Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s OK, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
The designated hitter is on its way to the National League
Saturday’s Say Hey includes a revival of the designated hitter debate, the fastest outfield throws of 2015, and the demise of ballpark concessions.
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
***
It all boils down to one question: Do you want Felix Hernandez's grand slams or David Ortiz's .284/.378/.547 career batting line? On Thursday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that momentum has started to change in the designated hitter debate, and things don't look good for long-time fans of pitcher at-bats. More National League clubs are warming to the idea of a designated hitter in their lineups, which would smooth out the last significant change between the two leagues. Although the quarterly owners' meeting provided little insight into the DH discussion, Manfred let it slip that the topic could be settled in the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiation, with implementation approaching as soon as 2017.
As expected, not everyone is on board with the idea. Nationals’ general manager Mike Rizzo hates the DH. The Giants don’t need a DH. The Phillies want to stick to “real baseball.” Mets fans everywhere would be deprived of Bartolo Colon hitting his annual double. Like any major change to a national sport, the designated hitter quandary elicits emotions from both sides. On the other side of the fence are pitchers like Max Scherzer and Adam Wainwright, both of whom suffered setbacks after getting injured at the plate in early 2015. Adopting the designated hitter in the NL would not only inject some life into their more lackluster lineups, but reduce the number of serious injuries sidelining starting pitchers.
No significant progress can be made until the CBA is negotiated in December, but the switch seems inevitable at this point. For those concerned with the loss of pitchers bunting, hitting, and entertaining us with improper batting stances and base running, Bleed Cubbie Blue’s Danny Rockett has a solution: use the DH to sub in exclusively for starting pitchers. Once the starting pitcher is pulled, NL managers would be forced to navigate the remaining innings as they do now, with only relief pitchers and pinch-hitters at their disposal. Barring any kind of compromise, however, you might want to use the 2016 season to soak up all the Santiago Casilla walks and Madison Bumgarner home runs you can get.
- Yoenis Cespedes met the Mets in the middle with a $75 million, three-year contract ... and a nice opt-out clause for the club, too.
- The Royals still need to beef up their pitching staff before the 2016 season kicks off.
- Stephen Piscotty could make a nice trade chip for the Rockies’ Carlos Gonzalez, but he’s far more valuable to the Cardinals on the field.
- Could Corey Seager become the seventh Dodger shortstop to hit 30+ doubles in a season? And, if not, what kind of offensive output can we expect from him in 2016?
- Although the acquisition of Matt Albers will strengthen an already-decent White Sox bullpen, the move puts reliever Jacob Turner on the outs.
- There are signs that Starlin Castro could turn out a consistent offensive performance in 2016, but history says otherwise.
- Would you feel safer at baseball games if they took all the concessions away? Homeland Security thinks so.
- Astros outfielders Carlos Gomez and Jake Marisnick combined for nine outfield throws of 100 mph or more in 2015.
- Two of the most important goals for any MLB team are to win a championship and develop a strong farm system. The A’s can pull off one of those in 2016.
- Was lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo worth his $12 million price tag, or should the Orioles have invested their money in refurbishing the rest of the roster?
- Unhappy with any of the returns your team has been getting this offseason? Things could be worse. In 1997, the Padres traded their catcher to the Indians for $75,000 and a used treadmill.
See More:
