Every year we hear the warnings. The Designated Hitter will be in the National League by the year ______. Now we are being threatened, as a National League fan that’s exactly how it feels, that it will be next season.
The teams that have players signed to bad contracts must be lobbying the commissioner for this, the Mets with Robinson Cano, the Phillies with Andrew McCutchen, and so on. Players who can’t play the position every day and, in another year, maybe 60% of the time. So, it’s a cure-all for bad GM-ing and a way for players to hang on, so they’re not being paid big sums to be part-time players.
Major League Baseball is on its way to ruining a lot of reasons why the sport is great. Tradition. If you’re trying to change the game to win over millennials, it’s too late. They don’t like the game, so why bother? Play to your strengths. Market to families who still care, and kids who play the sport. Fathers and sons still watch and go to ballgames together, same as moms and daughters.
MLB will instantly lose a lot of fans the minute they make this ridiculous announcement. Trust me, many people have told me that. Every fan has a breaking point and National League fans like it the way it is. There will be some that are “ok” with this, but their reasons never seem to make it a worthwhile task. The only reason the DH was created was to create jobs. That’s it. Are there so many candidates that it’s worth it to do this? I’m not sure.
I like it when pitchers hit. When they bunt. When they drive in runs and help their own cause. They rarely get hurt batting or running. Pitchers run all the time, so this doesn’t have any adverse effects. To think there will be generations of pitchers who don’t hit really bothers me. The ones who work at it and can take great pride in it. Instead of pitchers just taking more batting practice, they institute the DH in both leagues.
Do they think this will shorten games? I’m not convinced. The added offense versus the pinch-hitting for pitchers is probably a wash – – timewise.
Rob Manfred already has a spotty record as baseball’s commissioner. If he goes through with this he will go down as the least popular in the last 20 years or more. It will be his stamp on the game and once they do it they’ll never go back, the players association, who literally run the sport, would never allow it.
Fans are the only ones who can stop this. Fans need to speak up and call his office to express their displeasure before it’s too late. Don’t wait until 2021 to start complaining. Do it now!
