Boom! Astros get ASS JAMMED by MLB

[Donn Beach]

Madden wants to let Ohtani hit on the days he pitches

Maddon said at the Winter Meetings that he’d be willing to have Ohtani hit on the days when he pitches, which would forfeit the designated hitter. But it would allow Ohtani’s bat to be in the lineup an extra day. As a rookie, Ohtani pitched on Sundays, but he didn’t serve as DH on the day before, the day of and the day after his starts. But that could change next season when Ohtani makes his return to the mound after surgery kept him from pitching in 2019.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said he hasn’t quite signed off on the idea because they’re waiting for more information from the doctors and training staff, but Maddon made it clear he wants Ohtani to be in the lineup as much as possible in 2020.

"Don't treat your guys like China dolls," Maddon said. "They're not. He's gone through some tough moments. He's gone through his rehab, and now it's time to be a baseball player. Sometimes we do go overboard, I think, with the protection of athletes and players and pitchers. This guy is special."

[bhofferb]

Madden wants to let Ohtani hit on the days he pitches

Maddon said at the Winter Meetings that he’d be willing to have Ohtani hit on the days when he pitches, which would forfeit the designated hitter. But it would allow Ohtani’s bat to be in the lineup an extra day. As a rookie, Ohtani pitched on Sundays, but he didn’t serve as DH on the day before, the day of and the day after his starts. But that could change next season when Ohtani makes his return to the mound after surgery kept him from pitching in 2019.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said he hasn’t quite signed off on the idea because they’re waiting for more information from the doctors and training staff, but Maddon made it clear he wants Ohtani to be in the lineup as much as possible in 2020.

"Don't treat your guys like China dolls," Maddon said. "They're not. He's gone through some tough moments. He's gone through his rehab, and now it's time to be a baseball player. Sometimes we do go overboard, I think, with the protection of athletes and players and pitchers. This guy is special."

I have a question- If you start the game with your pitcher hitting as Maddon claims to want to do, can you add a DH later, or do you have to send your pitcher to the plate the entire game? Thinking that the second scenario would make whatever Ohtani does with the bat be offset by sending up some poor relief pitcher in the later innings...

[D-train]

and Renden, Ohtani and Trout don't amount to much

They have had two of those three for two season but yeah Rendon is a good get.

[D-train]

Madden wants to let Ohtani hit on the days he pitches

Maddon said at the Winter Meetings that he’d be willing to have Ohtani hit on the days when he pitches, which would forfeit the designated hitter. But it would allow Ohtani’s bat to be in the lineup an extra day. As a rookie, Ohtani pitched on Sundays, but he didn’t serve as DH on the day before, the day of and the day after his starts. But that could change next season when Ohtani makes his return to the mound after surgery kept him from pitching in 2019.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said he hasn’t quite signed off on the idea because they’re waiting for more information from the doctors and training staff, but Maddon made it clear he wants Ohtani to be in the lineup as much as possible in 2020.

"Don't treat your guys like China dolls," Maddon said. "They're not. He's gone through some tough moments. He's gone through his rehab, and now it's time to be a baseball player. Sometimes we do go overboard, I think, with the protection of athletes and players and pitchers. This guy is special."

Maddon reminds me of me.

[D-train]

Madden wants to let Ohtani hit on the days he pitches

Maddon said at the Winter Meetings that he’d be willing to have Ohtani hit on the days when he pitches, which would forfeit the designated hitter. But it would allow Ohtani’s bat to be in the lineup an extra day. As a rookie, Ohtani pitched on Sundays, but he didn’t serve as DH on the day before, the day of and the day after his starts. But that could change next season when Ohtani makes his return to the mound after surgery kept him from pitching in 2019.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said he hasn’t quite signed off on the idea because they’re waiting for more information from the doctors and training staff, but Maddon made it clear he wants Ohtani to be in the lineup as much as possible in 2020.

"Don't treat your guys like China dolls," Maddon said. "They're not. He's gone through some tough moments. He's gone through his rehab, and now it's time to be a baseball player. Sometimes we do go overboard, I think, with the protection of athletes and players and pitchers. This guy is special."

I have a question- If you start the game with your pitcher hitting as Maddon claims to want to do, can you add a DH later, or do you have to send your pitcher to the plate the entire game? Thinking that the second scenario would make whatever Ohtani does with the bat be offset by sending up some poor relief pitcher in the later innings...

The latter. Good point.

[TLO Idaho]

Madden wants to let Ohtani hit on the days he pitches

I have a question- If you start the game with your pitcher hitting as Maddon claims to want to do, can you add a DH later, or do you have to send your pitcher to the plate the entire game? Thinking that the second scenario would make whatever Ohtani does with the bat be offset by sending up some poor relief pitcher in the later innings...

The latter. Good point.

If Ohtani could hold down a fielding position could they do a double switch ?

[D-train]

The DH can play in the field, but once a manager decides to play him on defense, the pitcher immediately takes over the batting spot of the defensive player which the DH replaced (unless there are multiple substitutions, in which case the manager can decide where the pitcher will bat). The team then forfeits the use of the DH for the rest of the game. This happens a few times every season, and sometimes results in a pitcher being forced to bat in an AL game.
The DH spot is locked in the order. If the DH bats, for example, fifth in the order, no substitution can be made to move him to fourth or sixth, or anywhere else.
Any substitute for the DH, including pinch hitters and pinch runners are automatically considered to be the new DH, and the restrictions outlined above apply to them as well. These substitutes are listed in the boxscore as "Smith ph-dh" or "Smith pr-dh". This is how a number of AL pitchers end up with games as DH in their statistics: these are almost always the result of being used as a pinch-runner for the DH.

[Mesully11]

Coming off of Tommy John surgery and not pitching last year, 51 innings in 2018 and less than 30 in 2017 Ohtani's work load should be very carefully managed but I dont have a lot of faith in the angels handling of pitchers based on their past history.

Obtain should not be a big factor pitching this year unless he is used only in the bullpen to limit his innings. Expecting 30 starts from him will ruin his arm.

[Hy Feiber]

their next two 1st and 2nd round picks.
5 Million
GM and manager out for the year and then the Astros fire them so,,,.

This could be good but if they just take the number two guy behind JL maybe they keep all the advanced approach stuff.

I do think this will help.

LAA has added some stuff like Rendon (6.3WAR), Joe Madden, Jason Castro, Dylan Bundy (2.3 WAR), Julio Teheran(2.4 WAR),

I could see the Angels winning say, 87 games.
Vastly improved.

They have about the same bullpen as the Mariners currently have and with only Bundy and Teheran as decent starters their starters aren't much better.

They have a vastly improved offense, M’s have none.

[DanielVogelbach]

I have a question- If you start the game with your pitcher hitting as Maddon claims to want to do, can you add a DH later, or do you have to send your pitcher to the plate the entire game? Thinking that the second scenario would make whatever Ohtani does with the bat be offset by sending up some poor relief pitcher in the later innings...

The latter. Good point.

If Ohtani could hold down a fielding position could they do a double switch ?

Exactly, you have to manage it NL style.