Violeta Pietronico selects:

In favor of the universal DH!

From the Mets’ perspective, a universal DH would be a gift. A very fortunate gift given to a team who had yet to sort out a pretty big roster issue.

Before the season was shelved indefinitely, the Mets’ 2020 roster was overflowing with great bats and not-so-great gloves. The plan was to toss out a small rotation of players – mostly in left field – and hope that said players would be able to skate by on defense while making up for any blunders with their offense (foolproof strategy in my eyes).

With the universal DH, the Mets would be given a reprieve. Yoenis Cespedes, recovering from an ankle injury that would probably take his defense down another notch, can take as many huge hacks in the box as he’d like without having to worry about chasing down a fly ball. Dominic Smith can showcase all the talents we know he has, but just hasn’t been on display as much due to lack of play. J.D. Davis can continue to rake without a platoon situation looming over his head.

Now from MLB’s – or really, the NL’s – perspective, the benefits of a universal DH would be twofold: roster flexibility and player protection.

I’m not going to get too much into the former benefit, as it’s already been highlighted by the Mets’ current situation. The only other point I’d add would be that the NL would now be given the chance to focus on pitching (a strong suit of theirs) as a result of not having to worry about removing or switching out pitchers in favor of a better bat in scoring situations.

As for the latter, it’s only natural for player – namely, pitcher – injuries to drop once they’re no longer required to step to the plate, chop at 98 mph fastballs, and run (jog) to first. The risk of countless hit-by-pitches and resulting injuries would decrease exponentially. Running the bases would be off the table, as would having to see a team’s ace round second in the rain.

From a fan’s (i.e., my own) perspective, the universal DH would be a breath of fresh air.

It kind of goes without saying that fans’ stress over roster construction, platoon situations, and player injuries would decrease tenfold. Additionally, fans would be treated on a daily basis to a wider range of talent, and said fans would probably be more inclined to pay money to see their team. I’m sure MLB would also find that little tidbit appealing.

However, what is most enticing to us fans – and I know I speak for many – is the possibility of never having to see another pitcher attempt a sacrifice bunt ever again.

Mojo Hill selects:

Against the universal DH!

I’ll start this off by saying and agreeing that the Mets would absolutely benefit from a universal DH as much as or possibly more than any other team in baseball.

However, this is a moot point and quite honestly an irrelevant, trivial fact in the greater scheme of what Rob Manfred is trying to do the game. Baseball was already riding a slippery slope before the pandemic, and the extra tensions that the major delay to the season has put upon the owners and the players has only accelerated baseball’s plunge into obscurity.

While the overall trend of unnecessary rule changes, also known as the slow decay and ruination of the game we love, is a topic for another article, the DH rule change that’s been looming for several years now is at the forefront of this movement. It may sound cliché, but pitchers batting is and always has been part of the game, and adds an extra element of strategy that is completely invisible from the American League’s current method of play.

Now, I am 100% aware and in favor of the fact that the game is always changing and adapting. I am a huge proponent of analytics and advanced stats and learning as much as we can about the players to judge them as accurately as possible. The game absolutely should adapt, but there’s a difference between adapting to modern ways of thinking and simply changing one of the core elements of the game completely.

This pandemic undoubtedly sucks, not just for baseball, but for the world as a whole. It’s frustrating that we can’t have baseball sooner and that even when we do, it won’t be a full season. However, this is not an excuse to make a drastic rule change that will negatively impact the quality of play.

I am fully aware that pitchers are terrible hitters, and I don’t disagree that watching Yoenis Cespedes tee off is more fun than watching Noah Syndergaard strike out with the bases loaded. However, I believe that one of the core elements of baseball is that every player in the lineup should have to hit. Once you add a DH and start scraping the edges of that very thin line, you start to head down a dangerous path that will ultimately lead to the demise of baseball as we know it.

Right now I want baseball back more than anything, but when it does eventually come back, I really hope it’s the same game that I’ve known my whole life, and not some cheap variation of what used to be the greatest sport in the world.