Cincinnati Reds: Three reasons to be excited about the universal DH

1. Veterans, such as Reds first baseman Joey Votto, will be better rested.

The universal DH will become a tool for position players to take a break from the field, but still get at-bats. Two players this could benefit the most are first baseman Joey Votto and third baseman Eugenio Suárez.

Votto is entering his 14th season with the Cincinnati Reds. The most recent season Votto played every game was 2017. Since then he played 145 games in 2018, and 142 games in 2019. Many of the missed games over the past two seasons have come due to a variety of injuries to his legs and back.

For Votto to stay healthy during the 60-game season, he will need to receive frequent days off from playing in the field. In previous seasons, the downside of him not playing in the field is that his bat is removed from the batting order. The universal DH will remedy this situation.

If Votto isn’t manning first base, he could be the team’s designated hitter and recover from the wear and tear of playing in the field, while still producing offensively. The Reds have a variety of options on their roster to play first base.

Josh VanMeter and Kyle Farmer are both versatile utility players and could fill in for Votto. Even newcomer Mike Moustakas has experience playing the position from his time in Kansas City. As the active leader among current players in on-base percentage, a healthy Votto could lead to more hits and a higher OBP in 2020.

Another player that could benefit from rest provided by the universal DH is Eugenio Suárez. In January, Suárez underwent shoulder surgery following an injury in a swimming pool. Reports are that Suarez is 100% going into the 2020 season, but having a few days off from playing third base would definitely help.

This will keep Geno’s bat in the lineup while giving his shoulder time to rest. Moustakas, Farmer, VanMeter and, possibly even Nick Senzel could take over at the hot corner during games that Suárez needs a break.

2. Adding the DH will give the Reds outfield rotation some flexibility.

After the Reds signed Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos, there was a lot of discussion about having too many outfielders on the roster. How will management divide playing time? Who is the odd man out? Should they make a trade?

Those questions, and others, were logical  before coronavirus pandemic shut down spring training and delayed the 2020 season. Now that the universal DH is here, having an abundance of outfielders is a blessing for the Reds.

Throughout the 60-game season, Cincinnati can use any of their outfielders in the role of universal designated hitter without sacrificing defense. This is a benefit not many NL teams have at their disposal heading into the season.

When the Reds use an outfield of Jesse Winker in left, Akiyama in center and Castellanos in right, the DH could be Nick Senzel, Aristides Aquino or Phillip Ervin. On days when Castellanos needs a break, he could serve as the DH while Aquino plays right field. When Akiyama takes his turn at DH, Senzel will easily slide into center field. Ervin can play left when Winker takes over at DH.

The 60-man player pool will also give the Reds some additional outfielders to add to the mix. These players could include Josh VanMeter, Travis Jankowski, Mark Payton and Scott Schebler. Their value will come in giving starters time off from playing in the field so they can serve as designated hitter.

The Reds will have the luxury of building a stronger batting lineup. If this season was played with the universal DH, a potent outfield bat would have sat on the bench, hoping for a late-inning substitution or pinch-hitting opportunity.

Now, Manager David Bell can stack his lineup with an extra-strong hitter every game. Where the outfield depth was once looked at as a potential problem, it is now an obvious positive in the time of the universal DH in the National League.

3. Reds starters will gain rest in a shortened-season.

The universal DH is obviously designed to increase offense. No longer having a pitcher bat in the eighth or ninth spot in the lineup will give the Cincinnati Reds a better chance to get a hit or score a run. There is also another benefactor of the universal DH; the starting rotation.

In previous seasons, Reds pitchers have always had to worry about two things when they took the mound; getting the other team out and how to hit the opposing pitcher’s curveball. Now they only have to focus on pitching.

Batting will be a distant memory unless the pitcher is Michael Lorenzen, who could still see an appearance at the plate now and then. More time to focus only on pitching can only help the Reds starters and relievers.

The universal DH will help the starters stay in the game longer. The strategic move of pulling a pitcher early based on where they are batting in an inning will go away. While the Reds should always look for ways to score runs, it is also in the team’s best interest to keep a dominant pitching performance going as long as possible.

If Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray or Trevor Bauer are pitching strong in the fifth inning, they will now only leave the game if things start to get out of control. They won’t be pulled if the Reds have a runner on second base in their half of the inning and Phillip Ervin is called on to pinch-hit.

The Universal DH will also benefit relievers. The new pitching rule states all relief pitchers now must face at least three batters, or pitch to the end of the inning before being removed from the game.

If Amir Garrett storms through the seventh inning and the Reds want to use him to start the eighth inning, David Bell won’t have to pull him based on where he is batting in the lineup. The move will now only come when dictated by the pitching performance.

When it comes to the universal DH, the team’s offense, defense and pitching staff will benefit. This will give Reds Country many reasons to be excited going into the 2020 season. While many have long since resisted, it’s time to embrace the designated hitter in the National League.