MLBPA's Clark: Idea of universal DH is 'gaining momentum'
Major League Baseball Players' Association executive Tony Clark met with members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Tuesday and discussed the possible implementation of a universal DH.
Clark said the players' union had talked about the idea and that it was "gaining momentum," according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
"Players are talking about it more than they have in the past," Clark said.
With batting averages dwindling league-wide and some hitters struggling to find lucrative work, the universal DH has been a topic of conversation for the majority of the season.
Since Opening Day 2016, pitchers are hitting .126/.144/.163 in almost 14,000 plate appearances. There is no added strategy. Bunts and double switches are a way to spare us from watching pitchers try to hit.
— Mike Axisa (@mikeaxisa) July 17, 2018
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred addressed Clark's comments and said that if you were to add the DH to the National League then "there is a brand of baseball that is done." Manfred added that the most likely outcome is that the rule remains the same for their respective leagues.
The designated hitter was adopted by the American League in 1973.