April 28th: Cardinals Designated Bitter

The Cardinals were the overwhelming favorite to win the NL Central this year, as they so often are. Their lineup is well balanced with young, exciting hitters, mixed in with the seasoned veterans who know how to make a playoff push. The only real area of concern was pitching depth, but the presence of veteran ace Adam Wainwright provided some assurance that the staff would, at the very least, receive a quality start every fifth day.

This past weekend, that security blanket caught fire, as Wainwright injured his achilles tendon running out a pop fly during a game against the Brewers. While his spirits appeared high on Saturday night, it was reported on Sunday that he would be out for the season.

This led to two divergent reactions. The first, expected answer was a shadow of doubt descending on the Cardinals. All of a sudden, the Central powerhouse looked vulnerable, leaving the door wide open for the surging Cubs and Pirates to take a crack at winning the division. At the same time, a spark caught fire in the debate of the use of the Designated Hitter in the National League.

The DH has been in use in the American League since 1973, allowing teams to use a hitter that goes to the plate in the place of the pitcher. Generally this is a strong hitter, with some of the game’s best including David Ortiz, Victor Martinez, and Prince Fielder. The National League does not employ this rule, and instead sends the pitcher to the plate every 9th batter.

The argument has long existed that the DH should be implemented in the National League. The presence of the pitcher in the lineup requires managers to work in much more refined ways, using pinch hitters and double switches that their AL counterparts need not utilize. Another feather in the hat of DH fans is the overall lack of offense that is spread across the league. With more pitchers dominating hitters, the NL would benefit by adding another potent bat to many lineups, and should drive up production across the board.

As a Designated Hitter, David Ortiz is one of the American
League's best hitters. Should the National League follow suit?

While the argument in favor of adding the DH is valid, the Wainwright injury should not strengthen or hurt anyone’s case. Sure, he injured himself while batting. But his injury was the kind of accident that could just have easily resulted from his stepping awkwardly off the pitcher’s mound. Major League Baseball players are required to be athletes at the highest level, including pitchers. Just because one pitcher rolled his ankle and injured himself while batting does not mean that grabbing a bat is a safety hazard that pitchers can’t afford. If the same thing had happened to an outfielder, we wouldn’t even bat an eyelash.

If the DH rule was implemented in the National League, it would require a change in makeup for most lineups. Generally, NL teams don’t have the extra big bat sitting on their bench. This would lead to some dramatic shifts away from small-ball bench players in favor of adding another bat to play every day.

Overall, the DH rule could be a valuable addition to the National League. It would lead to more offense, provide more jobs for better hitters, and allow pitchers to work on their specialty. But Adam Wainwright isn’t the reason to have the conversation. Wainwright’s injury, while occurring during an offensive opportunity, should not intimidate all pitchers out of the batter’s box.

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