The 5 NL teams that have benefitted most from the universal DH

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ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 07: Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals watches from the dugout steps during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day at Busch Stadium on April 7, 2022 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images) /

Contrary to the belief from the old school people who loved having the pitcher hit in the National League, thus far in 2022, the universal designated hitter (DH) has been a huge boon for the NL and it’s a huge boon for baseball. In fact, the NL is seeing more offense than the AL has through the first week and a half of the season from the universal DH.

Overall, by wRC+, four of the top five teams entering Sunday at the DH position were NL teams. Here are the top five teams that have benefitted from the universal DH.

5) The St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have benefitted from having the universal DH in a few ways. Without the universal DH, they were able to sign franchise legend Albert Pujols to a one-year deal so that he could end his career where it all started more than 20 years ago.

He could end up hitting a lot of milestones with the team this year as well.

In addition to adding him, he is platooning with veteran outfielder Corey Dickerson. With young outfielders Dylan Carlson, Harrison Bader, and Tyler O’Neill entrenched in the outfield, Dickerson (who isn’t as good of a defender as any of them) can still get in the lineup with the DH.

Dickerson and Pujols are platooning in the spot, with Dickerson starting in three games and Pujols in four (Lars Nootbaar started one game there too). Going forward, Dickerson will likely see most of the DH playing time against right-handed pitching and Pujols will mainly face left-handed pitching.

Overall, their wRC+ entering Sunday was 103, which is 12th-highest among the 30 MLB teams.

MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 15: Nick Castellanos #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies high fives teammates after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on April 15, 2022 in Miami, Florida. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

4) The Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies were one of a few teams in the NL that made free agent signings that indicated that they weren’t going to go with a huge DH committee, as some teams are.

Thus far, recently signed Nick Castellanos has been their DH the most (five games) with Kyle Schwarber (two games), and Bryce Harper (two games) starting at the DH spot the most after.

Schwarber and Harper have had slow starts to the 2022 season but Castellanos has been, arguably, their best hitter. That’s why their DH slash line is .276/.356/.487 with a wRC+ of 132. That’s fifth-best among all 30 teams at the DH spot.

3) The Pittsburgh Pirates

Considering how bad the Pittsburgh Pirates have been in recent years and how bad they likely will be in the rest of the 2022 season, the Pirates have been a pleasant surprise to start the season, as they have gone 5-4 to start the season.

One of the bright spots of the team has been their offense and, specifically, their DH’s. Their primary DH (Daniel Vogelbach) has hit very well to start the season.

Overall, their DHs were hitting .311/.371/.475 with a wRC+ of 137 to start the season.

DENVER, COLORADO – APRIL 16: C.J. Cron #25 of the Colorado Rockies circles the bases after hitting a 3 RBI home run against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning at Coors Field on April 16, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

2) The Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks have not been a good team to start the season and won’t be a good team by the end of the 2022 season. In fact, the reason why they haven’t been good is that their offense has been flat-out atrocious … but their primary DH is the only player on the team with a wRC+ above 100.

Seth Beer has been their only good offensive player and he has been their DH for five games. Overall, their designated hitters hit .313/.463/.531 with a wRC+ of 178, which was second-best entering Sunday. Their team overall was hitting .152/.288/.270.

1) The Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies have been one of the most surprising teams to most people in the baseball world to start the season. They enter Monday with a 6-3 record and that is, largely, due to the team’s two weaknesses in 2021: their bullpen and their offense.

With the universal DH, the Colorado Rockies have used a committee (C.J. Cron for three games, Connor Joe for three games, Kris Bryant for two games, and Charlie Blackmon for a game). Cron and Joe have been their two best hitters to start the season and Kris Bryant has been good for them too.

Next. 6 realistic milestones for Albert Pujols in 2022. dark

Overall, entering Sunday, their DHs were hitting .338/.403/.769 with a wRC+ of 209. That is, by far, the best in the sport.

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