By Jason Lozado
As soon as the season starts the DH will be universal. This means for you old heads who wanted it to be removed totally will be rolling in your grave. This is a good step in the right direction for the game of baseball. Pitchers should not be hitting because that is not their job.
There are many arguments as to why the MLB shouldn’t make the DH universal. For example, it changes the societal standards for developing young players as pitchers and hitters. Other arguments can be that some pitchers do in fact hit. Regardless of counterclaims the DH will become universal in the upcoming 2022 MLB season.
The DH known as the Designated Hitter is a spot in the batting order where the pitcher is replaced. The idea of using a DH came up after the era of dominance pitchers had in the 1960’s.
It was used in minor league games and international play before finally making its official first appearance in 1973. It’s main purpose is to allow pitchers to focus on pitching and give the offense a better chance of putting up more runs. Before this rule was implemented pitchers were usually pinch hit for and replaced late in games when their team was trailing.
I want to see the DH become universal because it will allow the offense to be more productive and will help the pitchers focus on pitching. In the shortened 2020 season due to the pandemic the MLB decided to use the universal DH for the 60 game season.
The National League on base percentage was .325 compared to .317 in 2021. The slugging percentage also increased from .421 to .411 when not having a DH. To me this proves teams hit better when they aren’t using their pitchers in the lineup.
Jacob deGrom, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, and Max Scherzer are some pitchers that come to mind when you think of some of the best hitting pitchers in baseball. These are some guys that can be used to argue that pitchers can hit. Over their careers they are notorious for being excellent hitting pitchers.
DeGrom with a .204 career average, Greinke with a .225 career average, Kershaw with a .162 career average, and Scherzer with a .168 average. This does show these particular pitchers can swing the bat but they are anomalies and some of the greatest athletes in the game.
Only geezers who don’t want to see offensive heavy baseball games do not want the DH to be in the lineup. Pitcher duels are not fun to watch unless it's the team's ace pitching against each other. With the rate the home runs are hit in this day in age, adding the DH to both league’s lineup would increase the offensive production and make the game more entertaining.
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