David Ortiz

Ranking the Designated Hitters

Today, some players spend nearly their entire careers as designated hitters. When the rule was implemented for the 1973 season to inject offense into the game, some teams weren't sure how to use the spot. Over the last 30+ years, some great hitters, and at least one Hall of Famer, have found a full-time home as a DH.

♦  Most courageous, Thornton ⇒
♦  Best boon to his career, McRae ⇒
♦  Gold Glove as a designated hitter, Palmeiro ⇒

1.   Paul Molitor
2.   Frank Thomas
3.   Edgar Martinez
4.   David Ortiz
5.   Harold Baines
6.   Don Baylor
7.   Hal McRae
8.   Brian Downing
9.   Andre Thornton
10.   Chili Davis
The First
Terry Crowley (BAL)
Orlando Cepeda (BOS)
Tommy McCraw (CAL)
Mike Andrews (CHW)
John Ellis (CLE)
Gates Brown (DET)
Ed Kirkpatrick (KC)
Ollie Brown (MIL)

Tony Oliva (MIN)
Ron Blomberg (NYY)
Billy North (OAK)
Dave Collins (SEA)
Rico Carty (TEX)
Paul Sorrento (TB)
Otto Velez (TOR)
Would've been good designated hitters
Jerry Lynch
Smoky Burgess
Smead Jolley
Showboat Fisher
Dusty Rhodes
Dick Stuart
Rogers Hornsby
Babe Ruth
They hated to DH
Carl Yastrzemski
George Bell
Joe Morgan
Al Kaline

Most unlikely DH's
Freddie Patek
Tom Brookens
Don Hopkins
In his last nine seasons, Harold Baines played just two games in the field... On June 17, 2007, Frank Thomas hit his 244th home run as a DH, breaking the record previously held by Edgar Martínez... Mike Piazza's 10 homers as a DH is an NL record.
Best suited for the job
Born a few years too early, Rico Carty would have been a natural DH his entire career. A dreadful outfielder, he won a batting title and hit .299 in his career, which lasted until he was 39 years old. Rico Carty's page ⇒

"I believe in the soul ... the small of a woman's back, the hanging curveball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter."
— Crash Davis in Bull Durham
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
LF
CF
RF
SP
RP
DH