He was a key contributor to the Tigers unbelievable 35-5 start and eventual world championship in 1984, one of the most dominant seasons in baseball. Dude is a stud (no homo). 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. Two, he's playing with a two-way player who everybody goo-goo and ga-gas about. He played over a decade in the big leagues, winning 11 Gold Gloves, including nine in a row at one point. Rick Reuschel, a guy often cited as being underrated, makes an appearance near the top. the first player to ever bat as a designated hitter. These guys had solid career resumes and often came up big in big games, yet they seldom, if ever, received widespread acclaim. Choke artist. Playing the bulk of his career with the Cardinals, White was a five-time All-Star, a seven-time Gold Glove Award winner at first base and one of only a handful of players to hit over .300 and drive in 100 runs in three consecutive seasons. A fiery player with a live arm, Larry Bowa was a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner with . He wasnt even an all-star in one of the two years that he led the American League in ERA. Its also another testament to the Hall of Fame undervaluing good defense. UZR: -7.3. Yet Gehrig is always overshadowed by Ruth and other greats. At minimum, Lofton should have bee a borderline Hall of Famer, although he was off the ballot after just two seasons, which is a disgrace for a six-time all-star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and a player who led the American League in stolen bases in five straight seasons. 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. Yes, the great third baseman who played the bulk of his career with the New York Yankees, won two world championships and has been retired for over 30 years. Omar Vizquel might be the poster boy for how little the Hall of Fame values defense, which is why hes among the most underrated MLB players of all time. Between his tenures with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, Garvey won five NL pennants and one World Series, in 1981. Career Stats: 1,311 G; .280/.345/.355; 35 HR; 392 RBI; 123-for-168 SB. Here are the 11 most underrated players in MLB, in no particular order: 1. Between those offensive numbers and his defensive prowess, Rolen should be held in higher esteem. Dave Stieb. Five times Edmonds hit .300 or better, and he also slugged 30-or-more home runs on five different occasions as well. When a discussion regarding the best second basemen in the history of baseball ensues, it's a rare occasion when Bobby Doerr's name is bought up. Not only does he already have the championship pedigree from 2019, but just like Lehkonen, he's as versatile as they come . John was a four-time all-star, three of those selections coming post-surgery. The oldest Major League player to play in a game in 2019 was Ichiro Suzuki at 45-years-old. Career Stats: 2,963 G; .272/.336/.352; 80 HR; 950 RBI; 404-for-571 SB. He may not be an obvious omission from the Hall of Fame, but there are only about 50 players in MLB history with a better WAR than Whitaker, and most of the second basemen on that list are in the Hall of Fame. Mr. 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. Jimmy Haslam net worth, business background & other teams: Who is the Bucks newest owner? While his lifetime ERA of 3.17 would lead someone to expect Steve Rogers to have a more impressive career win-loss record, he was often the victim of terrible run support during many challenging years in Montreal. 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. He finished his quarter-century-long career with 288 wins and over 2,200 strikeouts. Omar Vizquel might be the poster boy for how little the Hall of Fame values defense, which is why he's among the most underrated MLB players of all time. Theres no way that Dave Parker gets the credit he deserves as someone who was an MVP and won back-to-back batting titles. In 2010, as a member of the Padres, Eckstein went 113 consecutive games without committing an error as a second baseman, a record that stood until this past August when the Cubs' Darwin Barney tied it and later broke it. In Game 2 of the 1992 World Series against the Braves, David Justice was at-bat with runners on first and second. Everyone loves labels, especially when it comes to athletes. Dallas Keuchel, Chicago White Sox. All MLB players dream of earning a place alongside legends such as Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, Tom Seaver, Willie Mays, and Bob Gibson. A two-time MVP, Garvey also was a 10-time All-Star. The best shortstop of the 1970s, Dave Concepcion paired with Joe Morgan to form one of the great double-play combinations in the history of the game. Dwight Evans was an anomaly he produced far better in his 30s than when he first came up in his 20s. While it doesn't have the heavy hitters in terms of big name rookies found in the 1981 (Joe Montana), 1984 (Dan Marino, John Elway), and 1986 (Jerry Rice . 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. 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. A first-time All-Star in 2016, Quintana threw at least 200 innings every year . 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. Yogi Berra is one of the greatest winners in the history of the MLB. Career Stats: 1,650 G; .242/.309/.324; 41 HR; 490 RBI; 1,340 H; 736 R; 385-for-516 SB. Georgia Tech Baseball is now 8-0 this season. Career Stats: 1,553 G; .251/.332/.420; 210 HR; 773 RBI; 1,352 H; 653 R; 10-for-32 SB. Jim Edmonds made a career out of producing highlight-reel plays with his glove, winning eight Gold Glove awards over 17 years in the majors. In between three stints in Cleveland, Kenny Lofton bounced around a lot during his career, rarely spending more than one season with the same team. As a member of the Blue Jays, he was involved in one of the more bizarre plays in World Series history. Another inductee to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Stieb is one of the most underrated MLB players of all time. Jesse Barfield was a great outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1980s. His statistics might not scream offensive domination, but he was one of the great clutch hitters of his time. 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). But the Reds may not have been the same without Concepcion, which is why hes among the most underrated players in MLB history. He never really got a chance to play with the Red Sox as he was behind Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud and eventually a youngster named Dwight Evans on the depth chart. Always clutch, he batted .338 in 11 postseason series. A versatile outfielder who could play all three outfield positions equally well, Jim Northrup spent all but one of his 12 major league seasons wearing a Tigers' uniform. Yet somehow, Tim Salmon was never named to an All-Star team. Third base: Rafael Devers, BOS. 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. KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 25: Vinnie Pasquantino #9 of the Kansas City Royals bats against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. Hank Aaron. Roberto Clemente is often remembered for his humanitarian work and the tragic circumstances surrounding his death. DeJong should benefit from the Nolan Arenado addition, and both the ZiPS and Steamer projections see him as a Top-12 shortstop in WAR in '21. Teams:Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Stats:2,019 games, .254 BA, 242 HR, 1,039 RBI, .353 OBP, .408 SLG, World Series titles:3 (1972, 1973, 1974). Here are the ten most underrated players in Major League Baseball. Indeed, he was a powerful presence at the plate. Honus Wagner is known as one of the all-time greats. It's not like Vizquel is the second coming of Rey Ordonez, a slick fielding shortstop who was inept at the plate. Career Stats: 1,754 G; .273/.336/.450; 235 HR; 901 RBI; 87-for-157 SB. Giles finished his career with more than 300 more walks than strikeouts, and while he was never the same player in San Diego as he was in Pittsburgh, Giles was one of the most popular Padres during his time with the club. He has a no-hitter on his resume and was also a six-time all-star. McNeil may not hit the homers that the . Rolen won eight Gold Gloves during his career, including five in a row during his prime, making him one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. 2008: .279, 103 R (18th in MLB), 36 taters (9th, in the best pitcher's park in the L), 119 RBI (8th), all while batting in a lineup where the next best hitter was Kevin Kouzmanoff. Said Bill James in The New Baseball Abstract: No other player in baseball history was so richly praised for his defensive skillno one. He had a career average of .319 and OPS of .924. 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. I'd say Mike Trout is underrated. Unfortunately, Luis Tiant hasnt been awarded passage to Cooperstown just yet. Pujols, alongside Aaron Judge, is . Without question, the highlight of Abbott's career came on Sept. 4, 1993 when he threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium, walking five while striking out three. Teams:Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Stats:1,749 games, .292 BA, 351 HR, 1,119 RBI, .378 OBP, .534 SLG. Dozens of ESPN writers and editors submitted more than 20,000 votes ( see full methodology here ) to determine the . One half of a great double-play combination in Kansas City, along with second baseman Frank White, shortstop Freddie Patek was part of the Royals teams that won the American League West from 1976-78. In 1911, he batted .408 with an OPS of 1.011 for Cleveland in a dynamic season in which he also accumulated 331 total bases. Nettles is just one example of a bevy of Major League Baseball players who had outstanding careers but were considered underrated, especially, in retrospect, when they did not make the Hall of Fame, baseballs unofficial arbiter of separating transcendent careers from "merely" great ones. LaMelo suffers ankle fracture: Opportunities for Smith and Bouknight, Davis & Russell must step up for the Lakers following LeBrons injury, A look at leagues competing with each other around the world, Potential trade packages and partners if the Bears trade the 2023 first overall pick, Previews & predictions for Week 2 of the 2023 MLS season. History & Major Milestones. Were also talking about a five-time all-star, a batting champ, and a former MVP who finished his career with over 2,000 hits and a .296 career average. But he shouldnt be penalized for playing where he did any more than players who call the Green Monster or the short porch at Yankee Stadium home. Bottom line: Maybe Dave Stieb isnt Hall of Fame worthy, not with just 176 wins, but he was one of the toughest pitchers of his era. Leonard had a career record of 139-133 with a 2.76 ERA, and in 1914, he led the American League with a remarkable 0.96 ERA, the major league record for lowest ERA among pitchers who threw at least 150 innings in the same season. Injuries would take their toll andultimatelyend his career in 1985 after only 38 innings of work. His brilliance with the glove is easier to document than Ty Cobb's temper, Hack Wilson's drinking or Walter Johnson's fastball; it is all over the literature of the sport. Career Stats: 1,286 G; .264/.362/.379; 93 HR; 418 RBI; 1,203 H; 718 R; 200-for-305 SB. While he began his major league career in 1968, it wasn't until 1969 that a 22-year-old center fielder named Larry Hisle got a chance to play on a daily basis, and he rewarded the Phillies with a solid campaign that resulted in a fourth place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting. The 28-year-old made his first All-Star team last season and played a . Even his career totals of 339 home runs and a .290 average deserve more respect than hes received. A nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner during his 19-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, Concepcion's contributions were routinely overshadowed by his Hall of Fame teammates, namely Pete Rose, Tony Perez and Morgan. 0 of 10. Yu Darvish - SP - San Diego Padres. Bottom line: Luis Tiant was a dominant pitcher. 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