Fantasy Baseball 2016 > Rankings > DH > Rankings Archive 2015
Look, we talk about fantasy DH rankings every year like they're fantasy football kickers: just draft one if you need to, but there are very few to watch who qualify strictly at DH in a fantasy league. If you really need to compare 2016's projections with our archived fantasy stats from 2014 (for 2015), then go ahead. But let it be said that if you're working this hard to find offense from a guy who is strictly a DH, you are very likely doomed.
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Are Any DHs Worth Drafting in 2015?
Our first response is that yes, there are plenty of guys at other positions you should draft as your fantasy DH... but we know that's not what you mean. So, among the actual Designated Hitters in your fantasy draft, these guys are the only ones worth drafting at this point. Also, we should note that we didn't even consider stolen bases as a part of our rankings among DHs. We included them in the stats above, but stolen bases played no part in our DH rankings in 2015. We've covered this before, and we even talk about it at other positions (i.e.: Catchers): if you came to the DH Rankings page to find stolen bases, you're in deep shit come draft day, daddio.
So, let's get on with it since you clearly have more studying to do if you've landed on this page:
So, let's get on with it since you clearly have more studying to do if you've landed on this page:
Victor Martinez has finally out-classed David Ortiz at the top of the fantasy DH rankings list. His stats speak for themselves in terms of 5x5 numbers (well, 4x4 numbers since we aren't counting stolen bases in the DH rankings), but his statistical indicators are even more telling. Victor Martinez walked 70 times, which is pretty good, but he only struck out 42 times in 561 at bats... and that's ridiculous. That means that, even though he's aging (he's 36 this year), he's becoming incredibly patient at the plate and he's making contact (contrary to the new trend in baseball where batters don't care if they make contact). Putting the ball in play more has meant a consistent , statistical increase across the board, for the most part. He set career-highs in hits, home runs, on-base percentage (also led the league), slugging percentage and OPS. If his walks-to-strikeouts ratio hadn't improved so much, we would have thought last year was a bit of a fluke. Given those statistical indicators, and barring injuries, Victor Martinez is definitely worth a draft pick in 2015, even over a good number of position players.
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We'll also mention that David Ortiz is worth a fantasy draft pick, too. We're not going to spend a lot of time on Big Papi because, quite frankly, there's nothing you don't already know about him. He's 39 years old, he'll still hit 25-35 home runs, he'll still drive in 85-105 RBI, and he'll score 80 or so runs. The only thing we might see that is kind of out of the ordinary for Ortiz is that we expect his average to stay well under .300 at this point in his career. We know, not very insightful, but still worth mentioning for the blinded-by-their-love-for-Big-Papi fans out there. His power stats will remain relatively consistent, but his batting average could end up anywhere from .255 to .290, but we would be shocked to see him hit .300 again. He's still #2 in our Fantasy DH Rankings, so he's definitely worth a teen-round pick or a sub-$10 auction pick.
Chris Carter is a great, all-or-nothing player to have on your roster. While you'll likely have to endure some frustrating box scores (like 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts and crap like that), you'll also be able to climb on his back and ride his power numbers for 1-2 weeks at a when he gets on one of his ridiculous hot streaks. By the end of the 2015 season, we wouldn't be surprised to see him on top of our DH rankings due to his sheer power. Like so many other hitters, if he could just trim his strikeouts down from 182 to just, like, 132, imagine the improved stats across the board he'd see if he just made contact 50 more times in a season. In fact, last season, he actually reduced his strikeouts from 212 (!!!) in 2013 to "only" 182 last year. The result was 4 more runs, 8 more home runs, 6 more RBI, 3 more stolen bases, and a .227 batting average ( as opposed to a .223 BA the year before). This year, Carter is still only 28 years old, so we predict some improvement in patience at the plate. Keep in mind that the Astros have a lot of power in their lineup, so Carter may very well eclipse 40 HR in 2015 if the rest of the lineup around him stays intact.
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Billy Butler was one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy baseball last season, regardless of position. Everyone was expecting at least 20 home runs out of Butler last year, and especially if someone would have told you that the Royals were going to the World Series in 2014, you would have thought Billy Butler was right in the middle of the mix, maybe even with 30 home runs. But nope... instead, Billy Butler finished with 9 HRs last year, and he played a full season, too (151 games; 549 ABs). He also set a career low with a .271 batting average, as well as a career-low .323 on-base percentage and a .379 slugging percentage - all dismal fantasy stats, especially given the expectations. In 2015, Billy Butler gets, perhaps, a much-needed change of scenery as he goes to play for the Oakland A's. While Oakland is less friendly to hitters, there's always a great attitude in the A's dugout that tends to be contagious with big, country-strong dudes like Billy Butler. Given his terrible 2014 season, if all things pan out for Billy Butler in 2015, he could be the last-round or $1 auction draft pick of the year.
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We also included Corey Hart on this year's DH rankings list, only because we were hopeful that he would be a solid sleeper pick at first base last season when he signed with the Seattle Mariners. As fate would have it for Corey Hart, the injury bug got him again, and now he's a $2.5-million backup outfielder/first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Somehow, if he gets and stays healthy, we'd like to see him work his way into the Pirates' lineup, or we'd like to see him get traded to an AL team so he can just stay in the lineup exclusively as a DH. We'll see, though. He may be worth a sentimental 80's pop-music-name pick in the last round of your draft, but at least keep an eye on the waiver wires for him in case he becomes a regular, everyday player again.