Diamondbacks hold mixed opinions about DH rule

PHOENIX – Major League Baseball fans could see a designated hitter in the National League in the not-so-distant future, and members of the Arizona Diamondbacks have varied viewpoints on that potential rule change.

Adding a universal DH to baseball “is gaining momentum” among players, according to MLB Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark, via MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also hinted at the DH rule potentially being added to the National League at the quarterly owners’ meeting in June, per USA Today.

Although the shift seems closer to a matter of “when” rather than “if” following those reports, reaction by the D-backs suggests the issue may not be as cut and dry.

“I’m a big fan of the National League style of baseball where the pitcher’s hitting,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

Lovullo added that he understands the DH rule in the American League is there to add offense as well as “some punch and excitement to the lineup,” but maintained that the strategy involved in the NL adds an extra element to the game he’d like to see kept intact.

“You’ve got to use a lot more strategy as far as I’m concerned,” Lovullo said of organizing lineups and rotating players. “It gives you a chance to play everybody, keep everybody fresh.”

Lovullo argued that in the American League, bench players can go anywhere from five to 10 days without seeing game action, which makes things challenging for a player who can’t get into a rhythm.

“In the National League, guys are constantly rotating. I just feel like it’s a much more interesting and strategic brand of baseball,” Lovullo said.

In an interview with MLB.com’s Jake Mintz during the All-Star break, MLB Celebrity Softball Game participant Bill Nye said, “The National League is just more interesting.”

Lovullo and high-profile fans aren’t the only ones making a case to keep the NL the way it is, however.

“What’s the point of having two leagues?” outfielder David Peralta said. “(There’s the) American League and National League, so if they put the DH in both I guess it’s going to be one league?”

D-backs infielder Daniel Descalso, who has played his entire MLB career in the National League with the St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies and Arizona, echoed his manager’s viewpoint that the NL should stay the same.

“That’s the only brand of baseball I’ve known in the big leagues, and that’s what I’m used to,” Descalso said. “Selfishly, that’s kind of kept me around this long — being a guy who comes off the bench and double switches and pinch hits. I’ve enjoyed being a part of National League baseball.”

In many ways, the National League’s lack of a DH rule adds more flexibility. For players who can fill in at multiple positions by way of the double switch — when a pitcher and position player are subbed out of a game at the same time to create a more favorable batting order late in games — it can ensure a roster spot.

But not everyone was opposed to the speculated rule change.

Pitcher Clay Buchholz, who hurt himself swinging in an at-bat on June 24 against the Pittsburgh Pirates after pitching five shutout innings, said most pitchers just aren’t equipped to play both roles at the highest level.

“When you don’t do something for an extended period of time that’s an art, you sort of lose it,” Buchholz said. “You don’t use the muscles that you use every day. I think that’s where a lot of the injuries come from.”

The right-hander spent the first 10 seasons of his career in the American League with the Boston Red Sox. In that time, he amassed 15 plate appearances. He’s seen 14 plate appearances this season with the Diamondbacks.

Buchholz said it’s not easy for a pitcher to simply step into the batter’s box with the mindset that they’re going to take half-hearted swings or mail in at-bats. When the competitive nature takes over, he said, pitchers are going to try and hit to help the team. But Buchholz made clear that some pitchers are better at that than others.

“Obviously if they’re out there throwing a good ball game, they’re not worried about hitting. Unless you’re Zack Greinke,” Buchholz said.

Greinke, who’s been one of the best hitting pitchers in baseball throughout his career, joked that he made the All-Star Game this year as an injury replacement for reasons other than pitching.

“I think I made it as a utility player this year,” Greinke said at the time, per the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro.

But will the Twitter hashtag #PitchersWhoRake soon become a thing of the past with the advent of the DH in the NL?

“I’ve heard talks about it for a while,” Buchholz said. “Don’t know if they were really serious talks, but I could see it transitioning.”