Deny the DH

I stumbled upon this week-old Wall Street Journal article on the state of the two leagues in Major League Baseball. The assumption is the American League is superior to the National League, and that's proved with all sorts of statistical models. The argument turns to the designated hitter, and while I thought I didn't have a position on the DH and what should be done with it, I do now. Thank you Wall Street Journal.



I have, for a long time, believed the DH helps American League teams in the World Series. The DH typically means American League teams have more pop in their lineup. If they play in a National League park, they have a bigger bat to bring off their bench. This is an inherent advantage that an NL team cannot counter, because a player that can hit but can't field is more likely to take a starting spot as a DH than he is a bench spot on an NL roster.

If this is not cyclical, if the National League doesn't come around and show competitiveness, if the American League continues to dominate interleague play, the post season and the All-Star game, then the DH rule and what to do with it is eventually going to come up. A lack of competitive balance between the leagues is not a good thing, so baseball will eventually have to tackle the issue.

My guess is baseball will analyze all the statistical data, interview a bunch of players, managers, owners and front office types, and decide to install the DH in both leagues. They'll argue that pitchers are not good hitters, and to make them hit would be to take a step backward in baseball evolution. Most pitchers do not hit as they climb through the minor leagues, and none make it to MLB because of their stick. The argument will be fairly tidy and smack of lowest-common-denominator appeasement.

That said, I'm going to cast my vote against the DH. I think it needs to go. If it hurts competitive balance for one league over the other, it must die. Pitchers can't hit, but that doesn't mean allowing them to try takes away from the game. It actually adds to baseball, forcing managers to use more strategy to work around the pitcher slot late in games. If the DH is a step into the future, and pitchers hitting is de-evolution, then why are designated hitters a bunch of 35 year-old Neanderthals posing as baseball players. We watch these hangers-on do nothing but swing for the fences, padding their careers with gaudy numbers that help them reach he Hall of Fame.

It's time for the DH issue to be put to rest.