2016 AL East Rankings by Position: Designated Hitter

Now that we have finished all the fielding positions, we are on to designated hitter in our 2016 AL East rankings by position, a position full of power, short on speed, and in several cases, soaring in the age department.

As a reminder, just a few points about these rankings:

• I love being able to discuss these rankings. I don’t claim to know anything about the AL East, but I try to be as impartial as possible. If you disagree, let me have it!
• We are primarily focused on the starter at the position, but for DH, I also will not include anyone expected to start at another position.

First, let’s look at how I ranked the division before the season started last year: 1 – Boston, 2 – Baltimore, 3 – New York, 4 – Toronto, 5 – Tampa.

By the end of the season, things looked much different: 1 – Toronto, 2 – Boston, 3 – New York, 4 – Baltimore, 5 – Tampa.

Overall, not bad. I thought Delmon Young would do well in his second year in Baltimore (he didn’t), and thought Encarnacion would start more at 1B than DH, which he didn’t.

For 2016, several of the players who are slotted at DH are there because there are very few other places for them to play.

1. Toronto Blue Jays – Edwin Encarnacion, Justin Smoak, Dalton Pompey

I’m not sure you would expect anyone else in this spot. In their primes, Rodriguez and Ortiz both were head and shoulders over everyone else here. But, neither is still in their prime. At 33, Encarnacion is edging past his prime, but his ability has not diminished over the past few years.

The slugger has hit 151 home runs over the last four years and is also another patient eye in the Jays’ lineup, with an on-base percentage of .370 averaged over that four-year span. Edwin hit .277/.372/.557 in 2015, with 39 HR, 111 RBIs, 31 2B, 94 R, and 77 walks. When you think about the DH position in the AL East, you think about power. Encarnacion has that in spades, but his on-base percentage helps separate him from the competition, like Mark Trumbo. In fact, the Jays’ slugger was in the top in on-base percentage and slugging in 2015. In fact, Encarnacion was top 10 in many offensive categories in the AL in 2015.

The down side is when Encarnacion plays the field, something he did 59 times in 2015. It is not good. For that reason, I expect Encarnacion to be closer to 100 games at DH in 2016, with Justin Smoak seeing most of the other appearances.

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