Last week Alex Rodriguez finally hit his 600th home run, making him only the seventh player in MLB history to do so. This incredible feat got me thinking, who will be the next 600 home run hitter? According to baseball-reference.com's list of active home run leaders, there are a number of players who are close to hitting home run number 600 or on track to do so in the next five years. At the top of this list is the 39 (soon to be 40) year old Jim Thome with 577 homers, 38 year olds Manny Ramirez and Chipper Jones with 554 and 434 home runs respectively, 35 year old Vladimir Guerrero with 428 home runs, and 30 year old Albert Pujols with 392 home runs. If you ask me, Albert Pujols is a shoo-in for the 600 home run club (barring major injury) due to his almost 400 home runs at the young age of 30. On the other hand, players like Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Chipper Jones are close, but age is a huge limiting factor now that steroids are seemingly out of the picture. For a player like the injury-plagued Thome, who is only 23 home runs away from the big 6-0-0, the DH position is the only plausible way to reach the 600 club. This got me thinking even further, what would happen to home run numbers if the DH position was eliminated? Players like Thome, Guerrero and possibly Manny Ramirez will not reach 600 home runs without the designated hitter option, yet I am for the elimination of the DH and here are the reasons why:
Strike 1) Baseball is a game of offense and defense. It is not a game of I am too old, injured, or slow to make a catch in the outfield, but I can still swing a bat and trot around the bases. I think that once you reach the point where you cannot play the whole game, you should retire. Yes, that means the average retirement age in baseball may drop, but if I wanted to watch people over 40 play a sport, I would watch Brett Favre or the World Series of Bingo.
Strike 2) NL managing actually requires some managerial skills. Let's face it, National League managers have a much more difficult job than American League managers. NL skippers have to come up with creative ways to score runs and have to consider what to do in a 1-1 game with a man on second and the pitcher coming to bat.
- What inning is it?
- Is my pitcher throwing well?
- What are the odds that he will be able to drive in this run?
- What are the odds that a pinch hitter will be able to drive in this run?
- How tired are the arms in my bullpen?
An AL skipper does not have to manage his game around when and in what situation his pitcher is hitting. All an AL manager has to worry about is taking a pitcher out of the game if he gets into trouble or has thrown too many pitches. Basically, winning a National League game takes more thought, planning, and strategy than winning an American League game. I say its time to give the AL manager a job again.
Strike 3) Game length. While I have no problem watching 4 hour baseball games, long games cannot hold the attention of the casual baseball fan. The average game time has increased drastically over the past decade and the DH has a lot to do with that increase. A typical at bat for a pitcher consists of swinging and missing at three straight pitches, or grounding out to second base. That takes all of 20 seconds. An at bat for a DH can include stepping out of the box after every pitch to do some idiosyncratic movement, fouling off 5 pitches in a row, and working a count to 3-2. This at bat can take up to a minute, maybe more. While a minute does not seem like a huge amount of time, the minutes add up over the course of a game. Another problem causing longer games is run production. According to baseball-reference.com, more runs are scored in AL games than NL games, and unless you have a 0-0 tie that goes 14 innings, higher scoring games take longer to complete than lower scoring games. One explanation for the run production in the AL is the DH, whose main purpose is to drive in runs. Time wise, baseball games have gotten out of control and it is causing people to stop tuning in. While the DH is only one factor contributing to the problem, it is the one that is the easiest to fix. The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) would not stand for having a time limit between pitches and no one would stand for having a time limit between innings as less commercials would mean a loss in revenue.
For these reasons and more, the DH has got to go. We need to return to pre-1973 and the way baseball was meant to be played; not with 300lb linebackers smacking home runs, but with 180lb gymnasts making diving plays and stealing bases.
To DH or not to DH, that is the question? The answer? Three strikes and you're out. Its time to see pitchers in the batter's box again.
Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon will be played by Bill and Ted actor Keanu Reeves
