20 Greatest Designated Hitters of All-Time
Ranking the greatest Designated Hitters in baseball history. Updated through 2025: Shohei Ohtani, Paul Molitor, Frank Thomas, Edgar Martinez, and more. Even steroid users like David Ortiz and Nelson Cruz.
Baseball Player Rankings by Position
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CATCHERCATCHER
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FIRST BASEFIRST BASE
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SECOND BASESECOND BASE
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SHORTSTOPSHORTSTOP
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THIRD BASETHIRD BASE
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LEFT FIELDLEFT FIELD
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CENTER FIELDCENTER FIELD
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RIGHT FIELDRIGHT FIELD
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PITCHERPITCHER
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DHDH
| playerID | nameFirst | nameLast | RANK | NAME | POS | FROM | TO | HOF | CAREER (WAR) | LONG PEAK (WAR7) | PRIME (WAR5C) | SHORT PEAK (WAR3) | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| thomafr04 | Frank | Thomas | 1 | Frank Thomas | DH | 1990 | 2008 | Y | 73.8 | 45.1 | 31.8 | 21.1 | 309.9 |
| molitpa01 | Paul | Molitor | 2 | Paul Molitor | DH | 1978 | 1998 | Y | 75.7 | 39.7 | 25.4 | 17.9 | 276.3 |
| martied01 | Edgar | Martinez | 3 | Edgar Martinez | DH | 1987 | 2004 | Y | 68.3 | 43.6 | 30.2 | 20.0 | 275.6 |
| ohtansh01 | Shohei | Ohtani | 4 | Shohei Ohtani | DH | 2018 | 2025 | N | 35.2 | 35.1 | 30.0 | 21.7 | 237.9 |
| downibr01 | Brian | Downing | 5 | Brian Downing | DH | 1973 | 1992 | N | 51.5 | 29.0 | 17.0 | 15.5 | 189.9 |
| ortizda01 | David | Ortiz | 6 | David Ortiz | DH | 1997 | 2016 | N | 55.3 | 35.0 | 25.0 | 17.4 | 185.9 |
| encared01 | Edwin | Encarnacion | 7 | Edwin Encarnacion | DH | 2005 | 2020 | N | 35.5 | 26.6 | 21.0 | 13.5 | 168.7 |
| martivi01 | Victor | Martinez | 8 | Victor Martinez | DH | 2002 | 2018 | N | 31.9 | 28.3 | 17.1 | 15.0 | 156.4 |
| cruzne02 | Nelson | Cruz | 9 | Nelson Cruz | DH | 2005 | 2023 | N | 42.2 | 29.8 | 21.6 | 14.4 | 153.6 |
| baineha01 | Harold | Baines | 11 | Harold Baines | DH | 1980 | 2001 | Y | 38.7 | 21.2 | 15.1 | 10.5 | 146.3 |
| hafnetr01 | Travis | Hafner | 12 | Travis Hafner | DH | 2002 | 2013 | N | 24.8 | 24.7 | 19.7 | 16.3 | 141.4 |
| mcraeha01 | Hal | McRae | 13 | Hal McRae | DH | 1968 | 1987 | N | 27.9 | 24.2 | 16.4 | 13.6 | 135.1 |
| sweenmi01 | Mike | Sweeney | 14 | Mike Sweeney | DH | 1995 | 2010 | N | 24.7 | 21.7 | 18.7 | 13.5 | 129.7 |
| baylodo01 | Don | Baylor | 15 | Don Baylor | DH | 1970 | 1988 | N | 28.5 | 21.7 | 13.3 | 10.5 | 124.5 |
| thornan01 | Andre | Thornton | 16 | Andre Thornton | DH | 1973 | 1987 | N | 24.1 | 23.3 | 12.2 | 12.6 | 117.1 |
| moralke01 | Kendrys | Morales | 17 | Kendrys Morales | DH | 2006 | 2019 | N | 13.0 | 14.1 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 78.8 |
| butlebi01 | Billy | Butler | 18 | Billy Butler | DH | 2007 | 2016 | N | 11.5 | 13.1 | 12.2 | 8.6 | 76.8 |
| johnscl01 | Cliff | Johnson | 19 | Cliff Johnson | DH | 1972 | 1986 | N | 16.2 | 14.4 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 75.7 |
| phelpke01 | Ken | Phelps | 20 | Ken Phelps | DH | 1980 | 1990 | N | 9.4 | 10.8 | 10.2 | 7.5 | 60.3 |