Regan's Rumblings: Who Benefits from a Universal DH?

As the billionaires and millionaires square off this week to divvy up the proceeds from a potential 82-game season, one of the more interesting tidbits about the proposal is the proposed implementation of the DH in the National League. Clearly the primary benefit here will be to National League teams with deep rosters. Let's look at 10 players who should see more playing time than they would in a "normal year" with pitchers hitting.

A.J. Pollock, LAD

Pollock should be in the lineup against all lefties anyway but allowing him to DH on a semi-regular basis should help to keep his bat in the lineup.  Pollock hasn't topped 113 games in a season since 2015, and obviously he won't this year, but helping minimize the wear and tear on his body should help both his durability and productivity. Pollock hit a decent .266/.327/.468 last year with 15 homers in just 308 at-bats, doing most of his damage against southpaws - .323/.370/.536. Joc Pederson should play LF (or maybe he's the DH) against RHP, with Chris Taylor also seeing a boost in playing time with the new rule. Pollock swiped just five bases last year, but he did work with a speed team this winter to improve both his speed on the bases and his outfield range. I wouldn't put a ton of stock in that and expect a spike in steals, but who knows, perhaps this "sprint group" is to speed what Driveline Academy is to adding velocity for pitchers.

Yoenis Cespedes, NYM

The Mets appear set in the outfield with starters J.D. Davis, Brandon Nimmo, and Michael Conforto. Using Robinson Cano at DH and shifting Jeff McNeil to second base and Davis to third could be another option, but either way, if Cespedes (ankle/heel) is truly ready to go in July, he'd be a major beneficiary of a universal DH. Matt Adams and Dominic Smith are other options, but the Mets probably want to see what Cespedes has left in the tank, if anything. Injuries have limited him to 119 games since the 2016 season, but his .282/.343/.525 slash in those seasons is solid and probably could have been better had he been at full health. His .884 OPS in 2016 may have been his peak, but perhaps there is something left here. Smith hit an encouraging .282/.255/.525 last year in limited action, but with a career .644 OPS against southpaws, he's likely limited to platoon duties.

Howie Kendrick, WAS

The Nationals have lots of moving pieces, so it's a bit tough to see how things would shake out. For now, I have the following lineup:

Trea Turner, SS
Adam Eaton, RF
Juan Soto, LF
Howie Kendrick, DH
Eric Thames, 1B
Victor Robles, CF
Starlin Castro, 2B
Carter Kieboom, 3B
Yan Gomes, C

Obviously, there will be some platooning here (first base for example), but I'd expect to see something like this on Opening Day. Kendrick can expect to see time at first, second, and third base, but a DH would seem to guarantee the veteran close to everyday playing time. Remember, Kendrick hit a shocking .344/.395/.572 with 17 home runs in 370 plate appearances in 2019, and while he can't be expected to approach those numbers again, the 36-year-old hit .315 and .303 in abbreviated 2017 and 2018 seasons, so there's still plenty to like in deeper leagues.

Dylan Carlson, STL

This should all-but ensure that Carlson opens 2020 with the Cardinals. The Cards have Tyler O'Neill, Harrison Bader, Dexter Fowler, Lane Thomas and Carlson in the hunt for everyday jobs. The thought is that Bader and Fowler are locked into CF and LF, though if neither perform right away, that could start to change. Carlson has the most offensive upside of the group after posting a combined .914 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A while ranking as RotoWire's No. 6 overall prospect. The switch-hitter won't need to be platooned, and after last year's 26 homers and 20 steals, the fantasy upside is obvious. His 10.3 BB% and 20.6 K% were also excellent and give him what appears to be a pretty high floor. He should be the team's everyday left fielder.

Jay Bruce, PHI

With Andrew McCutchen (knee) now likely ready for a July Opening Day, Bruce was set to fill a reserve role, but now he's probably the DH unless the Phillies wish to have Rhys Hoskins turn his glove in and turn first base over to Bruce. Either way, Bruce should see more at-bats despite hitting just .216 last year. Considering he's hit a combined .233 over the past six seasons, we have to write him off in shallower leagues despite the above-average power that he's maintained in the latter half of his career. Bruce also saw his BB% crater to 5.7 percent last year, so he's not much help in OBP leagues either. Should Bruce come out hitting like the 2019 version, that could open up at-bats for a guy like Roman Quinn, or should the Phillies elect to start his service time clock, Alec Bohm.

Avisail Garcia, MIL

The DH will allow the Brewers to play both Garcia and Ryan Braun every day, as they were set to share right field duties, with Garcia sliding over to other slots to give guys the day off. 2019 wasn't as good as his shocking 2017 season, but Garcia did rebound with the Rays, batting .282/.332/.464 while hitting career-highs in home runs (20) and stolen bases (10). The BB% (5.8) and K% (23.6) were as mediocre as ever, but with a line drive rate that improved to 22.3 percent, that allowed Garcia to rebound from 2018's .236 BA. He'll now move to a more hitter-friendly park, so maintaining last year's improvement seems very possible for the 29-year-old. At that age, he should be right in the prime of his career with a team that should be pretty good offensively.

Austin Riley, ATL

No longer will the Braves have to decide whether to play Riley or Johan Camargo every day. Now they can play both, one at third base and the other at DH, or perhaps rotate guys through the DH slot to give them rest. Riley is the most intriguing of the two after putting up a .992 OPS in Triple-A and then hitting nine home runs in his first 18 games with the Braves. It was all downhill after that, and Riley ended up with a 36.4 K% with the Braves after a more reasonable 20.1 percent in Triple-A. There were some major holes in his swing with the Braves, but nothing he can't correct. Riley struck out just five times in 32 PA this spring, so perhaps he's already made some adjustments. .260 is probably his BA ceiling this year, but that could come with 20 home runs, or what would have been 40 in a full MLB season.

Jesse Winker, CIN

This will help the Reds' OF log jam immensely. Pre-DH, both Winkler and Aristides Aquino were both set to be bench guys, with Aquino a prime candidate for Triple-A. Now though, Winker should see time in left field and at DH, though Winker's exposure to left-handers will probably be limited. Winker is a career .285/.379/.466 hitter, so when the Reds brought in Mike Moustakas and Shogo Akiyama to effectively block Winker, it was a bit of a surprise. Problem solved now though. Winker probably shouldn't have found his job in danger anyway after hitting a reasonable .269/.357/.473, but the Reds were obviously dead set in adding to their roster. Aquino should have a spot as well on the expanded roster, though his time initially could be limited to duty against LHP. Winker's BB% dipped from 14.7 to 9.9 last year, so that also bears watching, but I'd expect a solid season.

Sam Hilliard, COL

With David Dahl and Charlie Blackmon locked in as two of the outfield starters and Ramel Taipa and Ian Desmond set to compete with Hilliard for at-bats, it wasn't looking promising for his 2020 prospects. That should change now. It's very possible Hilliard would have eventually found his way into regular playing time as Tapia and Desmond simply aren't very good, but this should give Hilliard regular playing time assuming he hits. He sure hit last year, batting .273/.356/.647 in 27 games with the Rockies. He also combined for 42 home runs between Triple-A and the majors, and though his 29.3 K% in Triple-A isn't going to have him competing for batting titles anytime soon, Hilliard also swiped 24 baes last year, so the fantasy appeal is obvious.

Franchy Cordero, SD

Unless the Padres were truly willing to bench either Eric Hosmer or Wil Myers on a regular basis, the playing time was looking sporadic at best for Cordero. Now I'd expect Cordero in right field on a fairly regular basis, though the jury is very much out on his ability to hit left-handers. Cordero has shown flashes at times, but he's been unable to stay off the IL on a consistent basis, but maybe at age 25, he'll be able to put all that behind him. Cordero impressed in the Dominican league this winter, batting .364/.462/.576, and while that doesn't mean he's guaranteed to come in and rake for the Padres, it's encouraging.

Others – Steven Souza (CHC), Jay Bruce (PHI), Jose Osuna or Ke'Bryan Hays (PIT), Kevin Cron (ARI), Hunter Pence (SF)