Braves: DH Likely Coming to NL — Best Internal Options
While there isn’t much movement towards an agreement, one thing we feel pretty certain about is the Atlanta Braves will have a DH in 2022.
Atlanta Braves fans got a taste of the DH during the 2020 season and it actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Don’t get me wrong, I still live by the old sandlot rules that if you want to hit you have to play in the field.
But for better or worse, the DH is coming to the National League.
As the owners and players continue to act like children and waste everyone’s time with these pointless counteroffers, there won’t be much time for an offseason.
While I still expect the Braves to make a couple of big moves, I wanted to focus on internal options for the DH in 2022.
Braves DH Option Number 1 — Marcell Ozuna
The obvious choice here is Marcell Ozuna. Of course, this becomes complicated depending on how Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves decide to handle the Ozuna situation.
At this point, I’m starting to lean more towards he’ll play for the Braves in 2022.
And if that’s the case, I would expect him to be the primary DH for the entire season. He does not belong in the field anymore.
Braves DH Option Number 2 — Travis Demeritte
Travis Demeritte put together a really good season at Triple-A in 2021 slashing .282/.363/.575 with 21 home runs in 82 games.
A lot of people were screaming for him to get a chance when the Braves were searching for outfielders.
He’s always been a great power hitter with four 20-plus home run seasons in the minors, but he’s yet to show that potential at the big league level with just 3 home runs in almost 200 big league at-bats.
Demeritte will strike out a ton with a K% well over 30. But I do think he’s the second-best internal option right now and I’d like to see him get a chance at DH.
Braves DH Option Number 3 — Guillermo Heredia and Orlando Arcia Platoon
I don’t love this option, but it is an option. Heredia is much better against righties in his career with a slash line of .271/.336/.402.
Arcia doesn’t have much of a split, he’s below-average against both. That also doesn’t leave much infield depth in the field with Arcia at DH, although there are ways around that with the DH spot.
Maybe the better platoon here is Heredia and Demeritte, but Demeritte gets the bad end of that deal and I’d rather see him get more at-bats.
Braves DH Other Options
If Drew Lugbauer isn’t the replacement for Freddie Freeman at first (I kid, I kid) then he could potentially be a good option for the DH spot. It might not be till later in the year as he still has to prove himself at Triple-A.
You could say the same about Greyson Jenista.
Basically, if Ozuna is on the team, he’s the primary DH in 2022. If not, the Braves have to find someone in free agency to fill that role.
3 notable Braves' Opponents in 2022. dark. Next
Let me know in the comments below who you think is the best option internally (outside of Ozuna) and if I missed one in my list.