This article continues in a series focusing on the most underrated players at each position based on batter run value. The links to the first three articles in the series are linked below. The first article in the series includes a brief introduction to the topic.

Introduction, Catcher, and First Base

Second Base and Shortstop

Third Base

Kerry Carpenter: 20 Batter Run-Value, 1.7 RV/100 (all positions)

As we look ahead to the 2025 season, the designated hitter position is set to be a hotbed of talent, with players who posted a high batter run value in 2024. The DH is a position that can’t rack up value outside of the batter’s box, making it crucial for players to contribute at the plate to add value that helps their respective teams win baseball games. No single position showed this level of contribution more than DH. It’s crucial to recognize and appreciate the significant role these players play in the game, and the potential impact they could have in the upcoming season.

Six of the top fifteen players in 2024 batter run value spent most of their plate appearances as DHs. Shohei Ohtani (67 RV), Brent Rooker (45 RV), Yordan Alvarez (40 RV), Marcell Ozuna (39 RV), Kyle Schwarber (34 RV), and Joc Peterson (32 RV) all cracked the top fifteen overall in batter run value. Alvarez was the only player who saw less than 90% of his pitches at a position other than DH, with 66% at DH and 34% in left field. This production level allows these players to add significant amounts of value without needing to contribute to the defensive side of the ball.

However, not all teams employ a full-time DH in their lineup. Some, like the New York Yankees, use the designated hitter spot strategically. This allows them to rotate players out of the field to give them a pseudo day off without taking their bats out of the lineup. A prime example of this strategy is MVP Aaron Judge. Judge, a player of remarkable versatility, led baseball in batter run value at 97. He transitioned to play center field to make room for Juan Soto in the outfield. The Yankees employed Judge in the DH position from time to time to ease the workload from playing such a taxing position. 26.2% of the pitches Judge saw were at DH, and he accumulated 27 batter run value in that position.

The team’s use of the position makes picking an underrated DH a challenging task. The teams that employ a full-time DH tend to have elite hitters widely regarded as some of the best in the sport. The teams that do not employ full-time DHs tend to shift different players into the lineup spot, limiting the batter’s run value any player can amass while serving as the designated hitter. Therefore, this analysis will highlight an outfielder likely to see significant time in the DH position in 2025.

Kerry Carpenter burst onto many fans’ radars during the Detroit Tigers’ surprise 2024 playoff run. The most memorable moment was his 3-run go-ahead bomb off Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning of game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians to even the series. This moment transitioned Carpenter from an intriguing player for those who follow the sport to a player with prominent moment name recognition.

Carpenter was a player many of baseball’s most avid fans kept an eye on with his performance in his first full year as a major leaguer. He slashed .278/.340/.471, an OPS+ of 122, and clubbed 20 home runs in 118 games. His production playing his home games in one of the most challenging home ballparks to hit at made him one of the game’s brightest young hitters. However, the Tigers’ subpar team performance in 2023 and previous years made it difficult for Carpenter to gain viewership and recognition among casual fans, despite his impressive individual performance.

Carpenter looked to follow up his 2023 performance and put his name on the map during the 2024 season. However, his plans were derailed when he only played 87 games due to a lumbar spine inflammation injury that kept him on the injured list from late May through the middle of August. Despite this setback, Carpenter’s determination and resilience shone through as he was one of the game’s most productive hitters when he was in the lineup, inspiring support and admiration from fans and analysts alike.

The chart below shows Carpenter’s rolling wOBA per 100 plate appearances in 2024. This chart is a powerful tool for understanding Carpenter’s offensive performance over the course of the season. It provides a visual representation of his consistency and any significant changes in his performance. Let’s break down the statistics in this chart. Weighted on-base average (“wOBA”) is a statistic similar to traditional on-base percentage (“OBP”). OBP is calculated by dividing the times a player reaches base by the number of plate appearances. The flaw in this calculation is that it does not assign different values for how a player reaches base. For instance, reaching base via a home run is significantly more valuable than doing so with a single. On-base plus slugging (“OPS”) is a commonly used stat to address this flaw. It adds a player’s OBP and slugging percentage (total bases divided by at-bats). OPS is a good tool for looking at a player’s offensive performance. However, there is an issue with basic math principles in this statistic. Adding fractions with different denominators requires finding the least common multiple to match the denominators before summing the fractions. OPS takes two percentages with different denominators (OBP uses plate appearances, while slugging percentage uses at-bats. At-bats only include hits, fielder’s choices, errors, and non-sacrifice outs. In contrast, plate appearances include walks, hit-by-pitches, and sacrifice outs.

wOBA solves the problem of assigning different values to on-base results while providing a common denominator. The wOBA calculation assigns a different value to each on-base result based on the event’s impact on run-scoring probabilities compared to the value of reaching first base (singles, walks, and hit by pitches). Therefore, it is a more accurate mathematical percentage indication of a player’s offensive output. wOBA appears less frequently than statistics like OBP and OPS. Thus, the chart above shows a line for the MLB average wOBA during the 2024 season.

Another piece of the chart uses a rolling 100 plate appearances in the analysis. Using a player’s entire season statistics can indicate his overall performance. However, using rolling averages helps to identify significant slumps and hot streaks. Rolling averages allow us to see the player’s consistency over the period in the given statistic. The underperforming Tigers could explain his lack of recognition.

Kerry Carpenter is an elite offensive player. His output is apparent when looking at more widely used statistics. His career OPS of .850 and OPS+ of 135 over his first three seasons put him among the game’s best offensive weapons. His 2024 rolling wOBA shows that consistency is another valuable element to his offensive game. His wOBA dipped below the league average (.310), briefly between 100 and 120 plate appearances in 2024. He was consistently well above league average for the rest of the season. His entire season wOBA of .390 would be 12^th among qualifiers if Carpenter had enough plate appearances to qualify (qualified hitters require 3.1 plate appearances per team game).

The statistics in his early career point to Kerry Carpenter being one of the league’s best hitters. However, he does not get this recognition around baseball. MLB Network ranked him as the 89^th-best player overall and the 8^th-best right fielder heading into the 2025 season. The underperforming Tigers could explain his lack of recognition during his first two seasons. Further, his significant time on the injured list in 2024 also contributed to lower visibility across the sport. However, Carpenter should get the credit he deserves if he puts up similar numbers and stays healthy for what should be a competitive Detroit Tigers team this season.