I think we can all agree on one, simple thing: The National League is infinitely superior to its American League counterpart.
The Senior Circuit is real baseball as compared to the Junior Circuit’s designated hitter-tainted novelty act.
As for those of you who don’t want to see the pitcher hit like he was intended to when the beautiful game was created, who want to see some geriatric version of a once-proud slugger grip-it-and-rip-it until his joints are held together by pine tar and little else, who have given yourselves over to the AL hucksters who invented the DH freak show to sell tickets, who complain when a millionaire professional athlete can’t circle the bases without hurting himself…well…
I forgot my point, but I think “zip it” is close enough.
However, even an NL man like myself can admit that the AL has its advantages. Okay, it has one advantage—the Junior Circuit is obviously and demonstrably a stronger offensive league.
Common sense belies any argument to the contrary.
So you can see where I’m heading.
If you’re gonna make a list of 15 players who would struggle if they moved from the NL to the AL, a less ambitious man than I might be tempted to grab 15 pitchers and be done with it. Alas, that won’t do for this die-hard fan of the diamond.
Nope, I went all out for the readers and found a few position players who wouldn’t make the transition so smoothly, either.
Oh yeah, and Jonathan Sanchez is on the list.