Vizquel is also the all-time leader in double plays turned among shortstops. Honus Wagner is known as one of the all-time greats. Career Stats: 2,328 G; .259/.311/.342; 79 HR; 646 RBI; 2,249 H; 1,181 R; 649-for-898 SB. A two-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove award winner, Finley was an integral part of the Diamondbacks team that won the 2001 World Series, batting .368/.478/.526 with one home run, two RBI and five runs scored. 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. Career Stats: 1,806 G; .399/.355/.458; 192 HR; 1,058 RBI; 1,910 H; 895 R; 48-for-74 SB. 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. He would sign with the Diamondbacks as a free agent prior to the 1998 season and, in 2001, scored the World Series-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 when Luis Gonzalez hit a bloop single off of Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera. Then again, he wasnt paid to prevent runs but to manufacture them. Buffalo Sabres. Parker was one of the most balanced and versatile outfielders of his era. Unfortunately, Kevin Brown is mostly remembered for being the first MLB player to sign a contract worth nine figures and never being able to live up to that contract. A four-time All-Star, he averaged 22 home runs and 92 runs batted in during the three consecutive World Series championships. DeJong should benefit from the Nolan Arenado addition, and both the ZiPS and Steamer projections see him as a Top-12 shortstop in WAR in '21. More than 20,000 votes were cast to put together these rankings, from representatives from . Choke artist. You've read the headline. Bottom line: Shortstops, at least during the era when Omar Vizquel started his career, werent supposed to produce corner infielder numbers. 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. 2h. Bottom line: Scott Rolen was among the best third basemen in the game during the first decade of the 2000s. 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. Dude is a stud (no homo). The Best Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's the beauty of sportsnobody watches a game the same way. Omar Vizquel might be the poster boy for how little the Hall of Fame values defense, which is why he's among the most underrated MLB players of all time. Vizquel is also the all-time leader in double plays turned among . Otis was part of an up-and-coming group of players that helped the Royals to five American League West division titles. The oldest Major League player to play in a game in 2019 was Ichiro Suzuki at 45-years-old. Lake Trafford, Immokalee, Florida. There are a lot of Braves players like Ozzie . Putting up offensive numbers that rival former MVPs, this player deserves m. Another inductee to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Stieb is one of the most underrated MLB players of all time. Perhaps thats why hes easy to overlook, as only Cleveland fans got to know him. Stats:2,390 games, .276 BA, 244 HR, 1,084 RBI, .363 OBP, .426 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. 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. 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. Jay Bell is one of many players who can be considered underrated because not enough fans and critics give strong defensive players enough credit. He hit .332 with an OPS of 1.040 and had 39 home runs, 155 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases. Vizquel hit .280 or better eight times, hit more than 30 doubles four times and led the league in sacrifice hits three times. . He'll be the first to admit that his selections will invite skepticism and even controversy, which is the very essence of the O-U debate. 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. 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. 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. Career Stats: 2,583 G; .271/.332/.442; 304 HR; 1,167 RBI; 2,548 H; 1,443 R; 320-for-438 SB. 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. The most underrated players in baseball history. But there are plenty of reasons why former St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog referred to Oquendo as the secret weapon.. 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. Teams:St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Stats:2,088 games, .296 BA, 162 HR, 1,071 RBI, .384 OBP, .436 SLG. The hits are comparable. Randolph was a patient hitter, drawing more than 80 walks seven times in his career, including a career high of 119 in 1980, a number that lead the American League. 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. Yet Gehrig is always overshadowed by Ruth and other greats. A two-time All-Star, White became one of the most popular Yankees during the 1970s with his no-nonsense style of play and remains a fan favorite to this day. Lou Gehrig Sounds crazy at first but he really is underrated RELATIVE to where he SHOULD be all time. 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. Olerud fired the ball to Blue Jays' third baseman Kelly Gruber who clipped the heel of Sanders' foot for what should have been the second triple play in World Series history. Yu Darvish is the most overrated pitcher in all of baseball. He had a career average of .356, amassing 1,772 hits, including 54 home runs. It was the best thing that ever happened for him. Career Stats: 2,247 G; .260/.300/.320; 15 HR; 525 RBI; 2,191 H; 987 R; 318-for-423 SB. Maybe one of the most underrated MLB jerseys of all-time is the early 1970's Oakland Athletics' home jersey. 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? It's easy to go overlooked when you can call Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Gil Hodges teammates during your career. A member of the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship team, Cash's single in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 7 with two outs started a three-run rally that propelled the Tigers to their first championship in 23 years. Robin Roberts - If the award existed then, and voters evaluated players they way, Roberts probably would have won 5, and possibly 6 consecutive Cy Youngs from 1950-1955. Career Stats: 2,011 G; .284/.376/.527; 393 HR; 1,199 RBI; 1,949 H; 1,251 R; 67-for-117 SB. Keep in mind that he did all of that following a surgery that came with no assurances. Teams:Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Stats:2,019 games, .254 BA, 242 HR, 1,039 RBI, .353 OBP, .408 SLG, World Series titles:3 (1972, 1973, 1974). 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. Career Stats: 1,246 G; .304/.361/.433; 76 HR; 513 RBI; 1,216 H; 535 R; 45-for-69 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. 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. Bottom line: Many believe Lou Whitaker should be in the Hall along with his double-play partner, Alan Trammell. In fact, he won the American League batting title in 1993, the year of Torontos second World Series win. Some players simply aren't receiving due credit. France remains one of the most underrated players in baseball despite starring for Seattle over the last two-and-a-half years. 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. The five-time All-Star still ranks in Kansas Citys top five in every offensive career category except batting average. 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. Concepcion was rounding the bases after hitting a home run and crossed home plate roughly four seconds after Watson. One of the more versatile players of his time. Brown also led the National League in ERA twice during his career, including once after he signed that mega contract. I don't think we can count the 2003 Danny Briere deal, so let's go way back for our Sabres pick. He is a 2008 graduate of Syracuse University and still resides in upstate New York. 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. 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. Vaughn was a three-time All-Star who maintained a .293 batting average with 328 home runs and 1,064 RBI. World Series Champion (went to the World Series 4X as one of the main cogs that got them there). Teams:New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Stats:1,998 games, .277 BA, 193 HR, 1,007 RBI, .343 OBP, .425 SLG. Justice hit a ball to deep center field. 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. 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