5. Free agent outfielder Jorge Soler
Jorge Soler became just the third DH in MLB history to win the World Series MVP Award after his standout performance in the Fall Classic last year. Soler, 30, is now a two-time champion after scoring his first ring in 2016 with the Chicago Cubs.
Soler joined the Atlanta Braves last year at the trade deadline, coming over from the Kansas City Royals in a trade for a young pitching prospect. In just 55 games with the Braves, he was able to either match our out-perform his numbers through 94 with the Royals; hitting 14 home runs with an .882 OPS and 128 OPS+ with the Braves.
Soler, like everyone named before him, has a huge hole in his game and that’s his defense. Primarily a right fielder, Soler finished in the 4th percentile in OAA amongst outfielders and in the 2nd percentile in routing metrics. He was used mostly as the Royals’ DH during his five-year tenure with the club and will likely be in that same role in 2022 regardless of where he lands.
The National League is officially going to be adopting the designated hitter in 2022 and, most likely, from here on out. This announcement has confirmed that there will now be open DH spots in 15 more lineups and players with poor defensive metrics will now have a new home as their club’s designated hitter.