Nick Piccone
This took me a long time to come around to. I’m not particularly happy about it at this point, but I’ve come to understand the need for it. Major League Baseball’s National League should adopt the designated hitter rule from the American League. That was just hard for me to type out. But I want to explain how I changed my mind after being so vocal throughout my adult life of how the National League was somehow “purer” than the American League because they didn’t have the designated hitter rule.
I was wrong.
I’m a “baseball purist” as people close to me would describe. Well, at least I was. Something happened within the last year that made me step back and think about the different factors that a designated hitter in the National League would bring, and, honestly, most of those factors were pros that outweighed the cons.
Take Ryan Howard, for instance. Here’s a case right here in our own backyard where if he was only counted on as a designated hitter instead of an everyday player in the field, he could help a team win some ball games. He’s batting a whopping .153, and has lost his starting first baseman job to Tommy Joseph, and rightfully so. Joseph has shown promise and is one of the team’s best hitters by default. However, if the designated hitter was instituted in the National League, there’s a chance to see a lineup that consists of Maikel Franco, Tommy Joseph and Ryan Howard back-to-back-to-back. In fact, I’d sandwich Howard in the middle of Franco and Joseph if I could because at least he would have some protection that he so sorely lacked after Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez departed. I’d argue Werth’s right-handed bat protected Howard more than Ibanez’s left-handed bat did, but that’s semantics.
To date, Howard has 10 home runs and 21 RBIs. That’s not completely terrible. As a clean-up hitter, yeah, those stats don’t jump off the page. But would those stats be better if he had been a designated hitter all season?
It’s impossible to not think about it.
It’s also impossible to say his stats would be better in that scenario.
Therein lies the problem. The Phillies haven’t been able to trade Howard, and if he hasn’t been released yet, he’s not going to be released. So he either has to play in the field every inning to get an at-bat, or sit the bench and wait for a pinch hitting opportunity in the late innings of a game. That doesn’t do him nor the Phillies any good. Howard’s clearly not a great fielder and never has been. As a baseball player, however, it’s hard to separate an at-bat from playing in the field. As professionals, yeah, they should be able to flip the switch and forget about it. But it’s not easy.
I used to think Howard was too arrogant to change his approach at the plate. Baseball is a game of adjustments and Howard seemed to be making zero adjustments throughout the latter portion of his career. But then it hit me. He just didn’t have the same pop in his bat that he did before he tore his Achilles that fateful October night in 2011. I’m not one to boo or throw things at players, but Sidney Smith – the kid who threw a beer bottle at Howard a couple weekends ago – may have inadvertently did me a favor in the midst of his crass actions.
We should appreciate Howard. It’s his swan song. Appreciate everything he’s done for us. His contract isn’t ruining the franchise. He’s not the reason the Phillies won’t make the playoffs. I’d long been a proponent of getting rid of him since 2014. I mean, the team did it with Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, so why not Howard? It wasn’t for lack of trying – the team absolutely did try moving him. But nothing worked out. So I look at it as we were given a gift of seeing Howard’s last playing days upon us.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. If an American League team would take on Howard’s contract by the trade deadline this year, he can reinvigorate himself by playing for a contender and focusing on one thing – batting. You see, the issue I always had with the DH was that not everybody who was playing in the field was batting. Sure, pitchers are notoriously terrible hitters, but to me, that was the pure part of the game. If you’re in the field, you bat. Simple.
But now, it’s not so simple.
Do I want to see an automatic out every time a pitcher comes to the plate? No. Are there some pitchers that have adapted to hitting in the National League when coming over from the American League? Sure. There are some pitchers that can hit. But why should I get excited about that every five days when I could be excited about a hitter knowing exactly what they’re doing each day? The chance to see a baseball game with a hitter designated for another player may take some of the strategy out of the game to some, and that’s another reason I was adamantly against it until now.
I love the strategic part of the game. Manager’s double switches and pitchers bunting and trying to move guys over is great and all, but the greatest moments I’ve had as a fan of baseball were when the Phillies had their run from 2007-2011. You always heard people say it, including Charlie Manuel – “That there’s an American League lineup.” And we were all okay with it because it was our Phillies. Our team. Now, it truly wasn’t an American League lineup because it always had a pitcher in it, but it damn sure felt like it.
But I don’t think strategy is lost with the DH. I think there’s even more strategy that goes into what a pitcher throws before the DH comes up to the plate. With a pitcher coming to the plate, a pitcher doesn’t need to rely on breaking balls to get them out. The average pitcher batting can barely swing and make contact. There’s pretty much no strategy behind that at all. A hitter that improves a lineup only makes the game more fun. I’ve been watching a lot of American League games on MLB Extra Innings the last few seasons and have found myself more immersed in those games than in National League games.
Is that because the Phillies aren’t a contender? Trust me, I’ve thought of that. But I’m not losing any sleep over the Phillies losing right now. I’m not obsessing over teams from our division winning or not winning since we’re practically in the cellar right now. I don’t pay attention to those games because, honestly, they’ve bored me. Unless the game involves Chase Utley.
But, then again, maybe it is because the National League East was the Phillies’ to own and they haven’t sniffed a division title in five years. Maybe I do hold some sort of pent up frustration with how well the other teams in the division are playing and how well they’re set up for the future.
That was us. And now it’s not. So maybe I’m just a little bit tired of the National League as a whole.
But that doesn’t stop me from watching games from each league. And I’ve been more entertained from an American League game that gives players who might not be able to play the field anymore – or at all – a chance to continue playing a game they love because they’re still good at it.
There are currently three designated hitters [that qualify] who have less than 10 home runs, but only one with less than 21 RBIs. Sure, among those hitters, Howard has by far the worst hitting percentage, but in the American League, he’d have protection in a lineup that he hasn’t seen in years. I’ve also seen various times where Howard has hit the ball hard right at a fielder or just in the fielder’s reach thanks to the shift. I said earlier that Howard has made adjustments to his swing, and that’s 100% true. However, he hasn’t been able to beat the shift. Ever. And that’s what mostly everyone will remember about his struggles – the shift. They’re not exactly wrong, but Howard can still swing the stick and hit the baseball hard. That’s pretty much the résumé for a designated hitter.
Do we really need a uniform American and National League? I still don’t know about that. I enjoy the different rules because it makes each of the leagues feel more special. At least it does to me.
Like I said earlier, I’m not entirely happy about it. I still could go either way on this, but I finally understand where the people who have been begging the National League to adopt the DH are coming from. And no, I don’t think it ruins the game.
That’s how we play in high school and I’m fine with it. So why would I have an issue with it in the Majors? MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said earlier this year to not expect the designated hitter to come to the National League any time soon. Teams like the Phillies, who have one of the worst lineups in baseball, sure could use one. To put things in perspective, the Arizona Diamondbacks lead the league with 2,288 at-bats, 213 more than the Phillies. The worst four teams in batting average in the Majors come from the National League, with the Phillies dead last.
If you look at the stats now, three National League teams are in the top four in runs scored, but does that damage my argument? Those National League teams still have to trot out a pitcher to bat at least three or four times per game. I’d rather see a great hitter than a pitcher at the plate. It took me a long time to accept that. “Look at the stats!” doesn’t really trump my want of, “Give me a real hitter!”
Purists may hate me for it, but I wouldn’t mind the DH coming to the National League.
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Do you agree? Disagree? Should the National League adopt the designated hitter?