In February, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the universal designated hitter rule will be implemented in 2022. Back in 2020, MLB instituted a universal DH for one season as part of health and safety protocols during the covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, some teams and some players in the National League did benefit from the universal DH rule.
In 2020, the Braves DHs had an OPS of .985, the best among 30 MLB teams. They crushed 17 home runs and collected 52 RBI in 60 games. The Braves used 7 players in the DH spot in the shortened season and Marcell Ozuna was the main player to hit as a DH. During the regular season, Ozuna hit .362/.464/.691 with 14 home runs and 40 RBI as a DH.
Moreover, the Phillies DHs had an OPS of .834 in 2020. In that season, they hit .266/.362/.472 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. However, Andrew McCutchen was only hitting .188/.288/.359 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI as a DH. McCutchen had 73 plate appearances as a DH in 2020. At the same time, Bryce Harper had 41 plate appearances as a DH in 2020. Phil Gosselin, J.T. Realmuto and Jay Bruce each had 30+ plate appearances as a DH. It’s worth noting these 4 players each had an over .800 OPS as DH.
In addition, the Mets also saw their DHs have an over .800 OPS in 2020. 4 Mets players had at least 30 plate appearances in the DH spot in 2020. Among these 4 players, Robinson Cano and J.D. Davis each had an over .900 OPS as a DH. However, Pete Alonso, who won the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year award, only hit .203/.246/.469 with 5 home runs and 8 RBI as DH in 2020.
Finally, the Cardinals saw their DHs post a .795 OPS. Brad Miller had 100+ plate appearances as a DH in 2020 and he finished the season with 7 home runs and 17 RBI. Meanwhile, the Padres DHs had a .792 OPS in 2020 and the Dodgers DHs posted a .787 OPS. In the shortened 2020 season, the Padres used 15 players in the DH spot. Tommy Pham was the only Padres player who had 50+ plate appearances as a DH. But, Pham only hit .182/.308/.273 with 1 home run and 2 RBI as a DH. In the meantime, the Dodgers used 13 different players in the DH spot in 2020. Among those 13 players, AJ Pollock, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Justin Turner each had at least 30 at-bats as a DH in 2020. Corey Seager batted .343/.385/.657 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI as a DH. At the same time, as DH, Justin Turner slashed .323/.500/.419 in 2020, however, he didn’t crush a homer.
Marcell Ozuna had some personal problems last year and only played 48 games for the Braves. Nonetheless, back in 2020, he did hit very well and enjoyed hitting as DH. If he can play in 2022, he will surely be an ideal candidate for designated hitter. In 2020, Ozuna had 179 plate appearances as a DH, most among NL DHs. However, some NL teams used DH to provide one of their regular players with a partial day of rest in the 2020 season. With the universal DH rule, some good hitters certainly have more opportunities to hit. All-Star DH Nelson Cruz already signed a contract with the Nationals. It will be worth watching who will have more opportunities as DH in the NL this year.
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