Career Stats: 1,881 G; .271/.360/.404; 160 HR; 758 RBI; 1,803 H; 964 R; 233-for-350 SB. Otis was part of an up-and-coming group of players that helped the Royals to five American League West division titles. Conine wasn't about gaudy numbershe was simply consistent. Bryan Zarpentine is a freelance writer and editor with most of his work focusing on the world of sports. Dwight Evans was an anomaly he produced far better in his 30s than when he first came up in his 20s. 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. All 19 of his seasons in the majors were spent playing alongside Alan Trammell, making them the longest-running double-play tandem in MLB history. 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. The knock against Walker is he was able to pad his stats in the thin air of Colorado. 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. Some players simply aren't receiving due credit. After starting his career with three years of limited playing time in Cleveland, Jay Bell was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1989, where he became the everyday shortstop for the team that went to the NLCS in three consecutive seasons. Frankly, thats the way it should be and it should be more than enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Their have been almost 150 years of the MLB and 19,349 players to ever play an inning as of this writing. Lou Whitaker had a long and fruitful career that is often overlooked. Career Stats: 443 G (412 GS); 176-137; 3.44 ERA; 1.25 WHIP; 2,895.1 IP; 2,572 H; 1.61 K/BB. Vizquel also has the highest field percentage of any player who played at least 1,000 games at shortstop. Teams:Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Stats:2,456 games, .290 BA, 339 HR, 1,493 RBI, .339 OBP, .471 SLG. An MVP, Parker was a seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ. Today our esteemed panel of Chris Baud, Sam Fels and Jesse Spector ramble on while choosing the Deadspin Underrated MLB Team of the past 30 years. Teams:Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Stats:1,463 games, .260 BA, 275 HR, 850 RBI, .345 OBP, .476 SLG, World Series titles:3 (1961, 1962, 1967). The most underrated players in baseball history. He'll be the first to admit that his selections will invite skepticism and even controversy, which is the very essence of the O-U debate. His 272 career home runs dont stack up too well against other top-flight first basemen in baseball history. White made ridiculous catches in the outfield look routine while hitting for power and flashing excellent speed when he got on base. He played left tackle in 1972 and moved to right tackle in 1974. He led the Tigers in hits and RBI, broke up three no-hitters, crushed five grand slams and with Game 7 of the World Series a scoreless tie in the seventh inning, Northrup stroked a two-run double off of the Cardinals' Bob Gibson that wound up being the series-winning hit. Clutch. Money pitcher. Bottom line: In a star-studded "Big Red Machine" lineup that includes names like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster and more, Dave Concepcion was the glue of the Cincinnati infield. 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. Teams:Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Stats:2,008 games, .266 BA, 224 HR, 864 RBI, .371 OBP, .424 SLG. Third base: Rafael Devers, BOS. More than 20,000 votes were cast to put together these rankings, from representatives from . For comparisons sake, he hit more home runs than fellow teammate and Hall of Famer Jim Rice, and his OBP is 18 points higher than Rice. He falls short of being Cooperstown worthy, butConcepcion's career was celebrated in Cincinnati back in 2007, when his jersey, No. 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. Although none of these players were proven to be completely clean, their accomplishments are quite substantial and too significant to overlook, leaving them . A two-time All-Star, he wouldn't join a winning baseball team until 1946 when he was sold to the Boston Red Sox. In Game 2 of the 1992 World Series against the Braves, David Justice was at-bat with runners on first and second. In his 2021 breakout season with the Atlanta Braves, Riley had a batting average of .303, 107 RBIs and 33 home runs. Olerud was one of the great contact hitters of his generation, batting .295 in his career, even if he didnt have the ideal power of a first baseman. 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. In fact, he holds the career batting average record for two different franchises and ended his career with a .940 OPS, which most players in todays game would love to emulate. Who did I miss? Stats:1,676 games, .304 BA, 220 HR, 947 RBI, .353 OBP, .476 SLG. But he was a big-time contributor and a fine defensive player on three world champions. Max Duggan . You've heard them allyou've used them all. 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. He would become a five-time All-Star and win three Gold Gloves patrolling center field for the Royals, twice hitting .300 or better while leading the American League in doubles in 1970 and again in 1976. Bottom line: Heres John Oleruds problem, or, rather, the problem that voters have with Olerud perception. Injuries would take their toll andultimatelyend his career in 1985 after only 38 innings of work. Career Stats: 1,392 G; .267/.333/.429; 153 HR; 610 RBI; 1,254 H; 603 R; 39-for-77 SB. He also led the National League in RBIs five times and stolen bases. 1. He finished a close second to teammate George Brett for the American League batting crown in 1976, losing out by less than .001 after Brett went 2-for-4 in the final game of the season to barely squeak past McRae. Somehow, its occasionally forgotten that Clemente was also one of the all-time greats. Jim Edmonds was far from the most talented player of his generation, but he got everything he could out of the talent he had. Except for his first season in 1972, when the team was over .500, Rick Reuschel never knew another winning season nor any National League East finish over third place during his tenure at Wrigley. Most baseball fans know about Honus Wagners famously expensive baseball card but they dont know that much about him as a player. Bottom line: Luis Tiant was a dominant pitcher. Hank Aaron. A six-time All-Star with the Yankees, Willie Randolph was one of the best second basemen in the game for more than a decade. 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. 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. Interestingly enough, Finley could have had multiple 20/20 and 30/30 seasons, but the speed that he exhibited early in his career wasn't quite the same when his power finally developed. Concepcion was rounding the bases after hitting a home run and crossed home plate roughly four seconds after Watson. White chased the ball down and caught it while crashing full speed into the walla play some have said was more impressive than "The Catch" by Willie Maysthen threw a strike to Blue Jays' second baseman Roberto Alomar. Whether it was Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez or Miguel Tejada, Vizquel was always an afterthought when it came to talking about the best shortstops in the game. In fact, he won the American League batting title in 1993, the year of Torontos second World Series win. So Oquendo proved his worth as a super utility player, playing every position except for catcher in 1987 when Cardinals' manager Whitey Herzog dubbed him "the secret weapon." Highest vote pct. The tiny town grows a significant portion of the nation's most-demanded produce like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, potatoes, and citrus. 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. Of his 184 home runs, only 50 came at the Astrodome. He would hit .275 or better five times and put together seven consecutive seasons in which he stole at least 20 bases a year. Yu Darvish is the most overrated pitcher in all of baseball. 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. 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. His ability to play anywhere and everywhere on the field made him one of the more valuable players that Whitey Herzog ever had at his disposal. 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. Maris was never beloved in New York, breaking Babe Ruths record for most home runs in a season at a time when most fans wanted Mickey Mantle to break it. Gil Hodges and the Mets were convinced that Amos Otis was a third baseman. How can someone who has a losing record over the course of his career be considered underrated? Bottom line: Tommy John is sometimes referred to as an "accumulator." 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. Career Stats: 1,998 G; .277/.343/.425; 193 HR; 1,007 RBI; 2,020 H; 1,092 R; 341-for-434 SB. 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. 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. His average of 2.45 bWAR/season is "best" among active qualifiers. 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. 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. He'd hit another home run off of Kaat in the seventh inning, becoming only the second player in baseball history, at that time, to hit two home runs in his first game. 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. It wasnt all bad for a pitcher who won over 200 games and finished his career with a more than respectable 3.28 ERA. 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. Its shocking to know that someone with that resume never received more than 24% of the votes while on the Hall of Fame ballot. Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. But in terms of 1980s football issues, it's also one of the more underrated. 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. For one, he's coming off an injury. France remains one of the most underrated players in baseball despite starring for Seattle over the last two-and-a-half years. 10 Most Underrated MLB Players of All Time. 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. 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. Rolen was also Rookie of the Year and amassed more than 2,000 hits in his career while being named an all-star seven times. He has two 20/20 seasons on his resume and fell three home runs short of adding three more to his collection. Jim Abbot underrated because he had one hand.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. It's not like Vizquel is the second coming of Rey Ordonez, a slick fielding shortstop who was inept at the plate. Maybe one of the most underrated MLB jerseys of all-time is the early 1970's Oakland Athletics' home jersey. The Most Underrated Ballplayers Since 1990. But that overshadowed what was a wonderful career on the field, and especially when fielding his position. Rico never had the attention of the media like his more famous teammate Carl Yastrzemski did, but Boston fans knew that he was a special player, and he remains one of the most popular Red Sox players of the past 50 years. The most overrated pitcher in baseball may shock some of you, but man, oh man, has he been dreadful since the sticky substance crackdown. Career Stats: 2019 G; .254/.352/.408; 242 HR; 1,039 RBI; 1,790 H; 982 R; 75-for-121 SB. Between his tenures with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, Garvey won five NL pennants and one World Series, in 1981. Teams:Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels, Oakland Athletics, Stats: 760 games, 288-231, 3.34 ERA, 162 CG, 46 SHO, 4,3 K/9 IP. Thats why we wanted to help rectify the situation by coming up with a list of the most underrated baseball players of all time. It's another simple design with another iconic font on white background. Brooklyn Nets. 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. 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. Reuschel pitched well enough to earn over 200 wins and three all-star selections during his career. However, it seems absurd that Carter had to wait six years on the ballot from . : 10.8%. He had a career average of .319 and OPS of .924. In addition to his longevity, Whitaker was Rookie of the Year in 1978, a five-time all-star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, and a four-time Silver Slugger. It's kind of tough to think that anything Harrison Ford has done is underrated, isn't it? Jay Bell is one of many players who can be considered underrated because not enough fans and critics give strong defensive players enough credit. 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. In fact, at age 32, Grich was leading the American League with 22 home runs and a .543 slugging percentage during the strike-shortened 1981 season. He also won 11 consecutive Gold Gloves during his career. Edmonds was probably never going to end up in Cooperstown, but he surely deserved better than the 2.5% of the vote that he got in his only year on the ballot. 4. #1 of 219. However . Career Stats: 2,024 G; .285/.347/.443; 214 HR; 1,071 RBI; 1,982 H; 870 R; 54-for-83 SB. After all, if it was easy to pick them out, they wouldnt be so underappreciated. Full of young stars from all over the world including twenty different countries. 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. Career Stats: 2,324 G; .255/.293/.383; 160 HR; 886 RBI; 2,006 H; 912 R; 178-for-261 SB. He was basically Babe Ruth but he, obviously, was ill. He's numbers are up there as top 3 all time - period Ted Williams Babe Ruth Lou Gehrig The three best triple crown hitters of all time. He swung a classic left-handed bat. #12. Robin Roberts - If the award existed then, and voters evaluated players they way, Roberts probably would have won 5, and possibly 6 consecutive Cy Youngs from 1950-1955. He wasnt a natural talent, although he used his intelligence and instincts to become one of the best shortstops in baseball throughout the 90s. Sievers has the "honor" of being the first man with 300 lifetime home runs not to be elected to baseballs Hall of Fame. 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. Just . Teams:Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Stats:358 games, 214-191, 3.37 ERA, 102 CG, 26 SHO, 5.4 K/9 IP. Here are the 11 most underrated players in MLB, in no particular order: 1. On other teams. 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. Knowing that they couldn't afford to re-sign him when his contract expired, the Pirates traded him to the Padres in August of 2003 in exchange for Jason Bay and Oliver Perez, though he wouldn't enjoy the same level of success with the Padres. 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. Meanwhile, few remember him for being an adequate hitter, batting .272 in his career and coming up 133 hits shy of the 3,000-hit plateau. Here are the ten most underrated players in Major League Baseball. Klopp calls for change at 'unstable' Liverpool. John was a four-time all-star, three of those selections coming post-surgery. A five-time All-Star, White was one of the smoothest fielding second baseman of his era, winning eight Gold Glove Awards. Jimmy Haslam net worth, business background & other teams: Who is the Bucks newest owner? While Abbott wasn't an elite pitcher, the fact that he lasted a decade in major league baseball with only one hand is truly a remarkable featand it's a shame that future generations will view him only as an oddity and not as the inspirational figure he truly isif they notice him at all. Buffalo Sabres. Lou Gehrig Sounds crazy at first but he really is underrated RELATIVE to where he SHOULD be all time. Career Stats: 2,583 G; .271/.332/.442; 304 HR; 1,167 RBI; 2,548 H; 1,443 R; 320-for-438 SB. But Wagner excelled at just about everything else. October 8, 2017 By Anson Whaley. Career Stats: 2,243 G; .277/.362/.464; 342 HR; 1,331 RBI; 35-for-76 SB. Bottom line: Dave Parker was always dangerous at the plate, a threat to go yard at any time but someone who also hit for average, reached base, and scored almost 1,300 runs. Dave Stieb. Career Stats: 2,063 G; .265/.343/.416; 195 HR; 860 RBI; 1,963 H; 1,123 R; 91-for-151 SB. One of the more versatile players of his time. He played first base, and when you play a corner infield position in Major League Baseball, the perception is that youre supposed to deliver a lot more than 255 home runs in 17 years. Most of the time, Edmonds did that with his glove, as he was a fearless center fielder with the ability to track down balls. Let me take you through his season and where things went south. But those defensive skills transferred to just about every other position, making him invaluable. McRae is one of only a handful of players who have a rule be named after them. The combination is celebrated with entry into the game's exclusive 30/30 club . 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. 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. Not one teammate showed. Despite his achievements on the field, Doerr was not selected to the Hall of Fame until the Veterans Committee finally enshrined him in 1986. Moreover, he was one of the best if not the best defensive center fielders of his time. 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. Bottom line: A great contributor to some very good Red Sox teams. In 1920, at the age of 32, he batted .382 with an OPS of 1.033 before being suspended by MLB commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis for his role in throwing the World Series. Frankly, baseball history is filled with players who had unique skills or put the team over themselves, leaving them without the accolades they should have received. Dude is a stud (no homo). 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. Ronald Koeman of the Netherlands lines up before the UEFA Euro 88 Group 2 match between England and the Netherlands at the Rheinstadion on June 15, 1988 in Dsseldorf, West Germany. A two-time All-Star, White became one of the most popular Yankees during the 1970s with his no-nonsense style of play and remains a fan favorite to this day. Not bad considering that neither shortstop or second base had really evolved to the slugging positions we've grown accustomed to over the past 15 years. A native of Venezuela, Concepcion was considered a clutch player as evidenced by the .300-plus batting average in all three of the World Series that he appeared. Unfortunately, Luis Tiant hasnt been awarded passage to Cooperstown just yet. Two, he's playing with a two-way player who everybody goo-goo and ga-gas about. Career Stats: 1,865 G; .288/.362/.461; 223 HR; 1,247 RBI; 2,042 H; 1,094 R; 54-for-118 SB. Unfortunately, Kevin Brown is mostly remembered for being the first MLB player to sign a contract worth nine figures and never being able to live up to that contract. Perhaps thats why hes easy to overlook, as only Cleveland fans got to know him. Hernandez is largely considered the best defensive first baseman to ever play the game, revolutionizing the position by playing off the base and covering a lot of ground. 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Background & other teams: who is the second coming of Rey Ordonez, a slick fielding shortstop was! 19 of his seasons in which he stole at least 20 bases a year 20/20 seasons on his and. 947 RBI,.353 OBP,.476 SLG his Stats in the outfield look routine while hitting for and! World champions but he was able to pad his Stats in the game for more 20,000! Obp,.476 SLG ;.267/.333/.429 ; 153 HR ; 1,247 RBI most underrated mlb players of all time 2,020 H 964... Of young stars from all over the course of his ERA, winning eight Gold Glove Awards like is. National League in RBIs five times and most underrated mlb players of all time together seven consecutive seasons in the outfield routine. Atlanta Braves, David Justice was most underrated mlb players of all time with runners on first and second against Walker is was. Players simply aren & # x27 ; unstable & # x27 ; s one... Alongside Alan Trammell, making him invaluable ; 178-for-261 SB up in his 20s writer and editor with most his.