Is the DH Overpaid- Wall Street Journal

[ctownboy]

I agree, Designated Hitters are overpaid.

My view is, a guy becomes a DH for one of two reasons; A) he is an older player who has lost his ability to play Defense or B) he is a younger player who couldn't play Defense to begin with. Either way, without the DH role, he would NOT have a job.

Since as early as 2005, people who watched the Cincinnati Reds said Ken Griffey Jr should NOT be playing Center Field. This was because of two reasons, A) he was no longer a quality Center Fielder (he was not getting to as many balls as before) and B) playing Defense in CF was contributing to his injuries (which put him on the DL many times).

With KGJ making such a large portion of total team payroll, it hurt the Reds for him to be playing bad Defense AND getting hurt and being on the DL. The only problem was, KGJ WHINED whenever the subject was brought up (moving to a corner Outfield spot).

Finally, the Reds got the cajones and forced KGJ to move to Right Field. His Defense didn't improve much but he DID stay healthy longer into the season and was able to produce on Offense.

This past year, KGJ went BACK to the Seattle Mariners (so as to get his EGO stroked) and was primarily a DH. Sure this helped sell some tickets (for those who grew up watching the "Kid" when they were young and he was in his prime) but it did NOT help the Mariners on the field.

Griffey struggled on Offense (even though he played VERY little Defense which means it took very little out of his legs) and the team paid for this. The Mariners had a better record than expected but needed more Offense, mainly from the DH position.

So, instead of signing KGJ (just to draw in some fans who might not have attended) the Mariners woulod have been BETTER off signing a BETTER player who would have helped them score more Runs.

More Runs scored would have meant more Wins. More Wins would have meant MORE fan interest for longer in the season and higher attendance.

This is where the Yankees are going to get into trouble in the next few years when guys like Posada and Jeter become highly paid DH's who fail to produce on the field up to what they are getting paid.

Sure the Yankees can AFFORD to pay these guys whatever they want BUT what would the FANS rather have; memories of Posada and Jeter failing and being shells of their former selves or Wins and World Championships?

[Irwin Fletcher]

I agree about Griffey. As much as I like him as a player, bringing him back for 2010 was a mistake, as he was not really a contributor in 2009.

As a Yankees fan, I'm hoping Posada retires at the end his current deal (2011?) so that there isn't an awkward situation when he's too old to catch or DH. I'm more optimistic about Jeter and the fact that his skill set will probably age more gracefully than Posada's. Either way, the Jeter situation will be expensive and complicated, for Yankees brass and fans alike.

[JohnBrownsElbow]

My two main problems with this article:

1. DH salaries are going to be higher because DHs tend to be older, overpaid position players who are too old/injured to play in the field anymore.

2. It appears he's including Andruw Jones' $22 milllion 2009 salary as a Texas Ranger DH in there. This isn't fair since the Dodgers, a National League team, paid basically all of this. And actually, I think they're paying it out over a few years, aren't they? If you take that out, it knocks the average DH salary down to around $6.6 million, I think.

[Rich Klein]

Please move this to the cooler talk section; that's why we have that section.

This is not worth keeping on this board!

Regards
Rich

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Please move this to the cooler talk section; that's why we have that section.

This is not worth keeping on this board!

Regards
Rich

LOL! Oooh, you're gonna get a death threat email!

[Irwin Fletcher]

dstudeba,

It's different because the author's assertion, based on the salary figures relative to WAR, is: "don't blow your cash on designated hitters."

Let's say the average position player costs $1M per WAR. A DH may cost $2M per WAR on average because they do not make a contribution defensively. So you're a GM and you decide to splurge and spend $8M on a DH, which gets you 4 WAR.

On the other hand, if you follow the author's advice and "don't blow your cash" on a DH and spend only $2M, that would get you (in this hypothetical league) only 1 WAR.

The difference between these two DHs could make the difference between going to the postseaon or not.

It is a fact of life that you need a DH in the AL; every AL team must pencil in a player in that position every day. If you decide to use your AAA first basemen in that spot because, as the authors suggests, you shouldn't "overpay" for a DH, you are compromising your competitiveness. So, in a lot of ways, it does make sense to spend on a good DH.

And I agree that this belongs in the Water Cooler section. How do you move a thread?

[dstudeba]

Originally Posted by Irwin Fletcher

It is a fact of life that you need a DH in the AL; every AL team must pencil in a player in that position every day. If you decide to use your AAA first basemen in that spot because, as the authors suggests, you shouldn't "overpay" for a DH, you are compromising your competitiveness. So, in a lot of ways, it does make sense to spend on a good DH.

It is a fact of life that you need a DH in the AL, not that you have to overpay for it. If you pay less for a DH, it compromises your competitiveness at that position, but you can now use the money more effectively in another position which according to the author will raise your team competitiveness.

[Jim VB]

First off, I don't care what any team pays any player. However I have always thought teams emphasized the wrong qualities when selecting a DH. I hate the Jason Giambi/David Ortiz type of one-dimensional player (hit with power). Hitting 30 HR's while batting .240 with 180 strikeouts shouldn't be good enough.

As opposed to a five-tool player these guys are one-tool players (hit with power). Even with two bad knees, Matsui was at least a two-tool player for the Yankees (and you could argue that he's smart enough to add baserunning in to the mix, even though he's slowed by injury.)

If you use that five-tool analogy for superstardom, then the star DH should be a three-tool guy every time.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Please move this to the cooler talk section; that's why we have that section.

This is not worth keeping on this board!

Regards
Rich

Rich, gotcha covered. A little bit of off topic is fine on the main board, for everyday contributors. This could be an interesting discussion. best regards

p.s.....death threat sent (j/k)

[timzcardz]

Personally, I have a hard time taking seriously anything that is written that includes the phrase "just $4.66 million."

Since when did "$4.66 million" become "just," especially when talking about a salary?

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by Leon

p.s.....death threat sent (j/k)

It just doesn't carry the same weight coming from you, Leon.

[Rich Klein]

As he KNOWS where I live

Regards
Rich

[teetwoohsix]

At first,I was real excited when the Dodger's picked up Jim Thome as a DH,even though it was so late in the season-I thought this may catapult the Dodgers into final victory.By no means would I take away anything from Big Jim,for he is an awesome powerhouse hitter by any means,but when it came down to the wire-nothing worth mentioning.I can't remember what they are paying him-probably way more than they should've......................

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by teetwoohsix

At first,I was real excited when the Dodger's picked up Jim Thome as a DH,even though it was so late in the season-I thought this may catapult the Dodgers into final victory.By no means would I take away anything from Big Jim,for he is an awesome powerhouse hitter by any means,but when it came down to the wire-nothing worth mentioning.I can't remember what they are paying him-probably way more than they should've......................

National League teams should probably avoid picking up DH's, at any point in the season.