MLB Designated Hitter: Should the National League adopt the DH?
Jacob deGrom recently hyperextended his elbow while batting, which has sparked discussion regarding the designated hitter being implemented throughout the MLB.
Since being created in 1973, there have been heated debates around MLB as to whether or not the National League should adopt the designated hitter. Baseball is far from the only sport with two leagues, but it is the only one in which each league has different rules.
There has been an ongoing debate over the years, but it is usually sparked when a pitcher gets hurt while batting. Unfortunately, New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom recently hyperextended his elbow on an awkward swing.
deGrom was lucky enough to avoid significant injury and may not have to miss a start, but other pitchers have not been as fortunate. In 2015, Adam Wainwright tore his Achilles while running out of the batter’s box and was forced to miss most of the season.
The designated hitter has become as much a part of baseball as peanuts and cracker jack, but it is still slightly frowned upon. Just ask Edgar Martinez, who has been kept out of the Hall of Fame due to his lack of a defensive position.
Baseball traditionalists are typically against everything related to the designated hitter, especially the National League adopting the rule.
Having the pitcher hit creates quite a bit of strategy, including double switches, sacrifice bunting, and walking the eighth hitter. This strategy makes the game more interesting and requires everyone involved to be on their toes.
Without this strategy, the game would move further towards endless slugfests, with pitching and defense taking a backseat to home runs.
It is also fun to see pitchers at the plate. Bartolo Colon‘s home run is one of the best baseball moments in recent memory, but would not have been possible if there was a designated hitter in the National League. It is also quite entertaining to watch him swing so hard that his helmet flies off.
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Other pitchers, such as Madison Bumgarner, become more valuable by being decent hitters. He has hit at least three homers in each of the last four seasons, giving Bruce Bochy an under-the-radar weapon at the bottom of the lineup.
The designated hitter was created to extend the careers of great hitters who could no longer play defense, but it is now used for incomplete players who cannot field.
It is the perfect role for someone like Albert Pujols, who has not aged well. However, people like Kendrys Morales abuse the role. Morales has only played the field in 423 of his 1,201 major league games. That is well less than half, which is unacceptable.
On the other hand, implementing the designated hitter rule in the National League would decrease the risk of pitchers getting hurt. Pitchers are often some of the highest paid players on their respective teams, meaning an injury would be a substantial loss.
Bringing the designated hitter to the National League would also result in more offense. MLB has made a concerted effort to market the game to children, and nothing is more flashy and exciting than the long ball.
The recent uptick in homers has created more excitement around the game, which would only increase with the expansion of the designated hitter rule.
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There are many arguments for and against the expansion of the designated hitter rule. All things considered, the National League should not adopt the rule. National League strategy is one of the best parts of baseball, and that should never change.