Spring training camps are underway, which means it is time to look at the state of baseball. As part of our 2025 MLB season preview, ESPN's Buster Olney is bringing back his positional ranking series, in which he surveyed those around the industry to help him rank the top 10 players at every position.
Today, we rank the best of the best at designated hitter.
The objective of this exercise is to identify the best players for the 2025 season, not who might be best in five years or over their career. We will roll out a position per installment. Here are the lists so far and the rest of the schedule: catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen, shortstops, corner outfielders, center fielders, starting pitchers (Thursday) and relievers (Friday).
When the National League adopted the designated hitter position before the 2022 season, the presumption was that the change would enhance offense -- at least to some degree. Eliminating the mostly ugly at-bats by pitchers and replacing them with at-bats from offense-minded players would mean more hits, more scoring opportunities, more runs.
But that theoretical effect has seemingly been offset by the growing dominance and strength of pitching.
Here are the past three full seasons of NL offensive production before the designated hitter rule was adopted (2018-2019 and 2021), courtesy of ESPN researcher Paul Hembekides:
.247 batting average
.317 OBP
.406 SLG
4.51 runs per game
The first three seasons of NL production with the DH (2022-24):
.247 batting average
.320 OBP
.414 SLG
4.54 runs per game
The NL offense is virtually identical even after the advent of the DH, just as overall scoring hasn't increased much since the adoption of shift bans and the rules designed to enhance base stealing. What has happened, it seems, is that the improvement in pitching -- starters throwing fewer innings, the parade of overpowering relievers lengthening -- is swallowing up offenses even though conditions for hitters have been augmented.
All of this suggests that if MLB wants more offense and more action, it needs to reduce the conga lines of relief pitchers -- by limiting the number of arms available in each game -- and restore the preeminence of starting pitchers. The longer that managers are compelled to trust their pitchers, the more likely it is that runs will be scored.
The impact of great designated hitters will always be tangible. Here are the top 10 in the big leagues right now:
Top 10 designated hitters
1. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Ohtani's offensive production is inevitably going to decline this season because of his return to pitching -- but probably not by that much. His 731 plate appearances last year were the most in his career, but in 2021 and 2022, when he was hitting and pitching full time, he had 639 and 666 plate appearances, respectively.
In 2024, there was no apparent kryptonite.
2. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
His preference in the past has been to play left field, but injuries have cornered him into accepting this reality: He has a better chance to be in the lineup and help Houston if he serves as DH. Alvarez is one of baseball's best pure hitters -- only Aaron Judge, Ohtani and Juan Soto rated better in wRC+ last season.
3. Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves
Maybe the easiest contractual decision for any team this winter was the Braves' choice to pick up Ozuna's $16 million option for 2025. There were stretches last year when he flat-out carried the offense -- and he finished the season with a .302/.378/.546 slash line, 39 home runs and 104 RBIs while playing all 162 games for Atlanta.
Fun with numbers: Last year, Rooker owned situations when he hit with runners in scoring position, batting .338 and slugging .669 with a .409 OBP. In high-leverage spots, he batted .330.
5. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
He's nearing some benchmarks -- Schwarber needs only 16 homers to reach 300 for his career, and with 95 more hits, he'll get to 1,000. He's eligible for free agency at the end of the 2025 season.
With the Cubs' excellent defensive outfield of Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker set (in order from left field to right), Suzuki's playing time might largely be in the DH role this season -- which he seems to handle well. His slash line in 59 games at DH last season was .298/.386/.461; when he played right field, it was .266/.347/.478.
7. Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers
Think about the damage he did in only 87 games last season -- 39 extra-base hits and a .587 slugging percentage. If Carpenter can stay healthy, he could be in line for a full Brent Rooker-type breakout.
8. Joc Pederson, Texas Rangers
He's the Happy Gilmore of baseball, with skills that lack nuance. He didn't play in the field last year, he's not going to add anything running the bases, and he still doesn't hit left-handers. But he can tee off against right-handed pitchers, and he wrecks all pitching in high-leverage spots: Last year, he batted .346 in those situations, with an OPS of 1.164.
9. Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles
He played 54 of his 142 games last season at DH, and that number could grow this year, depending on how the O's deploy Adley Rutschman. In those 54 games at DH, O'Hearn thrived, hitting .280 with a .353 OBP.
10. Jorge Soler, Los Angeles Angels
He is regarded as mostly unplayable in the outfield now, after his ugly stint with the Braves last season. In just 304 innings, he had minus-10 DRS and minus-six outs above average, prompting Atlanta to unload him to the Angels. But he can still rake: Soler had an adjusted OPS+ of 121 last season.
Honorable mentions
Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees: He would've been in the top 10 if not for his recent injury, which leaves the Yankees wondering how available he'll be this season. He had a strong postseason in 2024, putting him within reach of 500 homers for his career (he's currently at 429).
Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox: It seems inevitable the Red Sox will move on from Yoshida, dumping what remains on his contract, because their best lineup is with Rafael Devers at DH.
Jesse Winker, New York Mets: A placement this low could look silly by season's end, given that Winker will have a lot of opportunities to do damage in the Mets' steep lineup.