5 MLB Players Not Getting Enough Respect for Big 2013 Seasons

Respect, in terms of baseball fans and media, is a tricky thing.

If a player is having a good year on a lousy team, he's a candidate to be overlooked.

If a player started off the year slowly only to rebound when the national media stopped making daily appearances in his clubhouse, flying under the radar is possible.

Yet in an era of social media and tremendous baseball-statistics websites like Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs, players in the midst of big seasons really shouldn't be overlooked in 2013.

For the following five players, that has transpired.

Here's Bleacher Report's best take at unearthing those respective seasons to ensure proper respect.

*All statistics valid through the start of play on September 6. WAR via Fangraphs.

Shane Victorino, OF, Boston Red Sox

Stats: .294/.351/.449, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 73 R, 116 OPS-plus, 5.5 WAR

Coming off a season that included the worst OPS of his big-league career, many were skeptical of Boston's decision to hand Shane Victorino a three-year, $39 million contract heading into the 2013 season.

As the Red Sox continue their march to the American League East crown, Victorino's big season is a major reason why.

Not only has he bounced back from a .255/.321/.383 slash line in 2012, he's been the most valuable right fielder in the sport.

With a 5.5 WAR, Victorino has been over a full win more valuable than Hunter Pence (4.3) and Jose Bautista (4.2). While it's likely that Yasiel Puig would have surpassed Victorino if afforded a full year in the bigs, the Flyin' Hawaiian has been the best right fielder in the American League by leaps and bounds.

Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota Twins

Stats: .324/.404/.476, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 62 R, 141 OPS-plus, 5.1 WAR

For some strange reason, Minnesota Twins star Joe Mauer has become underrated and under-appreciated by baseball fans.

Maybe it's due to his big-money contract, the lack of winning in Minnesota over the last few years, his down* years since winning the 2009 AL MVP, or injury concerns and games missed.

Yet if you look at Mauer in context with every other catcher in baseball, he stands out as he deserves to: among the best.

For the 2013 season, Mauer has the highest WAR, best batting average, OBP, wOBA and wRC-plus of any catcher in the sport.

The future Hall of Famer continues to rake, despite the lack of attention he's drawn lately.

*Mauer has a .400 OBP and 134 OPS-plus since 2009. If that's down, every catcher in baseball wishes he could be down too.

Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays

Stats: .279/.376/.548, 36 HR, 103 RBI, 86 R, 149 OPS-plus, 4.4 WAR

Edwin Encarnacion isn't just an underrated player on a last-place team; he's a legitimate star toiling away in anonymity despite putting together back-to-back campaigns of outstanding hitting.

Since the start of the 2012 campaign, the Blue Jays first baseman owns the seventh highest OPS-plus (subscription required) in baseball. The only names ahead of him: Ryan Braun, Joey Votto, Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey, Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera.

That's quite impressive, but so is this feat: Encarnacion enters play this weekend with more extra-base hits (65) than strikeouts (58) this season.

The 30-year-old is coming into his own as a star. Baseball fans should start embracing it.

Cole Hamels, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies

Stats: 29 GS, 193 IP, 174 K, 43 BB, 3.50 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 3.52 xFIP, 3.8 WAR

Cole Hamels' 2013 season has been a case study in perception versus reality. After getting off to an awful start (5.40 ERA over his first four outings), Hamels has been his usual excellent self since late April (3.12 ERA, 148-32 K/BB rate).

Combined with his lackluster win-loss total of 6-13, it's easy to view Hamels' season as a disappointment—but in the context of other starting pitchers around baseball, he's been very, very good. 

Only four pitchers in baseball have thrown at least 193 innings while striking out over eight batters per nine innings. Hamels, along with Adam Wainwright, Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez, is one of them.

With a FIP (fielding independent pitching) of 3.26, Hamels ranks ahead of Yu Darvish, Zack Greinke, Bartolo Colon and Hiroki Kuroda in a stat that measures the elements of a game that a pitcher can control.

In other words, Hamels has been the ace he's being paid to be in Philly. It's a shame that a poor start, bad team and ugly win-loss record are clouding that view.

Mat Latos, RHP, Cincinnati Reds

Stats: 28 GS, 184 IP, 172 K, 50 BB, 2.98 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 3.39 xFIP, 4.5 WAR

Due to dominant years from Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright—not to mention the great efforts from Matt Harvey and Jose Fernandez prior to injury and shutdown, respectively—Mat Latos is unlikely to get much consideration in the NL Cy Young voting.

That's fine, but don't fail to acknowledge how good the Reds right-hander has been this year.

His 4.5 WAR is seventh-best among starting pitchers in all of baseball, trailing only Matt Harvey, Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, Max Scherzer, Adam Wainwright, Anibal Sanchez and Chris Sale.

His 2.98 ERA ranks him as one of only 15 qualified starting pitchers with a mark under 3.00 for the season.

Despite a 3.31 career ERA in over 800 innings of work, Latos has never made an All-Star team or finished in the top seven of a Cy Young vote.

One of those should change in 2013.

Agree? Disagree? Who do you feel has been disrespected this season?

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