Top-10 Fantasy Baseball Designated Hitters for 2025: Shohei Ohtani, Marcell Ozuna, Kerry Carpenter, Jorge Soler, Giancarlo Stanton and More

It’s time to continue my top-10 fantasy baseball player series.

We will go over designated hitters today after looking at second basemen, shortstops, outfielders, catchers and starting pitchers already.

I’m going to focus on players who are primarily expected to be designated hitters - some players won’t be included after already appearing in one of my top-10 stories (Jonathan India, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Schwarber, Brent Rooker, Christian Yelich). 

For this list, I used fangraphs.com RosterResource - Depth Chart pages to come up with the players, then ranked the 10 best. Some of these players might also have position eligibility elsewhere.

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1. Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani is the clear cut No. 1 fantasy designated hitter going into 2025. He’s the No. 1 overall pick in just about every redraft league, as he’s also expected to be back on the mound again.

He won the NL MVP last season, strictly because of his work as a hitter. Ohtani will be in for another monster 2025 season in a stacked Dodgers’ lineup.

The fact that he could also score your fantasy team points with his work on the mound makes him the undeniable No. 1 pick in redraft leagues. He’s got a great case to be the No. 1 pick in keeper/dynasty leagues too, even though he’s 30 years old.

2. Marcell Ozuna

Ozuna is coming off a monster 2025 season and should be in a fantasy-rich hitting spot in the Braves’ lineup. 

He played in all 162 regular season games in 2024, and was on the field for 144 games in 2023. That daily playing time is a great asset for fantasy owners, even if his numbers regress a little bit.

Even though he probably is only available to start at the utility spot (or DH spot, if your league has them), Ozuna is worth a draft pick, and should be in line for another good fantasy season.

3. Seiya Suzuki

Suzuki is expected to serve as the designated hitter for the Cubs after a few offseason moves added more outfield depth.

His 2024 season closely resembled his 2023 campaign, but he added 10 stolen bases to his ledger. Suzuki still hasn’t played more than 140 games in a single season in his three-year MLB career, so there’s some risk involved when drafting him. He also strikes out quite a bit, but his career .278 average and .354 on-base percentage help offset some of the negatives.

I like getting Suzuki after pick 100, and the further he drops, the better a pick he becomes. He should have outfield eligibility, so that works in his favor a bit.

4. Kerry Carpenter

Carpenter has flashed some great potential when on the field over the past couple seasons, but missing a big chunk of games in each season has fantasy owners a bit worried about drafting him.

He had 18 homers and 57 RBIs across just 87 games last season. If you double those numbers to account for a whole season, Carpenter could be one of the top fantasy hitters in the game. He strikes out about once a game and doesn’t steal too many bases.

He’s expected to hit in the heart of the Tigers’ lineup, but also might not get too many starts against left-handed pitchers. Between the platoon and his injury concerns, Carpenter usually isn’t drafted until well after pick 125, and can oftentimes be drafted in the 200s.

5. Alec Burleson

Burleson is drafted around the same picks as Carpenter. He’s in a similar situation, hitting in a favorable spot of the lineup, but oftentimes sitting against left-handed pitchers.

Burleson did appear in 152 games and got 595 plate appearances last season, but he was aided by several injured teammates. Last year was also the first time Burleson really was a fantasy asset, so fantasy owners aren’t sure if it was a one-year fluke or a sign of things to come.

I don’t mind spending a later pick on Burleson, especially because he could have position eligibility at first base and in the outfield. He’s more of a depth option than someone to rely too heavily on though.

6. Jorge Soler

This offseason, Soler moved to the Angels, where he should occupy a middle-of-the-lineup spot, thus giving him good fantasy potential.

He’s a career .243 hitter, with a .331 OBP. Soler strikes out about a time per game and doesn’t steal bases, but offers plenty of pop.

In what isn’t expected to be a very good offense, Soler looks like a pretty average fantasy player. If the Angels stay healthy and improve a bit across the lineup, Soler could end up being a draft steal, or a nice waiver pickup early in the season.

7. Giancarlo Stanton

Durability concerns continue to hold Stanton back as a fantasy asset.

In 114 games last season, he clubbed 27 homers and drove in 72 runs. He had just a .233 average, but a decent .298 OBP.

He’ll likely hit in the bottom half of the Yankees’ lineup, but with a loaded set of hitters before him, Stanton could be another draft steal or good waiver pickup. Stanton is usable when he’s healthy.

8. Joc Pederson 

Pederson moved to the Rangers this offseason, which I think was a good move for his fantasy outlook, and for the Rangers’ offense overall.

He had a great showing across 132 games last season, hitting .275 and posting a .393 OBP. He averages less than a strikeout a game, can steal a few bases, but most importantly hit some homers and drive in runs.

His biggest downfall is that he rarely plays against lefties. Pederson will hit in the middle of the lineup when playing, so he’s a streaming option, and could be worth rostering all season if he keeps up his pace from last season.

9. Masataka Yoshida

Yoshida’s second MLB season was limited to just 108 games because of injuries. When he was on the field, he was good, posting a .280 average and .349 OBP, with a couple stolen bases and some decent pop and run production.

He’s expected to DH for the Red Sox this season, and hit in the middle of the lineup. Yoshida could be another guy who sits against most lefties, which sucks up some of his fantasy potential.

I still think Yoshida could be worth rostering in 2025, and is being a bit underrated right now because of his lower number of games played last season.

10. Josh Bell

Bell is a switch-hitter who should be in the lineup most days, and he should be hitting in the heart of the lineup. The problem with Bell is that he plays for the Nationals, who have some nice pieces in place, but definitely are not on par with some of the other offenses we’ve discussed in this article.

Bell is a career .258 hitter and gets on base at a .343 clip. He strikes out less than a time a game, doesn’t steal bases, but his power is decent.

His homer totals over the past two seasons are at least four homers short of his totals in bigger seasons in 2017, 2019 and 2021. There’s a chance he bounces back closer to 25 homers this season, but at age 32, I think he’s got a better chance of regressing than improving.

Honorable Mentions

There’s several players who are listed at DH who could crack the top-10 list by the end of the season.

Some of the names to keep an eye on are: Willi Castro, Jesse Winker (once he signs), Pavin Smith, Ryan O'Hearn, Starling Marte, Deyvison De Los Santos, Gavin Lux, Jonathan Aranda, Kyle Manzardo and Andrew McCutchen.