With the Guardian-Rays game canceled due to weather, I turned my attention to the Pirates’ designated hitter position, which has emerged as a significant weakness for the team in recent seasons. This issue was particularly evident during Marcell Ozuna’s disappointing performance last year, which ultimately led to his release in August. While the Pirates managed to improve their standing from last place to 27th in DH rankings, they continue to face challenges in identifying a genuine DH specialist who can consistently contribute to the lineup. Over the past three years, the team has fluctuated in rankings, finishing 18th, 29th, and 27th, demonstrating a persistent struggle to find a reliable solution at the plate. Through my research, I discovered that the top 12 teams in the DH category deployed highly effective strategies, with an impressive 10 of these teams qualifying for the playoffs. This statistic underscores the crucial role that a strong DH can play in a team’s overall success. Interestingly, four of those top teams, including the Phillies and Dodgers, relied heavily on standout individual players like Kyle Schwarber and Shohei Ohtani, both of whom boasted exceptional OPS+ numbers, reflecting their substantial offensive contributions. The other two teams the Astros and Rays used two very accomplished hitters. Yordan Alvarez had a league leading OPS+ of 190 for the Astros. Yandy Diaz was solid for the Rays with an OPS+ of 124. For all four teams these players had at least 587 appearances at the DH position. In contrast, five other teams, such as the Cubs and Orioles, favored a more collective, committee-based approach, ensuring that no single DH accumulated more than 283 plate appearances, which tends to dilute the impact of any one player. Furthermore, teams like the Braves, Yankees, and Rangers exhibited even more varied setups, employing different strategies that responded dynamically to injuries and player performance fluctuations. This diversity in approach sheds light on the complexity of constructing a formidable designated hitter strategy, ultimately reinforcing the necessity for the Pirates to reassess their options if they hope to enhance their offensive capabilities in the coming seasons.
What are the conclusions you can draw from all of that other than the Pirates have stunk at the DH position. Since the National League started the DH in 2022 the best the Pirates have done is finish 15th. The other conclusion I draw from all of this is unless you have an established super star hitter it is best to have the DH done by committee. The one thing I find interesting about the Braves splitting the DH almost equally is that both hitters are left handed. So, it was not a platoon thing. Unless the Pirates find that superstar hitter which is highly unlikely let’s hope the Pirates wake up and do the DH by committee. I know that is unlikely to happen, but we can all hope.
