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
| RANK | NAME | FROM | TO | CAREER | LONG PEAK | SHORT PEAK | PRIME | PLAYER SCORE |
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| 1 | Frank Thomas | 1990 | 2008 | 73.8 | 45.1 | 21.1 | 31.8 | 309.9 |
| 2 | Paul Molitor | 1978 | 1998 | 75.7 | 39.7 | 17.9 | 25.4 | 276.3 |
| 3 | Edgar Martinez | 1987 | 2004 | 68.3 | 43.6 | 20.0 | 30.2 | 275.6 |
| 4 | Shohei Ohtani | 2018 | 2025 | 35.2 | 35.1 | 21.7 | 30.0 | 237.9 |
| 5 | Brian Downing | 1973 | 1992 | 51.5 | 29.0 | 15.5 | 17.0 | 189.9 |
| 6 | David Ortiz | 1997 | 2016 | 55.3 | 35.0 | 17.4 | 25.0 | 185.9 |
| 7 | Edwin Encarnacion | 2005 | 2020 | 35.5 | 26.6 | 13.5 | 21.0 | 168.7 |
| 8 | Victor Martinez | 2002 | 2018 | 31.9 | 28.3 | 15.0 | 17.1 | 156.4 |
| 9 | Nelson Cruz | 2005 | 2023 | 42.2 | 29.8 | 14.4 | 21.6 | 153.6 |
| 10 | Yordan Alvarez | 2019 | 2025 | 24.3 | 24.3 | 16.7 | 19.9 | 150.4 |
| 11 | Harold Baines | 1980 | 2001 | 38.7 | 21.2 | 10.5 | 15.1 | 146.3 |
| 12 | Travis Hafner | 2002 | 2013 | 24.8 | 24.7 | 16.3 | 19.7 | 141.4 |
| 13 | Hal McRae | 1968 | 1987 | 27.9 | 24.2 | 13.6 | 16.4 | 135.1 |
| 14 | Mike Sweeney | 1995 | 2010 | 24.7 | 21.7 | 13.5 | 18.7 | 129.7 |
| 15 | Don Baylor | 1970 | 1988 | 28.5 | 21.7 | 10.5 | 13.3 | 124.5 |
| 16 | Andre Thornton | 1973 | 1987 | 24.1 | 23.3 | 12.6 | 12.2 | 117.1 |
| 17 | Kendrys Morales | 2006 | 2019 | 13.0 | 14.1 | 9.3 | 10.2 | 78.8 |
| 18 | Billy Butler | 2007 | 2016 | 11.5 | 13.1 | 8.6 | 12.2 | 76.8 |
| 19 | Cliff Johnson | 1972 | 1986 | 16.2 | 14.4 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 75.7 |
| 20 | Ken Phelps | 1980 | 1990 | 9.4 | 10.8 | 7.5 | 10.2 | 60.3 |