Though there have been no concrete decisions made, you have to give Major League Baseball credit for the multitude of ideas they are conjuring in hope of a 2020 season being played.
From potential realignment for the year to sequestering players, league officials, ownership and the players’ union have been throwing a variety of plans at the wall with the hope of seeing something stick.
As all parties involved can attest, you can’t please all of the people all of the time, but one thought bandied about during the realignment talk that can and should stick is the universal designated hitter. All the gasps of the purists aside, not only does a universal DH make sense, it would also be a positive thing for fantasy baseball.
Pitchers are no longer groomed to be complete ballplayers. They are gifted specialists, and to put someone’s talent at risk because that’s the way it was done over a century ago is ridiculous.
Jacob deGrom, Masahiro Tanaka and Adam Wainwright are just a few of the starting pitchers who were injured either up at bat or running the bases and if you’ve played fantasy and lost one of them, you know what we’re talking about here.
Just imagine, with a universal DH, the Braves no longer have to worry about their third base battle between Johan Camargo and Austin Riley. The Mets won’t have to worry about keeping a high-priced contract in Yoenis Cespedes on the bench for injury/defensive reasons because his heel can heal just enough to take hacks at the plate.
And how about Milwaukee’s logjam at first base and the corner outfield? Justin Smoak can play first base, Avisail Garcia can play every day in the outfield while Ryan Braun extends his career as a professional hitter.
Every team in the National League has the talent and ability to keep up with baseball’s evolution, and it also becomes an avenue for youngsters to kick-start their full-time career earlier than usual. Imagine Garrett Hampson no longer waiting for Rockies management to clear a spot for him. The DH allows them to mix in the prized prospect now rather than worry about minor league options.
With apologies to all who believe we should still be following the by-laws of 1845 here in 2020, the universal DH makes sense for everyone. Pitchers are happier. Youngsters have a greater chance to develop. And fantasy baseball owners get a player pool much richer in talent.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at Fantasy-Alarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 5-7 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball advice.