Here is Brian McTaggart’s ranking of the top 5 designated hitters in Astros history:
1. Yordan Alvarez (2019-present)
Key fact: Set MLB rookie single-season record for OPS in 2019 (1.067)
The Astros didn't have a full-time designed hitter until they moved to the American League in 2013, and it was a few years after that when Alvarez burst on to the scene. Alvarez has split time between left field and DH in his career, but nobody has swung the bat better at the DH spot.
Alvarez put up one of the best rookie seasons in history, hitting .313 with 27 homers and 78 RBIs in 87 games as the Astros' DH en route to being named 2019 AL Rookie of the Year. He homered in his first two Major League games and hit four homers in his first five games and became the first player in history to have six homers and 14 RBIs in his first 11 games.
Alvarez became one of the most feared sluggers in the game, walloping at least 30 homers for four straight seasons (2021-24). He was named to the All-Star team in 2022-24 and finished third in AL MVP voting in '22. He capped that season with a memorable three-run walk-off homer in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Mariners and a 450-foot homer to center in the clinching Game 6 win in the World Series over the Phillies.
2. Evan Gattis (2015-18)
Key fact: Hit 52 home runs as a designated hitter for Houston
Perhaps the most amazing statistic during Gattis’ four seasons with the Astros were the 11 triples he hit in the ’15 season. That’s among the highest single-season totals in club history and accounted for all but one of Gattis’ 12 triples in his six-year career. The Paul Bunyanesque slugger was certainly known more for his power.
Gattis played more than 100 games at catcher and dabbled in left field early in his Astros tenure, but made his mark at DH. He slugged 96 homers and drove in 293 runs in four seasons in Houston, posting a .769 OPS. He started 136 games at DH in ’15 in helping the Astros reach the playoffs. He led the team in home runs (27) and RBIs (88) that year. Gattis made 68 starts at DH in ’16, 29 in ’17 and 106 in ’18, which was his final season.
3. Chris Carter (2013-15)
Key fact: 47 homers at DH are third-highest at the position in club history
All Carter did was hit home runs. Well, he also piled up strikeouts at a high rate. Carter, acquired by the Astros from the A’s in 2013, cranked 90 homers and drove in 234 runs in three seasons in Houston, appearing in 175 games at DH in that span while also starting at first base. He led the AL in strikeouts with 212 in ’13.
His best season in Houston was in ’14, when he hit 37 homers while driving in 88 runs. In 66 games from July 4-Sept. 20 that year, Carter slashed .286/.363/.612 with 24 homers and 57 RBIs in the best stretch of his career. The Astros non-tendered Carter after he slumped in the ’15 season, and he signed with the Brewers and led the league in home runs (41) and strikeouts (206) in ’16.
4. Carlos Beltrán (2017)
Key fact: Appeared in 107 games at DH in ‘17
Beltrán’s first act with the Astros was more impactful on the field than the season he spent with them at the end of his career 13 years later. After being acquired in a trade midway through the ’04 season, Beltrán helped the Astros reach the playoffs by hitting 23 homers and driving in 53 runs in 90 games. In the postseason, he was a force. He hit .435 with eight home runs and wound up signing a huge deal with the Mets.
That made him enemy No. 1 in Houston, where fans booed him each time he came to the plate for more than a decade. Beltrán signed with the Astros in ’17 and served as the team’s primary DH during its World Series championship season, though he slumped down the stretch and didn’t play much of a factor in the playoffs. For the season, he hit .231 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs.
5. Michael Brantley (2019-23)
Key fact: Astros' Opening Day starter at DH in 2022
The steady Brantley played mostly right field and left field during his time in Houston, but he did play 121 games at designated hitter for the Astros. While in the lineup at DH, he hit 13 homers and had a .766 OPS in 121 games.