MLB Players Who Are Overrated Because They Play in Big Cities

A common theme with many overhyped players is that they play in big cities. Too often, a player is praised at undeserved levels just because he performs on a bigger stage in front of more eyes. 

There are a handful of MLB players who fit that description.

CC Sabathia and Clay Buchholz have been at the forefront of baseball's biggest rivalry, but neither has performed like an ace in recent memory. Ian Desmond has put up impressive numbers in the nation's capital, but his offensive success isn't enough to make up for his poor defense. Elsewhere, Jonathan Papelbon has benefited from a reputation built off his antics in Boston and Philly. 

Over the next few slides, we will analyze those players and discuss why each is overrated thanks to the cities in which they play. 

CC Sabathia, New York Yankees

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C.C. Sabathia hasn't been an above-average starting pitcher in three years.

It's been quite a while since CC Sabathia has pitched like an ace for the New York Yankees, yet he remains a hot topic for many across the baseball world. 

Sabathia is currently 0-5 with a 5.45 ERA this season. His strikeouts are way down due to diminishing velocity. In 2011, the southpaw's heater was sitting at 94 mph. In 2015? That number has fallen to just 89.8 mph. 

That wouldn't be such a big deal if Sabathia had learned how to pitch successfully with less electric stuff. But you would have to go back to 2012 to find Sabathia's last productive season. His ERA over the last few seasons has been nearly two runs higher than his career mark.

You can chalk some of that regression up to age, but that's a significant jump for somebody once considered among baseball's best. 

Brendan Kuty of NJ.com summed up Sabathia's struggles beautifully in a recent article: "While Girardi talked about scoring more runs for his ex-ace—who's experiencing pains growing into his left arm that lacks the velocity it once did—Sabathia said it's more about his own performance." 

Make no mistake: Sabathia was an absolute stud earlier in is career. His ERA was always around 3.00, and he logged 200 innings and struck out around eight per nine innings for most of his career. Doing so in the biggest city in the world helped make him one of baseball's most recognizable hurlers. 

But those days seem like a distant memory when you watch the Sabathia of 2015. He's a No. 4 or No. 5 starter at best these days, and not a very good one at that. 

Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

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Clay Buchholz has been wildly inconsistent throughout his career.

The Boston Red Sox entered the 2015 season with a collection of inconsistent starting pitchers, and it's catching up to them so far. Red Sox starters have the second-worst ERA in baseball through this season's first month. 

A big reason Boston hasn't broke open the bank for a high-profile starter is the promise of Clay Buchholz. The right-hander has looked like an ace at times during his career, but injuries and inconsistencies have been a common theme. 

Buchholz is 1-4 with a 6.03 ERA this season. While those numbers are inflated, they aren't too far off from what he has done for most of his career. Aside from a solid season in 2010 and an excellent stint in an injury-shortened 2013, Buchholz has been pretty average. 

The biggest issue facing Buchholz has always been staying healthy. He's logged 170 innings or more just three times in his career and has never exceeded 190. Buchholz's injury-plagued past has been well-documented, but that fact may surprise even the biggest Red Sox fan. 

Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald has mentioned that Buchholz wanted to take over as Boston's No. 1 starter and the responsibilities that came with it this spring. Buckley admits that any success the Red Sox have in 2015 will come with a healthy and productive Buchholz. 

"Farrell’s right about the offense: The Red Sox have scored a combined 10 runs in their last four games," said Buckley. "So it does come down to the starting pitching, and it especially comes down to Buchholz, who, again, says he wanted this role."

But that seems like much too tall of a task for a hurler who has yet to perform with any level of consistency in the big leagues. Buchholz does have talent, but his production over the course of his career doesn't warrant his standing as a front-line starter in MLB. 

Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals

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Ian Desmond isn't good enough offensively to mask his subpar defending.

Ian Desmond is considered one of the game's best offensive shortstops. The 29-year-old has hit 20 or more homers and driven in 70 or more runs in each of the last three seasons. 

But when you dig deeper into the stats, Desmond's offensive capabilities may be a little overblown.

He's never hit above .300 in his career, he's consistently struck out over 20 percent of the time and his highest-ever OBP is just .335. 

In fact, since 2010, Desmond is actually a middle-of-the-pack offensive shortstop. He ranks eighth in WAR and seventh in wRC+. Players like Jed Lowrie, Asdrubal Cabrera and J.J. Hardy can be found ahead of him on those lists. 

Yeah, 20-homer seasons from your shortstop are nice. But don't be fooled by the sexier stats—Desmond is by no means an offensive juggernaut. 

We haven't even touched on his defense yet, which has become worrisome for the Washington Nationals this season. During that same time period, Desmond has cost the Nats 17 runs, and his 116 errors are the second-most to the Chicago Cubs' Starlin Castro. That doesn't include the 21 runs he's cost his club this season due to a league-leading nine errors. 

James Wagner of the Washington Post reported that Desmond switched gloves to feel more comfortable. But it shouldn't matter, because Desmond has always been a shaky defender. 

When you take into account his deceiving offensive numbers, it's clear to see Desmond has benefited from playing on a sexy team in our nation's capital. 

Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia Phillies

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Jonathan Papelbon is a good closer payed like a great one.

Reliable closers are a valuable commodity, and Jonathan Papelbon has been consistently good throughout his career. The right-hander has saved over 30 games eight times and posted an ERA under 3.00 in all but one of those seasons. 

There's no doubting that Papelbon was once in the conversation in terms of the game's top ninth-inning options. But in recent years, he's been passed by a handful of younger hurlers. 

From 2012 to 2014, Papelbon ranked 10th among relief pitchers in WAR. His 2.45 ERA sits 17th, while his strikeout-to-walk percentage ranks 21st. 

Papelbon's numbers over the last few seasons remain solid, but are they truly worthy of a four-year, $50 million contract? Probably not. 

Back in 2014, Grant Brisbee of SB Nation looked at some of the highest-paid relievers in baseball and had this to say regarding Papelbon: "The Phillies would still have to eat money, though, so it can't be that great of a contract. Also, the contract prevented the Phillies from making moves to improve the other 24 spots on the roster, ostensibly."

It's no coincidence that the Phillies saw a decline in overall talent after Papelbon's arrival. By opening up the check book to sign a good closer, Philadelphia was forced to shortchange the rest of its roster. 

Again, Papelbon is a solid reliever who could help a bullpen-needy team. But to act like he's still among the league's best stoppers is foolish.