if any) practice at batting years before they reached the majors. ---
**Author:** ![SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/142 "2022-03-14T20:04:47Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The other part is that pitchers don’t get nearly as much practice at hitting as other position players. A starting pitcher only plays every fifth game, and usually not the whole game, so they don’t get nearly as many at-bats as most position players. I doubt if this is a big factor. A lot of players have alternated between more and less active roles, e.g. backups and pinch-hitters, without a noticeable dropoff in hitting in the more limited roles. And no one ever says “hey, this guy is hitting .220 in a backup role so let’s make him a starter and we can assume he’ll hit .280”. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/143 "2022-03-14T21:57:52Z")
That’s true for other positions as well. You can be the best center fielder ever, but if you can’t hit, you won’t be on the team. A partial exception is catcher, because catching is quite demanding, and a very good defensive catcher who isn’t a great hitter can still be a valuable player - a good example is Jacon Stallings. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/144 "2022-03-15T03:09:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > That’s part of the reason. The other part is that pitchers don’t get nearly as much practice at hitting as other players. A starting pitcher only plays every fifth game, and usually not the whole game, so they don’t get nearly as many at-bats as most position players. (Plus, most pitchers don’t spend as much time taking batting practice and working on their hitting as position players do, since it isn’t as valued.) While this has some truth to it, it really is mostly just the natural selection angle. Shortstops must have some rudimentary level of hitting skill, and so they are selected for that. Pitchers don’t need it and so they don’t get selected for it. If you look at hitters who play sparingly, bench guys, they are never as consistently incompetent as pitchers. Pitchers couldn’t hit for shit even before the DH, when they WERE batting all the way up the minor league ladder. > [@zimaane](#): > > and a very good defensive catcher who isn’t a great hitter can still be a valuable player - a good example is Jacon Stallings. And even Stallings really isn’t all THAT bad a hitter. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/145 "2022-03-15T14:13:44Z")
> [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](#): > > The reason pitchers tend to be much worse hitters than shortstops is not because playing shortstop is more related to hitting than pitching is. Rather, it’s because pitching ability is so overwhelmingly important to the position that even a guy who hits .120 can get a job as a pitcher, I’m sorry but I think you misunderstood; you are repeating the same argument I made. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/146 "2022-03-15T21:17:03Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Baseball is far cheaper to catch a game than the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLS. Eh…[this site](https://azbigmedia.com/lifestyle/the-most-and-least-expensive-pro-sports-experiences/) agrees with you but it is FAR from cheap to see any professional sporting game. Add to that there are what…ten home football games versus 80(ish) home baseball games? And, IIRC, the [most expensive sporting tickets ever sold](https://www.therichest.com/luxury/most-expensive-sports-tickets/) were for the Chicago Cubs in the World Series a few years ago. MLB games may be less expensive overall but they are far from a bargain or cheap. (I’d like to see a comparison of season ticket prices but my quick Google search did not find anything) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/147 "2022-03-15T21:55:49Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Add to that there are what…ten home football games versus 80(ish) home baseball games? It’s not like you’re expecting to go the every game. The fact that there are so many baseball games makes it a lot easier to go to one. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/148 "2022-03-15T22:00:22Z")
Certainly true. But, it also means a MLB park owner can charge a lot less per game than an NFL owner and make the same money. The MLB owner has 70 more opportunities at selling a seat and a beer and a hot dog than the NFL owner does (not to mention TV advertising and merchandise). But, we don’t see anything like a 1/70 per game decrease in costs (give or take) to attend the game. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/149 "2022-03-15T22:08:57Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > And, IIRC, the [most expensive sporting tickets ever sold](https://www.therichest.com/luxury/most-expensive-sports-tickets/) were for the Chicago Cubs in the World Series a few years ago. That reminds me of 10 years ago when you could get Cubs tickets for [less than a buck](https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-xpm-2012-10-02-ct-talk-cheap-cubs-tickets-1002-20121002-story.html) on the last home series of the season, though the service fees pushed the total up closer to $10. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/150 "2022-03-15T22:16:01Z")
I remember getting bleacher tickets on the day of a game for the Cubs for $7 in the early 90s (which is worth about $15 today). A very nice, sunny day too and on a weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/151 "2022-03-15T22:18:25Z")
This showed up in my inbox this morning. That’s a pack of tickets for any 10 weekday games at any time in the season. The 39 weekday games include three against the hated Cubs (which always sell out) three against the Brewers, three against the Dodgers (last chance to see Albert Pujols) and two against the cross-state Royals. Sure, the seats are terrible, but it’s cheaper than a movie, and the $6 per game in Cards cash will get you a really big pretzel. [![](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_4x1/t_w1024/mlb/o1kltvwii6p1xdwlqh0e.png) ](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_4x1/t_w1024/mlb/o1kltvwii6p1xdwlqh0e.png) ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/152 "2022-03-15T23:16:41Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > MLB games may be less expensive overall but they are far from a bargain or cheap. But they also aren’t a real reason imo for why baseball is losing out to other sports. Besides one could easily get a $20 ticket to a random baseball game any night. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/153 "2022-03-15T23:22:19Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > also means a MLB park owner can charge a lot less per game than an NFL owner and make the same money. The MLB owner has 70 more opportunities at selling a seat and a beer and a hot dog than the NFL owner does (not to mention TV advertising and merchandise). They also have to pay for staffing every game. Most professional sports teams don’t make most of their revenue on GameDay sales and merch. They make it on TV deals and the NFL makes substantially more revenue, mostly due to TV. Partially due to limited supply. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/154 "2022-03-15T23:23:01Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Besides one could easily get a $20 ticket to a random baseball game any night. Maybe…not so sure. I remember going to Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) on game day to scalp tickets. Basically the scalpers needed to unload their stash and prices were good. But, it seems too many people got hip to that game and now forget it. You’re lucky to get face value after the 5th inning is over and you’ve missed more than half the game. (of course, can vary depending on who they are playing against and the weather at the moment) Also, unless you are a local, parking costs a fortune around the stadium. Easily $30 or more. Smart people park far away and take mass transit in but those pricey lots still fill up. Then you have the $10+ beers and $7+ hot dogs. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/155 "2022-03-15T23:31:17Z")
So how are other sports charging more and having far less issues? You think NBA games have cheaper food or less expensive parking? And you are going to find much more expensive cheap seat tickets. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/156 "2022-03-15T23:35:35Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > So how are other sports charging more and having far less issues? The “big four” U.S. leagues all have serious issues with affordability of attending a game, particularly for a family, and those with more modest incomes. The NFL and NBA, at least, seem to have better and more accessible TV viewing options, as well as likely doing a better job of marketing their sports to younger fans. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/157 "2022-03-15T23:47:02Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The “big four” U.S. leagues all have serious issues with affordability of attending a game, particularly for a family, and those with more modest incomes Sure, but those games still sell very well. And the average fan base is a good deal younger. I don’t think it’s the cost of going to the ballpark is a significant barrier to making baseball more popular to younger fans. And the NBA has the same TV situation as the MLB: national contacts for a few games a week bolstered by regional sports network deals in the local region. In Atlanta, I can watch (as a percentage) more Braves games than Hawks games since I don’t have the RSN Bally Sports. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/158 "2022-03-16T00:28:20Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > And the NBA has the same TV situation as the MLB: national contacts for a few games a week bolstered by regional sports network deals in the local region. In Atlanta, I can watch (as a percentage) more Braves games than Hawks games since I don’t have the RSN Bally Sports. Asking because I honestly don’t know: how easy or difficult is it for someone to watch NBA games through streaming, compared to MLB games? My understanding is that younger people, generally, are more likely to be cord-cutters than older ones, and more likely to be watching any content through streaming services. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/159 "2022-03-16T00:30:36Z")
It’s the same as MLB. NBA League Pass is the same as MLB At Bat with the same sort of blackout restrictions (although I believe MLB At Bat was a much better streaming technology as BAMtech now powers a lot of streamers). I’d argue a lot of those young people look for streams on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866/160 "2022-03-20T13:04:36Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > > Somehow baseball has survived and been very profitable without everyone having a DH. But now we need a universal DH because the game has sucked for 170 years without it and they just figured that out? > > Baseball was the most popular team sport in the USA then they banned the spitball, let players start wearing gloves, let Black guys play, and expanded to California. Baseball went to hell when they let pitchers start throwing overhand. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-mlb-goes-to-dh/960866.md?page=9)