Pitchers switching from NL to AL find transition tough--MLB

"It's a derisive, almost dismissive term: "National League stuff." It refers to pitchers who, sure, get by in the Senior Circuit, but don't have what it takes when the competition gets tougher, when the lineups feature nine hitters instead of eight....

• From the All-Star Game to Interleague Play -- and to a lesser extent, even the World Series -- it's evident that a gap has opened between the leagues. ...

There's evidence on an individual level, too. In recent years, starting pitchers moving from the NL to the AL have seen a marked dip in their performance levels. It has to be a warning light to any American League club pondering Ben Sheets, Randy Johnson or Derek Lowe -- never mind lesser lights like Randy Wolf, Oliver Perez or Braden Looper."...

Tweet Stumbleupon StumbleUpon