Seiya Suzuki leaves Christian Yelich, other NL Central DHs in the rearview mirror

At this point in their careers, Suzuki tops Yelich in a ranking of the NL Central's designated hitters

Seiya Suzuki- Elite?
Seiya Suzuki- Elite? | Matt Dirksen/GettyImages
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4. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates

It's fantastic being able to see Cutch still playing and contributing- he managed to post a 105 OPS+ last year and is only two years removed from a .378 OBP season. The former MVP walks a decent amount and provides solid power, and is probably going to hit in the heart of the Pirates order still. That being said, his average has plummeted and the K rate has skyrocketed. Those two elements severely limit the upside McCutchen offers.

He'll garner a good amount of Hall of Fame votes eventually- a fan and media favorite with an MVP award, a trio of Silver Sluggers, and a Gold Glove. However, he'll most likely end his career with barely more than 50 WAR and his JAWS comparisons are guys like Shawn Green, Bobby Bonilla, and Bernie Williams- all great players that fall off HOF ballots quickly. I think when McCutchen does become eligible, his popularity will keep him on the ballot for a fair amount of time but he'd need a massive career resurgence at age 37 to push into the Hall.

5. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Reds

Encarnacion-Strand had two monster years in the minors, with an OPS over 1.000 one year. He's another guy who fits into the Reds' and Cardinals' glut of former mid-tier prospects with intriguing tools and severe downsides. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy has proven he is going to hit homers anywhere he goes, but his ability to draw walks has disappeared when facing big-league pitching, and his strikeout rate has elevated significantly. Encancion-Strand is also coming off what seems like a fairly serious wrist injury that kept him sidelined for most of the 2024 season.

As I intimated before, the Reds have a lot of different options at different spots on the diamond, but I think he'll end up as their most frequently used DH. Encarnacion-Strand is definitely a player to keep an eye on because of the raw power, but he hasn't proven he's an MLB-capable player yet after posting negative WAR through his first two campaigns.

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