Should pitchers hit?

[Renew Deal]

Poll question: Should pitchers hit?

AKA should the DH be eliminated?

[El Supremo]

1. "Can pitchers hit?" Should be the question.

And the answer is NO.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. There Are 4 Starting Pitchers. . .

. . .in MLB this year with career BA's over .240. That's better than 3/8ths of the position players. I realize it's only 4 guys, but apparently some pitchers can hit.
GAC

[madinmaryland]

2. YES. AND FUCK YES!

[Broken_Hero]

3. nope, and I like the DH nt

[Forkboy]

4. Yes, says this A.L. fan.

[era veteran]

5. They do hit in the game of baseball

Just not in that aberration the Junior circuit calls baseball.

[TZ]

7. Yes. Jordan Zimmerman drove in the game winning RBI

for the Nationals recently. Not the first time this year a National Pitcher has had a significant score either.

[Upton]

8. Let them hit..

a pitcher who knows how to handle a bat for sacrifice bunts alone is a plus..and then there's the tactics involved. Makes for a much better game.

Some pitchers can hit halfway decently too. Heck, the Giants Ryan Vogelsong has a better BA than position players..Burrell, Belt, Crawford, Whiteside, and Fontenot..

[brendan120678]

9. They should be forced to take their turn...

at bat, just like the other eight position players on the field.

I don't think you can force them to actually hit the ball though, as much as they may try.

[Auggie]

10. Yes n/t

[MrCoffee]

11. Are pitchers baseball players?

If so, they should step up to the fucking plate.

[flvegan]

12. No.

Should punters also return kickoffs? Should goaltenders also be strikers? Which one of the Sedins should sit in the crease and have Zdeno Chara slap 100+mph pucks past them?

[Iggo]

13. Oh good gawd YES!!!

[Jack Rabbit]

14. Dump the DH and let's play ball!

[Kingofalldems]

15. All pitchers should hit unless their name is John Lannan

[TZ]

17. !

:rofl: he's also a living argument against Pitchers running bases..

[road2000]

16. Another AL fan voting yes.

[MaineDem]

18. I've hated the DH idea since it started

Let the pitchers hit.

[El Supremo]

19. This poll has biased demographics.

I don't see a single American League avatar among the responders.

[trotsky]

20. NL fans are desperate to justify to themselves...

why the "purity" of the game is more important than keeping average fans interested, or letting a great hitter entertain people for a few more years after his fielding days are over.

[El Supremo]

22. Said like a "pure" fan of the game! n/m

[TZ]

23. I'm not a purist

I just think having the pitcher hit makes the game more interesting strategically. I don't dislike the DH necessarily, I just am fine and used to pitchers hitting ( grew up watching another NL team, the Reds)

[trotsky]

25. LOL actually I couldn't care less either way.

But I do think it's funny how seriously some people take it.

How ya been, TZ?

[TZ]

26. Doing well Trotsky thanks

I don't take it nearly as seriously as some either. I really am fine with the NL and the AL having different rules. Makes the game more interesting in my mind. I also am amused by how seriously some people take it.

[MaineDem]

21. AL fan here. n/t

[Renew Deal]

24. This is not a scientific poll

I am a Yankee fan, but I'm OK with getting rid of the DH. :shrug:`

[Broken_Hero]

27. Fwiw, I'm an AL fan, Mariners

as for the DH, my favorite player of all time(maybe, hard to determine) is Edgar Martinez, so of course I'm a DH homer. :)

[HuckleB]

28. Well, there just aren't that many AL fans, I guess.

;)

[bigwillq]

29. I like the DH.

So I voted NO. Pitchers have enough to worry about. Let them worry about pitching and nothing else.