As I watched the Cubs battle the Nationals in an excellent NL series last season, I was struck by the question: Why are pitchers typically such poor hitters?
Sure, you see Clayton Kershaw hit a couple of homers every year or see Kyle Hendricks leg out a bunt single from time to time, but it has seemingly become an accepted fact that pitchers don’t double as great hitters. For example, one of the better hitting pitchers in the league, Zack Greinke, hit .280 last season in 50 at bats with 14 hits. At the same time, Kansas City’s backup right fielder, Terrance Gore, hit .275 in 51 at bats, with the same 14 hits. What should this tell us? Even the top hitting pitchers aren’t even hitting at the same level as the backups with the same number of at bats. Why is this?
There are many ideas on why this occurs.
One is that pitchers don’t bat as often as position players because they only pitch every few days and not all games involve them making a plate appearance. In addition, because most managers are focused on improving their pitching, they don’t work on hitting technique very often, if at all, which can lead to the poor performance at the plate. Basically, managers are content with a pitcher who can’t hit, but consistently strikes out batters. Essentially, the pitcher makes up for it on the mound. What is notable though, is that when a third baseman like Kris Bryant doesn’t hit well, the fans and media alike are quick to criticize his at bats. Yet, when a pitcher strikes out three times, nobody cares too much as long as he struck out eight batters and threw a shutout on the mound.
When it comes down to it, what makes a third baseman different from a pitcher? Sure they have different jobs on defense, but that shouldn’t compromise them from doing their job to its full extent. Every other player in the lineup is expected to come through with hits on a weekly basis, but when it comes to the pitcher exceptions are made. Some may say that a pitcher doesn’t need to worry about hitting because his responsibilities on defense are amongst the greatest as he has to deal with the ball on every pitch, has to throw with the right velocity and be accurate in where the ball ends up. However, when you think about it, catchers also have many responsibilities similar to the pitcher’s. They deal with the ball on every pitch, know the right pitch to throw, block balls in the dirt, and know each batter’s strengths and weaknesses. They are still expected to get on base and hit just the same as the other players in the lineup. I believe the reason why people don’t look at the question like this is because pitchers have always been considered much different than the other players on the field, at least in recent decades, but they really are not. Yes, they are involved in every pitch and have to give 100% every pitch, but they also have a responsibility to hit, just like every other player in the lineup.
Before the designated hitter rule, which allowed a position player to hit in the pitcher’s spot, was put into effect in the American League in 1973, pitchers were often very solid hitters, both in the AL and NL. Many of them could even be used at other positions. Look at Babe Ruth, arguably one of the league’s greatest hitters ever. Before being traded to the New York Yankees, where he would be moved to right field, he was a star both on the mound and at the plate for the Boston Red Sox, leading the American League in ERA in 1916, and hitting .367 in 136 at bats. Now, the National League continues to keep the tradition of having the pitcher hit, but in recent years, the argument has emerged that the NL should add a DH as well. Stats wise, the majority of pitchers aren’t hitting at the same level as they used to, sometimes making the manager feel as if he only has eight guys in the lineup with the capability to get on base instead of nine.
Former minor league pitcher David Ledbetter offered some insight into the mind of pitchers and his opinion on the possibility of a DH in the NL during an interview last summer.
“I really like the idea,” said Ledbetter. “I think it works both ways. For fans, it would be more enjoyable to see a competitive at bat because, for some pitchers, you don’t even put the focus into being a good hitter. You know that your value is to be on the mound getting outs and wins for your team.”
Another possible cause is the rise of select and travel teams that kids are playing on nowadays results in the specialization of pitchers from a much earlier age. Back in Ruth’s time, aspiring players did not specialize. In fact, the majority of them could play almost any position on the field. So as players are becoming “only pitchers”, their ability to hit seems to dwindle as more and more time is focused on the mound. Pitching is important, but only half of the game.
When it comes down to it, pitchers do have one of, if not the, toughest jobs on the field. They are involved in every pitch and it is their responsibility to throw the ball over a 17 inch pentagon while being expected to throw each pitch with accuracy.
With this fact considered, what are some viable options to improve the hitting of pitchers? For starters, young players should not just focus on pitching during their youth and high school playing days. If they only pitch, they will not be able to become good hitters at the high school level and definitely not in the pros. Another way to help the issue would be to allow two-way high school and college players to continue to be two-way players in the pros. Not only would this help their hitting but also their fielding. The fact that many high school and college players do play two ways would make it a smooth transition at the professional level. Two recent examples of this come to mind.
The first is Hunter Greeene, the well-known high schooler out of Los Angeles who was drafted by the Reds in 2017 and underwent Tommy John surgery back in April. As a standout for Notre Dame Prep, he batted .324 with a 1.62 ERA his senior season. Most notably, he also won the Jr. Home Run Derby in 2016, displaying his unique power. Whether he should pitch or play shortstop was always a problem amongst his various coaches, as some would see him as a shortstop and some would see him as a pitcher. Ultimately, he was drafted by the Reds and made a full-time pitcher. However, because he is playing in the NL, how much more value would he have had if he had been allowed to continue to grow his already insane amount of power during his journey to the show?
Another is Brenden McKay, a standout first baseman and pitcher at Louisville who went fourth overall in the 2017 draft. Similar to Greene, McKay had also been a standout at both the plate and on the mound. In an unique move, though, the Tampa Bay Rays made the decision to continue to let him DH on the days when he wasn’t pitching. Interestingly, McKay has already made it to the big league level just two seasons after getting drafted. As a result of the front office move made by Tampa Bay, McKay’s value increased as he could fill multiple holes in the Rays’ roster, giving him the chance to make his mark at the big league level.
So to conclude, it is not that pitchers cannot become god hitters. Many of them are just as athletic as their counterparts playing the other positions on the field. However, due to the increased specialization of pitchers, the hitting pitcher is gradually becoming more and more of a historical figure in the game of baseball. No, the NL does not appear to be adapting the DH rule anytime soon. With that said, it would do teams good, in my opinion, to at least be able to have pitchers who could double as average hitters, who could do some things at the plate, or even possibly be used as a pinch hitter in certain situations.
While Ledbetter does agree the DH rule across the MLB would probably work well, as a former college player who both hit and pitched, he feels pitchers still have a responsibility to work on both sides of their game.
“I think if you have that responsibility to be a hitter as well, you need to do that,” said Ledbetter. “Play your “best batter” and do what you need to do to move runners over and know your responsibility there. I hit in college, I didn’t hit well, but there is still a responsibility to at least give it a shot. I think it should be fun for pitchers to go up there and try to put wood on the ball. While it didn’t get to hit in the minors because we were in the AL, I knew in my head if I got to hit I would use it as an opportunity to get back to my roots and enjoy the game.”
If anything, maybe friendly challenges between opposing pitchers at the plate are reason enough to keep the pitchers hitting in the NL, and maybe managers will start to take notice of how key it is to have two-way players such as Shohei Ohtani, guys who can contribute in more ways than one.
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