Phillies: 4 Reasons the Universal DH is Great News
By David Esser
Adding the DH would be a great benefit for the Phillies going forward
Unless the owners and player’s union fail to solidify a deal once again (which in all honestly could totally happen), it looks like things are finally trending towards Phillies baseball returning.
On Wednesday night, while Rob Manfred and Tony Clark sat down to discuss terms to resume the MLB’s season, the “framework” to a new deal was released to the public.
Amongst the proposal, it was revealed that the MLB plans to implement a universal “Designated Hitter” rule for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire after 2021, it’s likely the universal DH will now become a permanent fixture in modern baseball. After decades of watching pitchers “rake”, the National League is finally adopting the American League’s approach to the game.
While this has understandably upset some of baseball’s purists, when it comes to the Philadelphia Phillies, this is a massive win. A full-time DH position not only helps the Phils in 2020, but it helps them in the long run as well.
#1. Keeping both Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins in the Phillies lineup
Just a few months ago, it seemed inevitable that the Phillies would ultimately have to decide between Rhys Hoskins or Alec Bohm. Hoskins has been the team’s franchise cornerstone at first base for the last three years, whereas Bohm is one of the highest ranked prospects in all of baseball.
However, some glaring concerns arose when it came to pairing up the two together moving forward. While Bohm is an absolute monster at the plate, he has showcased some glaring weakness when it comes to playing defense. At 6’ 5” and 225lbs, he moves far slower than the average MLB third baseman.
Heading into Spring Training, it seemed unlikely that the Phillies were going to be able to find a way to get both sluggers into the lineup. Jean Segura was taking first team reps at third base and Bohm was projecting to be a power bench bat at first. Looking towards the future, if Bohm never developed into an adequate fielding option at the hot corner, it’s likely he would have transitioned to first base. That would have forced the Phillies hand into making a very tough decision on who they valued more.
With the universal DH rule now in play, all those concerns are thrown out the window. The Phillies can comfortably run both Bohm and Hoskins (one at first and the other at DH) and fully optimize their offensive firepower. This also gives Bohm plenty of time to grow as a fielder before he’s ready to take over for Segura at third.