Atlanta Braves Get a DH? Here's How/When it Might Happen

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) talks with home plate umpire James Hoye (92) at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Disclaimer: I hate this subject. I do not like the Designated Hitter – never have. I can go through the reasons, the rationale, the tradition, the motivation, … whatever. Unfortunately, all of that has become irrelevant in this day and age. The NL DH continues to be mulled, discussed, debated, and … yet no movement is taking place to make it a reality.

But I’m going to tell you when the inevitable will happen.

First: the ‘Why’

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The argument truly hasn’t even been settled – not on its merits, at least. There has been no task force set up by Major League Baseball headed up by John Schuerholz to go off and study the rule, the implications for strategy in the game, the impact on players… yada, yada.

None of that has happened – nor will it happen. It’s pointless.

The fact is: the traditionalist view has been overcome by events. Period. We, the Baseball Originalists, have already lost.

Witness:

The AL has a built-in advantage for free agents big hitters with questionable defense. There will always be an extra year in contract offers for guys like Nelson Cruz, Brian McCann, Evan Gattis, etc. when AL clubs compete against NL clubs for their services.
Inter-league play puts the NL on the defensive with respect to the DH. Their rosters are not set up for using one on a full-time basis.
The 15-15 split of teams in the majors essentially requires inter-league play, and thus institutionalizes this disadvantage.
In high school and college ball, the DH is essentially a universal rule
In the minors, the DH is the law from Class A and down.
In AA and AAA, the DH is in use roughly 3/4ths of the time… only when a pair of NL affiliates meet does tradition win out.

So at this point, pitchers only hit if (a) they are great athletes in High School or College; or (b) if they get lucky and play for an NL club against another NL club – but only after reaching AA.

Not exactly a lot of reps available to hone that batting skill before reaching the majors. Heck, you could argue that putting a pitcher in to hit that rarely actually risks injury just because of the lack of muscle memory involved.

The majors are now receiving a crop of pitching prospects who have hardly swung a bat at all… and still we expect them to wield that wand with proficiency against the best in the business. Not likely to happen: not without consistent practice – which is no longer occurring.

So it’s simply a matter of time… and I think I know when that time will arrive.

It’s About the CBA

Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement is up for renegotiation soon. The current agreement expires December of 2016. Given the magnitude of this change, the DH would have to be negotiated into a new agreement – it’s not something that Commissioner Manfred can simply “will” into existence – even by his considerable powers.

Besides, the Owners need something to give up in order to get leverage for some things they’d like to see in a new contract… and leverage is something they have precious little of.

OWNERS’ POINT OF VIEW

International draft? Some owners would be in favor; bigger-market clubs have been flaunting existing rules and don’t really care.
Ways to terminate or buy-out bad contracts (likely a show-stopper with the union)
Payroll limitations

PLAYERS’ POINT OF VIEW

Here are a few things the players would like to see happen:

Changes to the Qualifying Offer system
Another player on the roster (25 man to 26 man; possibly an increase to the 40-man list)
Draft changes (the Brady Aiken debacle)
Payroll restrictions
Universal Designated Hitter

The DH would be a means to add to the rosters – both of those ‘wish list’ items could work in tandem. It’s a relatively small thing to get for the union, but anything that adds players and adds payroll is a plus from their viewpoint. Additionally, the Commish wants more offense in baseball… and adding a DH would certainly do that.

There is speculation that despite the peace that has existied in baseball since the disastrous last strike in 1994, these and other issues could cause significant problems in the next round of talks between the owners and the players’ union. Honestly, adding a DH to the National League would probably be one of the least of the confrontational concerns – but it is something that the owners would want a concession in order to approve.

The “When”

I do think the time has (unfortunately) arrived. Given the evolution of baseball elsewhere and with the opinions on all sides involved, I truly can’t see the next CBA ignoring this issue any longer. The DH will not be rolled back; therefore it will roll forward: we will have a DH in the National League. I believe it happens in the next CBA.

When a new CBA is ratified (likely sometime during the 2016-17 off-season; whether the World Baseball Classic of ’17 is jeopardized is up in the air), it will be too late to implement the change for 2017. Therefore, I expect that 2018 is the Year of The NL DH.

May God have mercy upon our souls.

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Atlanta Braves Get a DH? Here’s How/When it Might Happen

By Alan Carpenter | May 6, 2015