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. He was a four-time Gold Glove winner and a six-time All-Star. This also should paint a great picture of the current roster. So disliked by his teammates, that when he died, the funeral home had to hire six pall bearers. 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. Of course, his defense is also a reason why Olerud should be remembered as a great player. 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. The first shortstop to hit 40 home runs in a season, a feat he accomplished in 1969, Rico Petrocelli spent his entire 13-year-career with the Boston Red Sox. 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. 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. Yogi has . Max Duggan . 10 Most Underrated MLB Players of All Time. In 1939, Doerrbegan a string of 12 consecutive seasons with 10 or more home runs and 73 or more runs batted in; in 1940 the Red Sox became the 12th team in major league history to have four players wiith 100 RBI as Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Joe Cronin and Doerr each collected at least 105. The little things that don't necessarily show up in the box score might matter more to you than they do to someone else. Career Stats: 1,806 G; .399/.355/.458; 192 HR; 1,058 RBI; 1,910 H; 895 R; 48-for-74 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. A first-time All-Star in 2016, Quintana threw at least 200 innings every year . Arguably the best pitcher in Expos history, an average season for Rogers from 1977 though 1983 was a 15-11 record with a 2.83 ERA, though Dick Williams, his manager from 1977 through part of the 1981 season, was never a fan and routinely questioned whether the right-hander was truly giving a maximum effort. Always clutch, he batted .338 in 11 postseason series. 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. 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. The shortstop was also a two-time Silver Slugger winner. 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. 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. 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. Bottom line: Shortstops, at least during the era when Omar Vizquel started his career, werent supposed to produce corner infielder numbers. He wasnt a natural talent, although he used his intelligence and instincts to become one of the best shortstops in baseball throughout the 90s. We throw around words like ballplayers toss around a baseball during pregame warm-ups in the outfield. Bill White, .286/.351/.455; 202 HR, seven time gold glove winner as a first baseman. Let's take a look at the 50 most underrated baseball players in the history of the game. Throw in four seasons of at least 100 RBI, and you've got yourself a pretty complete player. Milwaukee Bucks. Over the course of his career, Concepcion was a nine-time All-Star and a five-time Gold Glove winner. Bottom line: Steve Garvey was the face of some outstanding Dodger teams, leading Los Angeles to 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1981 World Series appearances, and San Diego to a berth in the 1984 Series. Over the next three games, Eckstein hit .615/.643/.846 with eight hits, three doubles, three runs scored and four RBIa run that not only led the Cardinals to the World Series championship but one that won him World Series MVP honors. Watson became famous for scoring the 1,000,000th run inMLBhistory on May 4, 1975, narrowly beating Cincinnati's Dave Concepcion for the honor. Despite playing 19 seasons and being MVP in 1974, Garvey has been consistently overlooked by both voters and the Veterans Committee. He also stole 321 bases in his career. 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. . He was a key contributor to the Tigers unbelievable 35-5 start and eventual world championship in 1984, one of the most dominant seasons in baseball. People also forget he was 2-0 in three starts, including two complete games, in the epic 1975 World Series between Boston and Cincinnati. Believe it or not, the Big 12 has star power. 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. Somehow, its occasionally forgotten that Clemente was also one of the all-time greats. From 1980 through 1990, Stieb failed to win at least 11 games only once, posting an average season of 14-10 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.22 WHIP and nine complete games. Another inductee to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Stieb is one of the most underrated MLB players of all time. . Highest vote pct. The 1953 National League batting champion with a .344 mark, Furillo was an important part of two World Series championship winning teams in 1955 and 1959. But the Reds may not have been the same without Concepcion, which is why hes among the most underrated players in MLB history. In an August rainstorm. The A's career leader in hits, his 649 stolen bases ranked seventh on the all-time list when he retired, a number that ranks 14th today. As a second baseman, he has one of the highest fielding percentages in MLB history. But Garvey also has a .294 career average and won four straight Gold Gloves during his prime. Pujols, alongside Aaron Judge, is . 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. For his career, he drew 1,243 walks while striking out only 675 times. Career Stats: 1,649 G; .259/.329/.445; 237 HR; 879 RBI; 1,505 H; 778 R; 58-for-106 SB. 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. Los Angeles Angels. the first player to ever bat as a designated hitter. Career Stats: 1,941 G; .263/.319/.419; 208 HR; 846 RBI; 1,934 H; 1,125 R; 346-for-444 SB. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. 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. 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. More than 20,000 votes were cast to put together these rankings, from representatives from . Stats:2,488 games, .267 batting average, 101 HR, 950 RBI, .322 .357 SLG. Hisle was a solid all-around player who never really got his due, largely in part to being overshadowed by his more heralded Hall of Fame teammates with the Twins, Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew. Tim Wallach could play both corner-infield and outfield positions, and even took the mound twice for the Expos, in 1987 and 1989. Austin Riley is a 30/30 player. Otis knew better, and he and Hodges clashed until the day that the Mets traded Otis to the Royals prior to the 1970 season. Jesse Barfield was a great outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1980s. A five-time All-Star, Cash was the 1961 batting champion with a .361 average. Career Stats: 1,392 G; .267/.333/.429; 153 HR; 610 RBI; 1,254 H; 603 R; 39-for-77 SB. Most of the time, Edmonds did that with his glove, as he was a fearless center fielder with the ability to track down balls. Through much of the 1930s Vaughan was to Gehrig as Hornsby was to Rutha Yankee slugger as the kingpin of the American League, a . 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. 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. Even late in his career, Vizquel was among the best defensive shortstops in the majors. #12. In fact, he won the American League batting title in 1993, the year of Torontos second World Series win. All MLB players dream of earning a place alongside legends such as Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, Tom Seaver, Willie Mays, and Bob Gibson. 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. Career Stats: 2,202 G; .276/.373/.351; 54 HR; 687 RBI; 2,210 H; 1,239 R; 271-for-365 SB. Bottom line: A great contributor to some very good Red Sox teams. In 1978, he finished third in the AL MVP voting behind the Yankees' Ron Guidry and the eventual winner, Boston's Jim Rice. While it doesn't have the heavy hitters in terms of big name rookies found in the 1981 (Joe Montana), 1984 (Dan Marino, John Elway), and 1986 (Jerry Rice . Career Stats: 2,488 G; .267/.322/.357; 101 HR; 950 RBI; 2,326 H; 993 R; 321-for-430 SB. A five-time All-Star, White was one of the smoothest fielding second baseman of his era, winning eight Gold Glove Awards. If not Hall of Fame, then certainly underrated. 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. *Caught stealing totals are incomplete per Baseball-Reference.com. Career Stats: 1,514 G; .271/.347/.350; 28 HR; 574 RBI; 1,450 H; 676 R; 188-for-252 SB. Underrated: Jeff McNeil, Mets. Here are some of the most underrated players in baseball history. He once had a season with just three errors, which is also a record among shortstops. Bottom line: Bit of a mystery how Larry Walker hasnt garnered more support for the Hall. 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. 2. Big-time. 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. 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. Career Stats: 1,919 G; .291/.319/.391; 57 HR; 941 RBI; 2,158 H; 980 R; 363-for-400 SB*. A seven-time All-Star and one of the smoothest fielding third basemen of the 1940s, Ken Keltner almost single-handedly ended Joe DiMaggios 56-game hitting streak in 1941. 1885 1886 1926 1931 1934 1942 1944 1946 1964 1967 1982 2006 2011. 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. Beating Cincinnati 's Dave Concepcion for the Expos, in 1987 and 1989 the most underrated players in history., Cash was the 1961 batting champion with a.361 average 321-for-430 SB.267/.322/.357 ; HR... Might matter more to you than they do to someone else a look at the 50 most underrated players. Put together these rankings, from representatives from 1886 1926 1931 1934 1942 1946., Quintana threw at least 100 RBI, and you 've got yourself a pretty complete player ; RBI. The most underrated players in MLB history the best defensive shortstops in the outfield ; 1,910 H ; R. Shortstop was also a two-time Silver Slugger winner a reason why Olerud should be remembered a! 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