Bringing the designated hitter to the National League has recently been discussed in Major League Baseball circles.

The designated hitter has been in place in the American League since 1973, but the National League has never adopted the rule. Historically, since the rule has been put in place, the American League has had higher scoring numbers, much to the fans' joy.

However, the National League should not adopt the designated hitter rule. National League Baseball is the game in its purest form. Baseball is exciting enough as is; more offense does not have to be added to the senior circuit. In the National League, there is true strategy involved in
being a manager: pitch-hitting scenarios, double switches and pulling pitchers out of games become just as much about the in-game situations as they are about how well the pitcher himself is performing.

Pitchers always get criticized for not being athletes and not being true baseball players for not hitting all the time. Why not get rid of that criticism by letting the pitchers hit? Few things end up being more exciting than when a pitcher steps up to the plate and hits a home run. Thirteen pitchers hit homeruns in the 2015 season, including four by San Francisco Giants starter Madison Bumgarner.

Do fans really want to miss out on seeing Bartolo Colon bat during his starts?

However, since interleague games are played every day, there should be one set of rules in baseball. That rule should be that the pitcher should hit. It would lead to more excitement in games: fewer runs may be scored but watching the pitchers hit can be just as exciting.

Sacrifice bunts are an art, they need to be executed perfectly. It’s amazing how well and how poor some pitchers can be at this skill, but it should still be part of the game. Situational baseball is a thing of beauty and that doesn’t exist as much when there is a designated hitter. There wouldn’t be any bunts before the ninth inning if there were a DH in every game.

Pitchers are ballplayers too. Part of being a ballplayer is picking up that bat when it’s your turn and getting a hit; it’s also being able to play the field. You could say It's important for baseball players to be well rounded.