Universal DH has been a blessing in NL

Over the past two decades of my baseball fandom, I always enjoyed watching games at National League baseball diamonds, where pitchers would step up to the plate, and often making fools of themselves in the process.

I have seen plenty strikeout, lay down sacrifice bunts, and on occasion hit a line shot to the bleachers to the amazement of the crowd.

Until this year.

Among the many different modifications made to the collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players Association, one of the biggest changes on the landscape of baseball was the return of the universal designated hitter after experimenting with it during the COVID-19 shortened season back in 2020. My impression of it is pretty simple.

So far, so good.

It's been quite entertaining watching guys marooned in the American League take their hacks in National League stadiums and play pivotal roles in their team's success so far. We have seen Albert Pujols return to his old stomping grounds at Busch Stadium and 41-year-old Nelson Cruz continue his career playing for the Nationals.

In the same breath, we can talk about the opportunities of younger players cracking established rosters and making their stake as future cornerstones. We saw the likes of Diamondbacks' outfielder Seth Beer smack a home run on opening day. Also, we see the likes of Colorado Rockies Connor Joe find some reps in the line up and occasionally play out on the field.

In a recent article on MLB. com written by Andrew Simon, the numbers were broken down and the offensive production difference is staggeringly different.

“In 2021, NL pitchers slashed a woeful .110/.149/.140, with 14 home runs and a 44.1% strikeout rate. In '22, NL designated hitters have slashed a sensational (relatively speaking) .233/.315/.389 with 81 homers and a 23.9% K-rate. That makes DH the NL's fourth-most-productive lineup spot this season,” Simon wrote.

All this shows is that the universal DH has brought a breath of fresh air to the league, and make a competitive league even more competitive. Teams are

given better chances to win with these guys in their lineups and they aren't missing having their pitchers up at the plate, struggling to land a swing. Let us not forget the potential injury they can face legging out a ground ball heading to first.

We are only 60 games into this season, so obviously the tide can turn in the coming months. I am excited to watch these guys play a pivotal role on some of the bigger stages of the game in October, maybe even being the at bat that results in their team hoisting up a World Series trophy.

Regardless, I just hope that the universal DH in the National League remains a fixture in the game for the foreseeable future.