DH in the National League?

First off I am not one to say "I told you so" or "Look I said that" or even "They must have read my blog" ... ok I did say the last one. But if you were one of the several insomniacs that have read a few of my past blogs, thank you by the way, then you have heard my ramblings about how Matt Carpenter would be the perfect number two hitter in the lineup. I even suggested it might be beneficial to move Jason Heyward down to the sixth spot to let him relax and be the hitter we know he can be. Did you happen to watch the game last night? The lineup looked solid in my opinion and who knows maybe if Mike Matheny would have let Jon Jay or even Kolten Wong hit leadoff in spring training then this might have been the opening day lineup and Jay or Wong would have been even more comfortable. Ok I am done rambling but I was smiling all game long.

Do you like seeing the pitcher hit or would you rather see another hitter? More strategy or possibly more excitement and runs? Protect the pitcher from a possible injury and extend the career of a few good hitters or let the pitcher, usually a natural athlete, hit or bunt like the other hitters. A few questions that are circling around after the devastating injury to ace Adam Wainwright. Yes, he was quoted saying that he thinks baseball should stay the same, however from a business standpoint is he right?

Consider that some of the highest paid players on the team is the ace or aces of the team. What is the team paying them to do? They are paid to get batters out, win games but not hit. So from a business prospective I would say the owners have a loud voice in this argument because they want their investment to earn their money pitching not trying to drop down a sacrifice bunt or swing away in hopes he can do so without being injured. Not only would the DH make sense from the injury scenario it could possibly help keep the high dollar pitcher in the game longer if he doesn't have to worry about running around the bases or even sprinting to first. Another point to that is they could watch some video during the game if something feels off in their mechanics. Ok, I might be stretching on that but we all know the hitters will make a quick trip to the video room to see some clips of the relief pitcher coming into the game. Why couldn't the time the pitcher do the same between innings?

Traditionalists of this great game of baseball believe that the game should stay the same and even some have said the American League should follow suit and get rid of the designated hitter like the National League. There is so much more strategy in the National League, which some say is more exciting because in the American League there isn't any lineup changes during the game unless it is an injury or a faster runner late in the game. The NL uses double switches which keeps the bench sharp as well as the scorekeepers. As far as injury is concerned with the pitchers batting, some of the pitchers look forward to hitting or "helping their own cause".

With the arguments forthcoming and each side having good points the change will be hard to get passed and it will be awhile before it happens. As I stated in an earlier blog, the current collective-bargaining agreement does not expire until Dec. 1, 2016 and then the majority of all the owners will have to agree to this change. What side are you on? I have always liked not having a DH but I have to admit I am starting to come around and think it may be something to consider. One last point to ponder; Tony LaRussa made the comment years ago that he didn't care if Yadier Molina didn't get a hit all season because he was so valuable at his position he would still be the starting catcher. So if the ace of your staff is doing his job as a pitcher and making a big salary does the owner have the right to mandate the pitcher not to be so aggressive at the plate? Maybe a fine if he sprints to the first base or swings too hard? Not saying it would ever come to that but how far will this go? Will the owners who are signing the increasingly large checks to the pitchers finally say enough is enough and bring the DH to the NL?