There are a couple reasons why the DH rule should be kept around and used in both leagues. For those who believe in the DH, it does have advantages. Many careers have been prolonged, and, in a few cases, created long, productive careers for players who are weak fielders or have a history of injuries. Perfect examples are guys like Edgar MartÃnez and David Ortiz, who had plenty of pop in their bat, but weren't as good in terms of fielding. Hall of Famers George Brett, Carl Yastrzemski, and Paul Molitor continued their careers longer than they ordinarily would have without the rule. Barry Bonds, who spent his entire career in the National League and actually won eight Gold Gloves earlier in his career, was used strictly as a DH later in his career when the San Francisco Giants played away interleague games due to his poor fielding. Another advantage that the DH rule has is that it takes the pitchers out of the equation. meaning that pitchers don't have to take the bat and get up to the plate and swing. Besides the injury to Wainwright, look at what happened to pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. His career came into decline, according to some, due to an interleague game injury has been cited in support of the designated hitter. On June 15, 2008, Wang was taken out of an interleague game versus the Houston Astros due to a right foot injury he sustained while running the bases, something he was not used to doing, since pitchers do not bat in the American League. Wang was diagnosed with a torn Lisfranc ligament and a partial tear of the peroneus longus of the right foot. The cast was removed on July 29, but the extensive rehabilitation process prevented Wang from being an effective pitcher at the major league level since.
Of course, you have people looking at this from the other way. Some feel that injuries like this were caused because pitchers have to hit. Look at Wainwright. Look at Wang. Max Scherzer had to have a start pushed back because he jammed his thumb while batting. The argument could be made that people come to the park to watch a guy like Clayton Kershaw throw the ball not try and hit it. Kershaw and Scherzer, just to name a few, are guys who people come to see stand on a hill and pitch the ball. By having a DH, it would take that factor out of the system. Then again some feel that by not having the pitchers hit, its un-baseball like and it takes away a skill that all baseball players should be somewhat able to do. I for one, don't want to see Mets Ace Matt Harvey have to be taken out of a game and miss a month because he got hit on his pitching hand while in the batters box.
In hindsight though, you have no way to project players getting hurt. A pitcher could just as easily blow out his knee chasing down a ground ball back to the mound or going over to cover 1st base than he can running out of the batters box. I have never had a problem with the way things are done around Major League Baseball. It took a while for the DH rule to be accepted but it has become part of the game. It forces managers to think differently depending on what park they're in. Yes it sucks Wainwright's season had to end the way it did, but that's part of baseball, hell its a part of sports. Long story short is, no matter how hard you argue or fight the DH rule will stay pat in the American League and pitchers will still hit in the NL. Would I like to see it change? Yeah it wouldn't be so bad an idea. But the quality level of the players isn't the same to be able to sustain the position in both leagues. Injuries happen and putting in the DH in the NL I don't think is going to change that. It may prolong what is inevitable in players getting hurt, but injuries happen. The DH won't be joining the NL
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