Universal DH and Draft Lottery Mark A New Era In The MLB
Well, it's finally happening. A Universal DH is being implemented into Major League Baseball after years of demand from players and fans.
The announcement comes after Rob Manfred provided an update on the state of the lockout that still has owners and players divided on a multitude of core economic talking points. This includes minimum salary bumps, service time manipulation, and player free agency.
One area that both the owners and players did seem to find some common ground in is the inclusion of a Universal DH throughout baseball. Until this change was made, the National League was the only league that still required pitchers to hit. Unless your name is Shohei Ohtani, hitting is something that pitchers should not be doing for their own health and the hope of increased offense in games.
The only time that Cleveland pitchers have been required to hit in the past was when they visited National League ballparks. In 2021 Cleveland pitchers totaled 18 plate appearances batting .118. The only two pitchers to get hits were Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill.
The other news in Manfred's media address was the adoption of a draft lottery that would replace the old method that was based on team standings. The goal of a draft lottery would be for teams to stop tanking for the top picks, which resulted in a poor product on the field. Other professional sports leagues have adopted this method, but the verdict remains out on whether it actually stops teams from tanking.
The most notable first round pick in recent history for Cleveland was Francisco Lindor who was taken eighth overall in the 2011 draft. Lindor helped lead the then Indians to a World Series appearance in 2016.
There is still a long way to go in negotiations, but hopefully these reported agreements allude to progress being made and the season will start on time.
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