The player chosen to be a pinch hitter is often a backup infielder or outfielder whose defensive skills are limited. In Major League Baseball (MLB), catchers are less likely to be called upon to pinch-hit, because most teams have only two catchers. Pitchers are rarely used as pinch hitters, because they tend to be worse hitters than other players on the team. However, some pitchers have been used as pinch hitters; this tactic had almost vanished by the 1980s, but later saw a comeback in situations when benches have diminished due to injuries, offering few other options beyond a team's 12 or 13 pitchers.
MLB, the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the KBO League (in Korea), the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (in México), and various other leagues use the designated hitter rule, such that pitchers seldom bat. This eliminates one possible situation in which a pinch hitter may be more desirable.
When the designated hitter rule is not in effect (e.g., in the Central League in NPB, in the National League before 2022 and American League before 1973 in MLB and leagues such as the Atlantic League which use the double hook rule), pinch hitters are often substituted for the pitcher in the middle or late innings of a game. This is because pitchers are often poor hitters and may become less effective after six to seven innings of pitching. Thus, as the manager often plans to replace the pitcher in the next inning, the major downside of using a pinch hitter, namely that the player being replaced cannot re-enter the game, is taken away.
This use of a pinch hitter is often part of a double switch, in which a relief pitcher replaces a defensive player who will not bat soon, and at the same time a defensive player replaces the pitcher who is scheduled to bat soon. If a player acts as a pinch hitter and his team bats around in the inning, he may come to the plate a second time. The second (and subsequent) times he bats in the inning are not considered pinch-hitting appearances.
The pinch hitter need not (but may) assume the same position as the player for whom he pinch-hits as long as some other player assumes that position. For example, on August 16, 2009, the Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman pinch-hit for second baseman Alberto González and then remained in the game at third base, with previous third baseman Ronnie Belliard switching positions to play second base after the change.[2] Alternatively, the manager may designate another player to replace the pinch hitter; this scenario is common when a team pinch-hits for a pitcher without executing a double switch, such that the new pitcher then replaces the pinch hitter and assumes the previous pitcher's place in the batting order.
If a pinch hitter hits for the DH, the new pinch hitter stays in the game as a DH, and may not be used in the field. If the new DH does take the field, then the team forfeits the DH for the remainder of the game (thus, causing the pitcher to enter the batting order).
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Overall, your bench is not very effective at offensive production. Even if you have high stats and good skills off the bench, the at bats they'll have will be rather underwhelming. However, just having them present on the bench and available for pinch hits does help if you choose to pick Crisis for Mentor Level 3. The description on that Mentor Level is that your batter has an increased chance of getting a hit until the first hit if there is a pinch hitter available of the same grade and position.
The other option also works similarly, but gives the pinch hitter a higher chance of getting an extra base hit. Both options haven't really been tested much due to pinch hitters largely being ignored, and it's unclear if they have strong effects based on how weak pinch hitting is in general.
Your 1-5 hitters will never be pinch hit for. Only your 6-9 hitters in the lineup can ever have ABs taken from them in the later innings. Constructing a lineup usually means your weakest hitters are here anyway, due to the main levels of Mentor not actively giving bonuses to these positions in the lineup.
The position that your starting player plays on the field matters. Although there does not seem to be an actual in-game effect to where your player plays in a certain OF spot, their position matters for pinch hitting. If their position matches the primary position of a bench player, then that bench player can pinch hit for them.
For example, say you have a Mookie Betts in your lineup batting 6th. You have him playing CF on your team. That means that cards like Trot Nixon (RF), Andrew Benintendi (LF), and Shane Victorino (RF) cannot pinch hit for Betts. However, Jackie Bradley Jr. (CF) could take pinch hitting opportunities if he was on your bench.
The primary position refers to the first position listed. A 1B/3B card like Kevin Youkilis can never pinch hit for the 3B Rafael Devers. Similarly, a DH/RF JD Martinez cannot pinch hit for a RF card because it is considered a DH primary. This also means that your DH cannot be pinch hit for unless you have a card with DH specifically in the first slot like the aforementioned JD.
A pinch hitter is a batter used as a substitute for another batter. A pinch hitter only comes into the game when the batter whose turn he is taking is due to bat. At that time, he is "announced into the game"; the batter which he replaced is out of the game for good. If a pinch hitter is in the on-deck circle but the inning ends before he comes to bat, he is not considered to have been announced into the game and can be used at a later point of the game. If a substitute player is already in the game, having come in earlier as a defensive substitute or as a pinch runner, he is not considered to be a pinch hitter when his turn to bat comes. The usual abbreviation for a pinch hitter is PH.
Pinch hitters are used principally in two situations: to replace a weak hitter (often the pitcher, although a weak-hitting defensive specialist can also be a target), or to gain a platoon advantage. In some instances, a manager will send a pinch hitter to execute a specific play, such as a sacrifice bunt.
In a boxscore, this would be listed as: Smith ph-3b, for example. The exception to this rule is that a pinch hitter for the designated hitter automatically becomes the designated hitter; if he takes a position on defense, rule 6.10 applies and his team forfeits the use of the designated hitter for the rest of the game.
A pinch hitter may be substituted by another pinch hitter before his turn at bat is completed, for example if the opposing manager reacts to the pinch hitter's announcement by changing his pitcher. Both players are listed as pinch hitters, and the pinch hitter who did not come to bat may not be used again in the game. There is no limit, except the size of the roster, to the number of times a manager can call for a new pinch hitter during the same at bat. Managers have been known to call for a succession of pinch hitters as a means of delaying the game or showing up the home plate umpire. Such a tactic will usually result in an ejection or a forfeit in favor of the opposing team (the latter especially if the object was to delay the game on purpose).
If a player acts as a pinch hitter and his team bats around in the inning, he may come to the plate a second time. The second (and subsequent) times he bats in the inning are not considered pinch-hitting appearances.
Pinch hitting was almost unknown in the early days of the game. Rosters were limited, and every player was expected to take his regular turn at bat. Substitutes were usually only allowed for injuries. Pinch hitters started to be used more often early in the 20th Century, with the appearance of specialized relief pitchers and the expansion of rosters.
In general, batting averages for pinch hitters are low, as they often tend to face the opposition's best pitchers in tense situations, without the benefit of warming up. However, a number of players have become known over the years for their ability as pinch hitters. These are often players whose other skills - especially on defense - are limited. The most famous of these specialists include Smoky Burgess, Jerry Lynch, Gates Brown, Manny Mota, José Morales, Rusty Staub, John Vander Wal, Dave Hansen and Lenny Harris. A number of pitchers have also been used as pinch hitters; this tactic had almost disappeared by the 1980's, but is enjoying a limited revival of late, because major league benches have shrunk, with most managers having 12 or 13 pitchers on their 25-man roster, leaving few options for pinch hitting. The most interesting recent example is Brooks Kieschnick, who spent 2003 and 2004 as a pinch hitter/relief pitcher and was even used as designated hitter.
For example, there were 1,622 right/right pinch hit matchups in 2019. After removing batters whose only plate appearances were pinch hits, 1,594 remain. In those plate appearances, batters compiled a .284 wOBA. If each batter had instead produced at their non-pinch-hit seasonal level, they would have put up a .295 wOBA. Thus, we can say that the observed pinch hitting penalty comes out to 11 points of wOBA.
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