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The designated hitter (DH) was first introduced to the AL in 1973, with Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees becoming the first official DH in MLB history. In the nearly half-century since then, the DH has been a source of much debate for baseball fans and has often served as a position for sluggers to transition to once they become fielding liabilities. Nevertheless, some of the most feared offensive players in recent baseball history have been primarily DHs, namely Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners in the 1990s and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox in the 2000s. With Martinez being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 and Ortiz soon becoming eligible, the comparisons between these two star DHs naturally leads to the question:
Who was better – Edgar Martinez or David Ortiz?
The Beginning
Each a product of the Caribbean, Martinez and Ortiz both started their professional careers with the Mariners, though neither had a straightforward path towards becoming a full-time major league player.
Born in New York City, but raised in Puerto Rico, Martinez grew up playing baseball and idolizing Roberto Clemente. However, he was not a highly-regarded prospect and played semi-professional baseball during his university days before attending a local tryout for the Mariners; he was subsequently signed as a free agent in 1982. Originally a third baseman by trade, Martinez spent half a decade in Seattle’s farm system before making his major league debut at age 24 in 1987, though he would play less than 100 total games over the next three seasons. Finally, at age 27 in 1990, he became a full-time player and proceeded to hit .302 with 11 home runs, 49 runs batted in, 71 runs scored, a .397 on-base percentage, and a .433 slugging percentage, good for a 133 OPS+ (which measures on-base percentage plus slugging vs. a league-wide average set at 100).
Meanwhile, Ortiz played both baseball and basketball while growing up in the Dominican Republic; in fact, one of his good baseball friends was Pedro Martinez, who would later become his teammate on the Red Sox. As a teenager, Ortiz was likewise signed by the Mariners as a first baseman and rose the ranks of the team’s minor league system before being traded to the Minnesota Twins towards the end of the 1996 season for Dave Hollins. In Minnesota, he continued to excel in the minors and made his major league debut as a 1997 September call-up; as a rookie in 1998, Ortiz played in 86 games and hit .277 with 9 home runs, 46 runs batted in, 47 runs scored, a .371 on-base percentage, and a .446 slugging percentage (111 OPS+).
Career Comparison
Upon finally getting opportunities as full-time DHs in their late 20s, Martinez and Ortiz would evolve into two of the most productive and clutch hitters of their era for a decade apiece in the 1990s and 2000s, respectively.
After building on his first full season with a similar 1991 campaign, Martinez broke out in 1992 to win his first batting title with a .343 batting average (including a league-high 46 doubles), 18 home runs, 73 runs batted in, 100 runs scored, a .404 on-base percentage, and a .544 slugging percentage (164 OPS+); additionally, he earned the first of seven All-Star selections and the first of five Silver Sluggers. Over the next two seasons, though, between injuries and the strike, he was limited to 42 and 89 games played, respectively. After becoming a full-time DH in 1995, Martinez bounced back with a career year while hitting in the middle of a Mariners lineup that also included Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez: a career-best .356 batting average (with a career-high 52 doubles), 29 home runs, 113 runs batted in, a league-high and career-best 121 runs scored, a league-high and career-high .479 on-base percentage, and a .628 slugging percentage (185 OPS+) to win his second batting title, earn another All-Star selection, win another Silver Slugger, and finish third for AL MVP. This marked the first of seven consecutive .300+ seasons and was followed by two more All-Star seasons in a row:
- 1996: .327 batting average with 26 home runs, 103 runs batted in, 121 runs scored, a .464 on-base percentage, and a .595 slugging percentage, good for a 167 OPS+; matched his career-highs in both doubles and runs scored
- 1997: .330 batting average with 28 home runs, 108 runs batted in, 104 runs scored, a .456 on-base percentage, and a .554 slugging percentage, good for a 165 OPS+; won third Silver Slugger
Entering his mid-30s, Martinez remained an offensive force and on-base machine – in both 1998 and 1999, he led the AL in on-base percentage (.429 and .447, respectively) while hitting .300+ with 20+ home runs, 80+ runs batted in, and 80+ runs scored. In 2000, he had another monster season, batting .324 with career-highs of 37 home runs and a league-high 145 runs batted in, 100 runs scored, a .423 on-base percentage, and a .579 slugging percentage, good for a 158 OPS+. The next year, Martinez posted a final .300 season in 2001 at age 38: .306 batting average with 23 home runs, 116 runs batted in, 80 runs scored, a .423 on-base percentage, and a .543 slugging percentage, good for a 160 OPS+ and a fourth Silver Slugger. After injuries limited him to 97 games played in 2002, Martinez had his last All-Star and Silver Slugger season in 2003 on the strength of a .294 batting average, 24 home runs, 98 runs batted in, 72 runs scored, a .406 on-base percentage, and a .489 slugging percentage (141 OPS+). Finally, at age 41, he struggled through one final season hitting .263 before retiring at season’s end in 2004, having spent his entire career with the Mariners; the next season, MLB renamed the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award to the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.
Ortiz was likewise a bit of a late bloomer – across parts of six seasons with the Twins, he only received more than 400 at-bats twice, with his best season coming in 2002 (.272 batting average with 20 home runs, 75 runs batted in, 52 runs scored, a .339 on-base percentage, and a .500 slugging percentage, equating to a 120 OPS+). However, as a small market team, Minnesota released Ortiz at season’s end and he subsequently signed as a free agent with the Red Sox upon Pedro Martinez’s request. After initially starting the 2003 season in a timeshare, Ortiz broke out at age 27 with a .288 batting average, 31 home runs, 101 runs batted in, 79 runs scored, a .369 on-base percentage, and a .592 slugging percentage (144 OPS+) to finish fifth for AL MVP. Now firmly entrenched as Boston’s DH and forming a potent one-two punch with slugger Manny Ramirez, Ortiz followed up on his breakout season with four straight years of 30+ home runs and 100+ runs batted in with Silver Slugger awards and top-five MVP finishes:
- 2004: .301 batting average with 41 home runs, 139 runs batted in, 94 runs scored, a .380 on-base percentage, and a .603 slugging percentage (145 OPS+); finished fourth for MVP
- 2005: .300 batting average with 47 home runs, a league-best and career-best 148 runs batted in, a career-high 119 runs scored, a .397 on-base percentage, and a .604 slugging percentage (158 OPS+); finished second for AL MVP to Alex Rodriguez
- 2006: .287 batting average with a league-leading and career-best 54 home runs, a league-high 137 runs batted in, 115 runs scored, a .413 on-base percentage (buoyed by a league-leading 119 walks), and a career-high .636 slugging percentage (161 OPS+); finished third for MVP
- 2007: career-best .332 batting average with 35 home runs, 117 runs batted in, 116 runs scored, a league-leading and career-best .445 on-base percentage (league-high 111 walks), and a .621 slugging percentage (171 OPS+); finished fourth for MVP
Though Ortiz was an incredibly consistent power threat with the Red Sox (at least 20 home runs in all 14 years with the team), he dipped below 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in for two straight years in 2008 and 2009 (while still being named an All-Star in 2008). Nevertheless, he quickly rebounded with another string of four straight All-Star selections from 2010 to 2013, including a pair of 30-100 seasons and two more Silver Sluggers, highlighted by a 2013 campaign that saw him hit .309 with 30 home runs, 100 runs batted in, 84 runs scored, a .395 on-base percentage, and a .564 slugging percentage (159 OPS+), also good for another top-10 MVP finish. Entering his late 30s, an age when most hitters are in steep decline, Ortiz remained a dangerous slugger and actually posted four consecutive 30-100 seasons to close out his career. After hitting his 500th career home run in September of 2013, Ortiz announced he would retire after the 2016 season at age 40 and went on to have one of the greatest farewell seasons in MLB history – with a .315 batting average (including a league-high 48 doubles), 38 home runs, a league-leading 127 runs batted in, 79 runs scored, a .401 on-base percentage, and a league-best .620 slugging percentage (164 OPS+), he earned a final All-Star selection, won his last Silver Slugger, and placed sixth for AL MVP.
Despite relatively late starts to becoming full-time players, Martinez ultimately played 18 MLB seasons vs. Ortiz’s 20 years of service. Due to better durability resulting in more games played and at-bats, Ortiz has the advantage in essentially every major counting offensive category as well as slugging percentage; on the other hand, however, Martinez holds a much higher career batting average and on-base percentage, as well as a higher OPS+. Overall, Martinez had more .300+ seasons (10 vs. 7) and years with 100+ runs scored (5 vs. 3), whereas Ortiz was the better slugger with more 30+ home run seasons (10 vs. 1, including 3x with 40+ home runs and once with 50+) and seasons with 100+ runs batted in (10 vs. 6). This also resulted in more All-Star selections (10x to 7x) and Silver Sluggers (7x vs. 5x) for Ortiz, though Martinez won a pair of batting titles. Interestingly, despite Ortiz’s longer career and edge in numerous statistical categories and accolades, Martinez actually has a higher career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 68.4 vs. 55.3. In 2019, Martinez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame together with Harold Baines, following Frank Thomas as the only current Hall of Famers to play at least 50% of their games at DH; Ortiz is eligible starting in 2021 and will be an interesting case given his status as primarily a DH, as well as accusations of steroid use during his career.
Regular Season Statistics
| Edgar Martinez | Player | David Ortiz |
| 18 (1987-2004) | Seasons | 20 (1997-2016) |
| 2,055 | Games Played | 2,408 |
| 7,213 | At-Bats | 8,640 |
| 2,247 | Hits | 2,472 |
| 1,219 | Runs | 1,419 |
| 309 | Home Runs | 541 |
| 1,261 | Runs Batted In | 1,768 |
| 1,283 | Walks | 1,319 |
| 49 | Stolen Bases | 17 |
| .312 | Batting Average | .286 |
| .418 | On-Base Percentage | .380 |
| .515 | Slugging Percentage | .552 |
| 147 | OPS+ | 141 |
| 68.4 | Wins Above Replacement | 55.3 |
| 7x | All-Star Games | 10x |
| – | MVP | – |
| – | World Series Titles | 3x |
| 5x Silver Slugger, 2x Batting Title | Other Awards | 7x Silver Slugger, 1x World Series MVP |
| 2019 | Hall of Fame Induction | – |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
In addition to regular season accomplishments, Martinez and Ortiz were both strong playoff contributors with notable series performances in which they hit well above .500; however, of the duo, only Ortiz was able to lead his team to a World Series title (or multiple titles, for that matter).
During his time with Seattle, Martinez helped guide the Mariners to four playoff appearances, all during the mid-1990s to early 2000s, resulting in three trips to the ALCS; individually, his greatest successes came in the ALDS (Martinez hit a combined .375 in the ALDS vs. just .156 in the ALCS). Most notably, in a five-game win over Don Mattingly and the New York Yankees in the 1995 ALDS, he batted .571 (12 hits in 21 at-bats) with 2 home runs, 10 runs batted in, 6 runs scored, and 6 walks (for a .667 on-base percentage) and delivered “The Double” in the bottom of the 11th inning in Game 5 to score Joey Cora and Griffey and deliver the first ALCS appearance in Mariners history (an eventual six-game loss to the Cleveland Indians).
As for Ortiz, he was a clutch performer in nine career postseason trips (8x with Boston, 1x with Minnesota) that culminated in three World Series titles with the Red Sox. In 2004, after hitting .545 in the ALDS, he was named ALCS MVP by batting .387 (12 hits in 31 at-bats) with 3 home runs and 11 runs batted in during an epic seven-game comeback victory over the archrival Yankees; this was followed by a .308 average in a World Series sweep of Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals to give Boston its first title in 86 years. Three years later, Ortiz batted an incredible .714 in the ALDS and proceeded to hit .300+ across the ALCS and World Series as the Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies for another championship. Finally, in a 2013 World Series win over the Cardinals once again, this time in six games, Ortiz was named World Series MVP with a blistering .688 batting average (11 hits in 16 at-bats), 2 home runs, 6 runs batted in, and 7 runs scored.
Playoff Statistics
| Edgar Martinez | Player | David Ortiz |
| 34 | Games Played | 85 |
| 128 | At-Bats | 304 |
| 34 | Hits | 88 |
| 16 | Runs | 51 |
| 8 | Home Runs | 17 |
| 24 | Runs Batted In | 61 |
| 19 | Walks | 59 |
| 2 | Stolen Bases | – |
| .266 | Batting Average | .289 |
| .365 | On-Base Percentage | .404 |
| .508 | Slugging Percentage | .543 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; Martinez and Ortiz both had slightly unconventional superstar trajectories – unlike most star players, Martinez and Ortiz did not really hit their stride until their late 20s, but remained highly effective players well into their late 30s. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Edgar Martinez | Player | David Ortiz |
| 1991-1992, 1995-2001, 2003 | Decade of Dominance | 2003-2007, 2010-2011, 2013, 2015-2016 |
| 1,450 | Games Played | 1,462 |
| 5,205 | At-Bats | 5,364 |
| 1,690 | Hits | 1,601 |
| 968 | Runs | 929 |
| 252 | Home Runs | 374 |
| 996 | Runs Batted In | 1,178 |
| 980 | Walks | 858 |
| 38 | Stolen Bases | 12 |
| .325 | Batting Average | .298 |
| .434 | On-Base Percentage | .394 |
| .550 | Slugging Percentage | .589 |
| 56.6 | Wins Above Replacement | 44.6 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
When you normalize their careers across respective decades of dominance, the picture changes a bit – while Ortiz remains the more prolific slugger (more home runs and runs batted in with a higher slugging percentage), in this case Martinez holds the advantage in every other category, both in terms of accumulation and ratios.
My Thoughts
While the Hall of Fame has recognized other players who spent considerable time at DH (the aforementioned Thomas and Baines, as well as Paul Molitor), Edgar Martinez was the first “true DH” to earn enshrinement, with David Ortiz a strong candidate to follow. For much of the 2000s, Ortiz was regarded as one of the top sluggers in baseball and a pivotal and clutch force in leading the Red Sox to three World Series championships. As potent as Ortiz was with the bat, however, I think Martinez was a more well-rounded and better overall hitter – on one hand, he was an annual contender to win a batting title and/or lead the league in walks, yet on the other hand, prime Edgar was also a potent middle-of-the-lineup slugger; for what it is worth, Martinez was also a decent third baseman and had a number of productive seasons as a positional player before converting to a full-time DH. As to the question of whether or not Ortiz is Hall of Fame-worthy, between his regular season dominance with the Red Sox and coming up huge in big moments in the playoffs, I would say yes, though not on the first ballot.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Edgar Martinez
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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