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The Braves and Mets have yet to break out on offense. The Reds and Giants have underachieved. The Brewers and Cardinals are in the same spots they were in at the end of last season, prompting trade speculation involving Nolan Arenado. 

It all makes for three compelling matchups this weekend on FOX Saturday Baseball (Braves-Mets, 4 p.m. ET on FS1; Cardinals-Brewers, 7 p.m. ET on FOX; Reds-Giants, 7 p.m. ET on FOX). 

FOX Sports MLB experts Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner tackle these topics and more in this week’s roundtable.

1. The Braves’ offensive numbers are down across the board from last year’s historic output. Some of that could be expected, but what part is concerning for their title chances?

Kavner: Obviously, missing Spencer Strider is the greatest concern for October, but the Braves’ recent offensive downslide is certainly baffling. Ronald Acuña Jr.‘s shift down from extraordinary to simply above average does warrant some examination. After slugging .596 in last year’s MVP season, he’s down to .351, and it’s not that he’s getting unlucky. He’s not hitting the ball as hard, he’s whiffing a lot more, he’s not lifting the ball and, perhaps most surprisingly, he’s not connecting against fastballs.

Naturally, the first inclination is to worry about health. Acuña tweaked his surgically repaired knee in the spring and at one point in Los Angeles last weekend did hobble a bit after getting picked off second base. He’s still hitting around league average, but you have to wonder if there’s anything more going on there. There appears to be more unluckiness involved with the slow starts for Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Michael Harris II, though Olson and Harris are also uncharacteristically struggling against fastballs. I imagine most of the above parties will find their way at the plate, but it is surprising to see this offense average less than three runs per game over their past 10 games. For now, it’s just something to monitor more than panic about.

Thosar: The offense’s complete and utter power outage this season is not just surprising for Atlanta, but it’s concerning. The Braves’ 36 home runs through the first six weeks of the year are ranked 18th in MLB. Last year, Atlanta had already crushed 57 homers through its first 34 games of the season. A lot of that slugging was a product of Matt Olson’s power bat, which produced the most home runs (54) in MLB last year. But, so far, Olson has gone yard just three times in 147 plate appearances. 

What’s extra troubling is Ronald Acuna’s Jr.’s lack of dingers, too. Last year at this point in the season, Acuña and Olson had combined for 15 home runs. Now? Five. The Braves still have the second-best batting average (.300) with runners in scoring position in MLB, so they’re proving they don’t need to hit one over the fence to cash in with ducks on the pond. But their slugging numbers being down across the board is a troubling sign.

2. None of Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte or Francisco Lindor are playing to their level. Whom do you expect to rebound and do you think it will be enough to keep this team in wild-card contention?

Thosar: I’m expecting Pete Alonso to rebound any minute, any second, because he’s in a contract year. Alonso, vis a vis Aaron Judge, is keen on betting on himself in his walk year and just letting his bat do the talking. Contrarily, in recent matchups, his icy bat could be costing him millions of dollars. Alonso was mired in a 1-for-29 slump and nine-game homerless drought before he collected a pair of hits and took the Cardinals deep this week. 

The Polar Bear just has too much resting on this season to go quietly into the night. Mets owner Steve Cohen even challenged Alonso to hit a bunch of home runs this year and make the decision to keep him in New York as difficult as possible. Alonso isn’t adjusting to the added pressures of a contract year as well as he had expected, but what matters most to the first baseman is winning. If he can start slugging in clutch moments and being a consistent power bat in the Mets lineup, then he can help both himself and his team on the way to, potentially, playoff contention.

Kavner: You’re already starting to see it from Nimmo, who has an OPS over 1.000 the past couple of weeks. But the rest of the group has been pretty brutal. Alonso, at least, has nine home runs this year, but his underlying numbers are concerning. After posting a 40% hard-hit rate last year, it’s down to 30% this season, by far the lowest mark of his career, leading to a career-worst line drive percentage. His .212 batting average is almost identical to last year, but his continued decline in on-base percentage and slugging percentage are troubling, particularly in a contract year.

Lindor and Marte’s expected statistics are much better than what they’ve actually produced (though they’re both whiffing more than they have before). Lindor is hitting the ball too solidly to run a career-low .212 BABIP for much longer. I’d expect better days ahead for all of the aforementioned players, which should be enough to compete for a final wild-card spot. Still, this looks more like a team that will hover around .500 than one set to challenge for a division title.

3. The Cardinals passed on trading Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado at last year’s deadline, and it’s seemingly cost them. Is now too early to explore dealing Arenado?

Kavner: Things don’t look great in St. Louis. Again. And they could get uglier. But, yes, it’s still too early to deal Arenado.

The most perplexing part is that it isn’t the pitching causing the problems. Their 3.99 team ERA isn’t exceptional, but that mark should be plenty good enough to allow this team to compete. Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero and Andrew Kittredge have been great at the back end of the bullpen. The rotation additions — Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson — have all done more than enough to give the Cardinals a chance.

The offense just can’t hit.

While Tyler O’Neill mashes in Boston, his former team in St. Louis has the fourth-lowest OPS in the sport — lower than the Reds, who have the worst batting average in baseball. And the only guy consistently mashing for the Cardinals, Willson Contreras, just broke his arm.

Still, as disappointing as this start has been for a team many predicted to bounce back this year, It’s probably too early to blow it up, which is essentially what the Cardinals would be doing by dealing Arenado. They’re only six games out right now, and it’s hard to imagine Paul Goldschmidt — who has never had an OPS under .800 — performing this poorly all year (despite how bad the peripherals look right now). If something doesn’t change by the deadline, I think you have to listen to offers to give the farm system another jolt, but I’d wait until closer to that time. Right now, though, it’s looking more and more like another lost season in St. Louis.

Thosar: Sure, Arenado, in his age-33 season, is no longer the player he once was. His .740 OPS to begin the season is extremely un-Arenado-like, his .390 slugging percentage is the worst such mark in his career, and he’s crushed just two home runs through his first 154 plate appearances. But he’s still Nolan Arenado, an eight-time All-Star and five-time Sliver Slugger, and he’s still an above-average hitter (114 OPS+) even in his 12th year in the big leagues. 

The biggest piece of hardware still missing from Arenado’s mantel is a world championship, though, so I could see the third baseman wanting to get out of St. Louis if, say, Paul Goldschmidt is also traded and the Cardinals start sinking even faster. The Marlins showed us it’s not too early for trade talks, and contending clubs should be leaping at the idea of acquiring Arenado. So, no, it’s not too early to explore dealing Arenado off of a last-place Cardinals team.

4. Are you buying the Brewers as playoff contenders?

Kavner: I didn’t in early April. I do now.

I think enough time has passed that, even if the offense doesn’t perform quite to this level the rest of the way — and you’re starting to see some regression over the past couple of weeks — it’s also safe to say it’s not a fluke. And let’s also remember they’ve surged to the top of the NL Central playing most of the year without Christian Yelich, who is returning, and lockdown closer Devin Williams, who will return in the summer.

As much as they’ve outplayed expectations, I believe that William Contreras is one of the best catchers in the sport, I believe in the Willy Adames bounce back, and among Rhys Hoskins, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio (who’s in the midst of some rookie struggles), I think there’s enough depth here to continue to contend. The bigger question I have is whether the rotation can hold up. If Freddy Peralta doesn’t pitch well — and he has run into some troubles the past few starts — it’s a largely unproven, unheralded group behind him. They could really use a Corbin Burnes-type!

Thosar: It says a lot about the Brewers that, even after their crushing offseason that saw beloved members of the organization depart to other clubs, they’re still clawing with the the Cubs for the top spot in the NL Central. That’s certainly not how I would’ve drawn it up after Craig Counsell accepted a record-breaking contract to manage the Cubs, Corbin Burnes was traded to the Orioles, Brandon Woodruff is expected to be sidelined for the season, and All-Star closer Devin Williams is missing extended time due to a stress fracture in his back. 

With all of the cards stacked against them, with everybody counting the Brewers out, guys like William Contreras (.917 OPS), Willy Adames (seven home runs) and, oh yeah, Christian Yelich (196 OPS+ in 12 games) are helping Milwaukee’s offense post the third-best wRC+ (115) in baseball, trailing only the Dodgers and the Yankees. With support on the way (Williams is due back next month), and the trade deadline presenting an opportunity to improve the pitching staff, the Brewers look more and more like the real deal.

5. Taking into account not only record but collective performance, are the Reds or the Giants the bigger disappointment thus far? Do you believe either club will climb above .500 by June?

Thosar: The Giants. They finally made some big moves at the end of the offseason, winning the Blake Snell and Matt Chapman sweepstakes, only to begin the year by reminding us to keep our expectations low. San Francisco has three starters with ERAs above 10, and one of them is Snell (11.57) after all three of his outings this year have been lackluster. Logan Webb and Jordan Hicks have been strong, and the pitching staff’s FIP (3.74) suggests there has been some bad luck involved. 

Twelve of their next 15 games are against teams .500 or below. If the Giants can take advantage of that schedule, and perhaps win one series at a time, they’ll at least be hovering around .500 by Memorial Day and have a better idea of their ceiling.

Kavner: The Giants. I was more of a believer in the Reds, but they at least have the excuse of a litany of injuries and absences on the offensive side (although I certainly didn’t expect them to have the worst batting average in baseball at this point). Even in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, their expected win/loss record is close to .500, and I could see them at least getting around that mark by June.

The Giants did a whole lot more this offseason to become relevant, and yet they’re still a brutal watch. The only NL teams with a worse run differential right now are the lowly Rockies and Marlins. Their highly regarded free-agent signings to this point haven’t produced. They weren’t hitting when they were whole, and now they’re dealing with their own litany of injuries. I’m more concerned about their outlook right now.

Bonus: Top prospect and 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes is set to debut for the Pirates this weekend. What’s the most memorable MLB debut you’ve covered?

Kavner: I remember James Outman and Keibert Ruiz both homering in their first major league at-bats. The debuts of Cody Bellinger and Will Smith also stand out, not necessarily because of what they did that first day specifically but because of how quickly they came out of the gates. Bellinger had seven homers in his first 16 games, while Smith had 10 homers in his first 25 games. Lastly, I recall covering the debut of a diminutive, less-heralded infield prospect named José Altuve that not a lot of people knew much about in 2011. Wonder what he’s up to now?

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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Mike Trout decided that having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee was a better alternative than postponing the procedure and being a designated hitter the rest of the season.

“It was an option they put out there. It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it,” the Los Angeles Angels slugger said before Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. “The day I got the MRI and it showed that I was in a lot of pain. It would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that.”

Trout has also struggled whenever he has been a designated hitter. In 1,518 career games, he has been the DH only 81 times and has a .214 batting average.

Trout — who is sidelined with a major injury for the fourth straight season — still doesn’t know when the latest one occurred. The knee soreness worsened during an April 29 game against the Philadelphia Phillies, and an MRI exam the next day revealed the tear. He underwent surgery last Friday, when the Angels began a six-game road trip.

“It wasn’t one particular play that did it. I felt a little ache and woke up the next day and couldn’t walk,” he said.

Baseball players who have had a similar injury and operation have an average recovery time of four to eight weeks, but Trout hasn’t had one set, as of yet. He said the only things he has been able to do post surgery is stretching and trying to strengthen the quadricep muscle and the area around it.

The three-time AL MVP led the majors with 10 home runs at the time of the injury. He also was batting .220 with 14 RBIs and six stolen bases.

“It’s tough because I felt real good (to begin the season), but things just happen. I’m doing everything I can to get back on the field,” Trout said. “I want to go as fast as I can, but I don’t want to push it.”

The Angels went into Thursday’s game with a 14-23 record after splitting their six-game road trip.

Manager Ron Washington was glad to see Trout still in an upbeat mood, but was more pleased to see him in the hitter’s meeting before the Angels took batting practice.

“No one is asking Mike to be in those meetings. Mike is at the ballpark because Mike wants to be around his teammates,” Washington said. “Any tidbits that he can give to them while he’s here, we welcome.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The Twins are back within striking distance in the American League Central, the Blue Jays are sinking in the East, and A.J. Preller has wasted no time adding more pieces to the Padres in an effort to compete now. 

This week’s buy or sell looks at the best rotation and offense in baseball, the early MVP and Cy Young favorites, how the early Luis Arráez trade shakes up the contenders in the National League West and more. 

1. The Twins will come back to win the AL Central

Verdict: Buy 

The Twins recently rattled off a 12-game winning streak that was their longest since the 1991 club won 15 straight. Did they get to play the White Sox in half of those games? Yes. Yes, they did. But the stretch of success seemed to get the bats going in a needed way, and Minnesota has more recently picked up series wins against much more competitive clubs in the Red Sox and Mariners. The rally sausage has no quit in it, and neither does a Twins team that is starting to resemble the group many expected to see — an important development while they’re missing Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton. 

Carlos Correa and Jhoan Duran are now back in action, and they should only get better once Lewis is added back into the fold sometime this summer. Meanwhile, the offenses of the Guardians — who are now without Steven Kwan — and the Royals have slowed down, allowing Minnesota to get within 2.5 games of the division lead. It’s a remarkably quick turnaround for a Twins team that started the year 7-13, but the depth of the offense is starting to show. Over the past 15 days, the Twins have the best offense in the American League, with seven different players tallying an OPS over .800 in at least 30 at-bats. 

2. The Phillies will hold off the Braves in the NL East

Verdict: Hold

It wasn’t that long ago we were wondering what was wrong with the offense in Philadelphia. That’s no longer the case. Alec Bohm is in the midst of a breakout season, Trea Turner looked much more like himself than he did at the start of last year with a .343 average and 10 steals before hitting the injured list, and Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto have all started to catch fire after a slow start. The Phillies are now tied for the second-highest OPS in the sport and have now scored the fourth-most runs in the majors. 

But it’s the rotation that provides the most optimism to believe the Phillies at least have a chance to hold off the Braves this year. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola always provide a high floor, but the work of reigning NL Pitcher of the Month Ranger Suárez gives the Phillies a trio that can compete with any in baseball. There are so many arms producing in the rotation that Spencer Turnbull, who had a 1.67 ERA through his first six starts, had to be bumped to the bullpen with Taijuan Walker now back in action. The Phillies at least have an argument for the best rotation in the sport. 

I’m not ready to definitively say I think they’ll win the division. They’ve had a soft schedule to start the year, and the Braves’ bats will get going at some point. But I’m at least starting to believe it’s possible, which wasn’t the case a couple of weeks ago. 

3. Aaron Judge’s slow start will keep him out of the MVP race 

Verdict: Sell 

Don’t look now, but after doubling twice and homering on Wednesday, Judge now leads the Yankees in extra-base hits, is slugging north of .792 in May and has his OPS up to .844 on the year — a number that trails only Juan Soto for the highest mark among qualified Yankees players. His hard-hit rates are starting to creep back up to normal levels, right there at the top among the best in the sport. 

Judge is only three homers off the American League lead and one behind Soto as the Yankees sluggers both have it going in the Bronx. Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. should remain among the top contenders for AL MVP honors, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Yankees’ two-headed monster battling it out for the award down the stretch. 

4. Shohei Ohtani should be the NL MVP favorite right now 

Verdict: Sell

Look, even by his standards, what Ohtani’s doing offensively right now is absurd. I mean, just look at this. Each of the Dodgers‘ 10 hardest-hit balls of the year have come off Ohtani’s bat. He leads the majors in hits, doubles, batting average, extra-base hits, total bases, slugging and OPS. The power to all fields is especially remarkable considering he underwent major elbow surgery less than eight months ago. But, considering he’ll only be hitting this year, his teammate has to be the NL MVP favorite right now for the overall value he’s providing to the Dodgers. 

Mookie Betts has the highest on-base percentage in the majors — he has 12 more walks than strikeouts this year — and an OPS over 1.000 while playing shortstop full-time for the first time in his career at 31 years old — and doing it remarkably well. It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, then, that he leads the majors in wins above replacement. While Betts’ bat has cooled a bit from his blistering start, he has still done enough at this point to be the top contender for the award. I mentioned the possibility that the AL MVP will come down to the Yankees’ top duo down the stretch, but that’s even more likely for the Dodgers’ duo in the NL. 

Speaking of which …

5. MLB’s best offense is in Los Angeles

Verdict: Buy  

As just mentioned, the two NL MVP favorites right now are both in the same lineup. That’s before getting to Freddie Freeman — who has the fourth-highest OBP in the majors behind only Betts, Ohtani and Juan Soto — but the lineup goes far beyond the vaunted trio at the top. Will Smith is hitting .331. Max Muncy is slugging .556. Newcomer Teoscar Hernández already has 10 home runs and leads the team with 29 RBIs. Rookie Andy Pages‘ immediate spark has completely changed the look of the bottom of the lineup. 

Five of MLB’s top 19 RBI leaders play for the Dodgers, and their offense leads the majors in every slash line category. The Dodgers sport a .808 OPS as a team at a time when no other club is above .750. As previously mentioned, I’d expect the Braves to get going at some point, and the Orioles — who are outhomering the Dodgers — are oozing offensive talent, but right now there’s no question about the top offense in the sport. 

6. The Mariners’ surging rotation is the best in baseball

Verdict: Buy 

As sensational as Boston’s rotation has been all year, I’d still tab Seattle’s as baseball’s best. Though the Twins got to them a bit this week, Mariners starting pitchers still boast the lowest ERA in the sport over the past 30 days, and now they’re about to add Bryan Woo back into the fold. Until Bryce Miller surrendered four runs in six innings on Sunday, Mariners starters had gone 21 straight games allowing two earned runs or fewer, which was tied for the second-longest streak in MLB history. 

The individual performances are all staggering: George Kirby has 45 strikeouts and only five walks. Logan Gilbert ranks in the top five in the majors in ERA (1.69), WHIP (0.79) and batting average against (.152). Miller also sports a WHIP under 1.00, while Luis Castillo has a 1.93 ERA over his past five starts. There are other deep rotations — the Phillies, Red Sox and Royals have all been sensational — but I see Seattle sustaining its starting pitching success better than any group in the majors. 

7. One of April’s Pitchers of the Month will win the Cy Young 

Verdict: Sell 

José Berríos‘ 1.44 ERA in March and April came with a 4.01 FIP that brought something of a red flag to the stellar stretch. Still, he had not allowed more than two runs in any of his first seven starts of the year and was providing length to a pitching staff that needed it, going at least six innings in six of those seven starts. Well, things came crashing down Tuesday, when the Phillies tagged him for eight runs in 3.2 innings. The peripherals right now are troubling, particularly a hard-hit rate that’s the highest of his career and an expected ERA close to 5.00. It’ll be interesting to see if he can still find a way to continue his early-season success — the Blue Jays certainly need it — but it’s hard to count on that happening. 

It’s much easier to believe right now in Ranger Suárez — just look at the difference in their Statcast pages — who’s allowing almost no hard contact while sporting the lowest WHIP among all qualified starters (0.72) and surrendering just six walks over his first 47 innings. Still, he pitches in a rotation with ace Zack Wheeler, who has looked more and more terrific as the year has progressed. Suárez is a vital piece in the Phillies’ standout rotation, and his success has played an important part in Philadelphia’s placement atop the NL East, but I have more confidence in Wheeler sustaining that success. The way that Wheeler, Tyler Glasnow, Dylan Cease are racking up strikeouts, and the way that Shōta Imanaga is transitioning effortlessly to MLB action, there are too many other likely Cy Young candidates. 

8. The Blue Jays will finish last in the AL East  

Verdict: Buy 

Two years ago, the Blue Jays featured one of the most feared lineups in the sport but couldn’t pitch reliably. Last year, they had one of baseball’s top rotations but couldn’t hit. Now, they can’t do either. Their offense, which is being carried by Danny Jansen, Davis Schneider and Justin Turner, ranks in the bottom five in baseball in home runs, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting around league average, while Bo Bichette (.513 OPS) and George Springer (.574) are hitting far worse than that. 

The pitching staff, meanwhile, has a 4.64 ERA as a group, is surrendering the highest hard-hit rate in the majors and is tied for the MLB lead in home runs allowed. It feels like a bit of a miracle that the Blue Jays are only three games under .500. But in their division, that’s not going to cut it. The rest of the East is too good, and they’ve burned my belief over the past few years enough that I’m close to sticking a fork in them. 

9. The Luis Arráez trade makes the Padres a contender 

Verdict: Buy

There’s a lot of debate about how much Arráez — whose value derives entirely from his contact skills — is really worth to a team. He doesn’t walk much or run fast. He can play the right side of the infield, but he won’t provide much help there, and his inability to slug makes him an atypical designated hitter. 

But, man, those contact skills are elite. 

With Manny Machado back at third base, the Padres could afford to add another somewhat full-time DH — at-bats that no longer need to go to Eguy Rosario, Graham Pauley or Tyler Wade. Arráez, a back-to-back batting champion who has hit above league average every season and sports an OPS over .800 since the start of the 2022 season, represents a clear upgrade for an offense that just sent one of the three best left-handed hitters in baseball to New York this offseason. 

There are still questions in San Diego, particularly in a thin rotation, but there is no doubting the firepower of this offensive group, which suddenly looks a lot deeper now. I don’t envision the Padres challenging the Dodgers for the top spot in the West, but second place certainly seems within reach. And, as San Diego demonstrated in 2022 and the D-backs displayed last year, that can be enough to make some noise. 

10. The D-backs’ bullpen will determine whether they make the playoffs 

Verdict: Sell

While it will certainly play a role — the bullpen ranks in the bottom 10 in ERA, strikeouts per nine and strikeout-to-walk ratio, and the team could have done more to address the deficiency this offseason — the group at least got Paul Sewald back earlier this week. As last year’s Sewald addition demonstrated, they could add someone there at the deadline if they’re still in the hunt. 

Whether they’re contending at that time will come down primarily to the growth (or lack thereof) of Arizona’s young standouts. Corbin Carroll’s OPS is .567 on the year, and his batting average was under .200 at the start of last weekend. He is striking out less and walking more, but it appears to be at the expense of doing damage. He had lost the ability to hit the ball hard to start the year, though there have been some encouraging signs over the past week. He laced a single 109.2 mph off the bat Sunday for the hardest-hit ball of that game and knocked in five runs Tuesday, including a home run with a 104.3 mph exit velo. So far, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Joc Pederson have carried the offense. They’ll need more from Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to recapture last year’s magic. 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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It’s been just over 50 years since Major League Baseball implemented the designated hitter rule in the American League. This year marks just the third since the National League permanently adopted the rule.

Less than six weeks into the 2024 season, an NL slugger is on pace to post not only the best ever DH campaign for the league but also MLB history.

Shohei Ohtani is off to the best start of his career at the plate as he abstains from pitching while recovering from UCL surgery. The lesser workload has only made him an even better hitter in his debut season with the Dodgers. 

Entering Wednesday, Ohtani owned a .370/.434/.705 slash line and 217 wRC+ while on track to compile 48 home runs, 61 doubles, 136 runs, 118 RBIs, 451 total bases and 11.7 fWAR. That last total, as you’ll see with the list below, would shatter the previous single-season record by a full-time DH. 

Ohtani’s current projections would also transcend the modern era, as only two players have tallied 11.7 fWAR or more in a season since 1928. Moreover, Ohtani’s 217 wRC+ would be the highest mark since Barry Bonds eclipsed it three times in the early 2000s and the best non-Bonds figure since 1957. 

With that, here are the 10 best DH seasons ever, according to fWAR (minimum 100 games at DH):

10. Travis Hafner (Guardians), 2005: 5.3 fWAR; .305/.408/.595, 33 HR, 108 RBI, 166 wRC+
Hafner’s breakout season earned the last spot on our list by virtue of a tiebreaker. While his fWAR equaled two seasons apiece from Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz, Hafner’s 166 wRC+ topped the Hall of Famers.

That 166 OPS+ was also the first of two consecutive seasons in which he posted at least 165, making him one of just two players to do so in 2005 and 2006. The other was Albert Pujols. Pronk, as he is known from his playing days, also drew MVP votes, finishing fifth in the 2005 AL race.

9. Rafael Palmeiro (Rangers), 1999: 5.4 fWAR; .324/.420/.630, 47 HR, 148 RBI, 156 wRC+
Never mind the Gold Glove that Palmeiro was bizarrely awarded in 1999. Upon rejoining the Rangers, he became their full-time DH and continued hitting at an elite level. This was arguably his best year at the plate, and it earned Palmeiro a fifth-place finish in the AL MVP race. More than two decades later, he’s still one of just five players since 1939 to post a .320 batting average with 45 homers and 145 RBI in a season. 

8. Edgar Martínez (Mariners), 1998: 5.5 fWAR; .322/.428/.564, 29 HR, 103 RBI, 156 wRC+
Although Martínez had more impressive seasons (more on that later), this one remains notable. At 35 years old, he led the AL in on-base percentage and eclipsed the .425 mark for a fourth consecutive year. The only other player to accomplish that from 1995 to 1998 was Bonds.

7. Frank Thomas (White Sox), 2000: 5.9 fWAR; .328/.436/.625, 43 HR, 143 RBI, 160 wRC+
The two-time MVP nearly claimed a third award in his age-32 season. The 2000 AL runner-up hit a career-high 43 homers and became the first (and still the only) full-time DH to hit 40-plus homer while also registering 140 RBIs and 110 walks.

6. Edgar Martínez (Mariners), 1996: 5.9 fWAR; .327/.464/.595, 26 HR, 103 RBI, 163 wRC+
It’s another Martínez sighting, but not the last. For the second straight year, Martínez recorded at least 50 doubles and 25 homers. He was the only player to do that in both 1995 and 1996. The latter was also the second of four straight seasons in which he tallied 100 RBIs and 110 walks.

5. Travis Hafner (Guardians), 2006: 6.0 fWAR; .308/.439/.659, 42 HR, 117 RBI, 176 wRC+
This was Hafner’s best season, as he led the AL in slugging and OPS (1.097) and the majors in wRC+ and finished eighth in MVP voting. He also joined Jay Buhner (1995) as the only players in MLB history to post 40 homers and 115 RBIs despite playing fewer than 130 games.

4. Edgar Martínez (Mariners), 1997: 6.1 fWAR; .330/.456/.554, 28 HR, 108 RBI, 164 wRC+
Martínez makes up nearly half of this list, and his 1997 campaign was historically memorable. Despite turning 34 years old before the season, he managed to walk 115 times and post a 160 wRC+. Only five other players have reached those benchmarks at that age, and you’re certainly familiar with them (Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth). Martinez was quietly but inarguably one of the best hitters of the past 50 years.

3. David Ortiz (Red Sox), 2007: 6.3 fWAR; .332/.445/.621, 35 HR, 117 RBI, 175 wRC+
Welcome to the only member of this list to win a World Series. It’s probably no coincidence that Big Papi won it all in the same season that he posted his best numbers at the plate (although he and the Red Sox also won titles in 2004 and 2013). In 2007, Ortiz led the AL in walks (111) and OBP and finished fourth in AL MVP voting. He also became the first full-time DH to compile 6.0 WAR in a season this century.

2. Shohei Ohtani (Angels), 2023: 6.5 fWAR; .304/.412/.654, 44 HR, 95 RBI, 180 wRC+
The record-breaking phenom took home AL MVP honors in 2023. It was an uncontested race after he produced like a frontline starter on the mound and led the league in homers and total bases (325) — despite missing nearly all of September. Oh, and he paced the majors in OBP, OPS (1.107) and wRC+. This marked Ohtani’s second unanimous selection, which puts him in a club of one, and it represents his best season at the plate. For now. 

1. Edgar Martínez (Mariners), 1995: 7 fWAR; .356/.479/.628, 29 HR, 113 RBI, 182 wRC+
This is the year that Martínez cemented himself as the premier designated hitter of his era and remains the gold standard for DH campaigns. In his best season at the plate, Martínez led MLB in doubles (52), OBP, OPS (1.107) and wRC+. He also won his second batting title and scored an AL-best 121 runs while finishing third in MVP voting. Martínez became just the second hitter since 1938 to post a .350 average with 50 doubles and 25 homers. Six players have now reached all of these marks in the same year, but only Martínez and Magglio Ordóñez pulled it off past their age-30 seasons. 

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