Dwight Evans was an anomaly he produced far better in his 30s than when he first came up in his 20s. Otis knew better, and he and Hodges clashed until the day that the Mets traded Otis to the Royals prior to the 1970 season. Maybe one of the most underrated MLB jerseys of all-time is the early 1970's Oakland Athletics' home jersey. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. My list of the greatest players in baseball, over time, goes back to 1901, the founding of the American League. 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. He also was a Rookie of the Year award winner and seven-time All-Star. Bottom line: Bobby Grich was one of the finest defensive second basemen ever in the game. Think about that for a moment as you contemplate some of the more underrated players. Indian Bob Johnson never had one of those super seasons that make everyone sit up and whistle. White made ridiculous catches in the outfield look routine while hitting for power and flashing excellent speed when he got on base. But if you take the money he made out of the equation, Brown was better than most people realize because they get too wrapped up in his shortcomings. We can't predict how his career will turn out, but we can say that he's the most average player currently in the game. Much like the Orioles are doing in 2012, the 1979 team made a habit of posting late-game comebacks en route to taking home the American League pennant. It's not like Vizquel is the second coming of Rey Ordonez, a slick fielding shortstop who was inept at the plate. The 1982 Topps football set has a solid mix of rookie and veteran players. He even fielded his position well enough to win two Gold Gloves. 1974-1992, 70.1 WAR (Wins Over Replacement), 1,225 RBIs and 2,092 hits. A five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner at third base, Wallach led the National League in doubles twice and was the first player from Cal-State Fullerton to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat. Adjusted WAR: 57.3. Otis had power, played excellent defense and had speed, leading the American League with 52 stolen bases in 1971 while also becoming the first player since 1927 to steal five bases in one game. 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. As a four-time 20-game winner, Tiant doesnt get nearly as much acclaim as he should. 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. 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. NICK ALBERGA: For me, it would be Ivan Barbashev of the St. Louis Blues. He won a batting title and an MVP with the Cardinals, and led the league in walks in 1986, the year he helped the Mets to a seven-game World Series title over the Red Sox. 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. Stats:1,676 games, .304 BA, 220 HR, 947 RBI, .353 OBP, .476 SLG. The road to Cooperstown is difficult for receivers, due to the difficulty of evaluating the position with statistics. It's another simple design with another iconic font on white background. His best seasons came in the years that the Reds won back-to-back championships in 1975 and 1976 and were among the most dominant teams in baseball before and after those titles. 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. Pro Bowl Confidential: 27 players pick MVP, most underrated, coaches, other questions 2023 NFL Draft prospect rankings: 64 best available players College football spring storylines: New coaches . Career Stats: 1,553 G; .251/.332/.420; 210 HR; 773 RBI; 1,352 H; 653 R; 10-for-32 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. Career Stats: 1,902 G; .265/.338/.398; 151 HR; 706 RBI; 1,726 H; 844 R; 76-for-116 SB. Here are the two reasons why Albert Pujols is one of the most underrated players in the history of baseball. Highest vote pct. Career Stats: 2,212 G; .257/.316/.416; 260 HR; 1,125 RBI; 2,085 H; 908 R; 51-for-117 SB. Career Stats: 2,963 G; .272/.336/.352; 80 HR; 950 RBI; 404-for-571 SB. Free Agency Buzz. Well to be honest a lot of performances have usually been noticed without fail, but there are those that are overshadowed either by his own level of fame or by the work of others since it's become very easy to believe that as great as he is, Harrison Ford has been pushed to the side a bit in a few . 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. Yu Darvish - SP - San Diego Padres. Brown also led the National League in ERA twice during his career, including once after he signed that mega contract. His best season came two years later with the Angels in 1991, when he went 18-11 with a 2.89 ERA, finishing third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. Our ranking of the 100 greatest MLB players of all time comes down to the top 25. In his 2021 breakout season with the Atlanta Braves, Riley had a batting average of .303, 107 RBIs and 33 home runs. The 28-year-old made his first All-Star team last season and played a . These underrated players solidified themselves as big leaguers last year and are primed to break out even further in 2023. Granted, he was only a .256 hitter with 14 career home runs. Then again, you have to remember that he really had two careers 12 to start his career and then 14 with a brand new arm after being the first person to have the eponymous "Tommy John surgery. 10 Most Underrated MLB Players of All Time. re: Most underrated MLB players of all time Posted on 5/14/21 at 4:18 am to Indiangensing. Believe it or not, the Big 12 has star power. The tiny town grows a significant portion of the nation's most-demanded produce like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, potatoes, and citrus. Teams:California/Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Stats:1,105 games, .284 BA, 393 HR, 1,199 RBI, .376 OBP, .527 SLG. . Wally Moses hit .300 or better in seven consecutive seasons to start his career, from 1935 through the 1941 season. 4. 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. Heres our look at the game's most underrated players of all time. Teams:Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Stats:443 games, 176-137, 3.44 ERA, 103 CG, 30 SHO, 5 K/9 IP. But Garvey also has a .294 career average and won four straight Gold Gloves during his prime. But Wagner excelled at just about everything else. It makes no sense that a player with that resume isnt in the Hall of Fame. Free Agent Grades. A key contributor on three World Series-winning Boston Red Sox teams in the 1910s, Dutch Leonard largely played in the shadow of Babe Ruth and "Smoky" Joe Wood. Eight times in his 17-year career, Sievers hit at least 20 home runs and drove in at least 80 runs, and his 42 home runs and 114 RBI in 1957 as a member of the Washington Senators led the American League. Teams:Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Stats:2,103 games, .299 BA, 130 HR, 781 RBI, .372 OBP, .423 SLG. How can someone who has a losing record over the course of his career be considered underrated? Eckstein would reach the World Series a second time as a member of the Cardinals in 2006. Career: 17 seasons (1996-2012) Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds A first-time All-Star in 2016, Quintana threw at least 200 innings every year . These guys had solid career resumes and often came up big in big games, yet they seldom, if ever, received widespread acclaim. Norm Cash thrived in the middle of the Tigers' lineup for 15 years, though he was often overshadowed by his teammates Al Kaline and Rocky Colavito. Mickey Mantle. 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. He would make two All-Star teams as a member of the Twins and lead the American League in RBI with 119 in 1977. Despite only going to the All-Star Game four times and leading the National League in saves once, Reardon amassed 367 career saves, which still puts him just outside the top 10 on the all-time list. With almost 20,000 players some incredible players and evenm some players are forgotten and or underrated so I am going to go through some of the best of these players throughout baseball history starting with Billy Hamilton: Joey Votto: . I think the most underrated active player is Adrian Gonzalez. Pedro Martinez, one of the best W/L % all time, 2.92 ERA and was just a great pitcher before he got injured, but when everyone think of the 90s and 00s they think of Clemens, Johnson and Maddux. 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. Major League Baseball is loaded with star power heading into the 2023 season. He was also a phenomenal defensive second baseman as well and one of the best at turning the double play, yet he never received a Gold Glove Award due to the presence of two other second basemen who were equally as adept with the glove: the Royals' Frank White and the Tigers' Lou Whitaker. Career Stats: 1,919 G; .291/.319/.391; 57 HR; 941 RBI; 2,158 H; 980 R; 363-for-400 SB*. It wasn't until he made his way to the Minnesota Twins in November of 1972, however, that his career really began to flourish. Bottom line: Scott Rolen was among the best third basemen in the game during the first decade of the 2000s. In my opinion, Todd Helton might be the most underrated player between 2000-2009. Indeed, he was a powerful presence at the plate. The Greatest New York Yankees Of All Time. 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. Most baseball fans know about Honus Wagners famously expensive baseball card but they dont know that much about him as a player. Underrated: Jeff McNeil, Mets. So a Top 10 list at the hot corner is a source of hot debate. But it should be noted that the big right-hander threw 12 years for some of the worst Chicago Cubs teams in franchise history. Winner of seven consecutive Gold Glove awards in center field and a three-time All-Star, Devon White was one of the more underrated players of the past 20 years. Williams played from 1915 to 1929, mainly for the St. Louis Browns. 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. Jay Bell is one of many players who can be considered underrated because not enough fans and critics give strong defensive players enough credit. He was a four-time Gold Glove winner and a six-time All-Star. Mo Vaughn: Similar to others on this list, Vaughn was a fan-favorite slugger whose numbers at the plate overshadowed his deficiencies in other areas of the game. Choke artist. Keltner made two outstanding backhanded plays at third to rob DiMaggio, and along with a walk and a ground out, the streak ended. 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. Concepcion was rounding the bases after hitting a home run and crossed home plate roughly four seconds after Watson. Parker was also named an all-star seven times and helped two different teams win the World Series. Pujols, alongside Aaron Judge, is . There are a lot of Braves players like Ozzie . He also managed the Angels to their first-ever postseason appearance in 1979 (serving as Ryan's manager) and is still regarded as one of the most popular Angels of all time. Justice hit a ball to deep center field. He wasnt even an all-star in one of the two years that he led the American League in ERA. An MVP, Parker was a seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ. 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. So when will the Veterans Committee consider Evans? 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. Career Stats: 1,649 G; .259/.329/.445; 237 HR; 879 RBI; 1,505 H; 778 R; 58-for-106 SB. Career Stats: 2,247 G; .260/.300/.320; 15 HR; 525 RBI; 2,191 H; 987 R; 318-for-423 SB. After all, if it was easy to pick them out, they wouldnt be so underappreciated. 2. 5h Jamal Collier. The Bucs are a young team that is trying to take that step forward, much like the 2011 and 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates teams. You've read the headline. Bottom line:There is so much debate around Shoeless Joe Jackson and the true depth of his role in the 1918 Black Sox scandal that people forget what an incredible player he was. Thats why we wanted to help rectify the situation by coming up with a list of the most underrated baseball players of all time. At 245 pounds, Rolen was still a nimble third baseman. But he was a good pitcher both before and after he had the surgery that bears his name. Jim Edmonds was far from the most talented player of his generation, but he got everything he could out of the talent he had. 6h Reuters. He finished his career with 107 home runs and 875 RBIs. 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. If not Hall of Fame, then certainly underrated. The fans in St. Louis called him Jimmy Ballgame because he played the game the right way and always found ways to help his team win games. When 22-year-old Bert Campaneris made his major league debut in 1964, he took Twins starter Jim Kaat deep in his first major league at-bat. Bottom line: Norm Cash played in the shadows of the great Al Kaline, but at the time of his retirement, there were only three players in American League history that hit more home runs as a left-handed batter Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig. For the most part, baseball fans only know the name Tommy John because of the surgery thats named after him. Career Stats: 2,324 G; .255/.293/.383; 160 HR; 886 RBI; 2,006 H; 912 R; 178-for-261 SB. Bottom line: Heres John Oleruds problem, or, rather, the problem that voters have with Olerud perception. The Cuban was often overlooked during his career as well, only making the All-Star Team three times. Pearson, once a top-ten prospect in all of baseball, has been restricted to just 33 largely unsuccessful big league innings since his debut in 2020, and didn't pitch at all in 2022 as a lat . A five-time All-Star, Cash was the 1961 batting champion with a .361 average. #1 of 219. Teams:Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Stats:2,332 games, .294 BA, 272 HR, 1,3-8 RBI, .329 OBP, .446 SLG. Other guys we hear about a lot who appear here include Phil Niekro, Bert Blyleven, Jerry Koosman, Tom Candiotti, Kevin Appier, Danny Darwin, Pete Alexander, Brad Radke, Larry Dierker, Kevin Brown, and Chuck Finley. Now go take a look at his career stats. When you're the only player in history with at least 100 triples, 150 homers and 600 steals, when you're one of only four players in history with at least 700 extra-base hits and 800 steals (joining Ty Cobb, Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson) and when you're seventh all-time in WAR at your position, you go to the Hall of Fame. 20. He posted a .994 fielding percentage in 1989, committing only five errors in more than 850 chances. 0 of 10. Career Stats: 1,847 G; .291/.400/.502; 287 HR; 1,078 RBI; 1,897 H; 1,121 R; 109-for-154 SB. And not too shabby at the plate, either. A five-time All-Star, White was one of the smoothest fielding second baseman of his era, winning eight Gold Glove Awards. Morris hit .340 in his first full season with the Reds and was an instrumental part of the team that upset the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in the 1990 World Series. Career Stats: 1,832 G; .295/.364/.447; 184 HR; 989 RBI; 1,826 H; 802 R; 27-for-55 SB. Moreover, he was one of the best if not the best defensive center fielders of his time. While I thought he was great at his job back then, it turns out that he was a damn fine ballplayer as well. John was a four-time all-star, three of those selections coming post-surgery. Always clutch, he batted .338 in 11 postseason series. The shortstop crop is golden, and third base ain't so bad, either. Adrian Beltre is probably going to make the Hall of Fame on his first ballot next season - the former Texas Ranger is one of 12 players in MLB history to get 3,000 hits and 400 home runs. 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