Manfred sheds more light on DH to the NL
Theo Epstein recently said how the talks of the DH to the NL have not gained any legs. However, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak recently stated that momentum is building for the position to be added to the league sooner rather than later.
Talks have seemed to fluctuate over the course of the past year or so, but most recently at this past Winter Meetings in Nashville, a handful of executives told reporters the DH to the NL was not imminent.
Well, today MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred shed some light on the heavily-discussed topic surrounding baseball. This is a complete 180 as Joe Torre said as the Winter Meetings were wrapping up, “It hasn’t even been talked about.”
To point out one excerpt, Manfred discussed a few reasons why current National League executives are more prone to believing the DH could be better for the league compared to how the 1980s show-runners thought about the then-new AL addition.
“…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,” Manfred said, focused mainly on the fan experience.
It’s been nearly 36 years since MLB has come close to holding a vote for the NL to adopt the DH, and with MLB hitters only batting .254 in 2015 (up from .251 in 2014) time could be coming soon that a vote is held.
We can see why Mozeliak would be in favor of adding the DH after his Cardinals’ ace Adam Wainwright suffered a (basically) season-ending injury early in the 2015 season when he tore his achilles.
I’ve recently succumbed to idea of the DH would greatly benefit the National League. Maybe it has something to do with Jon Lester having to hit twice a game every five days, or maybe not. Maybe it has to do with Kyle Schwarber being up for good, and let’s face it: he’s a DH ultimately.
The Cubs, being loaded with offensive prospects, would have to love the idea of the DH being added to the NL. This would allow for Schwarbs, Jorge Soler, and even Kris Bryant to take some time off from the field while a guy like Javy Baez could fill in.
I think ultimately the DH will come to the NL because it will increase offensive and let fans not fall asleep (kidding, of course, kind of) for a couple minutes every other inning. Either way, I believe Manfred discussing today how he believes owners are vastly different than 30 years ago and that the talk is “gaining steam”, we’ll see the DH within the next few years.
*picture is courtesy of fansided.com
