The Most Underrated MLB Players of All Time. Babe Ruth also hit .393 with 41 homers in 1923. In my opinion, Todd Helton might be the most underrated player between 2000-2009. He logged 7,370 plate appearances with a career slash line of .312/.397/.562. The glue that held the A's dynasty of the early 1970s together, Sal Bando was often overlooked while the accolades were bestowed on guys like Vida Blue, Gene Tenace, Joe Rudi and Reggie Jackson. Two weeks ago, we built a collection around rookie cards of underrated stars of the 1990s, choosing one player from each position for a spot on the sheet. Career Stats: 2,012 G; .291/.364/.416; 89 HR; 674 RBI; 2,138 H; 1,124 R; 174-for-255 SB. I grew up with Bill White, watching him team up with Phil Rizzuto on WPIX in New York to call Yankees games from the late '70s through the early '90s. Here are the best NFL players of all time. A fiery player with a live arm, Larry Bowa was a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner with the Philadelphia Phillies, a team with whom he'd spend 11 years of his 15-year major league career as a player. Three years later, he was runner-up in NL MVP voting when he led the league in batting average (.340), hits (216), doubles (50) and RBI (137) while slugging 36 home runs. Its tough for a third baseman if they dont have Mike Schmidts power, George Bretts batting average, or Brooks Robinsons highlight reel glove. It would be appropriate if when you opened a dictionary and looked up the word pesky that the definition was simply a photo of David Eckstein. He'd accomplish the feat three more times over the course of his career. Career Stats: 2,084 G; .290/.351/.454; 191 HR; 1,097 RBI; 2,091 H; 940 R; 109 -for-185 SB. Dave Parker, Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Upon his trade to the Cardinals in 1985, Oquendo faced a bit of a problemthe Cardinals were already set at shortstop with Ozzie Smith. He was far from a one-sided player though, being selected to four All-Star games. While the Royals would fall to the Phillies in the World Series, White was also part of the 1985 Royals team that won the only World Series championship in team history. Injuries kept him from reaching his full potential, but he still quietly launched 320 home runs in 13 seasons, and he won World Series MVP in 2002. Jurrjens made 115 starts in the big leagues before his age-26 season, going 50-33 with a 3.40 ERA in 702.1 innings, and he was an All-Star in 2011 when he went 13-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 152 innings. Seemingly every baseball generation has its underrated third basemen. I just read an article on Tim Raines being the second best leadoff man from his generation due to his elite OBP (career .385) and SB skills. The first Angel to hit for the cycle, Fregosi was not only the face of the franchise in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but he was regarded as the best hitting shortstop in the game during that span as well. Venable had a quietly effective career with the Padres, logging 13.3 WAR in eight seasons. Owner of 11 Gold Glove awards, including nine straight from 1993 through 2001, Vizquel only made three All-Star games, due primarily to the fact that he's been overshadowed by those who were more offensively gifted. (In the interest of full disclosure, I figure in the former group.). I should clarify. When it comes to the great pitchers of the 1980s, much is made of Tigers great Jack Morris and whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame, but nobody ever brings up the Blue Jays' Dave Stieb. While much of how we view athletes is performance-based and backed up with statistics, some of it is simply subjective. Career Stats: 1,919 G; .291/.319/.391; 57 HR; 941 RBI; 2,158 H; 980 R; 363-for-400 SB*. I find that to be an amazing statistic. Heck, make it 1990 through 1998. His only Rookie Cards are in the 1995 Bowman and Bowmans Best releases. Left unprotected by the Kansas City Royals in the 1993 expansion draft, the Florida Marlins took the talented youngster for their own. Hornsby fell one homer short of doing it twice. Trailing 5-3 as they headed into the bottom of the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers on June 22, 1979, Doug DeCinces stepped to the plate with two outs, Eddie Murray on first base, and a Ken Singleton home run having cut the deficit to one run. Were going with the same concept for this one, but jumping forward to the 2000s. While he hit the first-ever home run at Veterans Stadium as a member of the Phillies, it wasn't until Don Money was traded to the Brewers following the 1972 season that he enjoyed the most success of his career. Career Stats: 2,212 G; .257/.316/.416; 260 HR; 1,125 RBI; 2,085 H; 908 R; 51-for-117 SB. Career Stats: 1,847 G; .291/.400/.502; 287 HR; 1,078 RBI; 1,897 H; 1,121 R; 109-for-154 SB. A six-time All-Star with the Angels, Fregosi formed one of the most capable double-play combinations in the game with second baseman Bobby Knoop from 1964 until the midway point of the 1969 season. He would sign with the Diamondbacks as a free agent prior to the 1998 season and, in 2001, scored the World Series-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 when Luis Gonzalez hit a bloop single off of Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera. That's the beauty of sportsnobody watches a game the same way. The little things that don't necessarily show up in the box score might matter more to you than they do to someone else. It wasn't until he made his way to the Minnesota Twins in November of 1972, however, that his career really began to flourish. He is currently working on assembling the entire base catalogs of four of his all-time favoritesKerry Wood, Mark Prior, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. Heres How to Tell Them Apart. Choke artist. The 26-year-old carried that success into 2021, and he has turned himself into a future All-Star. Tigers' fans remember him fondly for his contributions during their march to the World Series championship in 1968. During Guillen's five-year heyday with the Tigers (2004-2008), he hit .308 with an .870 OPS and 128 OPS+. He led the National League in hits with 192 in 1990 as a member of the Giants, led the National League in runs scored twice and triples four times while consistently placing near the top of the league in stolen bases. He was far from a power hitter, and he only went deep eight times in 1985, making him the last NL player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs. Now, lets turn our attention to an era still settling. Career Stats: 1,998 G; .277/.343/.425; 193 HR; 1,007 RBI; 2,020 H; 1,092 R; 341-for-434 SB. Widely considered to be one of the greatest defensive shortstops to ever play the game, Omar Vizquel is entering the final two weeks of his career as an active player with the Toronto Blue Jays. He went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA in a career-high 209 innings in 2009 and led the NL with a 2.30 ERA in 183.2 innings the following year to check in fifth in NL Cy Young voting, but that proved to be his peak. Career Stats: 2,202 G; .276/.373/.351; 54 HR; 687 RBI; 2,210 H; 1,239 R; 271-for-365 SB. Bob Watson not only played in relative obscurity for 13 seasons with the Astros but also had his home-run total reduced by the cavernous Houston Astrodome. A three-time All-Star with six .300 seasons under his belt, Hal McRae was named the Designated Hitter of the Year on three separate occasions by both The Sporting News and the Associated Press. We throw around words like ballplayers toss around a baseball during pregame warm-ups in the outfield. Sharing a lineup with Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and slugging middle infielders Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy, he wasn't always a focal point, but he stands as one of the most underrated outfielders of his era. He continued to shuffle roles effectively the next two years before the wheels fell off, but he was a 9.1-WAR player in his first four seasons in the big leagues for some contending Texas teams. As the Yankees came back to prominence in 1976, White continued to excel on a team loaded with stars. Let's take a look at the 50 most underrated baseball players in the history of the game. Career Stats: 1,526 G; .276/.338/.441; 163 HR; 852 RBI; 1,570 H; 737 R; 39-for-72 SB. Over his career, Beltre racked up over 3,000 hits and nearly made it to 500 home runs. During the first six seasons of the 2000s, he hit .292/.406/.584 while averaging 35 home runs, 98 RBI and 6.1 WAR and winning a Gold Glove every year. After the 1973 season, he was traded to the Tigers. Peja Stojakovi 5. A fixture on the first four National League All-Star teams from 1933 though 1936, Wally Berger was a power-hitting center fielder who led the National League in home runs (34) and RBI (130). Seemingly every baseball generation has its underrated third basemen. Hernandez made his mark as a rookie during the Florida Marlins 1997 World Series run, but his best work came as a member of the Expos and Nationals. Fck. Despite amassing 3,000 hits, doing his best work at the plate in the 1960s when pitchers reigned supreme, and also being an outstanding right fielder, Clemente was not included in recent books I reviewed about the 25 greatest baseball players of all-time and . Concepcion was rounding the bases after hitting a home run and crossed home plate roughly four seconds after Watson. White was also one of the two runs that scored on Dave Winfield's 11th-inning-double in Game 6 of that series, the hit that eventually won the championship for Toronto. _______________________________________________________. Its not the best peak in baseball history, but it also isnt far off. Part of the Impossible Dream Sox team that won the 1967 American League pennant in one of the closest races in history, Petrocelli hit two home runs in Game 6 of the World Series, forcing a Game 7 that the Sox ultimately lost to Bob Gibson and the Cardinals. In Game 2 of the 1992 World Series against the Braves, David Justice was at-bat with runners on first and second. Victimized by a lack of run support for most of his career, largely because he was the best pitcher on some awful teams, Stieb's numbers are even more impressive. Vizquel hit .280 or better eight times, hit more than 30 doubles four times and led the league in sacrifice hits three times. Like Oaklandsmore celebrated starting rotation, theres tremendous depthin the bullpen (plus a couple oftalented relievers on the 40-man roster who could getSeptember call-ups.) 2022 Topps Chrome Baseball, Sonic Base Cards Are Different. Not only would he help the Red Sox win the American League Pennant in 1946, he did everything that he could to win the 1946 World Series, hitting .417 against the St. Louis Cardinals in what wound up being a Cardinals' sweep. However, who were the most underrated MLB players of the 2010s? The oldest Major League player to play in a game in 2019 was Ichiro Suzuki at 45-years-old. Joe DiMaggio, who had broken the consecutive-game hitting-streak record two weeks earlier (set by Willie Keeler in 1897) was vying for a 57th straight game with a hit. Santo hit for power, had a great eye at the plate, was smooth with the glove and was one of the most popular Cubs in franchise history. His 1985 season saw him earn his only All-Star berth and finish fifth in the MVP voting, after setting career highs in multiple categories including RBI, with 110 driven in on the season. Doc Halladay has been the most consistent pitcher of this decade. Yet somehow, Tim Salmon was never named to an All-Star team. He won 80 games and posted a 3.66 ERA in 1,163.1 innings in his first years in the big leagues, but multiple Tommy John surgeries limited him to just 49 innings after his age-27 season. Corey Maggette Larry Wayne Jones is one of the greatest switch-hitters of all-time. He was also named MVP of the 1980 American League Championship Series when he hit .545 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored as the Royals swept the Yankees in three games. Here are nine underrated ones: 1) Luis Gonzalez, D-backs, 2001 57 HR, 36 2B, 7 3B, 100 BB, 1.117 OPS So the man puts together one of the great offensive seasons of all-time, and all anyone wants to talk to him about is a bloop single that just cleared the infield. Underrated: Jeff McNeil, Mets When you think of the 2022 Mets, the first players to come to mind are likely Pete Alonso, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and/or Francisco Lindor. The American League Rookie of the Year Award recipient in 1993, Salmon spent his entire 14-year career with the Angels and is one of the most celebrated players in franchise history. But that overshadowed what was a wonderful career on the field, and especially when fielding his position. If memory serves correctly, its his truck, too. Weve looked over the past few days at the1960s, 70s, and 80s, the1930s, 40s, and 50sand the1900s, 10s, and 20s. On July 17, 1941, the Indians were playing the New York Yankees. A two-time All-Star, Wynn led the National League in walks twice over the course of his career and hit 20 or more home runs on eight different occasions. Career Stats: 1,720 G; .261/.328/.406; 176 HR; 729 RBI; 1,623 H; 798 R; 80-for-131 SB. Yes, the Chicago "Black Sox" threw the World Series, but everybody believes that if Shoeless Joe and Co. had tried, they . He was a multi-inning bullpen weapon in 2005 (65 G, 5 SV, 2.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 85.2 IP) and an excellent starter in 2008 (22 GS, 10-8, 2.54 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 141.2 IP) in what was his only year as a full-time member of the rotation. Duchscherer is not often mentioned in the same breath as Dennis Eckersley or John Smoltz, but he pulled off the rare feat of being named an All-Star as both a starter and a reliever. Part of the excellent Baltimore Orioles teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Don Buford was a relatively unknown leadoff hitter who holds the record for grounding into the fewest double plays per at-bat than anyone else, one every 138 at-bats. One of the more versatile players of his time. A seventh-round pick in the 1998 draft, Holliday reached the majors in 2004 and made an immediate impact, finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He was a two-time All-Star and also won a Silver Slugger. A burly 6'7", 260-pound right-hander, Harang enjoyed a brief peak alongside Bronson Arroyo at the top of the Cincinnati rotation. These guys had solid career resumes and often came up big in big games, yet they seldom, if ever, received widespread acclaim. Sam Cassell 1. He was terrific once again in 2002 (15-4, 3.28 ERA, 144 K, 164.2 IP) and solid in 2003 (14-13, 4.13 ERA, 161 K, 187.1 IP) before shoulder injuries derailed his career. He then returned to Seattle in 2004 after a three-year run with the Royals and put together some of the best years of his career. While his accomplishments with the Pirates were overshadowed by the exploits of Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke and even manager Jim Leyland, Bell established himself as one of the better shortstops in the game during his time with the Pirates, overcoming his limited range by putting himself in the right position, depending on the batter. His 5.5 WAR this season is seventh-best in the majors. Winner of the 1949 American League Rookie of the Year as a member of the St. Louis Browns and a four-time All-Star, first baseman/outfielder Roy Sievers kind of blended into the background and never really got much attention from fans or from the media. Bonds pre-2000 is only underrated because of his 2000-on roids numbers. Eckstein would reach the World Series a second time as a member of the Cardinals in 2006. Upon the discovery of a tumor in his foot and with the Angels having mixed feelings about his future as a ballplayer, Fregosi was traded to the Mets in exchange for four players, most notably a right-handed pitcher named Nolan Ryan. All told, he had a 129 OPS+ with 179 home runs and 22.6 WAR with the North Siders. The only other players with that many trips to the plate and slash stats that high are Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Larry Walker and Manny Ramirez. It's not like Vizquel is the second coming of Rey Ordonez, a slick fielding shortstop who was inept at the plate. Steve Finley is the perfect example of a "late bloomer," not breaking out offensively until 1996, his eighth major league season at which point he was already 31 years old. It was the best thing that ever happened for him. Career Stats: 1,286 G; .264/.362/.379; 93 HR; 418 RBI; 1,203 H; 718 R; 200-for-305 SB. Later in his career, he settled in as a platoon standout against left-handed pitching. The No. The 1953 National League batting champion with a .344 mark, Furillo was an important part of two World Series championship winning teams in 1955 and 1959. I assume Heywards best years are in front of him. In between, he was a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner, and two-time Gold Glove winner who helped set the table for some potent St. Louis Cardinals lineups in his prime. His last three years with the Tigers . His 18.1 total WAR in a Royals uniform ranks 24th in franchise history. Big-time. He was the team's everyday shortstop for three seasons, earning MVP votes in 2008 and an All-Star nod in 2009 when he hit .320/.389/.490 for a 132 OPS+ and 6.2 WAR in 137 games. When Jose Oquendo broke into the majors with the Mets in 1983 as a 19-year-old shortstop, he became the first player in franchise history who was younger than the franchise itself. We use cookies to help personalize content, tailor and measure ads, and provide a safer experience. Hal Chase is best remembered for being banned by commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis following the 1919 season as rumors ran rampant that Chase, among other things, served as the middleman between the players and gamblers during the Chicago Black Sox scandal. But in reality, Jeff McNeil has been lighting it up at the plate this year, hitting an amazing. He resurfaced with Team Netherlands in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, posting a 2.38 ERA in 11.1 innings over two starts. Not to take anything away from any of those players, all of whom have had excellent careers, but none of them come close to fielding their position as well as Vizquel. Adrian Beltre played 21 seasons in the majors, most of which came in the 2000s, so it'd be impossible to leave him off our list. Graig Nettles and Darrell Evans came up in yesterday's post. Except the umpire missed Gruber's tag and ruled Sanders safe. His peak gets lost in the shuffle pitching alongside CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Who came up with that idea. A five-time All-Star, Cash was a smooth fielding first baseman who was the first player to hit a ball out of Tiger Stadium, clearing the roof on June 11, 1961. However, things clicked following a trade to the White Sox, and he posted a 149 OPS+ with 36 home runs and 100 RBI to finish fifth in AL MVP voting in his first year with the team. Gil Hodges and the Mets were convinced that Amos Otis was a third baseman. A nine-time All-Star over his 14-year career spent entirely with the Red Sox, Doerr was not only an excellent bunter but a second baseman with power as well. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So much yes. Featuringobscurecastoffs and salvage projects like Dan Otero and Eric OFlaherty, As relievers have a collective 2.85 ERA and 1.07 WHIP this season. Longtime sports writer and researcher Bob Carroll wrote an article for the National Pastimein 1985 about 12 players he believed should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Underrated teams. A nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner during his 15 major-league seasons, Santo wasn't elected to the Hall of Fame until nearly 40 years after his retirementand tragically, one year after his death. My thought, by the way, is that many 19th century ballplayers are underrated and that were just re-discovering them via Baseball Reference.). Ben Oglivie is a perfect example of a player that could have had more impressive career numbers had he been given a chance to play on a daily basis. Reliever Mike Adams with his 1.66 ERA in 209 appearances over four seasons was also considered as most underrated for the Padres. We saw the ends of the Terry Francona and Larry Bowa eras . Dating back to the year 2000, we've seen 40 different players win Rookie of the Year Awards. It appeared the Astros had found a co-ace to slot alongside Roy Oswalt when Miller went 16-8 with a 3.40 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 212 innings during his age-24 season in 2001. Some might wonder how someone who is enshrined in the Hall of Fame could possibly be underrated, but without a doubt Ron Santo is arguably the most underrated player to ever play the game. The most underrated player at every position March 29th, 2022 Anthony Castrovince @ castrovince Share It's the moment you've been waiting and rating for. On the other hand, that little bloop single did win Game 7 of the World Series. -- have ascended to all-time great status, with the award being a mere stepping-stone to untold other accolades and achievements. Here are the 30 most unsung, under-the-radar, underrated pitchers in major league history. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; Now that our list of the top 100 MLB players of all time has been revealed, it's time to have some fun.. More than 20,000 votes were . Missed the first three parts of this series? His 2,043 hits rank 10th all-time among players who played primarily catcher in their career, and his .280 career average speaks to his offensive prowess. Lance Lynn is not only the Rangers' most underrated player, but he's also the league's most underrated starting pitcher since debuting in 2011. He is the only player to debut with the Marlins in 1993 and play for both of their World Series teams, in 1997 and 2003. Four times he hit over .300, three times he slugged more than 20 home runs and only once did he break the 100 RBI mark. From 2000-06 the team won 85 games five times but never made the playoffs. Take .05 off from his career OPS (quite a significant amount) and it still rounds up to .9. Over the next four seasons, Giles would be named to two All-Star teams while posting an average season of .309/.426/.604 with 37 HR, 106 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Two years later, he was in the majors, and he quickly emerged as the staff ace. Career Stats: 1,514 G; .271/.347/.350; 28 HR; 574 RBI; 1,450 H; 676 R; 188-for-252 SB. 6. While he was slowed by injuries throughout his career, Johnson was a bona fide ace when healthy. Amazingly enough, Ryne Sandberg took home Gold Glove honors. the first player to ever bat as a designated hitter. 2022 Bowmans Best Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists and Details, One-Sheet Collections: Best Active NBA Stars Who Have Never Been All-Stars, 2022 Bowman Inception Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists, Odds and Details, 2022-23 Leaf Exotic Basketball Checklist and Details, 2021-22 SP Game Used CHL Hockey Checklist and Details, 2023 GAS Arnold Schwarzenegger: Built to Perfection Trading Cards Carry Some Heavy Weight, 2022 Panini Flawless Collegiate Basketball Checklist and Details, 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter Chrome Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists and Details. From 1989 through 1990, Oquendo was the Cardinals starting second baseman, and he flourished in the position. Career Stats: 1,190 G; .256/.346/.317; 14 HR; 254 RBI; 821 H; 339 R; 35-for-68 SB. During the first six seasons of the 2000s, he hit .292/.406/.584 while averaging 35 home runs, 98 RBI and 6.1 . Fuentes was an All-Star for three straight seasons from 2005 to 2007, converting 84.7 percent of his save chances en route to a franchise record 115 saves. He moved to third base in 1971 when Boston acquired Luis Aparicio and was still manning the hot corner in 1975 when the Sox won the AL pennant and played in one of the most exciting World Series in history, losing in seven games to the Cincinnati Reds. But during the Yankees' era of Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Ron Guidry, Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage, et al., Nettles was often unappreciated. I wonder if Rolen might be in the same boat if hed spent more time at the Ballpark inArlington; his slash in just 34 plate appearances there is .419/.471/.742. Six times over his 13-year career, Morris would hit over .300, though he did so with little powerhis 16-home-run season of 1996 was the most he'd ever hit. Of the 18 players elected to start the 1934 All-Star Game, Berger is the only one not enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Money pitcher. His real claim to fame, however, came in 1973 when he stepped into the batter's box in spring training, becoming the first player to ever bat as a designated hitter. 320 batting average with a .370 OBP. An eight-time All-Star, Robert "Indian Bob" Johnson spent 10 of his 13 major league seasons patrolling left field for thePhiladelphia As and was a consistent performer year-after-year, but most people have never heard of him. Top 10 Players of the 1900s 1. After averaging 147 games played over his first five seasons,a shoulder injury that he suffered in 1936 bogged down his career after that, and he would play in more than 100 games only once before calling it quits. The Nominees for MLB's Most Underrated Players of the 2021 Season Zachary D. Rymer September 7, 2021 Let's give Wade Miley the credit he deserves. Seattle Mariners designated hitter Ty France (23) is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park.