Major League Baseball announced this afternoon that Khris Davis has been voted the winner of the 2018 Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. It’s the first time he’s won the award. He’s the third Oakland Athletic to take the honor, following Dave Parker, who won it in 1989, and Dave Kingman who took home the award -- which, obviously, was not yet named after Martinez -- in 1984.
Davis hit .247/.328/.555 with 46 homers, 118 RBI, 93 runs scored and 25 doubles in 139 games as the A’s DH. He added a couple more homers -- leading the league with 48 in all -- while playing 11 games in the outfield.
Davis beat out J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox for the award. Martinez hit .297 with 27 home runs and 79 RBI in 93 games as a DH. Martinez’ overall numbers were better than Davis’, but he played 57 games as an outfielder and Edgar Martinez Award voters are supposed to only look at DH production.
In case you’re curious: ballots are cast by club beat writers, broadcasters and AL public relations departments with nominees including all players with a minimum of 100 at-bats as a designated hitter.
Here are all the previous winners of the award, which was renamed in Edgar Martinez’s honor in 2004:
1973 – Orlando Cepeda (Boston)
1974 – Tommy Davis (Baltimore)
1975 – Willie Horton (Detroit)
1976 – Hal McRae (Kansas City)
1977 – Jim Rice (Boston)
1978 – Rusty Staub (Detroit)
1979 – Willie Horton (Seattle)
1980 – Hal McRae (Kansas City)
1981 – Greg Luzinski (Chicago)
1982 – Hal McRae (Kansas City)
1983 – Greg Luzinski (Chicago)
1984 – Dave Kingman (Oakland)
1985 – Don Baylor (New York)
1986 – Don Baylor (Boston)
1987 – Harold Baines (Chicago)
1988 – Harold Baines (Chicago)
1989 – Dave Parker (Oakland)
1990 – Dave Parker (Milwaukee)
1991 – Chili Davis (Minnesota)
1992 – Dave Winfield (Toronto)
1993 – Paul Molitor (Toronto)
1994 – Not awarded
1995 – Edgar Martinez (Seattle)
1996 – Paul Molitor (Minnesota)
1997 – Edgar Martinez (Seattle)
1998 – Edgar Martinez (Seattle)
1999 – Rafael Palmeiro (Texas)
2000 – Edgar Martinez (Seattle)
2001 – Edgar Martinez (Seattle)
2002 – Ellis Burks (Cleveland)
2003 – David Ortiz (Boston)
2004 – David Ortiz (Boston)
2005 – David Ortiz (Boston)
2006 – David Ortiz (Boston)
2007 – David Ortiz (Boston)
2008 – Aubrey Huff (Baltimore)
2009 – Adam Lind (Toronto)
2010 – Vladimir Guerrero (Texas)
2011 – David Ortiz (Boston)
2012 – Billy Butler (Kansas City)
2013 – David Ortiz (Boston)
2014 – Victor Martinez (Detroit)
2015 – Kendrys Morales (Kansas City)
2016 – David Ortiz (Boston)
2017 – Nelson Cruz (Seattle)
