Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send 30 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Nationals fans, sign up HERE to join SB Nation Reacts.
Way back in April of 2015, Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo shared his thoughts on the possibility of baseball bringing the designated hitter to the National League in an interview with 106.7 the FAN in D.C.’s Grant Paulsen, telling the host he’s ... not a big fan of the idea.
“I hate the DH,” Rizzo said succinctly. “I always have hated the DH. I’d hate to see the DH in the National League.”
What does he think of the idea of having the DH in the NL in a shortened 2020 campaign if the players and owners can get things worked out and there is actually a season this year?
No one’s asked Rizzo recently. Maybe we’ll ask him next time the GM talks with reporters, as he has a number of times over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s reportedly going to happen if they do play baseball this year, the DH in the NL that is, and the prevailing wisdom seems to be that there will be a universal DH when the players and owners negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement for the 2022 campaign.
Is the inclusion of the DH for NL teams in the plans for a potential 2020 campaign a bit of conditioning to get us all ready for a future with the designated hitter in the senior circuit?
Follow the money, bubba. Or something. So, getting to the point of this post ... c’mon, stop with the applauding, we were getting there on our own time:
What do the SB Nation Reacts voters think of the idea of adding the DH to the NL?
Now, it’s important to note that the question was not, “Should MLB add the DH to the NL for 2020”? It’s asked more generally, just, “Should MLB add the DH to the National League?”
The results...
What? 56% yes? We can’t be friends, you 56%. But that’s among baseball fans from National League and American League teams. How about NL fans who voted?:
That’s more like it. How did that break down among NL teams? Meaning: Which NL teams’ fan bases are in favor of the DH in the NL?
Here is the full list of NL teams percentage of favorability towards the DH:
What? 45% of our fellow Nationals fans? We can’t be friends, 45%. I’m heartbroken. We’ve taught you nothing.
The Braves (52%), Cubs (59%), Brewers (59%), and Reds (61%) were the only NL team fan bases to be in favor of a DH in the NL.
Okay, let’s try to get past that. At least we can all agree that spitting in baseball is gross and especially in this coronavirus environment it has to be frowned upon, right?:
Who chose that picture? And who are the 57%? Whatever, there was one more question this week:
We have no comment on this one, especially for you DH and spitting-loving fans. You’ve really, really disappointed us...