The NL’s Would-Be Starting Designated Hitters
I was incensed when the Brewers switched leagues in 1998. At the age of 14, I wrote a letter to the editor of Baseball Weekly (what a great newspaper that was!) explaining how all the great feats in Brewers history would be erased- Robin Yount‘s two MVPs and 3,000 hits, the 1982 AL championship, and Rollie Fingers‘ brilliant 1981 season. I may have even invoked the legendary Pat Listach.
The letter was never published, which is good because this was a dumb argument. I’m no longer a traditionalist. The actions of the present should benefit the future, not the past. Holding onto something just because “it’s always been this way,” is dangerous if the action has negative consequences.
19 years later, with the Brewers firmly entrenched in the NL and Yount’s place in history still intact, Jimmy Nelson was enjoying a resplendent season. He had finally cut down on his walks and increased his strikeouts, leading to a 3.05 FIP and down-ballot Cy Young consideration.
On September 8, 2017, he singled to left, made a wide turn around first base, dove back to the bag headfirst, and tore his rotator cuff. He wouldn’t return to the mound until June, 2019. Now with the Dodgers this spring, he still can’t shake the injury bug. It’s possible he returns to prominence, but it appears more likely that a promising career has been at least partially snuffed out.
This didn’t need to happen. Pitchers are injury-prone enough as is; they don’t need to increase their risk by hitting and running, which they happen to do terribly anyway. The “we’ve always done it this way” argument against the universal DH is deleterious to the game and its players. It’s not just about injuries, either. Players get more opportunities to start and make more deserved money with a DH.
What would the NL look like in 2020 if they had the DH? Let’s dig into who would benefit the most on each NL roster.
Arizona Diamondbacks
When the Diamondbacks traded for Starling Marté and pushed Ketel Marte back into the infield, they left Domingo Leyba without a starting job. The switch-hitting rookie infielder batted .300/.351/.519 in Triple-A last year and performed well in a major league cameo. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll likely spend the 2020 season on the bench behind Marte, Nick Ahmed, and Eduardo Escobar.
Atlanta Braves
Austin Riley might be the next Joey Gallo. That could mean either, 1) the Gallo that spent two years striking out all the time, but drawing enough walks and blasting enough home runs to be an average player with an awkward defensive profile, or 2) the Gallo that was an MVP candidate last season before getting injured. Which one will Riley become? We might not find out right away. If he doesn’t beat out Johan Camargo for the third base gig, he could start the year in the minors.
Chicago Cubs
The distinction between starters and backups is rather nebulous for many Cubs players. Their most likely DH would be Kyle Schwarber, who is currently penciled in as the starting left fielder. That opens up room for Stephen Souza, Jr., who signed as a free agent to fill a fourth outfielder role. In AL ballparks, he probably starts in right field, Jason Heyward moves to center, and Ian Happ to left.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have at least three players whose best position is third base: Eugenio Suárez, Mike Moustakas, and Nick Senzel (possibly Nicholas Castellanos as well?). Suárez will actually play the hot corner, Moustakas will handle second base, and Senzel is left out. He’ll get plenty of plate appearances as a super-utility, but he’d have a clear starting job with a DH spot open- probably in right field with Castellanos DHing.
Colorado Rockies
Roster Resource lists Ryan McMahon as the starting second baseman, but this seems rather temporary. Former prospects Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers seem certain to take the job away, especially since they’re both better defensively. With Nolan Arenado blocking his natural third base spot, he’s their best DH candidate.
Los Angeles Dodgers
It seems like there are already 12 starting caliber hitters in Los Angeles. Two of them are among the five best players in the game- Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts– leaving one outfield spot for A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson to share (not to mention Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez). Given that Pollock is a better fielder and was a high-priced free agent a year ago, Pederson would be the logical DH.
Miami Marlins
The Dodgers may have a dozen starting caliber hitters, but the Marlins don’t have more than three. Matt Joyce probably would play more often with a DH, I guess. Maybe some other outfielder like Magneuris Sierra would relegate Garrett Cooper to DH. Man, this team sucks.
Milwaukee Brewers
In the AL, the DH perpetuates the careers of good, aging hitters who can no longer field their position. Paging Ryan Braun! He posted an .849 OPS last season, but the defense is getting kind of ugly. He’ll be a 37-year-old free agent at the end of the season (assuming the mutual option is declined) and may be destined for a real DH job somewhere else in 2021.
New York Mets
Remember a year ago around this time when the first base job was a battle between Dominic Smith and Pete Alonso? With 53 home runs, Alonso treated Smith like a polar bear treats a seal. Nevertheless, the seal still slashed .282/.355/.525 in 197 plate appearances. He’d be the clear beneficiary of a DH position becoming available.
Philadelphia Phillies
This wouldn’t happen right away, but top prospect Alec Bohm would become the Phillies’ regular DH sooner than later. The defensively limited third baseman with a loud bat was the third overall draft pick in 2018. He’ll bubble up from Triple-A sometime this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates
José Osuna is a four corners guy who figures to reprise his bench role from last season, in which he provided league-average offense in 285 plate appearances. It’s possible he steals playing time away from starting third baseman Colin Moran, but they’re both just keeping the position warm for prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes anyway.
San Diego Padres
During his five years in San Diego, Wil Myers has played first base, third base, left field, center field, and right field. In spite of this, it’s more accurate to say that he can’t play any position than is to say that he can play several positions. Barring a trade, the Padres will pay him $22.5 million per year through 2022 to be a good-not-great hitter… somewhere.
San Francisco Giants
It was adorable to see the Giants reunite with 37-year-old Hunter Pence on a one-year contract. He was a fan favorite in San Francisco from 2012-18, winning two World Series. In 2019, he made the All-Star Game as the primary DH for the Rangers. Moving back to the NL will force him to flounder in the outfield, but the team isn’t going anywhere this year, so why not?
St. Louis Cardinals
Bear with me on this. Matt Carpenter is 34 now and could benefit from focusing solely on hitting. This would open up third base for Tommy Edman, who’s a natural infielder slated to play mostly left field in 2020. With left field vacated, the Cardinals can finally give Tyler O’Neill an extended opportunity to hit in the major leagues, making him the beneficiary of the DH.
Washington Nationals
It seems like the DH was devised for veteran hitters in their mid-thirties who no longer have a position, and the Nationals have somehow collected three of them. We’ll go with Howie Kendrick as our honorary starting DH, but it could just as easily be Ryan Zimmerman or Asdrúbal Cabrera.
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If you’re following along, the NL DH would yield starting jobs for four pre-arbitration players (Leyba, Riley, Senza, and O’Neill), three arbitration-eligible guys (McMahon, Smith, and Osuna), six upcoming free agents (Souza, Pederson, Joyce, Braun, Pence, and Kendrick), one prospect (Bohm), and one veteran in the middle of a long-term contract (Myers). All except Myers would command higher salaries with a starting job, especially the arbitration and pre-arb players. I’m sure they’d like to see the NL adopt the DH. Jimmy Nelson probably wouldn’t mind, either.
