Is the DH Overpaid- Wall Street Journal

[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?