If you just go by the numbers, there's not really an argument against the universal designated hitter.
National League pitchers hit .110 last season with a .290 OPS and 14 homers in more than 4,000 plate appearances. They struck out nearly half of the time and had more than twice as many bunts as walks. While Logan Webb's Game 162 homer was one of the highlights of the season, it was the only one by Giants pitchers, who combined for 23 hits and 143 strikeouts in 255 at-bats.
For every Webb or Madison Bumgarner, there are a hundred pitchers who would rather not own a bat. It's why the DH is coming to the NL in 2022.
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But numbers don't tell the whole story, especially when it comes to the Giants. Bumgarner at-bats were appointment television for years and Webb's homer was one of the best moments of the most unexpected season in franchise history:
Today, as we wait for a season that possibly won't start on time, we pay homage to some of the more entertaining moments from Giants pitchers in recent years. A lot will be gained at the plate with the universal DH, but a lot will also be lost, especially for those of us who really enjoy the quirky moments during a 162-game season that make baseball so great.
The GOAT
Let's hope Bumgarner talks his way into a few pinch-hitting opportunities before his career is done, because he's one homer away from becoming the 11th full-time pitcher to reach 20 for his career. Only Carlos Zambrano (24) has more pitcher homers over the last 50 years. Even Bumgarner now fits in with the pro-DH argument, though; he hit .103 last season with no homers.
But at his peak, Bumgarner was a serious threat, and he provided as much entertainment at the plate as on the mound. There was the two-homer game on Opening Day, the day he and Buster Posey both hit grand slams, and the homers against Clayton Kershaw that led to constant needling of his good friend. There was also this memorable pinch-hit appearance against Aroldis Chapman:
Bumgarner fell behind 0-2 and then worked the count full by fouling off a 99 mph fastball. He drew a walk, which was an incredible moment at Oracle Park and led to one of the funniest stats you'll ever see.
From that night's story: "Bumgarner is the first batter this season to draw a walk from Aroldis Chapman after being down in the count 0-2. Of the previous 57 hitters, 41 struck out."
Bumgarner was always ready to pinch-hit -- and he still can be with a DH -- and a few years after the Chapman at-bat that led to a walk-off win:
The clip ends with Duane Kuiper wondering if Bumgarner would allow the Giants to celebrate with him. The answer was no. Alen Hanson was the man who tried to dump the tank out that night.
“He started dumping it on me and I told him not to do it,” Bumgarner said. “So he poured it on himself.”
That leads to another thing we'll be missing. It's a long season and players understandably get tired of answering the same questions, but some of the best interviews happen after a pitcher does something really impressive or really unimpressive at the plate. Bumgarner hated talking to the media, but he often had a quip ready when it came to homers.
Kevin Gausman was all too happy to jump in the Zoom Room last year after his walk-off sacrifice fly.
"More than anything I was trying to not look ridiculous," he said. "Man, that was the coolest thing I've ever done in my entire career. When it was 3-2 and everybody stood up, it was probably one of the coolest moments of my life."
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The Weirdness
RIP to Text Your Friends, a dumb thing I started years ago on Twitter when a relief pitcher stepped into the batter's box. I actually was going to kill it after one season, but at the winter meetings a high-ranking exec from another team said he would actually change the channel over to the Giants to watch those at-bats, so on we went.
Most relief pitcher at-bats go the same way. The manager orders the guy not to swing and he stands there and awkwardly takes a few pitches before striking out and walking back to the dugout. But every once in a while you got a moment to savor.
An underrated one came in 2014, when Jean Machi put a bunt down and revealed that he was secretly the Usain Bolt of right-handed relievers. Without pitchers hitting, we're losing those goofy moments when a professional baseball player puts a jacket on while standing on first. We're also losing a lot of fun from Johnny Cueto, who had only two speeds, and absolutely nothing in between:
Cueto actually had above-average speed when he wanted to let it loose, as he did every once in a while when he sniffed a hit. He put a bunt down last season and turned on the jets when he thought he might get a single out of it, reaching 28.6 feet per second. The MLB average is 27.
On the opposite end of the spectrum was the man who has perhaps the most famous bunt in recent Giants history. Barry Zito's bunt single in Game 5 in St. Louis in 2012 was peak #RallyZito and part of one of the most stunning performances in franchise history. Afterward, he dropped some gems.
"I'm known for my Arabian horse gallop," he said of his mad dash to first.
We might still see pitchers called upon to put bunts down, especially in San Francisco. Gabe Kapler doesn't bunt often, but there's a chance he'll call on a Webb or Alex Wood if he needs one, preferring to save his pinch-hitters. But without the usual pitcher at-bats, another very rare part of the game will be missing. Right fielders won't be gunning for the 9-3 putout anymore, as Gerardo Parra did in one of his few highlights in orange and black.
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A few right fielders took advantage of the short porch at Oracle Park to play closer to first base, but the ballpark's dimensions also led to some memorable moments. Jonathan Sanchez's triple against the Padres was one of the best parts of the first title run, and every once in a while we would see a pitcher put one out there and finally show off the wheels:
The Other GOAT
Santiago Casilla played 15 seasons in the big leagues but got just five at-bats. He certainly made the most of them, though. There has never been anyone in the history of the game who had less of a chance of hitting an outside fastball:
The most incredible part of that plate appearance is that Casilla drew a walk on four pitches! You will not be surprised to find out that the pitcher, Jose Ceda, made just 11 more big league appearances after that moment.
Casilla was part of a group -- the Core Four -- that actually got a decent amount of time in the batter's box. Javier Lopez got a hit in his first season and then never added a second one. Sergio Romo would really dig in there at the plate, although he never got a hit. And then there was Jeremy Affeldt, always a good time:
Casilla was the funniest, though (except for that time he busted it down the line at Coors and blew out a hamstring, oops). He even took picture day seriously.
From a scoring standpoint, it makes a lot of sense for baseball to get rid of these moments. But with a universal DH, the game will never quite be the same.