USATSI_16849662 — © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Universal DH Means Fewer Spots and Benefits for MLB Players

With the implementation of the universal designated hitter, the National League will no longer be offering as many roster spots to fringe MLB players.

Author:
Ben Silver
Feb 11, 2022 3:00 PM EST

On Thursday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that a designated hitter will be coming to baseball’s oldest running organization, the National League. For the first time in forty years, both the National League and American League will play under the same rules.

This change has drastic and far reaching consequences beyond adding more offense. Roster construction and strategy will be completely different, and a manager’s impact on the game will be lessened too.

Perhaps most impactful of these consequences will be the effect on roster construction and how that affects fringe MLB players.

In 2021, the average AL team used 24.3 batters throughout the course of the season, that same year the average NL team used 28.6 batters. That means 64 batters saw playing time in the NL that they wouldn’t have seen playing time in the AL.

The one major variable between these leagues is the DH, so naturally it is the difference maker between these figures. Since fewer pinch hitters are used in place of pitchers, then fewer role players are needed on MLB rosters, therefore taking away jobs from potentially deserving minor leaguers.

Of course, the MLBPA didn’t agree to this rule for the purpose of removing jobs, but to enhance the market of older power hitters. Now players like Nelson Cruz, J.D. Martinez and Giancarlo Stanton have greater markets and will command much larger salaries.

In this situation, the MLBPA isn’t concerned with the 64 extra players a year who might get MLB pensions and health insurance plans, but with the millionaires who are already wealthier than 99% of America.

Those 64 players who won’t make MLB rosters in 2022 aren’t just missing an opportunity to play in the major leagues, they're missing out on the 40-man roster.

Once a player is added to the 40-man, their benefits include the MLB Health and Welfare Plan, a no-charge coverage health insurance plan for active MLBPA members. They’re also missing out on $450,000 life insurance coverage and a huge salary increase from the pennies minor league players earn.

That pay increase goes from $2,150 per year base salary for triple-A players, to $41,400 minimum salary for all players on the 40-man roster.

In 2021, Phillies players likely to never make the major league roster with a universal DH include: Mickey Moniak, Jorge Bonifacio, and potentially players like Matt Vierling or Luke Williams, who’s services wouldn't have been necessary with a DH.

Though not all of these players give huge contributions to their teams, the benefits they see from a major league call-up far outweigh the relative benefits star players earn from a contract increase.

While the MLBPA fights for equality for all players, they’re acceptance of a universal DH shows that they either overlooked this issue, or that they only care about current MLBPA members rather than the future MLBPA members who could not only make an impact on their club one day, but also their union.