Northrup was a streaky power hitter but one who had a short, quick stroke and a good eye at the plate. Career Stats: 2,084 G; .290/.351/.454; 191 HR; 1,097 RBI; 2,091 H; 940 R; 109 -for-185 SB. The fact that Keith Hernandez isnt in the Hall of Fame is enough to make him one of the most underrated players in baseball history. John was a four-time all-star, three of those selections coming post-surgery. Vaughn was a three-time All-Star who maintained a .293 batting average with 328 home runs and 1,064 RBI. But with a wiry framehe was 6'2", 160 pounds when the Red Sox drafted himnobody thought he'd be anything more than someone with gap power. 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. Underappreciated, thats what youd call him. The road to Cooperstown is difficult for receivers, due to the difficulty of evaluating the position with statistics. He hit .332 with an OPS of 1.040 and had 39 home runs, 155 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases. He would have accomplished even more on the field if he hadnt died unexpectedly and should be remembered a little more for his brilliant career rather than his tragic death. 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 would spend nine seasons with the Brewers, making three All-Star teams and leading the American League in home runs with 41 in 1980. 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. Born without a right hand, Abbott joined the Angels starting rotation in 1989 without having pitched a single inning of minor league baseball, going 12-12 with a 3.92 ERA and finishing fifth in the American League Rookie of the Year Voting. Max Duggan . At the time he retired in 1985, his .980 career fielding percentage was the highest career mark for any shortstop, though that's since been surpassed by seven players, including Jimmy Rollins and Troy Tulowitzki, the new record holder. A few even deserved a Cy Young Award or should be in the Hall of Fame. The infamous Black Sox Scandal will forever be Shoeless Joe Jacksons claim to fame. Also, Reuschel pitched for 20 seasons in the majors, and that longevity is just as impressive as his career 3.37 ERA across a career that long. 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. 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. Let me take you through his season and where things went south. Free Agency Buzz. Clemente won MVP honors in 1966 and helped the Pirates win two World Series, earning World Series MVP in 1971. Lofton was also a .299 career hitter who was always playing on winning teams. McRae is one of only a handful of players who have a rule be named after them. Even his career totals of 339 home runs and a .290 average deserve more respect than hes received. Jay Bell is one of many players who can be considered underrated because not enough fans and critics give strong defensive players enough credit. Big-time. Bottom line: Bit of a mystery how Larry Walker hasnt garnered more support for the Hall. Career Stats: 2,024 G; .285/.347/.443; 214 HR; 1,071 RBI; 1,982 H; 870 R; 54-for-83 SB. 1974-1992, 70.1 WAR (Wins Over Replacement), 1,225 RBIs and 2,092 hits. Can you name the Most Overrated and Underrated MLB Players of All-time (as of Spring 2007) as named by Jayson Stark? He had a career average of .319 and OPS of .924. Five times he hit more than 30 home runs, twice he broke the 100 RBI barrier and eight times he hit more than 20 home runs and drove in at least 70 runs. 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. 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. 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. Bottom line: Tommy John is sometimes referred to as an "accumulator." Career Stats: 2019 G; .254/.352/.408; 242 HR; 1,039 RBI; 1,790 H; 982 R; 75-for-121 SB. Five times Edmonds hit .300 or better, and he also slugged 30-or-more home runs on five different occasions as well. From 1976 to 1978, when the Yankees went to the World Series for three consecutive years and won two, Nettles hit 96 home runs and drove in 293 runs a key cog, to be sure. Otis knew better, and he and Hodges clashed until the day that the Mets traded Otis to the Royals prior to the 1970 season. Bottom line: Nearly a career .300 hitter, Kenny Lofton was a premier base stealer with 622 career steals. A handful of its biggest stars come from the first base position. However, he should be equally remembered for his play on the field, making him one of the most underappreciated MLB players. 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. He swung a classic left-handed bat. He wasn't a slugger, but he led the American League with three grand slams in 2002, two of which came in back-to-back games against the Blue Jays at a time when the Angels were floundering. 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. He may not have been overly dominant with a 3.16 career ERA. Vizquel didnt. Career: 17 seasons (1996-2012) Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds In 1978, he finished third in the AL MVP voting behind the Yankees' Ron Guidry and the eventual winner, Boston's Jim Rice. 2,143: 3.24: Movies: May 30, 2010: VH-1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock bands. But most people dont know just how good Jackson was as a player. 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. He once had a season with just three errors, which is also a record among shortstops. 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. 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. Its crazy to think that Jeff Reardon is nowhere near the Hall of Fame after the type of career he had. Always clutch, he batted .338 in 11 postseason series. Frankly, thats the way it should be and it should be more than enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. The Greatest New York Yankees Of All Time. A five-time All-Star, Cash was the 1961 batting champion with a .361 average. Highest vote pct. Stiebs ERA was solid, he was durable never made less than 31 starts in 10 of 11 seasons between 1980 and 1990 and was terrific in fielding his position. Teams:Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Stats:2,700 games, .248 BA, 390 HR, 1,314 RBI, .329 OBP, .471 SLG. He would make two All-Star teams as a member of the Twins and lead the American League in RBI with 119 in 1977. Bottom line: What would you call a two-time Most Valuable Player, seven-time All-Star, seven-time World Series participant and the man who still owns the American League record for most home runs in one season? From his first full season in the MLB rotation in 2006 through the 2013 season, he was one of the most durable pitchers in baseball, making at least 30 starts and working at least 180 innings . He also stole 321 bases in his career. The oldest Major League player to play in a game in 2019 was Ichiro Suzuki at 45-years-old. Buffalo Sabres. Amazingly enough, Ryne Sandberg took home Gold Glove honors. Los Angeles Angels. 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. The shortstop was also a two-time Silver Slugger winner. Injuries would take their toll andultimatelyend his career in 1985 after only 38 innings of work. 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. Vizquel is also the all-time leader in double plays turned among shortstops. A four-time All-Star, Bando led the A's in RBI three times and was the second third baseman in American League history to hit 200 home runs in their career. The Most Underrated MLB Players of All Time. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Perhaps thats why hes easy to overlook, as only Cleveland fans got to know him. 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. Over the course of his career, Concepcion was a nine-time All-Star and a five-time Gold Glove winner. 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. But it should be noted that the big right-hander threw 12 years for some of the worst Chicago Cubs teams in franchise history. 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. Yet, his Hall of Fame support has declined in recent years with voters being unappreciative of Vizquels defensive brilliance. Cooperstown is difficult for receivers, due to the difficulty of evaluating the position statistics... 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