Baltimore Orioles Offense – A Position by Position Review
Aug 9, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Nelson Cruz (23) is congratulated by Adam Jones (10) after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
DESIGNATED HITTER (+2 = Definitely Improved)
| YEAR | AVG | OBP | 2B | HR | RBI |
| 75% of 2014 | .268 | .328 | 21 | 20 | 69 |
| 100% of 2013 | .234 | .289 | 31 | 21 | 69 |
Perhaps the greatest of the three primary areas of need was at designated hitter. The Orioles were among the poorest of teams in this regard in 2013, using a total of 17 players in this role. The player with the most games and at-bats was Danny Valencia – with only 42 games as the DH.
With Nelson Cruz in particular, along with Delmon Young and Steve Pearce (and a handful of others occasionally), this has gone from a team weakness to a team strength. The batting average is 34 points higher with the previous power numbers already exceeded.