Phillies: 4 Reasons the Universal DH is Great News
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.
#2. More Roman Quinn in the Phillies lineup
This might seem like a strange point to make considering Roman Quinn for the most part has made a minimal impact with the Phillies, but there’s a serious amount of value he gives a team when healthy. Not only did Quinn post a 1.139 OPS in the month of August last year, but he was also electric in the outfield. Quinn routinely covered ground and made plays that no other centerfielder on the roster could dream of making. His speed and athleticism is simply something you cannot teach.
Despite appearing in only 44 games last year, Quinn recorded eight stolen bases. That gives him the most stolen bases per game on the Phillies by a pretty large margin. Considering the fact that Gabe Kapler was a more cautious manager when it came to baserunning and Joe Girardi tends to be more aggressive, it’s completely reasonable to assume Quinn could get the number up into the mid-20s if healthy.
Having someone like Quinn on the bases poses a constant threat to opposing pitchers. Not only can he swipe a bag at any given moment, but he can score on hits that an average player usually couldn’t. If Quinn is on second base, a single is scoring him almost 99% of the time.
On top of the above mentioned boost that Quinn can provide to a lineup, this also allows the Phillies to properly maintain Andrew McCutchen’s health over the next two or so years. “Cutch” turns 34 this October and is coming off a pretty nasty ACL injury. The idea of him being an everyday option in the outfield simply isn’t feasible anymore.
With the new DH rule, McCutchen can now routinely take afternoons off in the field, and instead, just focus on being productive at the plate. This is a win-win scenario for both Quinn and Cutch.
#3. More Options for Phillies manager Joe Girardi
Between Jay Bruce, Josh Harrison, and Kyle Garlick, the Phillies have a healthy amount of players on the roster who are *almost* good enough to be everyday starters in today’s MLB. Initially projected to all be bench bats, for the most part, the new DH rule now gives Joe Girardi the chance to utilize them as everyday contributors.
When healthy, Jay Bruce was an absolute force for the Phillies in 2019. He hit 12 HRs and knocked in 31 RBIs while primarily playing a limited role. At 33 years old his fielding has obviously started to decline, so the potential of him playing a regular role in the outfield is lowered. However, having Bruce as a regular in the DH spot showcases the best of his abilities.
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A 2x All-Star, the signing of longtime Pirate Josh Harrison somewhat went under the radar this past offseason. Signed to a minor-league contract to compete for a bench spot, the application of the DH makes his value that much greater. If Harrison is swinging the bat well and having a good stretch of games, having him as the team’s ninth starter is a huge addition.
Acquired via a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kyle Garlick is another sleeper player who will benefit from this new rule. Garlick absolutely dominated the minor leagues in 2019. Across 81 games in AAA, Garlick hit .314, launched 23 homers, and knocked in 25 doubles. One extra spot in the starting lineup gives Garlick that much more of a chance to show off his power in 2020.
Other guys like Nick Williams and possibly even Deivy Grullon could also see increased action in 2019 due to the new DH position. In general, Girardi is one of the brightest minds in baseball, and giving him more chances to flex his managerial skills will always benefit the Phillies.
#4. Extending Careers
JT Realmuto played catcher in 133 games last year, Jean Segura began to show serious signs of regression and fatigue, and I already talked about Andrew McCutchen and his health concerns. At a bare minimum, the new proposed DH rule will help extend the careers of some of the most important Phillies on the roster.
Gabe Kapler worked Realmuto hard last year, that’s no secret. While Kapler routinely caught flak for how much he played the All-Star catcher, the former Phillies manager honestly didn’t have much of a choice. Realmuto was easily the Phillies most consistent hitter in 2019, and they genuinely needed him in the lineup as much as humanly possible. This created a problem in that Realmuto also had to catch almost every single game. With the new DH rule, Realmuto can still be a regular in the offensive lineup without hurting his knees behind the plate every afternoon.
Related Story. 5 DH Options for the Phillies. light
While Segura is currently training to play third base in 2020, that’s likely not a long term position for him. While I did mention Bohm projects as a more natural first baseman, there’s still a strong belief in the Phillies organization that they can mold him into an average defensive third baseman. With this in mind, that means Segura could be out of a job come 2021.
Segura showed serious signs of defensive regression last year (career-high 20 errors), and that is likely due to age and lowering athleticism levels. However, if the former Mariner can find a way to get back to his .300 hitting ways (he’s been working hard this offseason to get in better shape), he would still be a very valuable asset to the Phillies offense moving forward. Taking him out of the field in 2021, and running him as the DH could very well rejuvenate his playing career in Philadelphia.
Segura carries a $14.85 million cap hit in 2021, so he needs to get back to All-Star level production sooner rather than later. Slotting in as the team’s DH in a year might be the move that the infielder needs to warrant such a lofty price tag.