Fantasy Baseball Designated Hitter Draft Bust Candidates for 2025: Marcell Ozuna, Alec Burleson, Willi Castro and More

It's time to continue my draft bust series with designated hitters.

We've covered relief pitchers, starting pitchers, first base, second base, third base and shortstop already.

Check back soon for my draft steal candidate story for designated hitters. Also be sure to check out my top-10 redraft rankings for DHs for 2025. I'm not going to put together a dynasty list for that position with so much turnover at the position from season to season.

Check out Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position data for 2025 and get ready for your fantasy drafts by utilizing the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator.

1. Marcell Ozuna

It's tough to call many designated hitters draft bust candidates, simply because there's not many who I classified as DHs who are being drafted all that early. So, a lot of my top-10 is going to be in this draft bust story.

Ozuna is my No. 2 guy and being drafted around pick 57 right now. He was a borderline top-10 fantasy hitter last season, so he looks like a steal candidate, but I see some regression coming.

In 162 games last season, Ozuna had a .302 average and .378 on-base percentage. He homered 39 times, drove in 104 runs and scored 96 runs. Most of those numbers were career bests, or the second-best marks in his career.

He's dealt with injuries over the years and is going to be 34 years old while playing this season. Atlanta is stacked still offensively, but I simply don't think Ozuna will be as good as he was last season.

There's a decent chance he doesn't play in all 162 games, and that will take away his chance to score as many points as he did last year. If he also takes backward steps with his average, OBP, run production and homers, he could even be a bust for where he's being drafted now. Last season, he also struck out a career-high 170 times, which could really show itself this season if his average and OBP dropped.

I have Ozuna ranked second and think he will be a decent draft pick this season, but only being eligible as a DH, he's tough to roster in some fantasy leagues. If his numbers take a step back, picking him could really cripple your fantasy team.

2. Seiya Suzuki

Suzuki is my No. 3 fantasy designated hitter for 2025. He's being drafted around pick 126 right now, which really isn't that early, but again, there's not many options to choose from.

He's yet to play over 140 games in his three-year MLB career, but has at least gotten to 130 in back-to-back campaigns. So durability is part of the reason why I think he could be a draft bust.

In his 132 games last season, Suzuki had a .283 average, .366 OBP, 21 home runs, 73 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and 74 runs scored. Those numbers were almost identical to the ones he posted in a 138-game 2023 season, but with 10 more stolen bases.

Suzuki is another guy that strikes out a ton. He had 110 in 111 games in 2022, 130 in 138 games in 2023 and then 160 in his 132 games last season. That's a lot of negative points, and if he's not playing an additional 30 or so games…

His situation is better than Ozuna's in that Suzuki should also be eligible to play right field this fantasy season. Just that little bit of extra position eligibility is making Suzuki go earlier in fantasy drafts.

There's enough to like Suzuki as a fantasy asset, but he's really best utilized as a secondary option, not someone you will need to rely on all season. I like to back him up with another player or two, in case he misses a significant amount of time again.

3. Kerry Carpenter

Carpenter is my No. 4 fantasy DH for 2025. He's going around pick 130 so far.

He's another player who is a fantasy liability because of how many games he's missed during his career. In three seasons, Carpenter has played 236 games. The past two years, Carpenter has played 118 and 87 games.

In his 87 games last season, he had a .284 average and .345 OBP. He clubbed 18 homers and drove in 57 runs, while scoring 37 times.

If you just about double those numbers to account for a 162-game season, Carpenter has insane fantasy potential. He's really been quite good when on the field, especially the past two seasons, but he's missed far too many games. That's why he's available as late as he is in fantasy drafts.

There's a ton of risk involved with him. If he played in close to 162 games, Carpenter could end up being one of the bigger draft steals. Considering we haven't seen him top 120 games in a season though, I'm more inclined to call him a draft bust candidate.

Something else working against Carpenter is that he's normally been a platoon player. The left-handed hitter is in the lineup more than a right-handed platoon player would be, but that alone is going to limit the amount of at-bats he gets in a season.

I don't mind taking a gamble on Carpenter around his current ADP because of his fantasy upside, but I'd make sure to have a backup plan or two in place in case he misses more time. You'll need a good secondary option for him simply because he won't be in the lineup every day when healthy.

4. Alec Burleson

Let's keep continuing down my top-10 list and talk about my No. 5 guy, Burleson. He was fantastic last season and is going around pick 127 so far.

I have Carpenter ranked ahead of him, and so it makes sense to have Burleson as a draft bust candidate too. He broke out last season, and that's a big reason why I have doubts about him repeating last year's success.

In 152 games, Burleson had a .269 average and .314 OBP. He hit 21 home runs, drove in 78 runs, stole nine bases and scored 71 runs. 

Burleson gave himself a leg up on others to retain a big role this season. He should hit near the top of the order, but he might be another guy that platoons, so his fantasy potential is already limited.

He had great numbers last season, but they were far better than the ones he posted in a 107-game season in 2023. A little regression mixed with less games and at-bats could mean a steep dropoff for Burleson.

He still could finish near where he is being drafted even with some regression, but a regression to his 2023 numbers would mean he's a draft bust most likely.

I'm fine taking Burleson in drafts, especially because he might be eligible at first base, left field and right field in addition to designated hitter. I wouldn't be expecting a repeat of last season though, instead hoping he can put up value close to where he's being drafted.

5. Willi Castro

Castro was not part of my top-10 fantasy DH list for 2025. He was a surprise All-Star last season, but he fell off in the second half of the season in a big way. He's being drafted around pick 180 so far.

In 158 games, Castro had a .247 average and .331 OBP. He hit 12 homers, drove in 60 runs, stole 14 bases and scored 89 runs. In September, he hit .200, but still got on at a .295 clip.

He's expected to be the designated hitter for the Twins, but is really a super utility fantasy guy. He might have eligibility at second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field as 2025 begins.

That's a big plus in his favor, and based on what we saw at times last season, Castro is worth a late-round fantasy pick. I personally think there's higher upside players available around where Castro is being picked, and would probably rather take them than Castro just because he can play at several spots.

I see Castro's numbers regressing a bit, and it's going to leave the fantasy owners that drafted him underwhelmed. That's a draft bust to me.