Photo credit: mlb.com

By: Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Let’s face it.

Like it or not, the Designated Hitter is inevitably going to the National League. The DH began as an experiment that was going to be tested for three years, but it was permanently adopted by the American League and later by most amateurs and minor league teams.

As a matter of fact, the DH is used in most professional baseball leagues around the world today. Some exceptions include the NL and Little League’s rules.

The first time the DH rule was used was on April 6, 1973, on Opening Day when New York Yankees’ Ron Blomberg was inserted in the lineup as a DH, and hit for the pitcher. Since then, the DH has been used in the AL for the last 46 years.

Purists say that the DH takes away from the all-around performance of a big league player while some say a DH should never go into the Hall of Fame.  Others argue that it is not fair during postseason for an AL team playing at a NL park, since pitchers–who often are not good hitters–don’t even bat for a whole season in the AL, and they have to come to the plate.

From my memory, I recall these pitchers as decent hitters: Ken Brett, Mike Hampton, Carlos Zambrano, Fernando Valenzuela, Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner and many others that pitched prior to 1973 when they had to hit on both leagues.

Overall, the ninth position has been reserved for the pitcher because is usually the weakest hitter in the lineup. Majority of pitchers on both leagues have a limit pitch count, bullpens have become essential for winning, part of the transformation of the game. The older you are, the more traditional you are when it comes to this topic.
Now that one generation of people have seen the DH, and because the game currently is much more about home runs than hit and run, steal and bunt–the brainwash has been fully executed.

But, again, the DH will sooner than later will be implemented in the NL.

The Shift
In 1941, Boston Red Sox’s Ted Williams hit .406. Nobody has come near that since. The history books told us that the Shift was born when Cleveland Indians’ manager Lou Boudreau used it in July 1946. That was a more extreme version with six defenders stationed on the right side. 1946 was the first season for Ted Williams after serving the previous three years in World War II, and he ended that season hitting just .342.

Today, you do  not to be Ted Williams to see everybody on one side of the field. You can be a .240 hitter and see close to what “Teddy Ballgame” used to see. Some guys now are finally learning to go the other way, but not enough yet.

Maybe in a few years, the shift can be part of the past and in history could be considered an experiment like the DH was originally intended to be. Today’s batting averages are lower while home runs and strikeouts are higher.

If that continues, what good is the Shift if you either hit the ball over the fence or you strikeout?

I have to confess I do not care much for the Shift that we see today and I believe it will not last as long as the DH. That is only my opinion. I could be wrong, but I am not a dictator, so I will welcome and  respect your opinion.