Top 10 Designated Hitters of All Time

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz — a three-time World Series champion with the Red Sox, having won in 2004, ’07 and ’13 — will retire as a career .286 hitter with 541 home runs and 1,768 RBIs. Where does Big Papi rank on our list of the Top 10 Designated Hitters of All Time?

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Oct 11, 2016

Top 10 Designated Hitters of All Time

#10: Brian Downing

Although Brian Downing had few truly extraordinary seasons — he made just one All-Star Game, hit over .300 one time and never hit 30 home runs — the 20-year big leaguer put together an impressive career, the latter half of it spent as a designated hitter. Downing hit 275 career home runs with 1,073 RBI and an OPS of .796. He possessed a keen eye at the plate, drawing 1,197 career walks to boost his on-base percentage to .370.

#9: Chili Davis

Chili Davis spent the first seven years of his career in the National League before finding a second career as a designated hitter, switching from outfield to the DH full time in his 30s. One of the best switch-hitters ever, Davis trails only Eddie Murray, Mickey Mantle, Chipper Jones and Lance Berkman in home runs by a switch-hitter, with 350. He was a productive and powerful hitter throughout his career, knocking 19 home runs in his final season at age 39.

#8: Hal McRae

Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images

After languishing as a non-everyday player in the National League for four seasons, Hal McRae broke through with a move to the Kansas City Royals in 1973, conveniently the same year as the DH's implementation. McRae made his first of 1,426 appearances in the designated hitter's spot in the ninth game of the year that season, splitting time between DH and outfield for much of his career before switching to the DH full time in his 30s. A career .290 hitter, McRae batted above .300 six times and twice led the American League in doubles.

#7: Don Baylor

Don Baylor passed up on becoming the first black football player at Texas to pursue his baseball career, becoming a premier hitter in his 19-year career. Baylor hit 338 career home runs, hitting 20 or more nine times and recording a career .777 OPS. Baylor also had speed, stealing 285 career bases, including a high of 52 in 1976. The 1979 AL MVP also had a knack for getting beaned, leading the league in hit by pitches eight times. His 267 career beans are the fourth most all-time.

#6: Jim Thome

Thome was a potent bat for much of his career. He is one of just eight players to record 600 or more home runs, going yard 612 times. Thome hit 30 or more home runs for nine straight seasons, only losing the streak when he played just 59 games in 2005. He hit 205 of his career home runs from the designated hitter's spot.

#5: Paul Molitor

Paul Molitor is one of just four players with 3,000 hits, a .300 career batting average and 500 stolen bases. Molitor made seven All-Star Games in his 21-year career and batted over .300 12 times. His best year came in 1987, when he hit .353 with 41 doubles, 114 runs and 45 stolen bases despite only playing 118 games. In 2004, Molitor became the first DH inducted into the Hall of Fame.

#4: Harold Baines

Until the recent influx of steroid-related players being left out of the Hall of Fame, Harold Baines had the most RBI by any eligible player not enshrined — 1,628. Baines had 90 or more RBIs nine times in his 22-year career, including a gap of 13 seasons between 100 RBI years. Baines made six All-Star Games and hit .289 for his career with 384 homers and an .820 OPS.

#3: David Ortiz

Through 20 seasons, David Ortiz has consistently produced at the plate, hitting .300 or better seven times, crushing 30 or more home runs while driving in more than 100 runs 10 times. When Big Papi seemed to be fading with two straight seasons of declining batting average in 2008 and 2009, he responded with an active streak of three straight years of improvement, including a .318 batting average in 2012. Ortiz, a 10-time All Star and six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, was the World Series MVP in 2013, after hitting .688 with two home runs and six RBIs in the Fall Classic against the Cardinals.

#2: Frank Thomas

One of baseball's greatest sluggers, The Big Hurt menaced opposing pitchers for 19 seasons. During that time Frank Thomas hit .301, winning a batting title in 1997, with 521 home runs and 1,704 RBI. He hit 30 or more home runs nine times, won two MVP awards and made five All-Star Games. Thomas was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

#1: Edgar Martinez

Clearly the best designated hitter of all time has to be the guy after which the award for the best DH is now named. A torn hamstring in 1993 forced Edgar Martinez into the DH full-time but certainly didn't derail his career. Martinez won the batting title in 1995 as a DH, hitting .356, and belted more than 25 home runs in five seasons. His career numbers of .312 batting average, 309 home runs, 1,261 RBI and .933 OPS demonstrate the consistent threat Martinez provided in the Mariners' batting order.