Davey Johnson has said, possibly jokingly, that Stephen Strasburg might still see game action as a pinch-hitter. It’s not as crazy an idea as you’d think, as Strasburg was hitting .277 with a home run this season, but it does bring the crazy question to mind of who is the best hitting pitcher in baseball right now? Okay, maybe it doesn’t bring that crazy question to your mind, but I bet it is in your mind now. Ha!

One thing about most pitchers in the majors is that they probably aren’t really bad hitters, just bad major league hitters. Many of them probably played in the field during high school and maybe even college, and probably were pretty good hitters. It’s just that once they get to professional ranks they are facing far more difficult pitching and, what’s more, are focusing far more on pitching than they are hitting. Not as much time in the batting cage, not as much time trying to figure out those curve-balls, and not as much time studying game-tape of the next day’s starter. The result is, of course, that the average MLB pitcher is good only for a sac bunt or maybe a lucky single.

However, there are some exceptions:

(JUMP)

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