How to be a Designated Hitter

Video Transcript

"Now, we're going to take a look at the designated hitter, or the DH. This is a specialized position, a modern invention of baseball that only exists in the American League of professional baseball. It's a little different DHing in little league or AAU, legion ball and on the collegiate level. We'll focus primarily on the major league designated hitter. Again, it only exists in the American League and this is a person who doesn't play defense. His sole responsibility is to hit the ball. David Ortiz is a very prominent designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox. Jason Giambi has filled that role for the NY Yankees lately. The DH is generally a power hitter who can also hit for some average. He's generally a larger player who can hit the home run. You're going to expect your DH to hit between 25 and 35 home runs a year. You really want this guy to be a big bopper. In the American League he'll generally bat either 4th or 5th. He's generally not very skilled at defense or at least his hitting skills far exceed his defensive skills and there are better defensive players on the field. The DH, again, is a modern invention. It did not exist in baseball prior to the 1970s and it does not exist in the National League. A lot of people consider the National League pure baseball because the pitcher bats. In major league baseball, the American League, the designated hitter takes the place in the batting lineup of the pitcher. The pitcher is generally your worst hitter on the team because he has the least opportunity to practice hitting. Most of the time he's going to practice pitching. So, in the American League they'll let the DH take the cuts instead. The DH does serve the purpose of allowing some of your aging power hitters to remain in the game. Rafael Palmero was an example of that as was Jose Canseco and Juan Gonzales. These guys would have been out of the game earlier in their careers had they not been able to go play in American League ballparks and play DH because their bodies just couldn't keep up with the day to day grind of playing in the field. So, while the DH may not be a purist?s choice it does serve a great purpose allowing some of these superstars play and extend their careers. Again, the DH bats every inning. He takes up a regular spot in the batting lineup, generally 4th or 5th and he does bat every inning. His responsibility is just to hit the ball."