The Baseball Hall of Fame was established in 1936 to honor the very best players in MLB, America's oldest organized sport. He swung a classic left-handed bat. 4. Money pitcher. An MVP, Parker was a seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ. Career Stats: 399 G (393 GS); 158-152; 3.17 ERA; 1.23 WHIP; 2,837 IP; 2,619 H; 1.85 K/BB. Those players are still undervalued today, and they were overlooked even more during Oquendos era. 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 . When Frank White broke in with the Royals in 1973, he had the unenviable task of replacing fan-favorite Cookie Rojas at second base and was met with a less-than-warm welcome by Royals fans. He spent the last five years of his career in Milwaukee, where he helped mentor two other eventual Hall of Fame players Paul Molitor and Robin Yount. Underappreciated, thats what youd call him. Underrated: Jeff McNeil, Mets. Career Stats: 2,212 G; .257/.316/.416; 260 HR; 1,125 RBI; 2,085 H; 908 R; 51-for-117 SB. The 28-year-old made his first All-Star team last season and played a . Career Stats: 2,243 G; .277/.362/.464; 342 HR; 1,331 RBI; 35-for-76 SB. Teams:Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Stats:2,332 games, .294 BA, 272 HR, 1,3-8 RBI, .329 OBP, .446 SLG. Heres our look at the game's most underrated players of all time. Maybe they didn't make the Hall of Fame, but these players had great careers. He even fielded his position well enough to win two Gold Gloves. #1 of 219. 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. 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. Just . Babe Ruth. 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. 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. Jun 18, 2009. 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. Amazingly enough, Ryne Sandberg took home Gold Glove honors. But in reality, Jeff McNeil has been lighting it up at the plate this year, hitting an amazing. One of the great leadoff hitters and bunters of the 1980s and early 1990s, Brett Butler somehow only made one All-Star game over his 17-year career. Not only does he already have the championship pedigree from 2019, but just like Lehkonen, he's as versatile as they come . 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. 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. More than anything, he was also one of the most feared outfielders in the game because of his incredible arm, saving countless runs by turning would-be doubles and triples into outs. DeCinces wouldn't have the same kind of memorable moments with the Angels as he did with the Orioles, but he was a solid contributor to the Angels success nonetheless. At 245 pounds, Rolen was still a nimble third baseman. By the time his career came to an end, White was celebrated along with Rojas as two of the more popular players in Royals history. Thats why were happy to do the leg work and come up with a list of the 20 most underrated players in baseball history. He has two 20/20 seasons on his resume and fell three home runs short of adding three more to his collection. The most overrated pitcher in baseball may shock some of you, but man, oh man, has he been dreadful since the sticky substance crackdown. While I thought he was great at his job back then, it turns out that he was a damn fine ballplayer as well. Morris never made an All-Star team and never achieved superstar status; he was simply consistent and reliable, and that doesn't ever wind up having a spotlight shone on it. He was also an excellent fielder who held multiple fielding records at the time of his retirement that have since been passed. He finished his career with 107 home runs and 875 RBIs. Between his tenures with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, Garvey won five NL pennants and one World Series, in 1981. 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. Bottom line: Certainly one of the premier defensive center fielders of his time with enough highlight-reel plays to keep you busy through lunch and dinner. Career Stats: 1,350 G; .300/.359/.522; 242 HR; 898 RBI; 1,550 H; 809 R; SB Data Not Known. While much of how we view athletes is performance-based and backed up with statistics, some of it is simply subjective. 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. 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. Now that our list of the top 100 MLB players of all time has been revealed, it's time to have some fun. Answer (1 of 10): Try Cobb. 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. 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. It was the best thing that ever happened for him. Voters don't like the paucity of homers from a corner infield spot, but the overall package of offense and defense puts Hernandez . 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. Granted, he was only a .256 hitter with 14 career home runs. 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 . Moises Alou - .303, 332 homeruns, 6 time all-star, 2-time silver slugger, etc Albert Belle - obvious Larry Walker Luis Tiant Vida Blue His average of 2.45 bWAR/season is "best" among active qualifiers. Career Stats: 2019 G; .254/.352/.408; 242 HR; 1,039 RBI; 1,790 H; 982 R; 75-for-121 SB. After going without a hit in the first two games of the series, he went on a tear. 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. Teams:Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Stats:2,008 games, .266 BA, 224 HR, 864 RBI, .371 OBP, .424 SLG. 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. #34 of 255. Darrell Evans - Bill James called him the most underrated player in baseball history. Career Stats: 2,063 G; .265/.343/.416; 195 HR; 860 RBI; 1,963 H; 1,123 R; 91-for-151 SB. 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). The Yellow Jackets did not stop there though. Over the course of 11 . Immokalee is the farming center along Florida's Paradise Coast. Keep in mind that he did all of that following a surgery that came with no assurances. 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. Wally Moses hit .300 or better in seven consecutive seasons to start his career, from 1935 through the 1941 season. Upon his trade to the Cardinals in 1985, Oquendo faced a bit of a problemthe Cardinals were already set at shortstop with Ozzie Smith. But Wagner excelled at just about everything else. Bottom line: After cups of coffee with the Twins in 1962 and 1963, Tony Oliva burst on the scene and won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1964. Twice a .300 hitter and with two 100 RBI seasons under his belt, Oglivie proved that power hitters don't necessarily come in physically imposing packages. 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. Even late in his career, Vizquel was among the best defensive shortstops in the majors. Career Stats: 1,553 G; .251/.332/.420; 210 HR; 773 RBI; 1,352 H; 653 R; 10-for-32 SB. Jim Edmonds was far from the most talented player of his generation, but he got everything he could out of the talent he had. 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. 10y Dave Cameron. Social Media: @fuzzyfromytBusiness: fuzzy@iconagency.ggUse code FUZZY on Seatgeek for $20 o. At the 1981 deadline, they sent all-star Rick Martin to the Kings for a first . Bottom line: Luis Tiant was a dominant pitcher. Tim Wallach could play both corner-infield and outfield positions, and even took the mound twice for the Expos, in 1987 and 1989. 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. A seven-time All-Star, his 2.48 ERA led the American League in 1985. 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. 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. 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. Aside from a 2019 season where he was limited to just 129 games, Ramrez has finished below fourth in AL MVP voting just once since 2017. 20 most underrated baseball players of all-time, overrated MLB players in baseball history, MLB player rankings ahead of 2023 season: Relievers & closers, Outlining the controversial rule changes being introduced for the 2023 MLB season, MLB player rankings ahead of 2023 season: Second basemen, 10 best sleepers to consider for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts, 10 players to watch at 2023 Spring Training, featuring top prospects & injury-hit veterans, MLB player rankings ahead of 2023 season: Starting pitchers, MLB player rankings ahead of 2023 season: Third basemen. On top of that, he was a great leader throughout his career, especially on the two teams that he helped lead to a World Series title. Brooklyn Nets. He also was a Rookie of the Year award winner and seven-time All-Star. Injuries would take their toll andultimatelyend his career in 1985 after only 38 innings of work. 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. Playing alongside future Hall of Famers like Paul Molitor and Robin Yount and solid pros in Sal Bando and Gordon Thomas, Money was selected to four All-Star games as part of the "Brew Crew" and set the major league record for consecutive games played at third base without committing an error, 86 games, in 1974. Despite his achievements on the field, Doerr was not selected to the Hall of Fame until the Veterans Committee finally enshrined him in 1986. 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. 09-28-2010, 09:33 PM. 2,143: 3.24: Movies: May 30, 2010: VH-1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock bands. Lake Trafford, Immokalee, Florida. Dozens of ESPN writers and editors submitted more than 20,000 votes ( see full methodology here ) to determine the . Los Angeles Angels. Dierdorf started his career with the Cardinals in 1971 as a guard. A six-time All-Star, Olivas cumulative stats might not be as impressive as others, but consider the fact that he played the bulk of his career during an era when pitching was far more dominant. Vizquel also has the highest field percentage of any player who played at least 1,000 games at shortstop. I don't think we can count the 2003 Danny Briere deal, so let's go way back for our Sabres pick. Otis knew better, and he and Hodges clashed until the day that the Mets traded Otis to the Royals prior to the 1970 season. Parker was one of the most balanced and versatile outfielders of his era. 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. 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. 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. Thats why we wanted to help rectify the situation by coming up with a list of the most underrated baseball players of all time. In 1990, Oquendo set the National League record for fewest errors by a second baseman in at least 150 games by committing only three. Whitaker also had a 75.1 WAR over the course of his career. Vizquel is also the all-time leader in double plays turned among . Its also another testament to the Hall of Fame undervaluing good defense. Austin Riley is a 30/30 player. A switch-hitting left fielder who spent his entire career with the Yankees, Roy White was an excellent defensive outfielder who led all American League left fielders in fielding percentage from 1968 through the 1971 season. But the Reds may not have been the same without Concepcion, which is why hes among the most underrated players in MLB history. He was a great player, but not top 25 all-time. He was vastly underrated in the way that he kept hitters off balance by changing speeds with his pitches. 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. Most of the time, Edmonds did that with his glove, as he was a fearless center fielder with the ability to track down balls. Lou Gehrig Sounds crazy at first but he really is underrated RELATIVE to where he SHOULD be all time. Accolades: MVP x 3, All-Star x 18, World Series x 10. 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