The Designated Hitter is Good for Baseball

Hayden See, Reporter

If baseball returns in early July, it will have one change — there will be a universal designated hitter.

It has been a debate for as long as baseball has been around. Should the DH be utilized in the National League as well? Personally, the answer is a very obvious and resoundingly yes. However some baseball fans do not happen to see it the same way.

First and foremost, the implementation of the DH in the NL is long overdue. Not only is watching pitchers hit boring, it exposes them to injuries. Just five years ago, Adam Wainwright tore his achilles and was out for the remainder of the year because of a torn achilles he sustained while batting. That list of pitcher injuries from hitting goes on and on, and there is no reason that should have even happened. Why watch pitchers bat when they do not even practice and they could get seriously hurt? 

There is a group of fans that believes adding the universal DH takes strategy away from the game, and incentivizes the usage of out of shape players. The thought that adding the DH takes away strategy has some validity to it, although if getting rid of double switches is the only downside from implementing the DH, then it is a pretty simple decision. 

At the end of the day it is simple; limit the exposure of injuries to pitchers while having talented batters hit in their place. It is a win win for both parties involved.