By Mike DeSanto
Sports Editor
College baseball differs from professional baseball in a few ways, and one of those is its rule on the possible use of a pitcher or designated hitter.
Larry Sudbrook, the head coach of the St. Bonaventure University baseball team, explained exactly what the rule is.
“When you start a game, if you list a guy as a pitcher/DH, if you take him out as a pitcher, he can remain as the DH,” Sudbrook said. “So that’s why, like in [junior] Aaron Phillips’ case, and occasionally [senior] T.J. Baker, we do that because we don’t want to lose their bat. They’re one of our better hitters, so just because we take them out of the game pitching, we still want them to hit.”
Phillips said he is in favor of the rule due to the versatility it provides teams.
“I think the rule is great for the game,” Phillips said. “It allows teams to use the versatility of a player to its advantage. It’s also an incentive for players to work hard in more than one area of the game.”
Sudbrook is in favor of having the rule in college baseball, saying the designated hitter has made baseball better.
“I’ve grown up being an American League fan and I like the DH,” Sudbrook said. “I think I’m a traditionalist in a lot of baseball things, but I’m not one of the National League traditionalists that thinks it’s fun to watch fat guys like Bartolo Colon come up and take three swings and go sit down, and wait for every 250 at bats in his career where he hits a home run, runs into one and thinks it’s awesome. It’s boring.”
Phillips indicated that the ability to take advantage of the rule, and what it allows the Bonnies to do with him on a daily basis, has greatly helped his development throughout his college career.
“It’s been absolutely huge for me,” Phillips said. “I was able to hit for myself this summer when I pitched, and now this year at school. It allows me to not take a day off offensively and keeps me locked in at the plate, even on the days I pitch.”
Sudbrook said not having the rule would have its benefits, but also some pitfalls to the overall game.
“It would be easier from the viewpoint of figuring out, because when you have that pitcher/DH, we’ll sometimes bring that pitcher/DH in to play a position later in the game,” Sudbrook said. “So you’re doing double switches and worrying about where they are in your order and those kinds of things. But I don’t think it would allow a kid who has the skills to do both to do them.”
Looking at his potential future as a professional, Phillips said he had no preference over being strictly a pitcher or a position player so that he could hit.
“Honestly at this point in my career, I’m fine with either one,” Phillips said. “If an organization believes I have the best chance to move up and help them as either a position player or pitcher, I will focus my energy on that. I just want the opportunity to advance.”
Sudbrook and Phillips both agreed that while the rule does make players versatile, the rule won’t cause any changes in the MLB.
“Organizations are so protective of their star pitchers that they don’t want them doing anything that could hurt them,” Phillips said. “The National League will continue to have the pitcher hit for themselves and the American League will keep the DH.”
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
