Baltimore Orioles: The best designated hitters in the team's history

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On January 11, 1973, Major League Baseball adopted the designated hitter in the American League. Since then, several Baltimore Orioles players have filled that role.

The Baltimore Orioles have benefitted from having big hitters in the DH spot. Some of these men have been some of the best hitters in the history of the MLB.

At the time the designated hitter was adopted, there were only 24 baseball teams. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and Tampa Bay Rays had not even been imagined. The designated hitter was developed to help the struggling American League, which did not draw the same game attendance that the National League did.

More about the history of the designated hitter can be found on History.com.

While the designated hitter position has been one of the most controversial issues in baseball, there is no doubt that it has been fun to watch. Yes, it’s entertaining to watch pitchers attempt to swing at fastballs, it is more entertaining to watch a professional hitter rake.

The designated hitter continues to be a topic of conversation. It is unlikely that the National League will adopt the DH soon. But, if MLB adds teams, it is likely that the DH will be adopted by league-wide. With Interleague-play, American League teams are at a disadvantage when they play at National League parks because their pitchers do not hit on a regular basis.

So, who were the best designated-hitters to wear the Orioles orange and black?

Ken Singleton played for the Baltimore Orioles between 1975 and 1984. He was the designated hitter when the Orioles won their last World Series in 1983. Singleton began his baseball career playing for the New York Mets and the Montreal Expos, but his best years were in Birdland.

During his younger years, he played in the outfield, with most of his time spent in right field. His first time appearing as DH on the lineup card was in 1976, when he filled that spot 19 times. In 1982, 83, and 84, he was the full-time designated hitter. He started 457 games as the designed hitter.

During his 10 years in the American League, he hit .284/.388/.445. He was an All-Star during three of his years with the Orioles. His post-season batting slash was .333/.391/.421.

Singleton’s best season was 1979. He was an All-Star that year and he finished second in the voting for league MVP, losing to the California Angels Don Baylor. George Brett of the Kansas City Royals finished third. Keith Hernandez won the MVP in the National League that year. The switch-hitter batted .295/.405/.533 with 35 home runs and 111 RBIs. He was intentionally walked a league-leading 16 times.

The very first Orioles player to swing the bat as a designated hitter was Terry Crowley, but he only filled the position in 23 games. In 1973, Tommy Davis was the full-time DH and played the position in 123 games. During his tenure in the American League, he started as DH in 441 games.

Davis played for 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and a few other teams. The majority of his time was spent with the Dodgers and Orioles. He was an All-Star in 1962 and 63 with the Dodgers. By the time he got to the Orioles in the middle of 1972, he was 33 years old and he completed three full seasons in Birdland.

In Birdland, he batted .293/.328/.376 with 24 home runs and 236 RBIs. When he wasn’t the DH, he manned first base – which is what tends to happen with DHs in games today. Davis played his final game in 1976 with the Royals.

With the Dodgers, he won two batting titles. In 1962, his batting average of .346 led the National League. The following year, his batting average of .326 did the same. In 1962, he finished third in the MVP vote, losing to Maury Wills and Willie Mays. Frank Robinson finished fourth that year.

BALTIMORE, MD – MARCH 31: The Oriole Bird mascot waves a flag on the mound during Opening Day ceremonies before the start of the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 31, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Lee May played with the Orioles between 1975 and 1980. During that time, he batted a slash of .254/.299/.423. In his six seasons, he hit 123 home runs and 487 RBIs. His most notable stat with the Orioles was the league-leading RBI total of 109 he had in 1976.

Lee was not the full-time designated hitter until 1978. During his time with the O’s, he played in 411 games at the DH spot. In the others, he played first base. He was the DH when the Orioles lost the World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979.

He wasn’t necessarily the best DH in the history of the Orioles, but he played in several of the team’s better seasons. In all six of his seasons, the Orioles had winning seasons.

Nelson Cruz may have only played one season in Baltimore, but he made a name for himself. In 2014, the hitter loving known as Boomstick showed why he earned the name. He hit a league-leading 40 home runs and paired that with 108 RBIs. His slash in 2014 was .271/.333/.525.

In 2014, he made his second visit to the All-Star Game and he finished seventh in the MVP votes. During the ALDS, he cemented his reputation of being a “Tiger Killer” and his .500/.500/1.000 slash proved it. In 12 at-bats, he had six hits, including two home runs. He was unstoppable, then he went to the Seattle Mariners for nearly double what the Orioles paid him.

At the age of 37, Cruz is still a force to be reckoned with as he continues to drive in runs at a league-leading clip. In fact, in the 2017 season, he led the American League with 119 RBIs. He also hit 39 home runs at the DH position. When he does play defense, he still goes to right field, just like he did in Baltimore.

In 13 years, Boomstick has earned quite a collection of awards. He has five All-Star Games under his belt, two Silver Sluggers, and an ALCS MVP from 2011 when he played for the Texas Ranger. That was another series where Cruz demolished the Detroit Tigers. Since 2014, Cruz has played in a minimum of 152 games in a season. That, too, is impressive.

It is rare to find any Orioles who were full-time designated hitters with the exception of Harold Baines. After 1993, Baines rarely played defense and was highly respected for ability at the plate. In fact, he never played defense when he was a member of the Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles: The best designated hitters in the team’s history

On January 11, 1973, Major League Baseball adopted the designated hitter in the American League. Since then, several Baltimore Orioles players have filled that role.

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