While it 's true that expansion temporarily diluted the talent pool , the DH artificially increased offense , and players have gained the economic upper hand , there is a widespread consensus that the quality of the game itself is as good as or better than ever . Improvements in hitting have been matched by craftier pitching ( by such hurlers as Atlanta 's Greg Maddux and Baltimore 's Mike Mussina ) .
The pool of talent thinned with the expansion .