As a sport that often relies on its history and tradition, Major League Baseball is considering a significant change that could take place as early as 2017.
With offensive numbers down, there’s a growing sentiment the designated hitter will be added to the National League.
The American League has used a DH since 1973. In order for the change to be implemented, it would need to be included in the next collective bargaining agreement.
The current agreement expires Dec. 1, 2016. A vote was held in 1980 to determine then if the NL would add the DH.
Prior to the recent discussions involving the DH, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw voiced his support for maintaining the status quo in the NL.
However, a DH becoming mandatory in both leagues is appealing to the players’ association as it would entail more well-paying roster spots.
Should the NL adopt the DH? The DodgerBlue.com staff weighed in:
Stacie Wheeler (@organicallyrude):
Kershaw’s Opening Day home run in 2013 was one of my favorite sports memories of all-time. If the NL had the DH implemented then, that glorious moment would have never happened.
The DH should not be adopted in the NL. Even though he is now with Arizona, I enjoyed the occasional Zack Greinke bat flip. Madison Bumgarner, albeit an annoyance to Dodgers pitchers, is also a fine hitter.
Understandably, with Interleague play, the integration of the DH could balance out the two leagues and protect pitchers. Yet, there is something to be said about the nuances of the NL, which are enjoyable to watch.
Admittedly, my argument is based partly on traditionalism and nostalgia, but I also relish those unpredictable moments in the game when Brett Anderson hits a double on a short fly ball to left field or when NL managers try to outsmart each other with late-inning double switches.
Eric Avakian (@AvakEric):
I am against it. Like Kershaw said recently, being a professional baseball player entails batting for yourself and fielding your position. Baseball is a game of rich tradition and has thrived on long-time consistency.
In my opinion, an NL pitcher must understand the concept of hitting. During Interleague play the attention factor of NL teams playing with a DH or a pitcher from an AL team hit, draws in crowds.
While there are pitchers like Scherzer who are in favor of the designated hitter, Bumgarner and Kershaw are among those who oppose it.
The drop in offensive production in the NL should be credited to the stellar pitching just as much as hitters are discredited. All in all, the distinction between the two leagues is what makes baseball such a strategic game.
CONTINUE READING: Arguments In Support Of Adding the DH to the NL
Jeff Spiegel (@JeffSpiegel):
I am completely for the DH in the NL. The only reason to watch pitchers hit is to see Bartolo Colon make a fool of himself. Otherwise, there’s nothing exciting about a bunch of pitchers hitting .190 coming to bat every nine hitters.
Sure, the strategy involved makes pinch-hitting far more fun (even if Double-Switch-Don-Mattingly wasn’t exactly the ultimate maximizer of this strategy), but the potential injury risk facing a pitcher standing in the batter’s box and running the bases far outweighs any “tradition” or “strategy” argument I’ve ever heard.
Just last season Adam Wainwright essentially was lost for the year due to tearing his Achilles while running out of the box, and Max Scherzer missed a start with a thumb injury sustained while hitting.
Plus, remember Zack Greinke (the now $200-million man) taking a fastball off his helmet in 2013. I want more scoring, I want more excitement and I want less .190 hitters. DH me, please.
Jared Massey (@JarredJMassey):
I think it’s finally time for the NL to accept the DH. Yes, it flies in the face of more than 100 years of history, but I’m far more concerned with improving the quality of offense than appealing to tradition.
Also, please don’t tell Greinke that I don’t want him to hit anymore. The game has always been reluctant to change.
From the legality of the curveball to interleague play, people have always mourned the death of “the way the game used to be played” until, over time, they came to accept and even enjoy the evolution.
I wish every pitcher was as skilled a hitter as Greinke or Bumgarner, or as hilarious to watch as Colon. However, there are hundreds in between who don’t add enjoyment to the game. This opens the door for another Edgar Martinez or David Ortiz, and that’s something I can get behind.
Matt Borelli (@MattDodgerBlue):
After years of being anti-DH for the NL, I am finally changing my stance. While it’s always entertaining watching a pitcher take swings, I think the game has evolved where having a DH is necessary in both leagues.
For one, NL teams are at a disadvantage during free agency. If a team is set at every position but a game-changing slugger is on the market, there’s no room to sign said player unless a trade is made.
Secondly, every time a pitcher steps up to the batter’s box, they are at risk of suffering an injury. While there haven’t been many recent cases of a pitcher getting hurt while swinging, or worse, being hit by a pitch, it just doesn’t seem wise to send your valuable ace to bat against someone throwing in the high-90s.
Lastly, for all the complaints about baseball being too boring for the younger generation, adding offense could perhaps make the game more exciting. I mean, would you rather watch Ortiz hit 450-foot bombs or Colon flailing at a basic fastball?
Who do you agree with? Share your thoughts in our comments section below!