Top Fantasy Baseball Designated Hitters for 2024: Shohei Ohtani, Eloy Jimenez, Marcell Ozuna, Jorge Soler, J.D. Martinez

The 2024 MLB season is closing in quickly, so it’s time to start putting together your rankings for every position to make sure you’re lined up for your fantasy baseball draft.

The MLB rule changes over the past couple years have changed the game. Designated hitters were instituted league wide a couple years ago, and now it’s time to discuss where some DHs are being drafted and then determine if that’s a good spot to take them at.

We already covered some of the top starting pitchers, catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen, shortstops and outfielders, so be sure to check those out. We’ll cover other positions in stories to come, so check back for those.

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The Best of the Best

There’s a lot of players that will be eligible at the DH spot this season, but I want to focus on guys who primarily will DH this season.

The first name everyone immediately thinks of is Shohei Ohtani. He’ll join the Los Angeles Dodgers this season after being a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani isn’t expected to pitch in 2024, so all his time and effort can be put into hitting.

Ohtani’s sixth season in the big leagues was his best yet. Last year, Ohtani had a .304 average, .412 on-base percentage, 78 extra-base hits (44 homers), 95 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, 151 total hits and 102 runs scored across 135 games played.

After tearing it up for the Angels, he now joins a Dodgers’ lineup that can protect him a lot better. Teams won’t be able to pitch around Ohtani as much, and runners should be on base a bunch when he steps to the plate. Ohtani was the MVP in two of the past three seasons because of what he did as a pitcher and hitter, but he still should be in the MVP hunt as solely a hitter this season.

Because he isn’t likely to pitch, his draft stock has dipped a bit. He’s ranked and taken in drafts/mocks starting around pick 10, and is usually off the board before pick 15. I get that he isn’t going to pitch, but he was still one of the league’s best hitters a season ago. I’m honestly fine taking him starting around pick six (depending on how the draft board falls). If you can land him between picks 10-15, that already feels like a steal. Don’t let the injury/lack of pitching stop you from taking Ohtani.

Other Guys Worth Mentioning

Usually, there’s several players in that first section, but given my stipulations of being mostly a DH (and for Ohtani being as good as he is), the Dodgers’ star gets the section to himself.

Some other DHs that could get drafted are Chicago White Sox’s Eloy Jimenez, Atlanta Braves’ Marcell Ozuna, free agents Jorge Soler and J.D. Martinez, Arizona Diamondbacks’ Joc Pederson, Toronto Blue Jays’ Justin Turner, Miami Marlins’ Josh Bell.

Jimenez had a .272 average, .317 on-base percentage, 41 extra-base hits (18 home runs), 64 RBIs, 124 total hits and 50 runs scored across 120 games played. He started 14 games in right field a season ago.

His ADP/ranking is all over the place, sometimes near 100 and other times closer to 200. That probably means he’d be a decent option somewhere in the middle of that range. 

Games played are a big issue for Jimenez over the past few seasons, so although his numbers are pretty strong across the board, he’s a guy I only like if you view him as a secondary option to your main starter. When on the field, he’s most often a lock for fantasy lineups.

Ozuna had solid numbers a season ago, posting a .274 average, .346 on-base percentage, 70 extra-base hits (40 homers), 100 RBIs, 145 total hits and 84 runs scored.

Ozuna will hit in the middle of the Atlanta lineup, which should give him plenty of RBI chances. His average jumped nearly 50 points a season ago, so there might be a little regression there. 

Ozuna typically starts getting drafted/ranked around 115th and is typically off the board before pick 140 (although sometimes he falls quite a bit further). He's a solid pick between 115-140, and could be a steal if he prodcues similar numbers this season.

Soler spent last season mashing for the Marlins. He had a .250 average, .341 on-base percentage, 60 extra-base hits (36 homers), 75 RBIs, 126 total hits and 77 runs scored.

The San Francisco Giants have recently been linked to Soler, but it’s hard to project what Soler might actually do until he’s signed. Your fantasy draft might have already started, or is coming up soon, so you might not be afforded the luxury of knowing where he’s going to hit this season. 

I typically see Soler going in rankings/drafts between picks 120-140. He could jump up as soon as he signs somewhere. Most hitters deliver wherever they are, and I’ve already taken Soler in a couple drafts/mocks. He might not boast the average of an Ohtani, Jimenez or Ozuna, but he can blast homers at a similar pace.

Martinez had a big season, albeit across just 113 games, for the Dodgers last season. He had a .271 average, .321 on-base percentage, 62 extra-base hits (33 homers), 103 RBIs, 117 total hits and 61 runs scored.

He’s been rumored to the New York Mets, but again like in the case with Soler, his fantasy outlook is hard to project until he actually signs.

He’s a career .287 hitter and can belt home runs with the best of them, so there’s not much to be concerned about there. He’s struggled at times to stay on the field, which has pushed him somewhere in the range of picks 160-200 for this season. Because he’s 36 years old and has some injury concerns, I’d feel a lot better drafting him whenever he actually signs with a team.

Pederson, who played in left, right and at first base a bit last season, is expected to DH for the loaded Diamondbacks’ lineup this season. He might only be in the lineup against righties, but he still puts up huge numbers.

Pederson had a .235 average, .348 on-base percentage, 32 extra-base hits (15 homers), 51 RBIs, 84 total hits and 59 runs scored across 121 games played.

If a player isn’t in the lineup every day, it’s hard for me to justify drafting them. He’s a decent option in deeper leagues, but again, there’s probably better options out there that will nearly play every day. 

Turner played for the Boston Red Sox last season, finishing with a .276 average, .345 on-base percentage, 54 extra-base hits (23 homers), 96 RBIs, 154 total hits and 86 runs scored. He fell under the radar a bit with the Red Sox taking last in the AL East.

He has a career .288 average, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down despite being 39 years old now. He goes in the latter portions of standard 10-team drafts and is a sleeper for me if he can produce similar numbers to a season ago. He’ll likely hit at the heart of the lineup, at least to start the season, so he’ll have the chance to be a good fantasy asset.

Bell is another guy who is going later in standard 10-team drafts. A season ago, he had a .247 average, .325 average, 50 extra-base hits (22 homers), 74 RBIs, 135 total hits and 52 runs scored between time with the Cleveland Guardians and Marlins.

Bell might also play a lot of first base for Miami - he played 60 games at 1B and served as a DH in 89 games last season. He’s in the lineup nearly every day, and should hit near the top of the lineup, so he’s another late-round sleeper in my book.