MLB: 3 Radical Rule Changes To Solve NL DH Problem
With pitchers hitting once again in the NL in 2021, MLB would do well to consider three radical fixes for the NL DH problem.
After a one-year blip, MLB is being played under two sets of rules again when it comes to the DH.
Designated hitters are once more limited to an American League phenomena, and pitchers are batting again in the NL. As a baseball traditionalist that grew up rooting for an NL team I couldn’t be more thrilled.
That being said, that’s also a position that probably has you wondering how often I update my sweater vest collection, or whether I had to ask one of my grandchildren to log me into the site this morning.
Certainly, it looks like the universal DH is coming to MLB for good. Earlier this offseason, I wrote about 2021 being more of a farewell tour for NL play than a return to normalcy. It won’t be long before kids just growing up with the game now will view 2021 as the blip, not 2020.
However, it’s a long road between here and the resolution of next offseason’s bitter, protracted, and sure-to-be public brawl between MLB and the MLBPA as they negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Some outside-the-box thinking is going to be required for both sides to get what they want. Likewise, more work needs to be done to advance MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s dream of making everyone a baseball fan.
Tweaking the rules surrounding the use of the DH in the NL seems like a good place to start.
What follows are three radical fixes MLB should consider for solving the designated hitter dilemma. To be clear, none of these are solutions I expect to see implemented. But these are tweaks that would certainly spark my interest, and more than a few furious debates amongst baseball fans.
If baseball wants to be more interesting than other sports leagues, here are three ways to do it.
How to fix MLB designated hitter rule: 1) Tie the DH to the pitcher
Before getting to the first solution MLB can adopt for the NL DH problem, let’s take a moment to acknowledge why this is still even an issue:
Money.
NL owners don’t want the DH because it is one more expensive position they will have to pay for. That’s pretty much it. As much as I would like to pretend it’s because the majority of NL owners have a deep love and appreciation for the strategy of when to lift a pitcher for a pinch-hitter, and like me find double switches exciting. It’s just a money thing.
When every NL team save for the NL champion needs a DH no more than eight times per season, you can justify just using the spot on to get some extra at-bats for your worst bench player. When there’s a DH every day, it’s fair for fans to ask why the organization isn’t paying for a Giancarlo Stanton caliber bat.
All players and most fans want the universal DH. The jury is out if even half of NL owners do.
So to get the ball rolling, why not tie the DH to the starting pitcher?
As long as the starting pitcher is chugging along, whoever started the game as DH gets to stay in the game. But once that starter is lifted, be it after one inning or eight innings, that particular DH is done for the day as well.
At that point, both a new pitcher and a new DH enter the game. And so the cycle repeats.
Players are happier because that pretty much ensures the starting pitcher will never have to bat again, though I suppose the Diamondbacks could always decide to have Madison Bumgarner be a pinch hitter again. The MLBPA is happy because that opens up 15 new jobs. NL owners are happy because they’ll be able to justify paying slightly less for their DH than AL clubs do.
This move would also keep a bit of NL-style strategy alive, as managers would have some room for creativity with those remaining DH spots. Would the remaining 2-3 DH spots just be treated the same as traditional pinch hitters would? Or would managers perhaps opt to start piggybacking pitchers more, so that they only need to make one change at DH? This would serve to both manage innings and maximize the talent level of the bat that stays in the lineup.
And as it would mean at least one less pitching change, pace of play picks up a bit.
So to recap: this rule change protects the most valuable pitchers from injuries suffered while batting and baserunning, improves pace of play, keeps the two leagues distinct, creates 15 higher-paying jobs for the players, and doesn’t significantly eliminate the value of those NL bench jobs that currently exist.
Sounds like a win for all concerned. But if that’s not your particular cup of tea, how about…
How to fix MLB designated hitter rule: 2) Cap the number of times teams can use DH per week
This MLB twist on the universal DH is really just a variation of the one just proposed with one key wrinkle.
Limit the number of days per week teams can use the DH. Four out of seven feels right.
In this case, the Madison Bumgarners of the world are still able to hit, as it would make zero sense for teams to take the bat out of the hands of the pitchers who do actually know what to do with it. Obviously, the majority of those pitcher at-bats would still be — let’s be kind and go with subpar. However, it would ensure that only the best of the worst were put in that position. Once the game moves to the bullpen, the game remains the same as it is right now.
However, for four days a week, an NL club could use a designated hitter in precisely the same fashion AL clubs do. Not tied to the starter, just a traditional DH from start to finish.
This keeps all the financial advantages for NL owners from Fix No. 1 on the table, while arguably making it even more palatable to spend the extra money on the position to begin with. The elite SP asset is protected, and NL DHs would still make less money than their AL counterparts.
On the player side, the opportunities for injury drop dramatically, even if about half of NL pitchers will still have to bat at some point. Doing something you don’t want to do less is much better than doing nothing at all. The union still gains 15 higher-paying jobs, and still protects the skyrocketing earning power of elite starting pitchers.
From the fan standpoint…this is just fun. One more interesting aspect of the game to follow. How does the manager handle a seven-game week? Pitcher hitting becomes more interesting, both due a slight increase in quality and a significant decrease in frequency.
One of the best arguments for the DH, from a fan perspective, is its weirdness. Might as well make it weirder.
How to fix MLB designated hitter rule: 3) Don’t
This last one is actually the most radical idea, certainly the most heretical given the present MLB climate. But does anything really need to change?
If there is one thing fans love, it’s the opportunity to have something to debate over with other fans. Which player from which era is better. Which free agent should be signed, or which hot prospect should be drafted. What that bum of a manager was possibly thinking.
To DH or not DH is the ultimate baseball question, the most time-honored of arguments. It also makes the leagues truly unique in way that just isn’t true of opposing conferences in the other major sports. Plenty of fodder for lively conversation, and a point of interest.
More importantly, it is also not even in the Top 10 for reasons many a sports fan finds the NFL or NBA more worthy of their time and money than MLB.
Consequently, why should the league spend so much time worrying about fixing something that a significant chunk of owners don’t want fixed? Time battling over the DH this winter is time that could be spent making changes that actually will matter to those casual fans with the attention span of a gnat Manfred is so interested in winning over. Pitch clocks, eliminating the shift, anything and everything to pick up the pace of play and the number of balls in play. Or work on changes that all baseball fans can agree on, like expanding replay, reigning in umpire mistakes, or letting players actually show emotion.
There are just bigger problems that MLB has to worry about than the designated hitter.
Next. MLB Needs To Keep Marlins-Mets From Happening Again. dark
Bottom line: Something is going to give when it comes to the universal DH in 2022. Adopting any of these three approaches would be a step in the right direction.