There’s a new DH rule being tested in the minors … but let’s take it one step further
There are a bunch of new rules being tested in the minor leagues this year, the most interesting of which is the “double hook” rule being tested in the independent Atlantic League.
The rule mandates that teams can use a designated hitter until they take their starting pitcher out of the game. Once the starting pitcher comes out, so does the DH, hence the “double hook” moniker. The idea has been around for a bit — Jayson Stark wrote a detailed piece on it for The Athletic back in January — but I believe this is the first time it’s being tested in professional baseball.
The idea is seen as a compromise between the American League and National League rules, allowing teams to keep their high-priced starting pitchers out of the batter’s box while also requiring managers to make some tough decisions late in games. It’s also seen as an incentive for teams to keep their starting pitchers in the game longer.
It’s an interesting idea, but there are also some obvious issues with it. Luckily for all of you, I have a modification that could solve a lot of those issues:
Rather than mandating that teams lose their DH for the rest of the game after they pull their starting pitcher, I would mandate that teams lose that specific DH when they pull their starting pitcher. They can pair a new DH with a new pitcher, and that DH can stay in the game until the pitcher he’s paired with gets pulled.
OK, that may seem confusing on the surface. But let’s dive into how it would work and how it solves some of the issues with the rule being tested in the Atlantic League.
No one actually wants to see pitchers hit
So here’s the thing about the “pure” version of baseball that National League fans love so much: Nobody actually wants to see the pitchers hit. Nobody actually wants there to be “free outs” during the course of a game.
What the traditionalists love is the late-game strategy that comes into play because the pitcher is in the batting order. They love tough bullpen decisions. They love the double switch.
I have to admit that American League baseball definitely lacks some strategy, even though I don’t think it’s takes a genius to figure out how to execute an effective double switch.
The proposed “double hook” rule being tested in the Atlantic League is basically just National League baseball without the starting pitcher hitting. My modified rule works more like American League baseball with an injection of late-game strategy, which is closer to what I think most baseball fans actually want to see.
As for the idea of incentivizing teams to leave their starting pitchers in the game longer, I just don’t see that as a problem with today’s game. It’s not like the starting pitchers that fans really want to see — guys like Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom — are being pulled early. And so what if teams want to use an opener or have a bullpen game once in a while? I just don’t see that as a problem that needs fixing.
How a modified “double hook” would work
OK let’s get into the weeds with a more detailed explanation of how the modified rule would work:
The DH wouldn’t be listed in the starting lineup. Instead, the pitcher would be listed in the batting order at the spot that the manager wants to put him. When that turn at bat comes, a manager can declare a player who isn’t already in the game as the DH for the current pitcher.
That DH now bats in that spot in the order as long as that pitcher is in the game. If that pitcher comes out of the game, that hitter is also out of the game, unless he replaces another player in the field as part of a super-dramatic (sarcasm) double switch.
When a new pitcher comes into the game and has a turn at-bat, the manager can now pick another player off the bench and declare him as the DH for the new pitcher. That new DH stays in that spot in the order as long as that pitcher stays in the game. And so on and so on.
To put it another way, the DH would work more like a pinch hitter who can pinch hit multiple times, as long as he’s pinch-hitting for the same pitcher. Once that pitcher is out, the hitter is done too.
For most games, there wouldn’t be a noticeable difference between the modified rule and original rule. If a starter pitches 5–7 innings and the rest of the game is pieced together by relievers who won’t pitch more than an inning or two, you’ll only really see one DH anyway.
But it makes a big difference in any game in which the starting pitcher gets pulled early or gets injured, or a game in which a team wants to use an opener.
When Stark spoke to people within Major League Baseball for his article back in January, an American League executive vehemently opposed to the rule brought up the complaint the “double hook” would lead to more blowouts because a team would lose its DH if its starter had a bad first inning, and then would be down a hitter for the entire game when trying to mount a comeback.
Another person pointed out that the rule would take offense out of the game because teams would be down a hitter for a big chunk of the game.
The modified rule protects against those flaws in two ways: 1) By not declaring the first DH until the pitcher’s first turn at bat comes, there’s no risk of a DH being out of the game before his first at-bat. 2) By allowing any pitcher to be paired with a DH, pitchers would very rarely have to hit, regardless of when said pitchers entered the game.
A new DH strategy
Right now, there isn’t much for managers to consider when picking a DH. Just pick a good hitter that you don’t think you’ll need in the field that day, stick him in the batting order where he fits best, and sit back and watch your lineup.
Some wacky stuff happens occasionally, like a team losing its DH because that player needs to take the field for an injured teammate, or a team losing its DH because the pitcher moved to first base for one inning. But most of the time, it’s pretty straightforward.
When the DH becomes tied to a specific pitcher, especially the starting pitcher, that will change the way managers think. There will be situations in which they may want to push a pitcher just a little longer if the DH’s turn at bat is coming up soon.
And here’s the biggest consideration: If you have a player like Giancarlo Stanton, who really can’t play the field, which of these options would you prefer? 1) You start him as the DH so he gets multiple at-bats, but he isn’t available later on. Or 2) You start a weaker hitter as the DH so that Stanton is available off the bench later on.
My guess is it would depend on the starting pitcher. If Gerrit Cole is pitching, you figure Stanton can get three or four at-bats, so maybe you start him as the DH. But if the starter is only expected to go a few innings, maybe you save Stanton so you have him available for the late innings. Analytics departments would have to crunch the numbers, but it would certainly make for an interesting decision each game.
Downsides to the “double hook”
One of the most common arguments made in favor of the DH is it can extend the careers of older players who can still hit but are a liability in the field. Guys like Paul Molitor, Frank Thomas and Jim Thome are great examples.
Taking away the full-game DH would limit those opportunities for a handful older players, but it would also present new opportunities for a lot of younger players.
With any “double hook” rule, the game will look more like National League baseball, with more pinch-hitting and double-switching, meaning more players getting a chance to actually play in a game.
Overall, I think a “double hook” rule, especially the modified version I laid out, could bring National League and American League fans to a common ground. It’s only a matter of time before the leagues adopt uniform DH rules, so this option would offer National League strategy mixed with American League offense, which may be more appealing to most baseball fans than either of the current rules.
What do you think?
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