Buying on the First National League DHs

OR -- Getting bullish on bats in The Investment Corner.

Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

On June 12, 1997, the Texas Rangers hosted the San Francisco Giants in the first-ever regular-season interleague game in Major League Baseball history.

In that contest, Giants outfielder Glenallen Hill became the first in-season National League designated hitter. Later that month, every other NL team followed suit, with all of them visiting an American League park, and all of them trotting out a DH.

Here is the complete list of the first DH for each National League team:

• Atlanta Braves - Keith Lockhart (6/16/1997)

• Arizona Diamondbacks - Kelly Stinnett (6/5/1998)

• Chicago Cubs - Dave Clark (6/16/1997)

• Cincinnati Reds - Eddie Taubensee (6/16/1997)

• Colorado Rockies - Dante Bichette (6/12/1997)

• Florida Marlins - Jim Eisenreich (6/16/1997)

• Houston Astros - Sean Berry (6/16/1997)

• Los Angeles Dodgers - Mike Piazza (6/12/1997)

• Montreal Expos - Jose Vidro (6/16/1997)

• New York Mets - Butch Huskey (6/16/1997)

• Philadelphia Phillies - Darren Daulton (6/16/1997)

• Pittsburgh Pirates - Mark Smith (6/16/1997)

• St. Louis Cardinals - Dmitri Young (6/16/1997)

• San Diego Padres - Rickey Henderson (6/12/1997)

• San Francisco Giants - Glenallen Hill (6/12/1997)

The outliers here are the Arizona Diamondbacks, who didn’t exist in June of 1997, and so had to wait 12 months to deploy Kelly Stinnett.

Besides that, you might notice that most of these guys didn’t turn out be all-timers…though a couple did.

And there are few names besides Rickey Henderson and Mike Piazza who have had at least mini runs in the hobby, and who still have solid followings among some collectors.

So, with the 25th anniversary of the first NL DHs upon us, and with that position becoming a permanent part of the Senior Circuit starting this season (2022), I thought this might be a good — and fun — time to take a second June dip into the Investment Corner pool.

You know, looking for some cards of those inaugural National League designated hitters that might yield some gains down the line.

The drill is the same as always — we’ll (fake) buy some cards of these first-DHs that have actually sold on eBay recently, “paying” the selling price. Only this time around, we’ll limit ourselves to about $500 of funny spending money, rather than our customary $1000.

Times are tough, after all, and it’s sort of feast or famine with these guys.

Anyway, here’s what I came up with…

(This is a free preview of our weekly paid newsletter. You can finish reading by signing up for a 7-day free trial. Either way, we’ll be back with our full-length FREE newsletter on Friday, as always.)