Will The National League Choose To Add A Designated Hitter?

The American League and National League have been at odds since the very beginnings of baseball. The two leagues were once completely separate entities that played the World Series against one another. The two leagues had different presidents until the 1980s, and the two leagues still use slightly different rules to play the same game. Merging the two leagues did not end their differences, and interleague play actually makes the different between the two leagues more stark. Only one issue is still pressing in the 21st Century, and this article explains how the NL may choose to add the DH.

Why Add The DH?

Every player in baseball is paid handsomely for their services, and pitchers are some of the biggest commodities in the game. Pitchers still take at-bats in the NL, but pitchers in the AL do not. Adding the DH will help keep pitchers safe from further injury, and teams can get a bigger bat in the lineup every day. Protecting pitchers has become quite a serious consideration over the years, and the DH helps protect pitchers as much as possible.

The DH Adds More Offense

Anyone who is betting on baseball knows that the NL scoring is lower than the AL overall. Baseball betting lines are set based on the fact that a poor hitter is in the lineup for a National League team every day, and lines are set higher for American League games. Adding the DH to the lineup adds offense to a game that needs as much action as possible. The NL is at a distinct disadvantage when it plays AL teams in AL parks, and this truth is reversed for AL teams.

AL Pitchers Rarely Hit

AL pitchers are asked to hit in games played in NL parks, and many of these pitchers are putting themselves in danger by even stepping into the batter’s box. These players are skilled, but they have not batted for quite some time in many cases. AL teams are at a major disadvantage when playing in NL parks, and their pitchers are left vulnerable to injuries caused by batting. Even a blister caused by hitting could leave a pitcher on the 15-day disabled list.

The Game Must Unify

The differences between the AL and NL once made the game attractive, but Major League Baseball is striving to catch up with the NFL. The NFL merged in 1970, and the league have been fairly unified since. MLB merged nearly a century ago, but the league has never been unified. Unifying the rules for all games will help make the game more interesting, and teams will all play on a level playing field. No longer will an AL team have their DH ready to go all year while an NL team must scramble to find one for the World Series.

Adding the DH to the National League is a real possibility, and baseball must make the change to move forward. The sport will grow in popularity once more offense is added to every game.