There has long been talk about the National League instituting the designated hitter rule, but there is apparently some thinking that it could happen much sooner than anticipated.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic has heard from NL general managers that there is a “growing belief” that the DH could become universal as soon as 2021.
There is a growing belief amongst NL GM’s that the DH will be instituted for NL as early as 2021. FWIW.
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenGM) January 27, 2020
There isn’t really any word on how this might happen or why it’s happening now, so it should be taken with a hint of caution. However, we’ve heard chatter about the DH becoming universal for several years now, and it does seem like an inevitability at this point. Purists — and some pitchers — will likely be infuriated, but the NL is essentially the only high-profile baseball league anywhere that still has pitchers hitting. It needs to happen just for that reason alone.
