MLB: Designated Hitter Options for the NL Central
By Mark Howe
If I’m advocating putting the designated hitter in the National League, then it’s only fair that I come up with who is going to handle the duties of the position on an everyday basis.
I’ve made an effort to select players already under contract to their MLB clubs for the 2017 season, provide reasons why they will make an effective DH, and others who might work as well, where applicable.
Part of the reasoning will come from players who have already assumed the position in interleague play. Some of the selections, especially among rebuilding teams, are crapshoots; those clubs need enough help that simply getting Major League at-bats to certain players might help them make evaluations a little bit quicker.
The point is, any player put in the designated hitter spot will, long term, be a better hitter than any one pitcher. The best hitting pitchers normally hit in the .240 neighborhood (with a much smaller plate appearance sample size), and if a DH is at that level, he’d better be having a monster year hitting home runs. If the DH isn’t hitting better than your pitching staff, odds are somebody in the minors could do a better job.
And does an organization really want to risk its ace, and the contract that usually accompanies him, getting injured by another pitcher’s wayward effort?
So now that we’ve set the parameters, let’s get started with the Chicago Cubs.
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