There's a surprising name playing designated hitter this year. A guy who has been the face of his franchise for years was nearly traded and is now stuck only playing half the game.

But instead of sulking, Michael Young is raking. Thus, he tops our rankings of the best fantasy DHs in MLB.

• Michael Young, Texas Rangers

It's probably important to mention that Young says he doesn't expect to stay as the Rangers full-time DH (he's played nine games in the infield already), but for now he's the best fantasy option available. He's only ripped one homer thus far in 2011, but he's getting on base as much as he did in his 2004-2006 prime, and he's 6^th in the American League in RBI thanks to the Rangers' solid line-up.

The team has slid down the MLB standings since their fast start, but Young has been as consistent in his new job as they could have asked.

• Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles Angels

Another veteran getting accustomed to spending the majority of his time at DH, Abreu isn't hitting for the kind of power he did in his prime (his .375 SLG is his lowest since becoming a full-time player in 1998), but he still shows terrific plate discpline (2^nd in the AL in walks) and gets on base more often than any of the Angels younger stars. (Or Vernon Wells.) He's also thrown in three steals for good measure.

• Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals

A first-round pick of the Royals in 2004, Butler has steadily improved every year and is enjoying the best season of his career in the middle of a surprisingly potent Royals line-up (4^th in MLB in scores, 2 ^nd in batting average.) He wants to spend a bit more time at first, but he'll have trouble making the case for a shake-up if K.C. continues to hang around the top of the MLB standings.

• Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians

A resurgent Hafner has been one of several surprises for the Indians, who sit atop MLB with 19 wins. His .342 average is the vest of his career, and he's hitting with a lot of the power that made him an MVP candidate a few years back. He's battling a foot injury at the moment, which significantly hampers his value, but as long as he can stay in the line-up, he should get decent RBI numbers cleaning up for Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin Soo-Choo.

• David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

One of the few true full-time DHs on this list, Big Papi is no longer one of the most-feared clean-up hitters in baseball, but he also doesn't have Dan Shaughnessy calling his career over anymore. There's still some pop left in his bat, and his .768 OPS isn't an apocalypse. If the Red Sox can get things turned around, look for Ortiz's game to come around, too.