It’s a new era for the designated hitter

Hall of Famer Frank Thomas was a full-time DH in four of his seasons with the White Sox.For the Cubs and their fans, designated hitters have been limited to interleague play and the truncated 60-game season of 2020.

Now the National League has adopted the DH, and the Cubs will enter the world the White Sox have inhabited since 1973 with DHs in the lineup for a full 162-game season.

Let’s run some DH numbers:

• Pitchers’ offensive contributions have taken a steep drop. Last season, pitchers hit .110 with a .297 OPS. In the last decade, averages cracked .130 only three times at .132 in 2013, 2015 and 2016, with an OPS high of .335 in 2016.

Compare that to the first decade of the DH, when pitchers…