Designated hitter is a strange job.
A DH spends most of his time in the clubhouse or dugout, emerging only four or five times to take his turn at the plate. If he has a poor night, he can feel strangely unconnected to the game.
But, make no mistake, designated hitter is still an important job.
Big-league DHs drove home 2,358 runs in 2022, outproducing the players at every other position but one. (First basemen led the way with 2,447 RBIs. Center fielders drove in the fewest runs, just 1,942.)
The preeminent designated hitter in baseball today is Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, according to my positional rankings, with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels coming in second.
Alvarez is the clear leader, topping DHs in several statistical categories over the 2020-2022 period, including batting average (.291), slugging average (.569), bases per out (.964), and wins above replacement (9.9). (Click here to see the 10 categories in which players are rated.)
Today’s rankings are the latest in a series that has been rolling out every Thursday since the beginning of April. Follow these links to see the standings for catchers, first basemen, second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, left fielders, center fielders, and right fielders.
The rules for the DH ratings are the same as for the previous lists. Players qualify if they made at least 750 plate appearances from 2020 through 2022 and spent more than half of their time at a specific position — in this case, designated hitter. (The formula takes each player’s entire three-year statistical output into account, including the times he lined up at other positions.)
My formula ranks the players at each position from top to bottom, then assigns scores of 1,000 points to the leader and 0 points to the tailender. The scores for the others are determined by their relative placements between top and bottom.
The pools for other positions varied from 21 center fielders to 30 second basemen, but the list of designated hitters is much smaller. Only eight players qualified for the DH list, partly because the National League didn’t employ DHs in 2021 and partly because most designated hitters spend a majority of their time at other positions.
Even the eight players in these rankings occasionally venture into the field. Alvarez plays left field from time to time. Ohtani, of course, doubles as a starting pitcher ever fifth day.
Rounding out the top five in the designated-hitter rankings are J.D. Martinez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Nelson Cruz of the San Diego Padres, and Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees.
Statistical breakdowns for the five leaders can be found below, followed by the names of the three also-rans.
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1. Yordan Alvarez (2020-2022)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 9.9 total, 4.2 per 500 PA, -1.6 defensive
Averages: .291 BA, .569 SLG, .964 BPO
Scoring: 323 R generated, 138 per 500 PA
Totals: 281 G, 295 H
Notes: Alvarez showed promise from the very start of his career, winning the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award in 2019. He finished third in last year’s balloting for Most Valuable Player, hitting 37 homers, driving home 97 runs, and batting .306.
2. Shohei Ohtani (2020-2022)
Score: 756 points
WAR: 8.4 total, 2.8 per 500 PA, -3.2 defensive
Averages: .256 BA, .531 SLG, .935 BPO
Scoring: 348 R generated, 118 per 500 PA
Totals: 356 G, 327 H
Notes: Ohtani’s rating in this category is based solely on his batting and (occasional) fielding skills, not on his exceptional two-way value as a pitcher. He was named the American League’s MVP in 2021 after blasting 46 homers, driving in 100 runs, winning nine games as a pitcher, and posting a 3.18 ERA.
3. J.D. Martinez (2020-2022)
Score: 556 points
WAR: 3.4 total, 1.2 per 500 PA, -2.9 defensive
Averages: .269 BA, .469 SLG, .756 BPO
Scoring: 327 R generated, 111 per 500 PA
Totals: 341 G, 354 H
Notes: Martinez led the majors with 42 doubles in 2021, which was his best season of the past three. He batted .286 and racked up 99 RBIs that year, and he was named to the AL’s All-Star team in both 2021 and 2022.
4. Nelson Cruz (2020-2022)
Score: 452 points
WAR: 4.5 total, 1.7 per 500 PA, -2.7 defensive
Averages: .259 BA, .450 SLG, .751 BPO
Scoring: 287 R generated, 110 per 500 PA
Totals: 317 G, 297 H
Notes: Cruz keeps sailing along as he nears his 43rd birthday, though he has become a frequent mover in recent years. He played for Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and Washington during the 2020-2022 period, and he signed with San Diego as a free agent prior to this season.
5. Giancarlo Stanton (2020-2022)
Score: 359 points
WAR: 4.3 total, 1.9 per 500 PA, -2.4 defensive
Averages: .246 BA, .493 SLG, .798 BPO
Scoring: 245 R generated, 109 per 500 PA
Totals: 272 G, 242 H
Notes: If he’s healthy, nobody can be more intimidating at the plate than the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Stanton. But that’s a big if. He missed more than half of 2020’s Covid-shortened schedule, then played only 249 of 324 games the past two years.