Is there more strategy in the NL?

brett05

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Does the lack of a DH in the NL mean it's a more strategic league? Given it does mean more changes, but does it make it more strategic from a "need more smarts" perspective?
 
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The lack of DH would be more strategic, if baseball didn't have such a grueling long schedule. Right now, the incentive dictates health more than strategy. Good pitchers make a premium, and teams that truly want to win it all, must be far more reserved. With a shorter schedule, the incentives change considerably, but that is not going to happen.
 
dabynsky

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One of the things that I think often gets glossed over is how having the DH modifies the use of pitchers. There are numerous times pitchers could go longer in the NL but get taken out for a pinch hitter because the situation calls for it. In the AL, all the manager has to worry about is how his pitcher is performing. He doesn't have to try to let a guy throw another inning so he can pinch hit for the pitcher to start the next inning, etc. There are a lot of ways that this affects strategy, but yes I know the days of actual baseball are numbered.
 

brett05

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I can see the dh leaving too just as easily as staying but that isn't the issue

Is it strategic to pitch to a non full lineup like they do in the NL? In the AL everyone is a threat and how you counter that threat as the innings pile on seem no worse then the same as pinch hitting in the NL

I wonder if there is an average innings per game of an NL starter vs an AL one
 
dabynsky

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brett05 said:
I can see the dh leaving too just as easily as staying but that isn't the issue
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Really I can't. It provides more offense and therefore owners generally want it because of fan interest, and players want it because it is another starting job. I just see the time fast approaching with constant interleague next year that both leagues play under the same rules, and the odds are much greater that the NL adds the DH than the AL loses it, imo.

brett05 said:
Is it strategic to pitch to a non full lineup like they do in the NL? In the AL everyone is a threat and how you counter that threat as the innings pile on seem no worse then the same as pinch hitting in the NL

I wonder if there is an average innings per game of an NL starter vs an AL one
Click to expand...

I understand that the lineup with the DH is more potent, but I guess that is the point. The strategy is more a direct I want this pitcher to face this batter type of strategy. Whereas in the NL, the manager has to weigh not only the pitchers ability to get the batters he is facing out but how the pitcher influences the offense in the next half inning. That seems to require more strategy to me, but it is one of those debates that really has no true answer.
 

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I think it's a modified strategy rather than "more". You'll still have pinch-hits and matchups in the AL, and also double-switches, but the only real difference is that the pitcher isn't used on offense. You're literally comparing apples to oranges here.
 
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Also the idea of placing a DH into the lineup and what exactly you want from your DH also comes into play.
 

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Since in the AL if you switch out your DH for a pitcher you lose the DH for the remainder of the game, you could actually revert to a NL strategy in that sense. The AL can actually choose to adopt NL-type strategy at any time due to this provision, but the NL cannot just suddenly have a DH.
 
Gunzaan

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There probably is more in-game strategy in the NL because the pitcher hits, but I enjoy having the DH in there a lot more. More offense for a long, drawn out (and a lot of times boring) game is a big plus for me.
 
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