A Reckoning with the Inevitable Future of the Universal DH

I grew up admiring the beauty in the difference between the American League and National League. In no other sport, are there rules so starkly different for two leagues in the same sport. As interleague play has ramped up, most of that charm has gone by the wayside and in 2020, the key differentiator between the two leagues was universal as well: the designated hitter.

I grew up campaigning against bringing the DH to the National League. Watching pitchers hit wasn't necessarily that exciting, but it made the leagues different. It required NL managers to employstrategy!But even following the news that theuniversal designated hitter may not be back for 2021, it feels inevitable it will eventually become a permanent reality, sooner rather than later.

For one, the universal DH means more jobs. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement expires after the 2021 season and the Major League Baseball's players' union would be foolish not to push for the universal DH. It means 15 more "specialty jobs" in the league, 15 more players that can achieve full-time status as an everyday hitter. But still my inner baseball traditionalist cries a little bit every time I realize it's not a matter of if, but when the universal DH will be here to stay.

When I call myself a baseball traditionalist, I don't mean that I look down on Fernando Tatis Jr. and players like him for their bat flips and joy for the game. Rather the opposite, I encourage that behavior. Perhaps it's because I'm an old soul, but I used to enjoy the charm in the possibility of an umpire blowing the call: it made the game more human. But on that, the universal DH, and many other long-frowned upon ideas, I have come around as if aging in reverse, becoming more supportive of small as well as long-term changes to the game in order to keep it in the national spotlight for generations to come.

Specifically on the universal DH, I have come to grips with the fact that the two leagues will no longer be distinguishable from one another. Interleague play has desensitized us to this already and by the time the universal DH is here for good, we will almost forget there was ever a difference between the two leagues in the first place. I do recognize that offense will go up with a universal DH and that theoretically will help draw younger fans to a game that has always been an old man's sport, at least as far as the core audience is concerned.

However, I'm not sure it's more offense that's needed to draw in today's fans. This generation of sports fans wants personalities, they want drama. Look no further than the NBA for a perfect example of how to build a league's popularity on these two truths. After all, many find the NBA's offseason more exciting than the MLB's regular season.

So, it is my hope that with the universal DH, the sport gets a handful more hitting stars behind which to market the new, exciting brand of baseball this generation is creating (don't hold your breath on this with Rob Manfred at the helm). With 15 more designated hitters, we may get a few stars that wouldn't otherwise have gotten regular at bats in the National League. If that's the end result of this whole process, I'm all for it.

Regardless, I've come to terms with the fact it's coming no matter what I think. A small part of me will always hold onto the love for the subtle differences between leagues, but if the universal DH brings the next generation of sports fans to baseball, you won't hear a complaint from me.