Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential Designated Hitters in 2022

PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 26: Yoshi Tsutsugo #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds third after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game at PNC Park on August 26, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 26: Yoshi Tsutsugo #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds third after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game at PNC Park on August 26, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 16: Derek Shelton of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the Cincinnati Reds during the game at PNC Park on September 16, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 16: Derek Shelton of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the Cincinnati Reds during the game at PNC Park on September 16, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Now that it is official that the Pittsburgh Pirates and the rest of the National League will have the designated hitter in 2022 what options will the Pirates have for the position?

There is still plenty of unknowns about what the new CBA between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Player’s Association will look like. Hell, after all, the two sides still have yet to reach an agreement, which means that as of this writing the Pittsburgh Pirates and the rest of baseball remain in a work stoppage.

Thursday afternoon MLB commissioner Rob Manfred did reveal one detail that will be in the new CBA. What was this detail? Well, starting this season the universal designated hitter will arrive. This means that the National League will adopt the DH in 2022 and, unlike its appearance in 2020, it is not going to go away.

This means that the Pittsburgh Pirates and the rest of the National League will now have to figure out what they are going to do at DH in 2022. The Pirates will have a few different options and we will delve into those today.