Underrated Players

Today while out, a conversation broke out amongst who were the most underrated players in baseball history. When I got home, I investigated the matter further. Without further a due, here are several severely underrated players.

Johnny Mize, 1b- The Big Cat was a slugger for the St. Louis Cardinals from the 1930's-1950's. He finished with a line of .312/.397/.562/.959/158+ and a final EqA of .330. His best seasons were 1937-1940. Over that span in his early career, Mize received MVP votes each season.

1937: .364/.427/.595/1.022/172+ with 25 HR
1938: .337/.422/.614/1.036/175+ with 27 HR
1939: .349/.444/.628/1.070/178+ with 28 HR
1940: .314/.404/.636/1.040/176+ with 43 HR

Following that "peak" Mize still put up five seasons of an OPS+ greater than 150. Mize served in the US Army from '43-'45, losing what could have been the prime of his career. Is that the reasons he is oft forgotten? Maybe. But Mize was an all time player.

Roberto Alomar, 2b- Now he is a funny fellow, had several good years spread out, not one definite peak. I will do my best to select one and show his other good seasons/career.

His 1992 and 1993 seasons for Toronto were quite good.
1992: .310/.405/.427/.832/129+ with 49 SB at a 84% clip
1993: .326/.408/.492/.900/141+ with 55 SB at a 78% clip

His next city pit stop was Baltimore, where he had two more good seasons.
1996: .328/.411/.527/.938/136+ with 17 SB
1997: .333/.390/.500/.890/134+ with 9 SB

But his "peak" was his three years in Cleveland.
1999: .323/.422/.533/.955/139+ with 24 HR, 37 SB at a 86% clip
2000: .310/.378/.475/.853/114+ with 19 HR, 39 SB at a 90% clip
2001: .336/.415/.541/.956/150+ with 20 HR, 30 SB at a 83% clip

Average line: .323/.405/.921/134+ with 21 HR, 35 SB

His final career stats were:

Pretty great for a 2b right? Well, not only did he hit and run, but Alomar was a premium defender. He has won 10 GG awards, and he won a GG in all seasons pointed out but 1997.

Alomar cleared 30 Win Shares in a season 5 times, and led the league on 3 occasions. He hit .313 in the postseason (230 AB). Coming into 2004, he had 373 career Win Shares, an outstanding total.

Why has he not stood out more? Well, one reason people have not had the time to soak in greatness, since he retired this decade. Moreover, Alomar faded quickly, finishing with five sub par seasons, an image fresher in fans minds than his MVP caliber seasons. Roberto was also good everything- stealing, hitting, and defense- but never stood out.

Barry Larkin, SS- Larkin is the third greatest short stop of all time, second greatest if you discount A-Rod. Yet Larkin is often forgotten about and if remembered, cast aside when talking about all time greats. Barry was another middle infielder that could hit, field, and base run, all impressive for a SS. For his career, Larkin finished with a line of:

.295/.371/.444/.815/116+ with 379 SB at an 83% success rate, .291 EqA, and 939 BB to 817 K's. Those numbers are good, but when one considers it was done from a shortstop, it really stands out. Not only was his bat a bonus from a SS, but he was a quality defender, taking home three Gold Glove awards. His prime seasons were 1995-1998, with 1997 being cut short due to injury.

1995: .319/.394/.492/.886/133+ with 15 HR and 51 SB against 5 CS. Won the Gold Glove.
1996: .298/.410/.567/.977/154+ with 33 HR and 36 SB against 10 CS. Won the Gold Glove.
1998: .309/.397/.504/.901/134+ with 17 HR and 26 SB against 3 CS.

Larkin should be a HOF'er. And yes, he was better than Mr. Cal Ripken Jr.

Ralph Kiner, LF- Kiner is forgotten because he only played ten seasons, nine with 500+ AB's. Yet he was one of the greatest mashers of his generation, and surely would have hit 500-600 HR's had he been able to play into his thirty's. Kiner finished with the line of .279/.398/.548/.946/149+ with 369 HR's. But check out his three best seasons.

1947: 51 HR, .313/.417/.639/1.056/171+, 9.9 RC/G, .343 EqA
1949: 54 HR, .310/.432/.658/1.090/186+, 10.7 RC/G, .351 EqA
1951: 42 HR, .309/.452/.627/1.079/184+, 10.7 RC/G, .355 EqA

Average Line: 49 HR, .311/.434/.641/.1075/181+, 10.4 RC/G, .350 EqA

Simply amazing. Ted Williams created a listed using his secret formula, and concluded Ralph Kiner was the 20th best hitter of all time. Its a shame he does not receive that type of accolade.

Harry Heilman, RF- The man known as 'Slug' was one of the best sluggers in baseballs history, yet many people do not even recognize his name. He played for Detroit through the dead and live ball eras. His final career stats are just amazing. He hit .342/.410/.520/.930/148+ with 856 BB to 550 K. Heilman's best season came in 1923, at the age of 28. Heilman hit .403/.481/.632/1.113/194+ with 44 2b, 18 HR, and almost twice as many BB as K's.

Why was he not known? Maybe it was because he played long ago, but Heilman is someone who should be reverred as an all time great.

Addie Joss, SP- The reason Joss is forgotten is because he played in the dead ball and died early. But if not for the tragic death, he might be considered just as good as Christy Mathewson. In 2327 innings, Joss gave up 1888 hits, 19 HR, 364 BB, had a 1.89 ERA, 142 ERA+, and 0.968 WHIP.

He posted an ERA under 2.00 in five of his eight full seasons. He was the All-time career leader in WHIP with .9678. He had the Second best all-time ERA of 1.89. Joss Pitched a perfect game in 1908 and another no-hitter in 1910. Won 160 games in less that 9 full seasons. Would have had a longer career but illness cut his life short at 31. Think about that again. Finished his career with a 1.89 ERA and a 0.9678 WHIP! That coming over 2300 career innings.

Check out his peak years-
1906: 282 IP, 1.72 ERA, 220 H, 43 BB, 151 ERA+, 0.93 WHIP
1907: 338 IP, 279 H, 54 BB, 1.83 ERA, 137 ERA+, 0.98 WHIP
1908: 325 IP, 232 H, 30 BB, 1.16 ERA, 205 ERA+, 0.80 WHIP
1909: 242 IP, 198 H, 31 BB, 1.71 ERA, 149 ERA+, 0.94 WHIP

And oh yeah, in 1904 he also had a great season:
192 IP, 160 H, 30 BB, 1.59 ERA, 160 ERA+, 0.98 WHIP

Look at his 1908 season again. Over 300 IP yet just 30 BB and he kept a 1.16 ERA! It was so good that he was able to put a 205 ERA+ when the league ERA was 2.39, the best league ERA during his career.