JoeMcKim wrote:Maybe if they make it to the WS, Maddon will petition MLB to allow him to use the DH for RF and not the P.
You can dh for whatever position you want.
Not in the AL. Major League Rule 5.11.a.1:
A hitter may be designated to bat for the starting pitcher
and all subsequent pitchers in any game without otherwise
affecting the status of the pitcher(s) in the game. A
Designated Hitter for the pitcher, if any, must be selected
prior to the game and must be included in the lineup cards
presented to the Umpire-in-Chief. If a manager lists 10
players in his team’s lineup card, but fails to indicate one
as the Designated Hitter, and an umpire or either manager
(or designee of either manager who presents his team’s
lineup card) notices the error before the umpire-in-chief
calls “Play” to start the game, the umpire-in-chief shall
direct the manager who had made the omission to designate
which of the nine players, other than the pitcher, will be the Designated Hitter.
If Heyward can't get a WS start in an AL ballpark will they use him at all in the NL park where you're already losing offense by switching the DH with a P batting?
JoeMcKim wrote:If Heyward can't get a WS start in an AL ballpark will they use him at all in the NL park where you're already losing offense by switching the DH with a P batting?
It's a great question, and one I'm glad I don't have to make.
I do not understand starting Coghlan. His line this year is a bit skewed since he only took 120 or so PA, and he's not a big improvement over Heyward at the plate while being a big downgrade in the field. Almora and Soler are RH options but are much like Coghlan--an ok batting line over a very small sample size and downgrades defensively. What Matheny was to our great 2004 team, right field is to this Cubs team. It's that one weak link where they just don't seem to have a good option.
Coghlan is unequivocally a better option than Heyward at the plate, the guy hits RHP well, a couple months in Oakland notwithstanding. With Heyward going from 'shockingly bad' to 'cannot get a single hit to save his life' in the playoffs, even Coghlan's poor defense doesn't do enough to tip the scales in Heyward's favor. Soler is a similar package as a right handed hitter, with platoon advantage you can count on a .350ish wOBA from that platoon with mediocre defense(which is remedied in later innings by inserting Heyward or Almora). I would imagine that Soler will start again tomorrow, given Tomlin's strong reverse split and a howling wind that Soler is most likely to take advantage of.