Edgar Martínez Award
The award was renamed in honor of Edgar Martínez, a five-time winner, upon his retirement. | |
| Awarded for | Most outstanding designated hitter in Major League Baseball (Exclusively American League for 1973–2019, 2021) |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Baseball Writers' Association of America |
| History | |
| First award | 1973 |
| Most wins | David Ortiz (8) |
| Most recent | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) |
The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, commonly referred to as the Edgar Martínez Award and originally known as the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter (DH) in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1973. The award is voted on by club beat reporters, broadcasters, and public relations departments. The Associated Press discontinued the award in 2000, but it was picked up by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, which has administered it since. All players with a minimum of 100 at bats at DH are eligible. From the award's inception in 1973 until 2019, and in 2021, use of the designated hitter was allowed only in the American League (AL).
In September 2004, at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) ceremonies in honor of Edgar Martínez, Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the award would be renamed for the five-time recipient (1995, 1997–98, 2000–01). In an 18-year career with the Seattle Mariners, primarily as a designated hitter, Martínez batted .312, with 309 career home runs and 1,261 runs batted in.
In 2020, Major League Baseball allowed the use of the designated hitter for the National League (NL) in addition to the American League, expanding eligibility for the award to designated hitters in either league. The 2020 winner was Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves, who became the first-ever winner of the award from the National League. In 2021, MLB returned to only using the designated hitter for the American League, before a new collective bargaining agreement between MLB and its players' union allowed the use of the designated hitter in the National League beginning in the 2022 season.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani became the first player to win both the Edgar Martínez Award and the American League MVP award in the same season. He accomplished this feat again after the 2023 season. In 2024, Ohtani became the second player to win the award from the National League, and the only player to win the award from both leagues.