Those who remember Rick Reuschel tend to focus more on his physical appearance as an overweight pitcher rather than what he did on the mound. 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. 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. Those players are still undervalued today, and they were overlooked even more during Oquendos era. Everyone loves labels, especially when it comes to athletes. Third base: Rafael Devers, BOS. Although most people remember him for his eight seasons with the Red Sox, he had a phenomenal 1968 season with the Indians (21-9, 1.60 ERA) and pitched the Twins into the American League Championship Series in 1970. He had a career average of .356, amassing 1,772 hits, including 54 home runs. In every generation, there are also underrated MLB players who fly below the radar and dont get the credit they deserve. The following list of 20 underrated MLB players contains players whose accomplishments seem to have been diminished in due in large part to the accusations of rampant steroid abuse. The Baseball Hall of Fame was established in 1936 to honor the very best players in MLB, America's oldest organized sport. 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. He is a 2008 graduate of Syracuse University and still resides in upstate New York. 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. Santo hit for power, had a great eye at the plate, was smooth with the glove and was one of the most popular Cubs in franchise history. Yogi has . Full of young stars from all over the world including twenty different countries. Career Stats: 2,213 G; .290/.377/.376; 54 HR; 578 RBI; 2,375 H; 1,359 R; 558-for-815 SB. Stats:1,676 games, .304 BA, 220 HR, 947 RBI, .353 OBP, .476 SLG. 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. Some players simply aren't receiving due credit. 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. But most people dont know just how good Jackson was as a player. He has a no-hitter on his resume and was also a six-time all-star. 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. By contrast, when Babe Ruth died . Career Stats: 1,832 G; .295/.364/.447; 184 HR; 989 RBI; 1,826 H; 802 R; 27-for-55 SB. The first Angel to hit for the cycle, Fregosi was not only the face of the franchise in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but he was regarded as the best hitting shortstop in the game during that span as well. Yu Darvish - SP - San Diego Padres. Watson became famous for scoring the 1,000,000th run inMLBhistory on May 4, 1975, narrowly beating Cincinnati's Dave Concepcion for the honor. 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. Longtime sports writer and researcher Bob Carroll wrote an article for the National Pastimein 1985 about 12 players he believed should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Even his career totals of 339 home runs and a .290 average deserve more respect than hes received. Roberto Clemente is often remembered for his humanitarian work and the tragic circumstances surrounding his death. He only won three Gold Gloves, all coming later in his career. As a member of the Blue Jays, he was involved in one of the more bizarre plays in World Series history. Career Stats: 2,583 G; .271/.332/.442; 304 HR; 1,167 RBI; 2,548 H; 1,443 R; 320-for-438 SB. 2h. Who did I miss? He also won 11 consecutive Gold Gloves during his career. Career Stats: 2019 G; .254/.352/.408; 242 HR; 1,039 RBI; 1,790 H; 982 R; 75-for-121 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. Compared to some of the most overrated MLB players in baseball history, its a little tougher to pinpoint the most underrated MLB players. 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. 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. 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. 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. Always clutch, he batted .338 in 11 postseason series. 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. Jim Fregosi became the face of the Angels franchiseand its most popular playerduring the 1960s and early 1970s. But it should be noted that the big right-hander threw 12 years for some of the worst Chicago Cubs teams in franchise history. He wasnt much of a power hitter, amassing just 101 home runs over a career that spanned two decades. 13, was retired by the team. Lots of 2nd tier pitchers from the 50's-80's that are underrated by many: Roberts, Jenkins, Niekro, Blyleven (even though the HOF backlash has pretty much caught up), Tiant, Reuschel, Koosman, Stieb, Sabes, etc. 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. 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 . In fact, he won the American League batting title in 1993, the year of Torontos second World Series win. Parker was one of the most balanced and versatile outfielders of his era. In Game 2 of the 1992 World Series against the Braves, David Justice was at-bat with runners on first and second. Yet, his Hall of Fame support has declined in recent years with voters being unappreciative of Vizquels defensive brilliance. Bottom line:A career total of 214 wins, and barely being over .500 at that, doesnt necessarily jump out at you. He once had a season with just three errors, which is also a record among shortstops. Dierdorf started his career with the Cardinals in 1971 as a guard. Granted, he was only a .256 hitter with 14 career home runs. The 28-year-old made his first All-Star team last season and played a . Otis was part of an up-and-coming group of players that helped the Royals to five American League West division titles. In fact, from 2000 through 2009, Rolen had 127 defensive runs saved. It was the best thing that ever happened for him. He played center, as well, before his career was over. 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. He also was a Rookie of the Year award winner and seven-time All-Star. Heres our look at the game's most underrated players of all time. 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. With his 10 all-star selections on top of that, his absence from Cooperstown is proof that he remains an underrated player. He would hit .275 or better five times and put together seven consecutive seasons in which he stole at least 20 bases a year. However . Career Stats: 1,392 G; .267/.333/.429; 153 HR; 610 RBI; 1,254 H; 603 R; 39-for-77 SB. 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. 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. As a four-time 20-game winner, Tiant doesnt get nearly as much acclaim as he should. 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. 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. Five times Edmonds hit .300 or better, and he also slugged 30-or-more home runs on five different occasions as well. Omar Vizquel, not an embarrassment at the plate, amazing longevity, one of the best gloves we've seen in a long time, pretty decent base stealer, often left out in the discussion of great shortstops from the 90's and 2000's. Here are the 30 most unsung, under-the-radar, underrated pitchers in major league history. If it wasnt for Ozzie Smith, he would have won more than just one Gold Glove and would be remembered far more than he is. His best year of 1922 is one of the most underrated seasons of all time. At the 1981 deadline, they sent all-star Rick Martin to the Kings for a first . 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. He hit .332 with an OPS of 1.040 and had 39 home runs, 155 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases. His 1985 season saw him earn his only All-Star berth and finish fifth in the MVP voting, after setting career highs in multiple categories including RBI, with 110 driven in on the season. Teams:Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Stats:443 games, 176-137, 3.44 ERA, 103 CG, 30 SHO, 5 K/9 IP. He also had a relatively short career. A fiery player with a live arm, Larry Bowa was a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner with the Philadelphia Phillies, a team with whom he'd spend 11 years of his 15-year major league career as a player. Of course, its easy to forget about Concepcion on a team that also featured Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, George Foster, Johnny Bench, and others. Career Stats: 2,324 G; .255/.293/.383; 160 HR; 886 RBI; 2,006 H; 912 R; 178-for-261 SB. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. #34 of 255. 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. Except the umpire missed Gruber's tag and ruled Sanders safe. 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. It's a relatively simple design: a white background with a big Oakland Athletics A. Williams played from 1915 to 1929, mainly for the St. Louis Browns. A fiery player with a live arm, Larry Bowa was a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner with . There are a lot of Braves players like Ozzie . Another inductee to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Stieb is one of the most underrated MLB players of all time. the first player to ever bat as a designated hitter. Bottom line:When Graig Nettles retired in 1988, he had hit the most home runs of any third baseman in the American League. A four-time All-Star, he averaged 22 home runs and 92 runs batted in during the three consecutive World Series championships. Unfortunately, Luis Tiant hasnt been awarded passage to Cooperstown just yet. Immokalee is the farming center along Florida's Paradise Coast. And not too shabby at the plate, either. "The Hal McRae Rule" requires that runners slide into second base when trying to break up a double play, doing away with McRae's favorite movethe cross-body check, something he terrorized American League middle infielders with for years. 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. He won a Gold Glove in 1986 and was a two-time All-Star. Two, he's playing with a two-way player who everybody goo-goo and ga-gas about. 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. 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. 1974-1992, 70.1 WAR (Wins Over Replacement), 1,225 RBIs and 2,092 hits. 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. The youngest player to play in an MLB game in 2019 was Elvis Luciano a 19-year-old pitcher In an August rainstorm. 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. The Cardinals starting second baseman in three World Series (1982, 1985 and 1987), Tommy Herr paired with the Wizard of Oz, Ozzie Smith, to form one of the best double-play combinations the game has seen in the past 30 years. An eight-time All-Star, Robert "Indian Bob" Johnson spent 10 of his 13 major league seasons patrolling left field for thePhiladelphia As and was a consistent performer year-after-year, but most people have never heard of him. Northrup was a streaky power hitter but one who had a short, quick stroke and a good eye at the plate. 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. 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. 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. 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. Career Stats: 1,197 G; .273/.347/.452; 166 HR; 674 RBI; 128-for-189 SB. 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. My Most Underrated MLB Players Going into 2023! For the next class of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, were thinking Graig Nettles. 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most underrated mlb players of all time