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. A five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner at third base, Wallach led the National League in doubles twice and was the first player from Cal-State Fullerton to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat. His offensive numbers aren't impressive, but this list wouldn't be complete without including a player that had great value on the bases and with his glove and little-to-none with his bat. Bottom line: Nearly a career .300 hitter, Kenny Lofton was a premier base stealer with 622 career steals. His real claim to fame, however, came in 1973 when he stepped into the batter's box in spring training, becoming the first player to ever bat as a designated hitter. Bottom line: On a team filled with no less than four Hall of Fame players during its early 1970s dynasty and certainly filled with wild, outsized personalities such as Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers and Vida Blue Sal Bando was the quiet leader. 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. But most people dont know just how good Jackson was as a player. Guerrero, Alonso, Olson, Freeman, and Goldschmidt all sit in the top 35 and are well deserving of those rankings. An MVP, Parker was a seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ. Lofton was a six-time All-Star who won four Gold Gloves in leading the renaissance of the Indians' franchise. 6h Reuters. Ken Williams- A forgotten power speed threat of his time. 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: 2,202 G; .276/.373/.351; 54 HR; 687 RBI; 2,210 H; 1,239 R; 271-for-365 SB. 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. Wally Moses hit .300 or better in seven consecutive seasons to start his career, from 1935 through the 1941 season. Always clutch, he batted .338 in 11 postseason series. But those defensive skills transferred to just about every other position, making him invaluable. Stats:2,606 games, .272 BA, 385 HR, 1,385 RBI, .370 OBP, .470 SLG. Cash was a highly regarded defensive first basemen as well, leading the league in putouts (in 1961), fielding percentage (1964, 1967) and assists (196567). Dierdorf started his career with the Cardinals in 1971 as a guard. 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. Austin Riley is a 30/30 player. 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. He was also a four-time all-star who fell just short of 400 home runs and 1,200 RBIs in his career. 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. Tim Wallach could play both corner-infield and outfield positions, and even took the mound twice for the Expos, in 1987 and 1989. Clemente won MVP honors in 1966 and helped the Pirates win two World Series, earning World Series MVP in 1971. They'd go on to win 20 of their next 23 games and the World Series as well. The hits are comparable. Nets' Simmons (knee) to be reevaluated in week. A two-time All-Star, Wynn led the National League in walks twice over the course of his career and hit 20 or more home runs on eight different occasions. Bill White, .286/.351/.455; 202 HR, seven time gold glove winner as a first baseman. He was vastly underrated in the way that he kept hitters off balance by changing speeds with his pitches. 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. Victimized by a lack of run support for most of his career, largely because he was the best pitcher on some awful teams, Stieb's numbers are even more impressive. 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. 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. Career Stats: 263 G (254 GS); 87-108; 4.25 ERA; 1.43 WHIP; 1,674 IP; 1,779 H; 1.43 K/BB. Stark, a baseball columnist and television analyst for the better part of the last three decades, attempts to identify the most overrated and underrated players of all time at each position. Bottom line:There is so much debate around Shoeless Joe Jackson and the true depth of his role in the 1918 Black Sox scandal that people forget what an incredible player he was. He spent his entire career in Cincinnati from 1970 to 1988, earning nine all-star selections and five Gold Gloves along the way. Dallas Keuchel, Chicago White Sox. So Oquendo proved his worth as a super utility player, playing every position except for catcher in 1987 when Cardinals' manager Whitey Herzog dubbed him "the secret weapon." Here is the player who I think is one of the most underrated players in baseball. 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. 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. 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. 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. He posted a .994 fielding percentage in 1989, committing only five errors in more than 850 chances. He won a batting title and an MVP with the Cardinals, and led the league in walks in 1986, the year he helped the Mets to a seven-game World Series title over the Red Sox. The Cuban was often overlooked during his career as well, only making the All-Star Team three times. 2h. Moises Alou - .303, 332 homeruns, 6 time all-star, 2-time silver slugger, etc Albert Belle - obvious Larry Walker Luis Tiant Vida Blue Go ask the Los Angeles Dodgers if they thought Nettles was unappreciated or underrated in Game 3 of the 1978 World Series. His brilliance with the glove is easier to document than Ty Cobb's temper, Hack Wilson's drinking or Walter Johnson's fastball; it is all over the literature of the sport. 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. Pujols, alongside Aaron Judge, is . He was a four-time Gold Glove winner and a six-time All-Star. Justice hit a ball to deep center field. 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. Anybody who can pitch 19 seasons in the majors and have a 3.30 ERA should be in serious consideration for the Hall of Fame. Here are some of the most underrated players in baseball history. 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. Most of the time, Edmonds did that with his glove, as he was a fearless center fielder with the ability to track down balls. 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. 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. 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. 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. 10x All-Star. Gil Hodges and the Mets were convinced that Amos Otis was a third baseman. 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. 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. Jun 18, 2009. Favorite players: Ted Williams, Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musial. Some might wonder how someone who is enshrined in the Hall of Fame could possibly be underrated, but without a doubt Ron Santo is arguably the most underrated player to ever play the game. Career Stats: 2,012 G; .291/.364/.416; 89 HR; 674 RBI; 2,138 H; 1,124 R; 174-for-255 SB. A rare blend of both power and speed. More than 20,000 votes were cast to put together these rankings, from representatives from . Highest vote pct. Answer (1 of 10): Try Cobb. McNeil may not hit the homers that the . But during the Yankees' era of Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Ron Guidry, Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage, et al., Nettles was often unappreciated. 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. A nine-time All-Star over his 14-year career spent entirely with the Red Sox, Doerr was not only an excellent bunter but a second baseman with power as well. Parker was one of the most balanced and versatile outfielders of his era. Between his tenures with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, Garvey won five NL pennants and one World Series, in 1981. Yu Darvish is the most overrated pitcher in all of baseball. Even late in his career, Vizquel was among the best defensive shortstops in the majors. Goldy, Freeman, and Alonso finished second, third, and fourth in Razzball's player . NL MVP. Watson became famous for scoring the 1,000,000th run inMLBhistory on May 4, 1975, narrowly beating Cincinnati's Dave Concepcion for the honor. Injuries would take their toll andultimatelyend his career in 1985 after only 38 innings of work. He won eight Gold Gloves, including six in a row during his time with the Cardinals. 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 . 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. Social Media: @fuzzyfromytBusiness: fuzzy@iconagency.ggUse code FUZZY on Seatgeek for $20 o. He played over a decade in the big leagues, winning 11 Gold Gloves, including nine in a row at one point. 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. He led American League third basemen four times inassists, five times indouble plays, and twice infielding percentage. He finished his quarter-century-long career with 288 wins and over 2,200 strikeouts. Career Stats: 1,832 G; .295/.364/.447; 184 HR; 989 RBI; 1,826 H; 802 R; 27-for-55 SB. So when will the Veterans Committee consider Evans? 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. 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. 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. 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. Career: 17 seasons (1996-2012) Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds Of his 184 home runs, only 50 came at the Astrodome. On other teams. Career Stats: 2,583 G; .271/.332/.442; 304 HR; 1,167 RBI; 2,548 H; 1,443 R; 320-for-438 SB. 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. His best year of 1922 is one of the most underrated seasons of all time. Morris hit .340 in his first full season with the Reds and was an instrumental part of the team that upset the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in the 1990 World Series. He'd accomplish the feat three more times over the course of his career. He led the National League in hits with 192 in 1990 as a member of the Giants, led the National League in runs scored twice and triples four times while consistently placing near the top of the league in stolen bases. Bottom line: Keith Hernandez is one of the finest defensive first basemen who ever played the game. "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. For the next class of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, were thinking Graig Nettles. Bottom line: Tommy John is sometimes referred to as an "accumulator." These are the Most underrated players in Hall of Fame history: C: Gary Carter. Other than dramatic power, Olerud was as solid as they come. Theres no way that Dave Parker gets the credit he deserves as someone who was an MVP and won back-to-back batting titles. Career Stats: 1,672 G; .282/.385/.498; 299 HR; 1,016 RBI; 1,674 H; 986 R; 48-for-90 SB, To most of us he's Tim Salmon, but to those in the know, he's simply known as "King Fish.". In his 2021 breakout season with the Atlanta Braves, Riley had a batting average of .303, 107 RBIs and 33 home runs. Vaughn was a three-time All-Star who maintained a .293 batting average with 328 home runs and 1,064 RBI. That sounds like a player who should be in contention for the Mount Rushmore of baseball. 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. Joe DiMaggio, who had broken the consecutive-game hitting-streak record two weeks earlier (set by Willie Keeler in 1897) was vying for a 57th straight game with a hit. He played left tackle in 1972 and moved to right tackle in 1974. McRae is one of only a handful of players who have a rule be named after them. 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. 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. Adjusted WAR: 57.3. Conine wasn't about gaudy numbershe was simply consistent. The road to Cooperstown is difficult for receivers, due to the difficulty of evaluating the position with statistics. He had a career average of .319 and OPS of .924. He finished his career with 107 home runs and 875 RBIs. #12. ", Teams:Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, Stats:573 games, 229-172, 3.30 ERA, 187 CG, 49 SHO, 6.2 K/9 IP. A fiery player with a live arm, Larry Bowa was a five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner with . He even fielded his position well enough to win two Gold Gloves. Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates. The most underrated players in baseball history. Otis knew better, and he and Hodges clashed until the day that the Mets traded Otis to the Royals prior to the 1970 season. 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. Vizquel also has the highest field percentage of any player who played at least 1,000 games at shortstop. A seven-time All-Star, his 2.48 ERA led the American League in 1985. As a member of the Blue Jays, he was involved in one of the more bizarre plays in World Series history. How is it possible that a 10-time all-star like Steve Garvey isnt enshrined in Cooperstown? Babe Ruth. Upon his trade to the Cardinals in 1985, Oquendo faced a bit of a problemthe Cardinals were already set at shortstop with Ozzie Smith. Think about that for a moment as you contemplate some of the more underrated players. He hit at least 20 home runs in nine consecutive seasons from 1933 through 1941, and drove in at least 100 runs for seven straight seasons, from 1935 through 1941. The youngest player to play in an MLB game in 2019 was Elvis Luciano a 19-year-old pitcher NICK ALBERGA: For me, it would be Ivan Barbashev of the St. Louis Blues. Accolades: MVP x 3, All-Star x 18, World Series x 10. John was a four-time all-star, three of those selections coming post-surgery. A six-time All-Star, Olivas cumulative stats might not be as impressive as others, but consider the fact that he played the bulk of his career during an era when pitching was far more dominant. Six times over his 13-year career, Morris would hit over .300, though he did so with little powerhis 16-home-run season of 1996 was the most he'd ever hit. Heres our look at the game's most underrated players of all time. Whitaker also had a 75.1 WAR over the course of his career. Putting up offensive numbers that rival former MVPs, this player deserves m. 20 most underrated baseball players of all-time, overrated MLB players in baseball history, MLB player rankings ahead of 2023 season: Relievers & closers, Outlining the controversial rule changes being introduced for the 2023 MLB season, MLB player rankings ahead of 2023 season: Second basemen, 10 best sleepers to consider for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts, 10 players to watch at 2023 Spring Training, featuring top prospects & injury-hit veterans, MLB player rankings ahead of 2023 season: Starting pitchers, MLB player rankings ahead of 2023 season: Third basemen. Leonard had a career record of 139-133 with a 2.76 ERA, and in 1914, he led the American League with a remarkable 0.96 ERA, the major league record for lowest ERA among pitchers who threw at least 150 innings in the same season. You've heard them allyou've used them all. #34 of 255. Career Stats: 1,650 G; .242/.309/.324; 41 HR; 490 RBI; 1,340 H; 736 R; 385-for-516 SB. Besides Morris, no other pitcher had a winning ratio as high in the MLB during the 1980s. 10. He won a Gold Glove in 1986 and was a two-time All-Star. . We throw around words like ballplayers toss around a baseball during pregame warm-ups in the outfield. He went to the postseason 11 times, which is why hes the all-time leader in postseason stolen bases. But Reardon did save at least 20 games in seven straight seasons at one point. Career Stats: 2,239 G; .296/.340/.375; 37 HR; 842 RBI; 2,705 H; 1,357 R; 62-for-135 SB. People also forget he was 2-0 in three starts, including two complete games, in the epic 1975 World Series between Boston and Cincinnati. 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. 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. 250,000 people packed around st. Johns cathedral. Their have been almost 150 years of the MLB and 19,349 players to ever play an inning as of this writing. Olerud was one of the great contact hitters of his generation, batting .295 in his career, even if he didnt have the ideal power of a first baseman. Bottom line: A great contributor to some very good Red Sox teams. Here are the ten most underrated players in Major League Baseball. Lou Whitaker had a long and fruitful career that is often overlooked. There is a final interesting case in the career of Nick Markakis. Career Stats: 1,754 G; .273/.336/.450; 235 HR; 901 RBI; 87-for-157 SB. Career Stats: 2,213 G; .290/.377/.376; 54 HR; 578 RBI; 2,375 H; 1,359 R; 558-for-815 SB. 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. Steve Garvey. Teams:St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Stats:2,088 games, .296 BA, 162 HR, 1,071 RBI, .384 OBP, .436 SLG. 10y Dave Cameron. 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. That's the beauty of sportsnobody watches a game the same way. Of course, his defense is also a reason why Olerud should be remembered as a great player. 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. Jim Abbot underrated because he had one hand.His best season came two years later with the Angels in 1991, when he went 18-11 with a 2.89 ERA, finishing third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. Career Stats: 2,324 G; .255/.293/.383; 160 HR; 886 RBI; 2,006 H; 912 R; 178-for-261 SB. 20. Known as a slugger, Allen had a good OBP and finished his career with a .292 batting average. Sievers has the "honor" of being the first man with 300 lifetime home runs not to be elected to baseballs Hall of Fame. 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 was far from a power hitter, and he only went deep eight times in 1985, making him the last NL player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs. Somehow, its occasionally forgotten that Clemente was also one of the all-time greats. Teams:Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Stats:358 games, 214-191, 3.37 ERA, 102 CG, 26 SHO, 5.4 K/9 IP. After going without a hit in the first two games of the series, he went on a tear. A five-time All-Star, White was one of the smoothest fielding second baseman of his era, winning eight Gold Glove Awards. Ronald Koeman - Barcelona. But he was a big-time contributor and a fine defensive player on three world champions. Career Stats: 1,887 G; .267/.354/.475; 318 HR; 1,147 RBI; 1,703 H; 945 R; 14-for-33 SB. 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. 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. Jim Edmonds was far from the most talented player of his generation, but he got everything he could out of the talent he had. He has a no-hitter on his resume and was also a six-time all-star. His average of 2.45 bWAR/season is "best" among active qualifiers. Compared to some of the most overrated MLB players in baseball history, its a little tougher to pinpoint the most underrated MLB players. 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. Baseball. It wasn't until he was traded to the Brewers prior to the 1978 season that a then 29-year-old Oglivie got a chance to play on an everyday basis. A two-time All-Star, he wouldn't join a winning baseball team until 1946 when he was sold to the Boston Red Sox. 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. Playing alongside future Hall of Famers like Paul Molitor and Robin Yount and solid pros in Sal Bando and Gordon Thomas, Money was selected to four All-Star games as part of the "Brew Crew" and set the major league record for consecutive games played at third base without committing an error, 86 games, in 1974. He may not have been overly dominant with a 3.16 career ERA. Dave Concepcion is usually one of the most overlooked players on the Reds during the days of the Big Red Machine. 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. 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. 1974-1992, 70.1 WAR (Wins Over Replacement), 1,225 RBIs and 2,092 hits. Dave Stieb. A switch-hitting left fielder who spent his entire career with the Yankees, Roy White was an excellent defensive outfielder who led all American League left fielders in fielding percentage from 1968 through the 1971 season. Johnson was one of them, and Carroll captured how underrated "Indian Bob" truly was: Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, but it can also make certain ballplayers nigh unto invisible. Not only does he already have the championship pedigree from 2019, but just like Lehkonen, he's as versatile as they come . A three-time All-Star with six .300 seasons under his belt, Hal McRae was named the Designated Hitter of the Year on three separate occasions by both The Sporting News and the Associated Press. Indeed, he was a powerful presence at the plate. He would hit .275 or better five times and put together seven consecutive seasons in which he stole at least 20 bases a year. He finished a close second to teammate George Brett for the American League batting crown in 1976, losing out by less than .001 after Brett went 2-for-4 in the final game of the season to barely squeak past McRae. In my opinion, Todd Helton might be the most underrated player between 2000-2009. Teams:Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Stats:443 games, 176-137, 3.44 ERA, 103 CG, 30 SHO, 5 K/9 IP. 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