I know it’s impolite to say, ‘I told you so.’
But ...
How about the designated hitter now?
A special Saturday evening at Busch Stadium featured Adam Wainwright on the bump, Yadier Molina behind the dish (and stealing third base!), and Albert Pujols in the lineup.
The trio shared a final start together against the Cubs.
Did you hear the roar every time No. 5 stepped in? Fans jumped from their seats. Cellphone cameras captured every second.
“A different level of noise when he comes to the plate,” manager Oli Marmol said.
Saturday would have been impossible without the designated hitter. Just saying.
The same is true for Pujols’ magical last-year reunion with the Cardinals, his epic and awesome chase for 700 home runs, and the emergence of a crucial and crushing element of a soaring Cardinals lineup.
National League loyalists in Cardinal Nation who swore up and down they were going to stop watching Cardinals baseball when the designated hitter arrived for good — I have emails to prove it — must have had a hard time ignoring August. Some fibs were told, I think. But for those who held strong, there is still time to come back. This team is throwing a party you don’t want to miss.
For all that talk about strategy being pulled from the game, there seems to be plenty involved now. It’s just a different kind. Pairing up the right designated hitter against each game’s starter takes work. Especially the way the Cardinals are playing it. Unless the opposing pitcher is left-handed, like Cubs starter Drew Smyly. Then you just start Pujols. And you start him when there’s a right-hander who doesn’t throw super hard, or when he has a good history against the guy. And you start him a little more often once you wrap up claiming the National League Central, because of what’s at stake.
“It’s always in the back of your mind,” Marmol said earlier in this series. “I get it. You want to give him a chance to get to 700. I’m no different than anybody in the seats. I want to see it happen, too.”
It’s OK for designated-hitter haters to admit they were wrong.
I’ll go first.
I have been pro-DH from the jump, but I was wrong thinking the Cardinals would be best off acquiring a full-time, proven slugger for every-day DH duties.
Now, I don’t regret suggesting former free-agent slugger Kyle Schwarber as a good potential fit. By the start of Saturday’s games, he had clobbered a National League leading 36 homers. His Phillies led baseball in on-base plus slugging percentage produced by the DH spot (.891). But check out who’s not too far behind, and climbing fast.
The Cardinals now rank eighth in MLB and fourth in the NL in OPS produced by the designated hitter spot (.785). And since the All-Star break they lead all of baseball in DH-produced OPS (1.117). Since Pujols was swarmed by his fellow All-Stars at the home run derby, Cardinals designated hitters — spearheaded by Pujols — have combined to average .392 with a .424 on-base percentage and a .693 slugging percentage. Yowza.
Schwarber is going to cost the Phillies nearly $80 million over four years. Corey Dickerson signed for $5 million. Pujols got $2.5 million. The young guys cost even less.
The Cardinals’ plan of bringing back Pujols to mash lefties and mixing and matching hot bats against righties is working incredibly well in crunch time.
The intoxicating and contagious fun of watching Pujols push for 700 is, without a doubt, the most fun benefit. Additional ones have emerged.
Rookie Nolan Gorman’s bat was able to be fast-tracked to the majors despite his defensive inexperience at second base. Maybe fast-rising prospect Jordan Walker will get the same treatment next season?
Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have been cycled through the DH spot to get much-needed days off their feet in the field without removing their MVP-worthy bats from the lineup. Goldschmidt has spent just more than 14% of his at-bats at DH. For Arenado, it’s just over 9%. The Cardinals have data that confirms a little more rest for the Gold Glove winners provides results on the back end that make the approach worth it.
How the Cardinals have handled the DH outside of the trio of Pujols, Arenado and Goldschmidt has allowed other hitters to surge toward more opportunity when playing well and not have to weigh down the lineup with slumps when struggling. Against right-handed pitchers the spot has become one where matchups and momentum can dictate who gets the shot each game. Gorman and fellow youngsters like Juan Yepez, Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar have benefitted at times. So has Dickerson, who surged back from the risk of being written off as a free-agent flop. Marmol works to play everyone often enough that rust doesn’t erode the bench.
“The rotation that has been used has been helpful to everybody,” Marmol said. “I’ve been pleased with it.”
Give Pujols a lot of credit for that, and not just when he’s starting.
“The DH position benefits from having some type of years in the league as far as what the prep looks like to get ready for it,” Marmol said. “Young guys, they go 0-for-2 there, and you are sitting on the bench for eight hitters thinking about that at-bat. They handle that different than a veteran. Having experience helps.”
Enter Pujols.
“One, in conversation,” Marmol said. “And two, just watching how he does it, right? If you’re smart, you’re sitting there absorbing it. When does he get loose? When does he start taking swings? What is he looking at?”
Pujols is looking at accomplishing something once believed to be impossible, and we’re not talking about 700 homers.
He’s convincing a baseball crazed city full of National League traditionalists to stand up and applaud the designated hitter.
