Fantasy Baseball 2025: Designated Hitter Rankings

Many fantasy baseball players learned a valuable lesson this season: Designated hitters with elite power are a great way to fill your utility spot.

Some fantasy managers think of that strategy as clogging a spot in which they could use any player. But the reality is that in 10 or 12-team leagues, the utility spot underproduces. Too many options on the waiver wire often lead to questionable adds and drops, as managers ride out the performance of a player who was hot last week yet ice-cold the next. 

For myself, I’d rather just have a stable power-hitting presence fill up the utility slot in my lineup. There will be four elite DH possibilities next year for you to choose from. And if you think this takes away from lineup versatility, I’m here to tell you that their production outweighs any added benefit of roster flexibility. 

Without further ado, let’s talk designated hitters and why you need at least one of these guys come 2025.

4. Brent Rooker

Tell me the truth: Did you realize Rooker put up 112 RBI in 2024? If you did, all the credit in the world. And if not, well, you’re in the majority of fans. Nobody seemed to believe his 2023 performance. He only proved the haters wrong.

Thirty-nine home runs later and we are putting him in the same rankings as Ohtani, Schwarber, and Ozuna. I’d say that’s not too bad of a year.

For as good as Rooker was this past season, he still experienced plenty of issues with strikeouts. He often chases at poor offerings. Yet, on the bright side, he runs an uncharacteristically high walk percentage for his type of profile. I can definitely live with a guy who chases as much as Rooker does because a lot of times those swings turn into homers.  

By the way, his power will be on full display in Sacramento instead of Oakland, giving him a bit of an advantage moving forward. It was a bit of a surprise when the Athletics came out and stated that they would not be trading Rooker, considering they almost always trade away any sort of talent within their organization. 

Rooker will own the cheapest draft price of these four going into the 2025 season, and I think many people will overlook his value.

Don’t be afraid to benefit from fantasy managers not appreciating true talent just because Rooker plays for an organization that is currently down in the dumps. Take that risk and look into the areas that most people are ignoring.

3. Marcell Ozuna

After the first few months of 2023, it looked as if Ozuna’s career was all but finished. His bat was pathetic in April, leaving many fantasy managers frustrated. To be honest I was a part of that group. But soon after many had dropped him, he woke up with a vengeance. 

Ozuna completed one of the most impressive yet silent back-to-back season performances ever, finishing with an OPS above .900 in both 2023 and ’24 on top of hitting 40 and 39 home runs, respectively. His 2024 was good enough to land him fourth place in NL MVP voting. 

Looking forward to 2025, I don’t see any reason as to why we shouldn’t trust his potential for a floor of at least 30 home runs. Let’s also not forget that this Braves offense will be reloaded and ready to go after a year of missing key contributors. That will only boost Ozuna’s counting stats. 

Ozuna’s ADP will be cheaper than Schwarber’s but will be a bit more expensive than it was last season. Now that we’ve seen him perform at an elite level for two seasons in a row, the trust factor will bring about confidence from fantasy managers. If he slips at all in the middle rounds, swipe him as fast as possible.

2. Kyle Schwarber

Schwarber’s fantasy value will be viewed in a much different light come draft season next year. His outfield eligibility? Lost. At the same time, however, he’s the guy I’m most excited to talk about because even before he lost such eligibility, Schwarber was underrated.

Now that he is only a DH, the fantasy community will disrespect him that much more. 

And disrespecting a guy who has hit 131 total home runs over the last three seasons is nasty work. Why the Cubs decided to move on from him at 27 years old is beyond me. He deserved an extension which would’ve served Chicago very well these past few seasons.

Regardless, what’s done is done and he’s now batting leadoff for one of the strongest teams in MLB.

Last offseason, I wrote about why Schwarber is one of the most misunderstood players when it comes to fantasy value. His ability to turn a plate appearance into either reaching base or hitting a long ball is much greater than almost any other player in the game. 

Schwarber hitting in front of Trea Turner and Bryce Harper just pours gas onto the fire for opposing pitchers. Flying under the radar is the sheer amount of times he crosses the plate, with him totaling 100 or more runs each of the last three seasons. 

If you see even the slightest discount on Schwarbomb’s ADP this spring, invest with tremendous confidence. 

1. Shohei Ohtani

What else is there to say about the 2024 National League MVP? By the time it’s all said and done, Ohtani has the chance to be the greatest of all time. If healthy for the remainder of his career, I believe he will earn that title. 

But let’s be real. Unless you own the number one overall pick in a draft, there’s no chance you’re landing Ohtani. Still, let’s talk about him.

Next season, he’s expected to be on the bump for the first time since 2023. In terms of overall production, this could actually hurt his hitting stats a bit. However, with the pitching added on, I don’t think anyone will be complaining about slightly fewer home runs. 

We all know Ohtani is the overall consensus top pick when it comes to fantasy. So the question isn’t necessarily about projections or ability, it’s about him staying healthy on the diamond.

In fact, if he has some arm issues coming out of spring training or even at any point of the season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Dodgers shut his arm down. His bat is simply too valuable to lose for the postseason. 

After he hit 54 long balls with 130 RBI and a .646 SLG, no fantasy owner should be complaining about his performance. And if I hear someone do so, I’ll just hit them with a humongous eye roll.

The only downfall with Ohtani is that for some reason, some league sites still have not found a way for his hitting and pitching stats to count on the same day. That is a shame in my opinion, since he should be rewarded for being able to carry out both.