Pujols, alongside Aaron Judge, is . 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. More than 20,000 votes were cast to put together these rankings, from representatives from . 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. The shortstop was also a two-time Silver Slugger winner. 0 of 10. 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. Career Stats: 2,963 G; .272/.336/.352; 80 HR; 950 RBI; 404-for-571 SB. We can't predict how his career will turn out, but we can say that he's the most average player currently in the game. 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. 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. Somewhat poetically, he finished his career with exactly 3,000 hits. Brown also led the National League in ERA twice during his career, including once after he signed that mega contract. The Greatest New York Yankees Of All Time. 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. Buffalo Sabres. He also won 11 consecutive Gold Gloves during his career. Pro Bowl Confidential: 27 players pick MVP, most underrated, coaches, other questions 2023 NFL Draft prospect rankings: 64 best available players College football spring storylines: New coaches . In between three stints in Cleveland, Kenny Lofton bounced around a lot during his career, rarely spending more than one season with the same team. He swung a classic left-handed bat. Take a look back at the origins of America's favorite sport from the beginnings of Major League Baseball to members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, influential historical figures in coaching, eras, and all-time best teams. 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. A five-time All-Star, Cash was the 1961 batting champion with a .361 average. Bottom line: Tommy John is sometimes referred to as an "accumulator." Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images. Williams played from 1915 to 1929, mainly for the St. Louis Browns. He was a great player, but not top 25 all-time. These are the Most underrated players in Hall of Fame history: C: Gary Carter. Yogi has . Career Stats: 1,720 G; .261/.328/.406; 176 HR; 729 RBI; 1,623 H; 798 R; 80-for-131 SB. In all his years and all his positions, he was never very good defensively. 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. Furillo finished his career needing only one hit to raise his career average to .300. One of the more versatile players of his time. He played center, as well, before his career was over. 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. 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 was vastly underrated in the way that he kept hitters off balance by changing speeds with his pitches. Career Stats: 1,650 G; .242/.309/.324; 41 HR; 490 RBI; 1,340 H; 736 R; 385-for-516 SB. 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. Career Stats: 2,488 G; .267/.322/.357; 101 HR; 950 RBI; 2,326 H; 993 R; 321-for-430 SB. I don't think we can count the 2003 Danny Briere deal, so let's go way back for our Sabres pick. Career Stats: 1,311 G; .280/.345/.355; 35 HR; 392 RBI; 123-for-168 SB. 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. Scott Rolens struggle to get into the Hall of Fame is disappointing to see and proof that hes one of the most underrated MLB players of his generation. In fact, he won the American League batting title in 1993, the year of Torontos second World Series win. He won three Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger awards in addition to his battling titles. Bottom line: Scott Rolen was among the best third basemen in the game during the first decade of the 2000s. 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. 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. Yet Gehrig is always overshadowed by Ruth and other greats. Even Ty Cobb, whos often regarded as one of the greatest pure hitters of all time, described Wagner as maybe the greatest star ever to take the diamond. Wagner was also a great defensive shortstop, which is another aspect of his career that gets forgotten amidst the focus on his expensive baseball card. Career Stats: 1,863 G; .296/.393/.506; 288 HR; 1,283 RBI; 2,051 H; 1,239 R; 96-for-160 SB. Ben Oglivie is a perfect example of a player that could have had more impressive career numbers had he been given a chance to play on a daily basis. 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. 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. A fiery player with a live arm, Larry Bowa was a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner with . Stats:1,676 games, .304 BA, 220 HR, 947 RBI, .353 OBP, .476 SLG. 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. 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. 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. Career Stats: 1,286 G; .264/.362/.379; 93 HR; 418 RBI; 1,203 H; 718 R; 200-for-305 SB. Parker was one of the most balanced and versatile outfielders of his era. As a second baseman, he has one of the highest fielding percentages in MLB history. He spent the last five seasons of his major league career with the Brewers, where he took two future Hall of Famers under his wing: Paul Molitor and Robin Yount. 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. A few even deserved a Cy Young Award or should be in the Hall of Fame. It wasn't until he made his way to the Minnesota Twins in November of 1972, however, that his career really began to flourish. Bryan Zarpentine is a freelance writer and editor with most of his work focusing on the world of sports. In fact, from 2000 through 2009, Rolen had 127 defensive runs saved. 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. Baseball. Career Stats: 1,190 G; .256/.346/.317; 14 HR; 254 RBI; 821 H; 339 R; 35-for-68 SB. 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. After all, if it was easy to pick them out, they wouldnt be so underappreciated. The Most Underrated Ballplayers Since 1990. Another inductee to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Stieb is one of the most underrated MLB players of all time. 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. Teams:Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Stats:2,234 games, .295 BA, 255 HR, 1,230 RBI, .398 OBP, .465 SLG. The 1982 Topps football set has a solid mix of rookie and veteran players. Career Stats: 2,328 G; .259/.311/.342; 79 HR; 646 RBI; 2,249 H; 1,181 R; 649-for-898 SB. The most underrated players in baseball history. When 22-year-old Bert Campaneris made his major league debut in 1964, he took Twins starter Jim Kaat deep in his first major league at-bat. He has a no-hitter on his resume and was also a six-time all-star. He was also a four-time all-star who fell just short of 400 home runs and 1,200 RBIs in his career. . You've read the headline. 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. 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. 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. Career Stats: 1,865 G; .288/.362/.461; 223 HR; 1,247 RBI; 2,042 H; 1,094 R; 54-for-118 SB. But the Reds may not have been the same without Concepcion, which is why hes among the most underrated players in MLB history. Teams:Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Stats:443 games, 176-137, 3.44 ERA, 103 CG, 30 SHO, 5 K/9 IP. Many come for the 75,600-square-foot Seminole Casino Immokalee with a large variety of table games, live . A six-time All-Star and one of the most important pieces on the A's teams that won three consecutive World Series championships from 1972 through 1974, Campaneris was one of the great stolen base artists of his era, leading the league in steals six times. Career Stats: 1,919 G; .291/.319/.391; 57 HR; 941 RBI; 2,158 H; 980 R; 363-for-400 SB*. My Most Underrated MLB Players Going into 2023! 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. Hank Aaron. He finished his career with 107 home runs and 875 RBIs. The most lopsided odds come via Pool B, with hosts Team Japan (-650) pegged as hefty favorites.The two-time World Champions get to play their first-round games at the Tokyo Dome, and with a roster . Said Bill James in The New Baseball Abstract: No other player in baseball history was so richly praised for his defensive skillno one. Lofton was also a .299 career hitter who was always playing on winning teams. 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. The oldest Major League player to play in a game in 2019 was Ichiro Suzuki at 45-years-old. 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. For the most part, baseball fans only know the name Tommy John because of the surgery thats named after him. Watson became famous for scoring the 1,000,000th run inMLBhistory on May 4, 1975, narrowly beating Cincinnati's Dave Concepcion for the honor. In the span of 12 years, he won eight batting titles, including a stretch of four in a row from 1906 to 1909. Accolades: MVP x 3, All-Star x 18, World Series x 10. Jim Edmonds won eight Gold Gloves in his 17-year career and hit 30 or more home runs five times, batted .300 or better five times, and knocked in 100 or more runs four times. 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. A two-time MVP, Garvey also was a 10-time All-Star. 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. Scott Rolen, Third Base Scott Rolen was drafted in the second round of the 1993 MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies out of Jasper High School in Indiana. 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. 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. Career Stats: 1,754 G; .273/.336/.450; 235 HR; 901 RBI; 87-for-157 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. Frankly, thats the way it should be and it should be more than enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. 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. The 28-year-old made his first All-Star team last season and played a . Stats:2,390 games, .276 BA, 244 HR, 1,084 RBI, .363 OBP, .426 SLG. The tiny town grows a significant portion of the nation's most-demanded produce like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, potatoes, and citrus. 25. 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. Besides Morris, no other pitcher had a winning ratio as high in the MLB during the 1980s. Bottom line: Heres John Oleruds problem, or, rather, the problem that voters have with Olerud perception. Except the umpire missed Gruber's tag and ruled Sanders safe. That is, he got to an impressive number of wins by hanging around for 26 seasons. 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. He was also a phenomenal defensive second baseman as well and one of the best at turning the double play, yet he never received a Gold Glove Award due to the presence of two other second basemen who were equally as adept with the glove: the Royals' Frank White and the Tigers' Lou Whitaker. Without question, the highlight of Abbott's career came on Sept. 4, 1993 when he threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium, walking five while striking out three. Career Stats: 331 G (273 GS); 139-113; 2.76 ERA; 1.23 WHIP; 2,192 IP; 2,092 H, 1.75 K/BB. The shortstop crop is golden, and third base ain't so bad, either. He played over a decade in the big leagues, winning 11 Gold Gloves, including nine in a row at one point. 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. Considering that Campy finished his career with more triples (86) than home runs (79), that's a pretty impressive feat. 10. At 245 pounds, Rolen was still a nimble third baseman. He had a career average of .319 and OPS of .924. 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. Despite playing 19 seasons and being MVP in 1974, Garvey has been consistently overlooked by both voters and the Veterans Committee. Unfortunately, Luis Tiant hasnt been awarded passage to Cooperstown just yet. Money pitcher. But if you take the money he made out of the equation, Brown was better than most people realize because they get too wrapped up in his shortcomings. Here's our look at the game's most underrated players of all time. Bottom line: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox, Amos Otis played his first two pro seasons with the New York Mets and his last with the Pittsburgh Pirates. John was a four-time all-star, three of those selections coming post-surgery. Over his 17 seasons, he had two successful careers one with the Orioles, appearing in two World Series and winning one, and one with the Angels. He won eight Gold Gloves, including six in a row during his time with the Cardinals. 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 spent his entire career in Cincinnati from 1970 to 1988, earning nine all-star selections and five Gold Gloves along the way. Stats: 59.5 WAR, .285 AVG, .830 OPS, 1430 RBIs. Most baseball fans know about Honus Wagners famously expensive baseball card but they dont know that much about him as a player. 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 . He played over a decade in the big leagues, winning 11 Gold Gloves, including nine in a row at one point. His .482 lifetime on-base percentage is the highest of all time, and he ranks in the top 20 in total runs scored, home runs, runs batted in, and walks despite having missed almost five full seasons of his prime to military service. Vaughn was a three-time All-Star who maintained a .293 batting average with 328 home runs and 1,064 RBI. Toward the end of his career, Reardon spent a little time as MLBs all-time save leader despite Lee Smith passing him before the end of his career. Players in parentheses have the same grade. While the Royals would fall to the Phillies in the World Series, White was also part of the 1985 Royals team that won the only World Series championship in team history. Underappreciated, thats what youd call him. 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. Jay Bell is one of many players who can be considered underrated because not enough fans and critics give strong defensive players enough credit. So when will the Veterans Committee consider Evans? How is it possible that a 10-time all-star like Steve Garvey isnt enshrined in Cooperstown? By the time his career was over, he had become the only player with as many as 2,705 hits before 1975 not elected to baseballs Hall of Fameand only two players, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, had played more games in center field than Doc Cramer. Teams:Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, Stats:2,038 games, .281 BA, 316 HR, 1,287 RBI, .364 OBP, .490 SLG. 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. 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. World Series Champion (went to the World Series 4X as one of the main cogs that got them there). 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. Jose Oquendo was far ahead of his time when it came to being a versatile utility player who could play just about anywhere on the diamond. 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. 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. Throw in four seasons of at least 100 RBI, and you've got yourself a pretty complete player. Had he spent the bulk of his career elsewhere, Watson is probably pushing 300 home runs, if not more. Between those offensive numbers and his defensive prowess, Rolen should be held in higher esteem. The four-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger recipient has long been one of the most underrated players in baseball, but has become one of the best players in baseball over the last several years. 20. The youngest player to play in an MLB game in 2019 was Elvis Luciano a 19-year-old pitcher Although none of these players were proven to be completely clean, their accomplishments are quite substantial and too significant to overlook, leaving them .