Red Sox designated hitter vs the AL East
- Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (10)
- J.D Martinez, Red Sox (7)
- Trey Mancini, Orioles (5)
- Austin Meadows, Rays (3)
- Randall Grichuk, Blue Jays (1)
This was a close decision between the Red Sox’s J.D Martinez and the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton, but an unbiased journalist, I have to go with Stanton. Like Judge, Stanton was finally able to stay healthy and put up his best numbers since 2017. Even as he enters his age 32 season, Stanton still hits the ball as hard as anyone in baseball, ranking in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity.
Martinez similarly had a feel-good season in 2021, bouncing back from a disastrous 2020 season to lead the league with 41 doubles and post a 126 OPS+. Martinez will likely never put up the MVP numbers of his 2017-2019 prime, but he proved he is not quite finished yet.
Austin Meadows also had a comeback season in 2021. After breaking out in 2019, Meadows slashed just .205/.296/.371 in the abbreviated 2020 season. While he didn’t quite match the heights of his breakout season, Meadows still hit 27 home runs and posted an OPS+ of 117. He’s likely not as good as his 2019 season nor as bad as his 2020 season, and 2021 should be a good baseline going forward.
After missing the entire 2020 season with colon cancer, the Orioles’ Trey Mancini returned this past season and proved to be more than just a feel-good story. The slugger slashed a respectable .255/.326/.432 with 21 home runs. With a full season under his belt, Mancini should be even better in 2022.
With a lineup as strong as the Blue Jays, you would not expect their weakest spot to be DH, but that is arguably the case with Randall Grichuk. Last season, he posted the worst OPS of his career in large part due to a career-worst walk rate. With a team squarely in their contention window, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before he is replaced.