How would the DH impact the Pittsburgh Pirates if it ever came to the National League, and what are their options for inter-league play at DH without Pedro Alvarez?
Designated Hitter in the National League: a phrase that would make Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster Bob Walk scream in agony. Since 1973, American League lineups have had a designated hitter to increase offensive production. The NL balked at the idea of eliminating such a strategic part of the game and have maintained forcing pitchers to go through spring training improving their ability to lay down a bunt or swing away all in the hopes of getting a hit once every seven or so at-bats.
On Saturday, St. Louis Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said there is “more momentum” in the discussions between managers and owners to bring the DH to the NL. This has been an ongoing debate since the inception of the DH, but it seems appropriate the Cardinals manager would be the driving force behind trying to expand the use of the designated hitter. With its next man up philosophy, St. Louis is known for its consistently deep rosters that would benefit with the elimination of pitchers batting, and after the Cardinals lost Adam Wainwright until the playoffs in the 2015 season due to a torn Achilles tendon he suffered leaving the batter’s box on a popup in April, it makes all the sense in the world for St. Louis to want to avoid risking the health of its staff ace.
Wainwright is not the only headline pitcher to suffer a serious injury as a result of batting. At age 45, 2015 Hall of Fame inductee Randy Johnson tore his rotator cuff batting. He recovered from the injury enough to pitch in relief, but he never started another game again. In the most laughable fashion, Josh Beckett injured his back in 2010 during batting practice while playing for the Red Sox. The game wasn’t even against an NL team; the Red Sox were facing the Blue Jays that day. Beckett battled back problems for the remainder of his career.
The Pirates have not been exempted from their own pitcher batting struggles. In 2012, A.J. Burnett injured his eye when he fouled off a pitch as part of a bunting drill. Thankfully, the injury did not cause him to suffer much of a setback.
Players are not the only ones that lose when star pitchers get injured by batting. The fans don’t get an opportunity to see their favorite players, and most likely to cause change is the loss suffered by teams when they have to pay for medical expenses, a replacement player’s salary, and at least a portion of the injured player’s salary.
When the debate arose in April of whether it was time for the NL to abandon archaic thinking regarding the DH, it was quite clear what the Pirates would do if faced with such a situation. Pedro Alvarez had fallen out of favor with the team after committing 48 errors and accounting for -19 defensive runs saved (DRS) between 2014 and 2015 at time split between third and first base, but he also contributed 45 home runs and 133 RBIs over the same time frame. Alvarez measured up against some of the lesser DHs in the AL, as seen in the table below, and Clint Hurdle’s strategy of rotational rest permitted platoon options when needed.
[table id=41 /]Alvarez was the quintessential case for a player that could have benefited from being made a designated hitter. The only offensive problem was his splits. Alvarez, a career .236 hitter, is a .246 hitter against right-handed pitchers. Facing left-handed pitchers, however, he has batted .203 up to this point.
American League teams typically see a straight platoon at DH as an effort in futility which, combined with the delay in Chris Davis signing this past week with the Orioles, is a major contributing factor in the fact that Alvarez is a man without a team with only a month until spring training. So what are the Pirates’ options if the DH comes to the NL, even as early as 2017?
[table id=42 /]In my mini-camp recap on Sunday, I looked at the comments and videos coming out of Bradenton regarding John Jaso and Josh Bell, which you can read more about here.
Josh Bell showed mixed results in mini-camp. He struggled with short hops early in the week, but with adjustments made by instructor Kevin Young, Bell was said to have looked considerably better at the position just the very next day. Jaso, on the other hand, looked great in the videos released last week. In the video from my mini-camp recap of his first base fielding, he had only one drop on a transition from his glove to his throwing hand after he had already fielded the throw. The Pirates also have Mike Morse to add to the rotation at first.
Behind the plate, the Pirates reportedly signed backup Chris Stewart to a two-year extension with a team option for a third in order to avoid arbitration. As the arbitration filing deadline passed, the deal was still held up for undisclosed reasons. Many social media critics felt the investment should have gone to 2015 standout and starting catcher Francisco Cervelli, who also avoided arbitration with a one-year agreement on Friday. Beyond them, Elias Diaz and Reese McGuire show great promise as a possible future catching duo in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates also have several high-potential infield (excluding first base) and outfield prospects. But what they do lack is power. Between Alvarez and Neil Walker, the Pirates lost 43 home runs from 2015, and while they may not have to make up for those right away, designated hitters are traditionally average or below average fielders with a solid bat and consistent power. Of the 298 players that made appearances at the DH position in 2015, only five were Pirates, and of those five, only Cervelli and Andrew McCutchen are still with the team. Of the players still on the roster, only McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Jung Ho Kang had double digit home runs in 2015.
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