The Outstanding Designated Hitter Award was given each year by members of the Associated Press who are beat writers, broadcasters, and public relations directors. The award was given out during the first year of the designated hitter and has been an annual tradition ever since.
In 2000, the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award was discontinued by the Associated Press, but picked up by the Baseball Writers Association where it continued & prospered. In 2004, the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award was renamed the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in honor of DH extraordinaire Edgar Martinez who announced his retirement at the end of the regular season.
Listed below in chronological order are the recipients of the highly regarded Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. Annual nominees include all players with a minimum of 100 at-bats as a designated hitter. PLEASE NOTE: The Top 25 lists are yearly based, but not exclusive to designated hitters (all positions are listed). Research by Baseball Almanac.
"Last year I struggled against left-handers. I think I got away from my game plan. This year (1999) I'm trying to see the ball a little longer and drive the ball the other way." - Rafael Palmeiro
Most fans know who the first designated hitter was in baseball history (answer), but do you know who the first designated hitter was from every single American League team?
Interleague play has now given the National League a full set of regular season designated hitters. Review the historical breakdown today and find who the first designated hitter was from each National League team.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in SEVERAL rule changes for the season, including a designated hitter to be used in all National League games. Thus, the Edgar Martinez Award could have gone to a player from either league, and ultimately was awarded to Marcell Ozuna, who played for the Atlanta Braves, making him the first player from a National League team to ever receive the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.
In 2022, the DH is now part of both leagues as it was included in the new collective bargaining agreement. At Baseball Almanac, we hoped it would be the first year where a designated hitter would be recognized in each league, but it did not happen. Let's hope it does in 2024.
David Ortiz (8x), Edgar Martinez (5x), Hal McRae (3x), and Shohei Ohtani (3x) are the only DHs to ever win the Edgar Martinez Award at least three times. Who will join that elite set of designated hitters? Share your opinion with us on our Baseball Almanac Facebook Group, on Baseball Almanac Twitter, via Baseball Almanac Messenger, or our baseball forum — Baseball Fever.