15 Players Having the Best Under-the-Radar Seasons in the American League

The best part about baseball is that the most obscure players in the league can become stars overnight. All they have to do is put up big numbers.

At least, it should be that easy. Some guys can put up big numbers and get absolutely zero attention while doing so. 

It happens every year. This year is no exception.

Take the American League, for example. Everyone knows what players like Mike Trout, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez and Rafael Soriano are up to, but not everyone has noticed how good guys like Alex Rios, Jason Vargas and Pedro Strop have been. They're just a few of many American Leaguers who are flying under the radar.

It's about time we paid homage to these brave souls. Here's a look at 15 American League players having awesome under-the-radar seasons.

Note: Most stats come from Baseball-Reference.com, but advanced stats such as wOBA, UZR and WAR come from FanGraphs. The numbers are current as of the start of play on Thursday, August 16.

15. Sean Doolittle, RP, Oakland A's

A year ago, Sean Doolittle was a first baseman.

Now he's one of the best left-handed relievers in all of baseball.

Doolittle has only been in the majors since June 4, so you'll have to excuse the fact that he's only made 23 appearances and pitched 26.2 innings. What's important, however, is that he has numbers that reek of Aroldis Chapman levels of dominance.

Doolittle's 3.71 ERA is just OK by typical relief standards, but his FIP currently stands at 0.96. If he had enough innings to qualify, that would be tops among American League relievers by a huge margin. 

The only qualified reliever in baseball right now with a FIP lower than 1.00 is Craig Kimbrel. Chapman is just over that mark at 1.01.

That's how good Doolittle has been.

Also worth noting: Doolittle's 13.16 K/9 would be good for second in the league among AL relievers behind Ernesto Frieri if he had enough innings to qualify. Not bad for a guy who was trying to make it as a position player just a year ago.

14. Matt Joyce, RF, Tampa Bay Rays

Matt Joyce got hurt a couple weeks before the All-Star break, and he just hasn't been the same player since returning immediately following the break. In 24 games, he's only hitting .247 with a .731 OPS. 

Before he got hurt, Joyce was hitting .279 with an .899 OPS. Despite his recent struggles, his numbers for the season are still solid.

In 86 games' worth of action, Joyce is hitting .269/.367/.483 with 14 homers and 44 RBI. His .366 wOBA is a few ticks higher than those of Albert Pujols, Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Rodriguez.

That's pretty good company to keep right there, and you can only imagine where Joyce would be if he hadn't gotten hurt.

Hey, at least he only struck out once against Felix Hernandez on Wednesday. He has that going for him.

13. Pedro Strop, RP, Baltimore Orioles

Everyone wants to know how the Orioles are doing it this season.

There are a lot of complicated answers to that question, but one of the simpler ones is that they're simply not losing the kind of games that so many teams find a way to lose. They rarely let games get away from them when they have a lead.

This is thanks to their bullpen, which boasts a 2.94 ERA that ranks third among all major league bullpens. Orioles relievers have lost only eight games all season, which ties them with the Texas Rangers for the fewest in baseball.

Everyone knows what Jim Johnson has done, but Pedro Strop hasn't gotten the credit he deserves. He makes sure that Johnson gets all those save chances.

Strop has a 1.20 ERA that's good for second in the American League among qualified relievers behind Fernando Rodney. In eighth-inning action, Strop has held hitters to a .177 batting average with exactly two extra-base hits.

He's basically a second closer for Buck Showalter to play with. The fact that he has a higher WAR than Johnson just goes to show how overrated the save really is.

12. Scott Diamond, SP, Minnesota Twins

Minnesota's starting pitching has been brutally awful this season, but at least the Twins have been able to rely on Scott Diamond to give them quality innings over the last couple months.

Diamond has made 18 starts for the Twins, posting a 10-5 record with a 2.97 ERA. That's currently good for sixth in the American League.

Diamond does not boast a low FIP, but that's to be expected given the fact that he relies so heavily on ground balls to get outs. He's a classic sinkerballer.

Fortunately for him, his sinker works pretty well most days. His 55.7 ground-ball percentage is the fourth-highest rate in the American League among qualified starters.

Diamond has a snowball's chance in hell of stealing the Rookie of the Year Award from Mike Trout, but he's at least in the discussion.

11. Vinnie Pestano, RP, Cleveland Indians

Chris Perez gets all the credit in Cleveland. He's the guy with the saves, not to mention the guy who likes to hog all the headlines.

Perez is deserving of the accolades, but Vinnie Pestano has been just as valuable in Cleveland's bullpen this season.

I'm a sucker for holds, so you'll have to excuse me for being naturally appreciative of Pestano's league-leading 32 holds.

That's not all he's got, though. He also has a 1.56 ERA that's good for fourth among qualified AL relievers, a 10.04 K/9 and a 1.2 WAR.

Perez's WAR, for the record, is 1.3.

I say again: Saves suck.

10. David Murphy, OF, Texas Rangers

The fact that David Murphy is essentially a fourth outfielder on the Rangers is a testament to just how deep they go. He'd be starting on most other teams.

Murphy is always good, but he's playing a little better than usual this season. He's hitting .342 over his last 23 games and is hitting .295/.378/.470 for the season with 10 homers and eight stolen bases.

His .365 wOBA ranks him slightly higher than Cody Ross and a couple points higher than Albert Pujols.

Murphy's WAR of 2.1 doesn't rank him close to the league leaders, but it's already a career high, and it's higher than the WARs posted by Paul Konerko and Derek Jeter to this point.

So here's an idea: Instead of re-signing Josh Hamilton, maybe the Rangers should just roll with Murphy in left and Craig Gentry in center.

Objections?

9. Tom Wilhelmsen, RP, Seattle Mariners

Tom Wilhelmsen is the best American League reliever that nobody's heard of.

Wilhelmsen, a rookie, has logged more innings than all but three other relievers in the American League. He's saved 16 games in 18 opportunities with a 2.51 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He also has seven holds, leftovers from his time as one of Seattle's primary setup men in April and May.

Wilhelmsen's 10.52 K/9 is good for 14th among AL relievers, and only one of the players ahead of him (Tim Collins) has pitched more innings than he has.

Wilhelmsen's 1.3 WAR is equal to that of Chris Perez and higher than that of Joe Nathan and Jim Johnson.

All three were All-Stars this season.

8. Max Scherzer, SP, Detroit Tigers

There is no pitcher in either league more frustrating than Max Scherzer. He has dominant stuff, but he's only dominant in spurts.

This could be because he's really, really unlucky.

Scherzer may have a mediocre 4.41 ERA, but that's understandable given the fact that his BABIP is an AL-high .355. Opponents are also hitting exactly .355 against him when they put the ball on the ground.

It's no wonder Scherzer is making it easy on himself by avoiding using his defense altogether this season. His 11.39 K/9 is the highest in the American League, and he leads all of baseball with 178 strikeouts.

If he had a decent defense behind him, Scherzer would be having a significantly better season.

The same goes for the rest of Detroit's starters, in fact. Tigers starters have a collective WAR of 14.0, highest in the American League by a wide margin.

7. Ben Zobrist, SS/2B/RF, Tampa Bay Rays

There may be no player in baseball more underappreciated than Ben Zobrist. 

Case in point: What if I told you that Zobrist is the fourth-most valuable player in baseball since the start of the 2009 season?

It's true, you know. According to FanGraphs, the only players with higher WARs than Zobrist since 2009 are Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto.

Knowing this, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that Zobrist is as good as ever this season. He's hitting .257/.371/.441 with 12 home runs and 13 stolen bases, and he's played well for the Rays at shortstop, second base and in right field.

His contributions add up to a WAR of 3.7, equal to that of Joe Mauer and higher than that of Edwin Encarnacion.

Every team should have a Ben Zobrist.

6. Jason Vargas, SP, Seattle Mariners

For all we know, June 20 was the worst day of Jason Vargas' life. That was the day he gave up 10 earned runs on five home runs in just 4.1 innings of work against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He's been better since then. 

Like, a lot better.

Vargas has an ERA of 1.88 over his last nine starts, in which he's held hitters to a .210 batting average while giving up merely six home runs in 67 innings.

The last time Vargas was on the mound, he did the seemingly impossible by outpitching Jered Weaver. He needed only 96 pitches to get through eight-and-a-third.

Vargas is now 13-8 on the season with a rock-solid 3.56 ERA. His 4.61 FIP suggests that he's been tremendously lucky, and it's worth noting that his ERA at home is nearly two runs lower than his ERA on the road.

Not that the Mariners care. They have to be more than thrilled with the 169.1 innings they've gotten out of Vargas to this point.

Only two pitchers in the AL have logged more innings than he has. Their names: Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez.

5. A.J. Pierzynski, C, Chicago White Sox

The only people who like A.J. Pierzynski are White Sox fans. He's done everything in his power during his career to earn all the scorn he gets.

But this year, he deserves some props. He's in the middle of the finest season of his career.

Pierzynski leads all major league catchers with 23 home runs, which are already a career high. He's also hitting an even .300 with a .553 slugging percentage.

Perzynski's .379 wOBA is tied for 11th in the American League with Jose Bautista and Mark Trumbo and is tops among AL catchers.

Somehow, Pierzysnki didn't make the All-Star team. Joe Mauer made it as a backup (deservedly so), and the fans voted in Mike Napoli over Pierzynski.

Actually, that makes sense.

But still...

4. Alex Rios, RF, Chicago White Sox

This time last year, Alex Rios was a washed-up bum and a complete waste of the Chicago White Sox's time and money.

Right about now, the White Sox have to be wondering if they're paying Rios enough.

Rios is hitting like he was in his prime with the Toronto Blue Jays. He has a triple-slash line of .310/.340/.526 to go along with 18 homers, 17 stolen bases, 69 runs scored and 67 RBI.

He ranks ninth in the AL in batting average and 11th in slugging. His .370 wOBA is equal to that of Adam Jones and higher than those of stars like Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira and Adrian Gonzalez.

Rios has a WAR of 3.3 on the season. That makes him more valuable than players like Jose Bautista, Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre.

There's only one right fielder in the AL who's having a better season.

3. Josh Willingham, LF, Minnesota Twins

I'll admit, Josh Willingham has gotten some recognition for what he's doing this season. It's kinda hard to ignore a guy who has 30 home runs in August.

But Willingham wasn't granted an All-Star appearance, and you get the sense that a lot of people don't realize that Willingham isn't just some slugging meathead cut from the same cloth as Adam Dunn. He's a much more complete hitter.

Willingham has a .389 wOBA to go along with his 30 home runs, and that ties him with the likes of Austin Jackson and Robinson Cano. Josh Hamilton's .393 wOBA is just a few points higher than Willingham's.

What's remarkable about Willingham is that he's not performing better away from Target Field than he is at Target Field. On the contrary, he's owned Minnesota's cavernous digs, hitting .299 with a 1.025 OPS in home games. Of his 30 home runs, 18 have come at home.

Nobody cared to notice when the Twins signed Willingham to a three-year contract worth $21 million this offseason. It's looking like right now like they got the steal of the offseason.

2. Josh Reddick, RF, Oakland A's

It's been a struggle for Josh Reddick since the All-Star break, as he's only hitting .208/.250/.400 with five homers and 17 RBI in 28 games.

Still, Reddick is performing way, way above expectations in his first season in Oakland. He's giving the A's great value on both offense and defense.

Despite his recent slump, Reddick is still hitting .251/.322/.495 with a total of 25 home runs and 10 stolen bases. His .349 wOBA isn't great, but his wOBA ranks him ahead of players like Adrian Beltre and Justin Morneau.

Where Reddick really shines, however, is on defense. He leads all AL everyday right fielders with a 12.1 UZR and a DRS of +15. His 13 outfield assists tie him with Jeff Francoeur for the most in the American League.

Reddick's defense has upped his overall value significantly—so much so, in fact, that his 4.1 WAR is tied for the fifth-highest mark in the American League.

One of the players he's tied with is none other than Josh Hamilton.

1. Austin Jackson, CF, Detroit Tigers

Every week when I sit down to do my AL MVP rankings, Austin Jackson always finds a way to sneak inside the top five.

Invariably, people are confused as to why he's there over other notable candidates like Derek Jeter, Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Willingham and so on and so forth.

This is as good a sign as any that a lot of baseball fans are still in the dark over just how good of a season Jackson is having.

Jackson is finally translating his talent into worthwhile numbers. He's hitting .310/.395/.508 with 13 home runs and 10 stolen bases. His .389 wOBA puts him in the same company as Robinson Cano and Josh Willingham.

What must be taken into account is that Jackson is also a very good defensive center fielder in addition to a well-rounded offensive player. His 4.4 UZR ranks second behind Denard Span among everyday American League center fielders.

It adds up to a 4.8 WAR. That's good for fourth in the AL, just behind Miguel Cabrera and just ahead of Josh Hamilton.

Cabrera and Prince Fielder get all the attention on the Tigers, but Jackson has been just as valuable as either of them this season.

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