A designated hitter is paid to hit – only to hit. There’s no fielding involved, no strain from the day-to-day grind, and mobility is not much of an issue.
With fielding requirements thrown out the window, there is an endless sea of candidates to fill the role, meaning the batting standards are much higher at the “position”.
While David Ortiz is certainly one of the greatest Red Sox hitters of all time and has paid more than his fair share of dues, he has needed his teammates to carrythe load this season. Using OPS as a quick guide, Ortiz tops only Jacoby Ellsbury on the list of team regulars. Sure, Alex Gonzalez should fall below Papi’s .777 OPS quite soon.
Still, the 7th best OPS in the lineup should not come from the DH.
For a little perspective, Rocco Baldelli is just behind him at .772; Ellsbury stands at .773. In the American League, 9 teams have a higher OPS out of their DH slot on the season. The Yankees top the list at .872, the Angels follow at second with .846. The Sox (.763 total on the season) are neck and neck with the Rays (.764) and Athletics (.761).
While the team has certainly had no trouble scoring runs despite the below average production, it is worth noting that this may come as a significant hindrance should the Sox make the World Series.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the AL has quite an advantage when playing at home because they have a full-time DH during the regular season. National League teams cannot afford to hire a similar player for their team because they would sit on the bench all year.
Should the Red Sox make the World Series, their home DH-rule advantage will be negated to a large extent, as NL teams have bench players who can provide comparable production.
The Dodgers recently traded for Jim Thome, who was a DH in the AL. He has posted a .852 OPS in 2009. The Phillies have Ben Francisco (.847) and Matt Stairs (.771) who can come off their bench to start in an American League park. The Rockies can employ Carlos Gonzalez (.873) in the DH slot should they reach the Series.
Only St. Louis seems poorly suited for AL parks, though they can plug in Julio Lugo if necessary (owner of a shocking .801 OPS) or choose to play Rick Ankiel (.682) who has plenty of juice in his bat.
There’s not a whole lot the Red Sox can do, except trot out their top players and hope for the best. If it is any consolation, however, Papi has posted a .838 OPS after the break, with 13 HRs in 212 at-bats. So, things are looking up.
Either way, the team has to get to the Series first.
