The Pirates Have An Obvious Choice For DH

Photo courtesy of Michael Owens/Getty Images

The MLB is finally introducing the universal DH, and for the first time ever National League teams will have to figure out which player to plug into that spot. 

While those awesome moments where a pitcher would do something astounding at the plate will be missed (Gerrit Cole’s first career home run against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 2014 comes to mind), the inning ending strikeouts and groundouts will not. 

Now the question for Pittsburgh Pirates fans is: Who will be the Bucs DH?

Well this will probably change on a consistent basis. The Pirates don’t have the strongest offense in the world, so players may go through slumps or not be versatile enough to remain in the role. 

The main player I expect to see in the designated hitter spot is Yoshi Tsutsugo. He joined the Pirates halfway through August and quickly became a fan favorite through the end of the season. He hit .268 in that span with eight home runs and 25 RBIs. He wasn’t the worst fielder at first base, but certainly wasn’t great either. He made lots of simple things incorrectly at times, and he proved that he was much better at the plate than in the field. It is possible that Pittsburgh brought Tsutsugo back because they knew the DH was imminent and that he’d be the best option. I expect to see Yoshi at the DH most often this season, barring any unforeseen slumps. 

Beyond Tsutsugo the options for designated hitter are limited, showing the lack of depth the Pirates have on this roster. 

Infielder Michael Chavis is another option I could see the team choosing to start. He hit .357 in the 12 games he played for the Pirates last season, but was much worse in a larger sample size with the Red Sox, hitting .190 in 31 games with only six RBIs. It’s possible he found a groove with the Pirates that he hadn’t in Boston and it will carry over into the 2022 season. If it does then great, Pittsburgh has two solid options for DH. Chavis is a much better first basemen than Tsutsugo, so it seems likely he would see time in the field more so than in a hitting-exclusive role. 

Outside of these two players it is hard to see the Pirates go with any other player for the DH role. Every other player hasn’t shown enough at the plate (Hoy Park, Cole Tucker) or is too well-rounded of a player (Bryan Reynolds, Ke'Bryan Hayes) to consider there. 

Tsutsugo is the obvious choice, and most Pirates fans should hope the team will make the right decision and choose him as the permanent DH.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference.