Phillies TV, radio broadcasters weigh in on the universal DH

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Phillies broadcasters have differing views on the National League having the DH

Several members of the Philadelphia Phillies television and radio broadcast teams — Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Jim Jackson, Tom McCarthy and Kevin Frandsen — recently got together, virtually, for their weekly Friday Night Roundtable.

And, among topics discussed included their thoughts on the National League’s likely adoption of the universal designated hitter for a shortened 2020 season.

The designated hitter coming to the National League is part of the ongoing negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLBPA about a return to play. Number of games in the season, an extended playoff format, full prorated pay for players, and more, are also part of discussions.

And, as part of the upcoming negotiations with the collective bargaining agreement expiring following the 2021 season, the DH very well become a permanent fixture in baseball starting in 2022.

“The players, knowing it will prolong careers and inflate checking accounts, are advocating for it.” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote last month. “Most general managers, fearful of their prized pitchers getting hurt at the plate or on the basepaths, are in favor. Many fans, wanting as much offense as possible, are craving it. It’s the traditionalists who are balking at the idea.”

The Phillies have some decisions to make as to who their full-time DH would be, and whether they decide to promote top hitting prospect Alec Bohm, given another bat would be needed for the starting lineup.

Adding the DH will surely add more offense into National League games. As Nightengale notes, pitchers slashed just .127/.137/.317 with 2,230 strikeouts across nearly 5,000 plate appearances last season.

So, whether you are a baseball purist or what more offense into the game, there are clearly divided lines. Click through to read the Phillies broadcast team members’ varying perspectives on the topic, as discussed during the roundtable.

Scott Franzke

“I think independent of this current situation, it was coming anyways with the next CBA. At least that’s what the prevailing thought is.

I know a pitcher getting a big hit is few and far between, but I think it’s still a fun thing to root for in baseball. I think that [some] pitchers take it seriously, because they know the incremental advantage it gives them. [Max] Scherzer is the current-day example of it. But, I know from having watched Doc, how much better he got in one year’s time, how serious he took it and how much he understood it mattered to the overall game — that he could do something with the bat. He knew that would keep him on the mound longer. I loved the fact that he and today Scherzer, guys like that, take it so seriously and get so much pride. They know what it means for them on the mound and, by extension, of course, for their team in the game.”

Larry Andersen

“I’m a big proponent of pitchers hitting, as much as I was scared to hit. Because there’s strategy. To me, when you take the pitcher out of the equation, you don’t need a manager. You just need a pitching coach to make a pitching change. What else do you gotta do?

You look at Edgar Martinez. He’s in the Hall of Fame, but for me, it takes away from Ryne Sandberg being in the Hall of Fame. Because you got guys going to the Hall of Fame because they can hit and couldn’t do anything else. Back in the day, if you couldn’t do anything else, you couldn’t play. I think it’s a slight on guys, who are just one-position, one-dimensional players going in the Hall of Fame, when you had so many great players.

There were guys that weren’t very good defensively, but they were so offensively that they had to be put in the lineup.”

Jim Jackson

“Watching baseball over the last three or four years with all the double switches — of course, that’s going to change, too, with the three-batter rule — but there are just so many changes I almost got to the point where I’ve surrendered and said, ‘Okay, just go to the DH.'”

I’d much rather have the strategy involved in the game and have the pitchers involved, but I’m trying to look at this more from what the fans of today kind of want. I think they’d rather have a guy who can actually swing the bat batting, instead of a pitcher. I didn’t want to give up on this, but I kind of surrender to the DH.

You lose that, in terms of what we’re talking about, batting orders. Who cares about the top and bottom of the batting order anymore once you have the DH? That whole strategy element goes [away].”

Tom McCarthy

“Does it need to happen? I don’t think it does, but I know they’re trying to find more jobs. My thought is, if it gets the game back, just get the game back.

That’s my thought. I’m not for it 100 percent, but if it gets the game back sooner rather than later, I’d say do whatever you want to do.”

Kevin Frandsen

“I just like the two separate leagues. I get and understand interleague play for fans and everything, but there’s something special about back in the day when the American League will play the National League for the first time in the All-Star Game and then the World Series. That was it. I love the two separate leagues. They’re doing stuff to try to help and get things going within the game when it gets back. I don’t know, is that one that really needs to happen?

Obviously with the pitchers, you’re not gonna get a lot of balls in play and doing all of that, but I would say in the last five years … the absolute pullback on pitchers’ BP, bunting practice and then working on stuff, we’ve seen worse and worse at-bats because they’re guys that don’t do anything. They randomly do something here and there.

I know when I came up with the Giants, it was mandated every day; every starter and long reliever would be out there bunting against the machine one or two rounds, hit, [and] boom, they’re out. You don’t see that anymore.

It kind of goes where we are in our sports world — specialization. It’s like a little ‘micro’ look at where we are in sports and not having the multi-sport athletes, the better athletes playing all the sports growing up as kids. [Now] it’s like, ‘you got to do one thing. if you do one thing great, you’re going to be fine. They’ll find something for you.’

I just love the game of baseball … you don’t have to have the most talent. Watching a guy like Scott Kingery, for me, is fun. A guy that had turned himself into not a Gold Glove shortstop, but a very above-average shortstop, a really good second baseman, [and] turned himself into a good third baseman. More impressive, he goes out to the outfield, has a little slow time going at the beginning, and turned himself into a great centerfielder. That’s something that’s lost in this game.

When I played for the Angels, it was the most boring time ever. It was fun, I’d be playing and knew I was never coming out. The days when I was not in the lineup, I was like, ‘Am I going to get warmed up and stretched out? No, I’m just going to get some coffee. That’s gonna be my walk right now.’

It wasn’t fun that way. I can speak for the bench player, where you’re always trying to think along with the manager. You’re almost more in cahoots with the manager than anyone else, because you’re trying to understand where he will utilize you. Where, pick and choose the times … ‘Okay, I can start my routine now, because this guy’s already at 60 pitches and we’re in the third inning. He’s maybe two innings away from getting another at-bat. I better be ready to go.’

Now, you’re thinking along with everything. You’re in the game; you’re locked in. I feel like with the DH, you’re not as locked in with the game, American League guys compared to National League guys — especially the bench guys.”

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