I swear I read somewhere that this is coming to HBD, but now I can't find it. Do we have any credible information that this is - or isn't - happening?

It is coming. Bob, the new owner, confirmed it in this post from April:

https://www.whatifsports.com/forums/Posts.aspx?topicID=545962&TopicsTimeframe=0

It has been a popular question in the HBD Discord channel, but there has not been any further info regarding when it will happen.

Can we not do this? This is the second stupidest rule change of the Manfred era (a distant second after the beer league extra innings rule). There’s absolutely no need for HBD to make the same dumb mistake.

I like using the DH and usually pick AL teams. But why not just keep the variety? Some people like the DH, some don’t. The way it is now, everyone gets to pick a team that does it the way they like best.

If you make the DH mandatory in both leagues, nobody has a choice. That is bad all around.

Imo the best situation would be to let each world vote on how to do it (both leagues have a DH, one league has a DH, or no league has a DH) and the commissioner could change settings appropriately. But if we’re not going to do that, for the love of God just leave it the way it is.

I agree.

Posted by broadwayevns on 6/11/2025 3:55:00 PM (view original):
Universal DH cannot come soon enough, well overdue

Interesting, you are the first person I’ve heard/seen advocating for this. Can you provide a little detail on why you take this stance? The way things are now, you can always choose an AL team and have a DH. Would anything be gained by forcing people in the other league to do the same?

I also am in favor of a universal DH. I am in 3 worlds, but only one do I have an NL franchise (a longtime team). I feel I have hitters who should be getting more ABs but can't without a DH. Previously, I had a Hall of Fame catcher whose catching skills were horrible and I could have stuck at DH instead of sacrificing my defense. His defense prevented him from winning at least one if not two MVPs.

Posted by BranchChief on 6/12/2025 4:26:00 PM (view original):

Posted by broadwayevns on 6/11/2025 3:55:00 PM (view original):
Universal DH cannot come soon enough, well overdue

Interesting, you are the first person I’ve heard/seen advocating for this. Can you provide a little detail on why you take this stance? The way things are now, you can always choose an AL team and have a DH. Would anything be gained by forcing people in the other league to do the same?

To name a few : Better aligns to current MLB, more fair and competitive for all teams to compete for the same player pool of DH types, better strategy options since we aren’t making in game decisions (opens up roster building choices and strategy as this is a GM focused game not an in game double switch manager game) and finally from a user perspective I honestly don’t like setting and updating 4 lineups for my ML team.

Posted by broadwayevns on 6/12/2025 11:09:00 PM (view original):

Posted by BranchChief on 6/12/2025 4:26:00 PM (view original):

Posted by broadwayevns on 6/11/2025 3:55:00 PM (view original):
Universal DH cannot come soon enough, well overdue

Interesting, you are the first person I’ve heard/seen advocating for this. Can you provide a little detail on why you take this stance? The way things are now, you can always choose an AL team and have a DH. Would anything be gained by forcing people in the other league to do the same?

To name a few : Better aligns to current MLB, more fair and competitive for all teams to compete for the same player pool of DH types, better strategy options since we aren’t making in game decisions (opens up roster building choices and strategy as this is a GM focused game not an in game double switch manager game) and finally from a user perspective I honestly don’t like setting and updating 4 lineups for my ML team.

You make a couple fair points. I agree it is a little annoying to set four lineups, especially since I always forget to reset my no DH lineups right before inter league play, so if any players have gotten injured in the first 40 games, it’ll be out of alignment. And it would mirror the current state of MLB, though I’m not sure that’s a good thing - I’m not at all thrilled that MLB made this change.

What would you think of a change to allow each world to choose their own rules regarding the DH? That way each world could vote (or the commissioner could decide) to have all-DH, no DH at all, or DH in one league.

I only want to throw two points into this, having played mostly in the NL (no DH) but also having had a few teams in the AL (with DH).

1/ The draft system generates enough DHs for both leagues as is. When you're playing in the NL, you can either leave them out of your draft completely, or sift through for the handful who might be able to play a position. The others end up stuck at AAA if they're in NL franchises. And it's usually pointless to try to trade a DH to an AL team because they've already got options.

2/ If you're in the NL and you're trying to find a spot for a supposed-to-be DH, then you're compromising defense. A low PC catcher; a C-in-RF; a poor 1B. Especially if you're an owner who prioritizes defense - then you're also trying to maximize defense elsewhere to make up for the batting slot you try to maximize by squeezing in a DH. NL ball is about figuring out where you want to sacrifice your poor batting slots. Whereas AL ball is a lot more like putting together your best nine.

Posted by BranchChief on 6/13/2025 10:17:00 AM (view original):

Posted by broadwayevns on 6/12/2025 11:09:00 PM (view original):

Posted by BranchChief on 6/12/2025 4:26:00 PM (view original):

Posted by broadwayevns on 6/11/2025 3:55:00 PM (view original):
Universal DH cannot come soon enough, well overdue

Interesting, you are the first person I’ve heard/seen advocating for this. Can you provide a little detail on why you take this stance? The way things are now, you can always choose an AL team and have a DH. Would anything be gained by forcing people in the other league to do the same?

To name a few : Better aligns to current MLB, more fair and competitive for all teams to compete for the same player pool of DH types, better strategy options since we aren’t making in game decisions (opens up roster building choices and strategy as this is a GM focused game not an in game double switch manager game) and finally from a user perspective I honestly don’t like setting and updating 4 lineups for my ML team.

You make a couple fair points. I agree it is a little annoying to set four lineups, especially since I always forget to reset my no DH lineups right before inter league play, so if any players have gotten injured in the first 40 games, it’ll be out of alignment. And it would mirror the current state of MLB, though I’m not sure that’s a good thing - I’m not at all thrilled that MLB made this change.

What would you think of a change to allow each world to choose their own rules regarding the DH? That way each world could vote (or the commissioner could decide) to have all-DH, no DH at all, or DH in one league.

The way the coding is set at the moment, all worlds have to operate under the same basic system settings, so you can't have worlds vote on whether they want the universal DH or not. Maybe that changes down the road.

And when it is implemented, it will go into effect across all worlds at the same time, regardless of where you are in the season. Yes, that means it would affect worlds that are in the playoffs with the NL teams suddenly getting a DH.

Posted by damag on 6/13/2025 11:15:00 AM (view original):
I only want to throw two points into this, having played mostly in the NL (no DH) but also having had a few teams in the AL (with DH).

1/ The draft system generates enough DHs for both leagues as is. When you're playing in the NL, you can either leave them out of your draft completely, or sift through for the handful who might be able to play a position. The others end up stuck at AAA if they're in NL franchises. And it's usually pointless to try to trade a DH to an AL team because they've already got options.

2/ If you're in the NL and you're trying to find a spot for a supposed-to-be DH, then you're compromising defense. A low PC catcher; a C-in-RF; a poor 1B. Especially if you're an owner who prioritizes defense - then you're also trying to maximize defense elsewhere to make up for the batting slot you try to maximize by squeezing in a DH. NL ball is about figuring out where you want to sacrifice your poor batting slots. Whereas AL ball is a lot more like putting together your best nine.

The second point seems like the exact dilemma real-life NL managers faced for 50 years. It’s still about fielding the best 9, but the question of who is best is changed slightly.

I’m remembering the mid-2000s Giants teams, where Barry Bonds was a liability in left field but more than made up for it by being the best hitter in the game.

Posted by drummer_66 on 6/10/2025 2:40:00 PM (view original):
It is coming. Bob, the new owner, confirmed it in this post from April:

https://www.whatifsports.com/forums/Posts.aspx?topicID=545962&TopicsTimeframe=0

It has been a popular question in the HBD Discord channel, but there has not been any further info regarding when it will happen.

Big talk in the beginning but no action since, just like every other WIS ownership change. Most owners will be shocked if/when they actually make some updates/improvements to this game.

Posted by dyoungquist on 6/14/2025 4:55:00 AM (view original):

Posted by drummer_66 on 6/10/2025 2:40:00 PM (view original):
It is coming. Bob, the new owner, confirmed it in this post from April:

https://www.whatifsports.com/forums/Posts.aspx?topicID=545962&TopicsTimeframe=0

It has been a popular question in the HBD Discord channel, but there has not been any further info regarding when it will happen.

Big talk in the beginning but no action since, just like every other WIS ownership change. Most owners will be shocked if/when they actually make some updates/improvements to this game.

TBH I’m okay with that! There are a few tweaks I’d like to see, but I’ve been playing this game for 10 years and I’m more or less happy with the way it is.

If I could wave a magic wand and change things, I’d add a couple more ballpark and city choices, increase the amount of stats and information available (one example: I’d like to be able to see when a player won batting titles HR titles, etc.), and maybe do something to improve the marketing and bring in more players to fill leagues faster.

But as far as major changes go, I don’t need them. I like this game the way it is.

The code/logic to implement this is very simple. I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet.