Designated Hitters = Baseball's Most Overpaid?By DAVID BIDERMANArticle


When Major League Baseball's annual Winter Meetings begin Monday, several teams will splurge on players they'll no doubt regret signing months later. Here's one way to eliminate that sorrow before it ever begins: don't blow your cash on designated hitters.


Are designated hitters worth these exorbitant prices? The stat geeks of the world say no. After all, they sit in the dugout for at least half the game. The Wins Above Replacement metric—which combines players' positive contributions and determines how many wins they contribute over average or "replacement" players—shows that designated hitters' lack of defense set them behind every other offensive position.According to a study prepared by the Major League Baseball Players Association, the mean salary for designated hitters in 2009 was $7.34 million, including highly paid underachievers like the Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz ($12.5 million). Among all positions, only everyday first basemen made more money with a mean salary of $7.39 million.

Meanwhile, starting pitchers are the most underpaid players in the game according to these numbers, partially because teams often skimp on their fifth starters to save money for other positions. Even with the likes of Johan Santana and CC Sabathia making hundreds of millions of dollars, the average starter last year pulled down just $4.66 million while producing more than any other position.

Pay by Position
POSITION
Mean Salary
Wins Above Replacement
1st Basemen
$7,385,135 3.8
Designated Hitters $7,336,833 1.08
3rd Basemen
$6,461,916 3.27
Starting Pitchers
$4,657,768 4.34
Outfielders
$4,582,964 2.84
Shortstops
$4,441,029 2.98
2nd Basemen
$4,316,124 3.36
Catchers
$4,066,190 2.69
Relief Pitchers
$1,782,084 0.63
Source: MLB Players Association, FanGraphs.com
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