Singling out the rare pitcher who can hit doesn’t help the argument either. The overall batting average for pitchers is around .130, compared to around .255 for all players.
There Mariners continue their one-run winning ways. They just took 3 out of 4 from the Rays and all three wins were one-run.
This confirms what I would have guessed: that the average BA for pitchers is about half that of position players. Which means (roughly) that a pitcher will get a hit about half as often as any other player, once for every two hits by anybody else.
To me, that’s perfectly acceptable. I really think some people exaggerate the difference between pitchers and position players, and speak as if pitchers can’t hit at all and a pitcher’s at bat is a guaranteed out. That’s silly. If it bothers you that much to watch a pitcher batting, stick to AL-only games; but if you weren’t paying attention to the fact that it was a pitcher at the plate, would you even know the difference?
Anyway, IMHO:
-
I’m sure that the arguments both for and against the DH have been so thoroughly hashed out elsewhere that there’s not much point repeating them here.
-
Given that there are so many fans (not to mention people actually in MLB) opposed to the DH and so many in favor, it makes perfect sense to me to leave things as they are, with the DH in the AL and pitchers hitting in the NL. And
-
To follow What Exit?'s suggestion and have a DH in all interleague games would give an unfair advantage to the AL teams, since their teams are assembled with the DH in mind.
If you don’t like to watch pitchers hit because they’re not good hitters, then don’t watch them hit. And if you don’t like to watch defensive tackles, because they don’t score touchdowns, then don’t watch them either. It’s not their role to score touchdowns.
But, the defensive linebacker isn’t going to be playing quarterback when they’re on offense. I wouldn’t want to watch a hockey goalie trying to play on the wing nor a soccer goalkeeper trying to play striker.
What, I’m supposed to turn off the game when the pitcher comes to bat?
I like to see good pitching and good hitting. I don’t like to see crappy hitting and good pitchers taken out because they can’t hit. The DH allows for seeing more good hitting and more good pitching.
If I wanted to see strategy, I would watch a chess match. 
The Mets released Adrian Gonzalez, who was performing at a Hanley Ramirez level (and also being paid in eight digits by the Red Sox). Both can be had for minimum wage by anyone interested, but if Hanley hasn’t been signed yet, A-Gon might not be either.
Only AAA Legend Rusney Castillo is left from Ben Cherington’s bad megabucks signings after this season.
Of course my core suggestion is end inter league play.
Trying to find another source to confirm but Bleacher Report is saying Ohtani needs Tommy John surgery.
Not definite yet, but a good bet.
Forget pitchers hitting; it’s pitchers pitching that we need to worry about.
I’ve read some sources saying he may be out until 2020.
It’s bad luck for him and for baseball in general, because he was fun to watch. When he comes back maybe the Angels will just let him hit.
It’s an interesting problem to have. I assume that if he has the surgery, he would be able to bat much sooner than pitch. Gleyber Torres had Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing elbow in late June of last year and he was ready to go in spring training. As a DH, I assume Ohtani could bat next season.
That’s a great point. If he needs the surgery hopefully the Angels go that way.
He might also come back as a reliever, at least at first, like John Smoltz and Curt Schilling did. Or not risk ending his career entirely, and give up pitching entirely.
Yes, some pitchers come back as good as ever, even better, but most don’t. If he’s not going to be a dominant pitcher in the future, then maybe that’s how they have to go.
That screws up using him as a hitter, though.
Yes, but they were likely to have to choose at some point anyway.
How about DH next year, and then in 2020 he is an outfielder/DH but also the closer. That would be cool.
Of course, if he has the capability to be an elite starter then that way is the most valuable.
A relief pitcher just isn’t as valuable as a good hitter. If they have to choose, they should make him hit.
He was hitting really, really well, despite sitting out two out of every five games.
Nah. I like interleague play, for all the problems with scheduling it entails. It gives a good reason to get rid of the All-Star game once and for all.