Reds’ Adam Duvall wants baseball to get rid of the designated hitter … – CBSSports.com

To DH or not to DH? The debate rages in not only among fans, but among players and coaches and executives within baseball. There seems to be no middle ground. Either you love the designated hitter or you hate it.

Reds outfielder Adam Duvall is not a fan of the DH. He prefers the old school National League style of play. Here’s what he told ESPN’s Mark Saxon recently:

One rule you would change?

Duvall: I don’t know. I mean, I enjoy watching National League games because of the pitchers having to hit. Maybe that would be it. It makes it so much more interesting, having to juggle the pieces rather than just being able to leave it alone. The double switch is very interesting because you have to know what you’re doing and it can change a ballgame. So, maybe get rid of the DH would be it.

That’s not a hard “the DH stinks and I want it gone” response, but clearly Duvall is pro-pitchers hitting. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and that’s his. That’s fine. I don’t agree with it at all, but to each his own.

Me? I take zero enjoyment from watching pitchers hit. They can’t do it. Madison Bumgarner, the game’s preeminent hitting pitcher, has a .174/.256/.348 slash line this season. Watching a pitch sock a dinger once every few weeks isn’t worth the hundreds of other empty at-bats.

And please, spare me the strategy argument. A sac bunt is not strategy. It’s common sense when you have a terrible hitter at the plate and an out to give. My feeble DH-loving brain has no trouble understanding a double switch. It’s not that complicated.

The DH is good for baseball. It extends careers — possibly Duvall’s down the line! — and it keeps pitchers safe, plus it adds offense. Those are all positives. The National League and the Central League in Japan are the only pro leagues where pitchers still hit. They’re behind the time.