Which side is right in the push to bring the DH to the NL?

There are two signs in modern sports signaling that football season is entering its pinnacle and that spring training baseball is just around the corner.

First, stories emerge about Pablo Sandoval’s weight. Second, the argument surrounding whether the National League should implement the designated hitter pops back up.

It’s not a new debate, but it’s definitely a trendy point of fiery discussion across the board. Injuries to pitchers during at-bats and the longevity of players’ careers have made this a stronger talking point with baseball in the last year of its collective bargaining agreement. Then came the news this week of new reports that the National League could be more open to revamping its format and incorporating the DH as soon as the 2017 season.

The arguments and opinions around the potential change are incredibly varied, if not split down the middle as to whether it’s a good idea or bad one. In fact, a poll on NJ.com asking whether the DH in the NL is a good idea has results split almost evenly — with roughly 53 percent in favor of the change and the other 47 percent opposed to it.

With views on the topic so split, is there a clear-cut right answer here? Is there a black-and-white solution to the possibility of adding a designated hitter to National League rosters?

Sporting News’ Jesse Spector argued this week that the American League has had an edge over its NL counterpart since adopting the DH position in 1973:      

American League teams have an advantage when they host NL teams because they have hitters who are intended to play as designated hitters, while NL teams wind up putting an extra bench player into their lineup. When NL teams host interleague games, the AL teams still have an advantage in adding an extra bat to their bench. With both leagues seeing more specialization in pitching, there is no evening-out of the edge for the Senior Circuit clubs. 

Since the DH was instituted, American League teams have a 23-19 edge in the World Series. More tellingly, NL teams have been soundly throttled in interleague play, with an all-time record of 2,299-2,565. American League teams have had the edge in interleague each of the last 12 years, and 15 out of 19 overall. Daily interleague play since the Astros moved to the AL has put this issue in public view all year long for each of the last three seasons.

Spector also says that “traditionalists” are the holdouts in this arguments, those who don’t do well with change.

But not so fast. Is it the American League that should change? That was part of the rebuttal on BaseballEssential.com, which argued that there haven’t been many standout DHs since Frank Thomas:

... when you look at Wins Above Replacement, these are really the only designated hitters that have been successful as a primary DH. Thomas (73.7), Martinez (68.3), Ortiz (50.4), Harold Baines (38.5), Hal McRae (27.7), Don Baylor (26), and Travis Hafner (24.8) are the only primary designated hitters with a career WAR above 17 since 1973. Several other players, such as Paul Molitor, Chili Davis, Rafael Palmeiro, and others, have extended their careers because of the DH. Every single player mentioned has retired already, except for Ortiz, who recently announced this will be his last season. 

So maybe we should be getting rid of the DH altogether instead of talking about it being added to the National League. Not only are there few excellent designated hitters, but there are also a small number of excellent hitting pitchers.

Ah, yes, pitchers who can hit dingers. This facet of the debate actually goes beyond those who live for a Bartolo Colon at-bat, believe it or not. BaseballEssential continues:

Mike Hampton, Tom Glavine, Carlos Zambrano, Livan Hernandez, and Don Robinson are some of the best hitting pitchers in the game since 1973 when the DH was introduced. Only 16 hitters who spent half their career or more as a designated hitter ended up with a career WAR above 5.2 

Madison Bumgarner has hit 11 career home runs, including five in 2015 alone. He has a career WAR of 3.0 as a hitter, hitting every fifth day. His WAR of 1.1 last year as a hitter would have made him the seventh-best DH in baseball, behind Prince Fielder at 1.9 and ahead of Evan Gattis at 0.5. Bumgarner also had a higher slugging percentage (.468) than both Fielder and Gattis, who each had a .463 SLG. Again, maybe we should be looking to get rid of the DH instead of expanding it.

Heck, those are just two polar opposite points of view on the matter. Team-centric bloggers are having a field day with this one. Implementing the DH “could benefit the Cubs,” or “it will doom the Phillies,” or “How often is Bumgarner going to argue to be the DH on days that he doesn’t pitch?”

With the push to incorporate the DH leaguewide by 2017, there are bound to be even more points of support — and contention — stemming from the decision. What emerges as the most sensical solution, at the current moment, is still anyone’s guess.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred gave his two cents, saying he believed that more National League managers are open to the idea, ESPN reported:

"Twenty years ago, when you talked to National League owners about the DH, you'd think you were talking some sort of heretical comment," Manfred said. "But we have a newer group. There has been turnover, and I think our owners in general have demonstrated a willingness to change the game in ways that we think would be good for the fans, always respecting the history and traditions of the sport."

Then again, that same ESPN article said that owners “weren’t inclined to consider a change” when they met this week and that the league's chief operating officer, Joe Torre, commented: “It hasn’t even been talked about yet.”

Apparently, the debate is set to drag on.