B/R MLB Community Debates Who Are Baseball's Most Underrated Players of 2021
Welcome to this week's Bleacher Report MLB community article.
After posting our updated position-by-position rankings last week and seeing a number of players called overrated and underappreciated, the focus this week will be on the most underrated players in baseball.
Whether it's a superstar playing in a small market, an up-and-coming young star who has not yet broken through on a national level or a consistent veteran who doesn't get his due, there is no shortage of players who can be categorized as underrated.
Ahead, we've highlighted some of your best answers to the simple question of who the most underrated player in baseball is in 2021.
Others Who Were Mentioned
1 of 12
Pitchers: SP Anthony DeSclafani (SF), SP Luis Garcia (HOU), SP Kevin Gausman (SF), RP Jake McGee (SF), SP Wade Miley (CIN), RP Jordan Romano (TOR), SP Adam Wainwright (STL)
Catchers: Will Smith (LAD), Max Stassi (LAA)
Infielders: SS Xander Bogaerts (BOS), 3B Matt Chapman (OAK), SS Brandon Crawford (SF), 2B David Fletcher (LAA), 1B Yuli Gurriel (HOU), 2B Jonathan India (CIN), SS Nicky Lopez (KC), 2B/3B Ryan McMahon (COL), 2B Whit Merrifield (KC), 1B Matt Olson (OAK), 2B Jorge Polanco (MIN), 1B Darin Ruf (SF), 1B/2B Jonathan Schoop (DET), 2B Jean Segura (PHI), SS Trea Turner (LAD)
Outfielders: Akil Baddoo (DET), Steven Duggar (SF), Joey Gallo (NYY), Avisail Garcia (MIL), Mitch Haniger (SEA), Teoscar Hernandez (TOR), Starling Marte (OAK), Brandon Nimmo (NYM), Brett Phillips (TB), AJ Pollock (LAD), Alex Verdugo (BOS), Jesse Winker (CIN)
Outside-the-Box Picks
2 of 12
"Jonathan Loaisiga is up there. Non-Yankees fans don't realize how amazing this guy is." (@AvrohomMochkin)
The 26-year-old has a 2.60 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 55.1 innings, tallying eight wins, four saves and 14 holds in 45 appearances while recording more than three outs in 19 of those outings. His 2.1 WAR trails only Gerrit Cole (4.2), Aaron Judge (3.3) and Jordan Montgomery (2.8) among all Yankees players. A terrific pick.
"Honestly, Chris Flexen has put together one of the most quiet good seasons for a starting pitcher. He's been a stabilizing force for the Mariners, and been pretty consistent all year. Wasn't heralded coming in, and not talked about now." (@ElCidly)
A fringe big leaguer for several seasons with the New York Mets, Flexen spent the 2020 season in the KBO, where he went 8-4 with a 3.01 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 116.2 innings for the Doosan Bears. The Mariners brought him back stateside with a two-year, $4.75 million deal, and he has gone 10-5 with a 3.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 1.9 WAR in 21 starts.
"Paul Sewald has the highest strikeout percentage in the AL and wasn't even an All-Star." (@JoeJudgeEffect)
Another former Met pitching well in Seattle, Sewald has struck out 64 of the 152 batters he has faced this year. The 31-year-old has a 2.84 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 15.2 K/9 with four saves and nine holds in 37 appearances. I'll admit, I knew he was having a solid season, but just how dominant he's been was not on my radar.
"Tim Mayza is seriously underrated. He hit an awful rough spot back in May, but that was the only month he gave up more than one earned run. Over his last 22.1 innings since the end of May, he has given up three earned runs and has been lights out with a lot of games against a very tough AL East." (@norwood11)
Mayza has kept the opposition off the scoreboard in 35 of his 44 appearances, logging a 3.75 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 with 13 holds. The southpaw has been lethal against left-handed hitters, but he has also limited right-handed hitters to a .227 average in 82 plate appearances.
Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers
3 of 12
"Willy Adames. My favorite player on the Rays and still my favorite player in all of MLB! He's tearing it up, and he changes an entire team's personality in the dugout and locker room. His passion makes the game exciting." (@TBFancy)
It certainly seems like there's something to the idea of Willy Adames changing a team's culture.
The Milwaukee Brewers were 21-23 sitting third in the NL Central standings when they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for controllable relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen on May 21.
They have since gone an MLB-best 47-23 with a plus-118 run differential to build a seven-game lead in the division, and Adames is putting up MVP-caliber numbers.
The 25-year-old is hitting .298/.383/.565 with 20 doubles, 16 home runs and 46 RBI in 69 games with the Brew Crew, and his 4.1 WAR on the year trails only Fernando Tatis Jr. (4.9), Carlos Correa (4.8) and Trea Turner (4.3) among all shortstops.
It's been a revolving door at shortstop for the Brewers since J.J. Hardy manned the position a decade ago, but they finally appear to have a long-term answer.
.png?w=256)
Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres
4 of 12
"Jake Cronenworth. He hits for average, steals bases, hits for power, low strikeouts. He also plays all the infield positions at a very high level. He is a standout on a star-studded roster." (@Bolt32)
On Dec. 6, 2019, the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres completed a four-player trade that at the time was framed as a swap of MLB outfielders sending Tommy Pham and Hunter Renfroe in opposite directions.
However, it has quickly become the Jake Cronenworth trade.
With top-100 prospect Xavier Edwards also included, Cronenworth was by far the least-heralded player in the trade. Despite hitting .334/.429/.520 with 26 doubles and 10 home runs in 94 games at Triple-A Durham in 2019, he began the 2020 season as the No. 15 prospect in the Padres system.
The 27-year-old quickly played his way into an expanded role as a rookie last season before ultimately seizing the everyday second base job. His 129 OPS+ and 1.7 WAR were enough to finish runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year balloting.
It's been more of the same in 2021.
He has a 127 OPS+ with 26 doubles, 16 home runs, 54 RBI and 76 runs scored en route to an impressive 4.1 WAR in 112 games. With Fernando Tatis Jr. dealing with a shoulder issue and likely to shift to the outfield once he's activated from the injured list, Cronenworth's defensive versatility has also been huge. He should be the team's primary shortstop the rest of the way.
Where would the Padres be without him?
Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Orioles
5 of 12
"Cedric Mullins. Has .936 OPS, 20/20 breakout season, 4.5 WAR, solid center field defense and STILL slept on." (@incrediblysadfan)
I'm torn on whether Cedric Mullins is underrated.
If you polled baseball fans on who the biggest breakout player of the 2021 season has been, chances are he would be among the most popular answers. Casual fans outside the Baltimore area are definitely aware of what he is doing this season.
However, it's fair to say many still don't realize just how good he has been.
The 26-year-old leads the American League in hits (134) and ranks in the top five in batting average (.320, third), on-base percentage (.385, third), slugging (.551, fifth), doubles (29, sixth), stolen bases (21, second), total bases (231, fourth), OPS+ (155, fourth) and WAR (4.5, fifth).
He joined Fernando Tatis Jr. as 20/20 players this year when he slugged his 20th home run of the season Sunday, and he's done it out of the leadoff spot in the batting order.
It looks like the Orioles have at least one long-term building block.
Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers
6 of 12
"Freddy Peralta. Dude's been a stud all year." (@PitcherOnly)
Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes have received plenty of attention as a dominant one-two punch atop the Milwaukee Brewers rotation.
However, right-hander Freddy Peralta has been every bit as impressive as the No. 3 starter:
- Woodruff: 22 GS, 2.23 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 160 K, 137.1 IP, .182 BAA
- Burnes: 19 GS, 2.39 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 157 K, 113.0 IP, .207 BAA
- Peralta: 21 GS, 2.26 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 162 K, 119.1 IP, .141 BAA
The 25-year-old has faced 470 batters this season and allowed just 58 hits. In fact, he recently set a record for most starts in a season allowing two or fewer hits with 12, surpassing the 11 that Nolan Ryan logged in 1991 and 1986.
His overpowering stuff was on full display in the All-Star Game when he struck out Adolis Garcia, J.D. Martinez and Matt Olson in order in the seventh inning on 12 pitches.
A top-five finish in NL Cy Young voting could be forthcoming, yet he is rarely mentioned among baseball's elite hurlers.
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland
7 of 12
"Gotta be Jose Ramirez. Quietly the best player on a team that has made the playoffs five times in his tenure, including multiple top-three MVP finishes, yet he is still regularly ignored for bigger-name players." (@birch_alerch)
It's actually a bit surprising Jose Ramirez was not mentioned more frequently.
Last year's AL MVP runner-up has finished in the top three in voting three times in the past four years, and he's having another standout season despite having limited protection in the Cleveland lineup.
The 28-year-old has a 132 OPS+ with 21 doubles, 25 home runs and 68 RBI, and he's well on his way to the fourth 4.0-WAR season of his career.
He's been streaky at times offensively, but when he catches fire, he can go on an offensive surge like few others in baseball. Last September, he hit .366/.453/.841 with nine doubles and 10 home runs in 95 plate appearances.
Defense is also an overlooked part of his game, and he has posted strong metrics (4 DRS, 8.4 UZR/150) this year at the hot corner.
Playing in the shadow of Francisco Lindor prior to this season no doubt contributed to him being perennially underrated.
Robbie Ray, Toronto Blue Jays
8 of 12
"Robbie Ray. Didn't even get an All-Star nod. Has been consistently dominant in a strong Jays rotation all season." (@tfischer90)
No one was higher on Robbie Ray than me heading into the 2020 season.
He had just struck out 235 batters in 174.1 innings during the 2019 season, and he was lights out in spring training following a mechanical tweak that was poised to improve his spotty command.
The left-hander wound up finishing the year with a 6.62 ERA and major league-leading 45 walks in 51.2 innings, and the Blue Jays rolled the dice on him rebounding to his previous form when they signed him to a one-year, $8 million deal during the offseason.
That's been one of the best investments of the winter.
While he's racking up strikeouts once again with 159 punchouts in 130.1 innings, he has also trimmed his walk rate to a career-low 2.4 walks per nine innings. With a 2.90 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, he has a legitimate Cy Young case a year after falling flat.
With a 3.13 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 130 strikeouts in 100.2 innings at the break, I'll wholeheartedly agree he was one of the biggest All-Star snubs of the year.
Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates
9 of 12
"Bryan Reynolds. Hitting over .300 and playing great defense with clutch hits even on a horrendous team, and he basically gets no recognition at all on any sports channel ever." (@deblecourtky)
Similar to Cedric Mullins, a lot of people are aware that Bryan Reynolds is having a breakout season, but maybe not fully aware of just how good he's been.
The former Vanderbilt standout debuted with a bang in 2019, hitting .314/.377/.503 with 37 doubles, 16 home runs, 68 RBI and 4.1 WAR to finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
His production plummeted during the shortened 2020 season when he hit just .189 with a 70 OPS+, but he is back to raking this season to cement his place as one of baseball's most promising young outfielders.
The 26-year-old is hitting .305/.388/.526 for a 146 OPS+ that ranks sixth among qualified National League hitters. He's tallied 26 doubles, 19 home runs and 65 RBI in a weak Pittsburgh lineup,
Middling average exit velocity (49th percentile) and hard-hit rate (49th percentile) raise some questions about the sustainability of his power production, but he can flat-out hit and is now the face of the franchise in Pittsburgh alongside rookie Ke'Bryan Hayes.
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves
10 of 12
"Austin Riley. He is hitting .290 this year with a .368 OBP, 23 home runs, and 68 RBI, all of which is top five for third basemen in the MLB, all while playing incredibly consistent defense for an over .500 club and he didn't even make the All-Star Game." (@Deoxymoron15)
Austin Riley exploded onto the scene as a rookie in 2019 when he posted a 1.065 OPS with nine home runs and 26 RBI in his first 20 games.
However, he hit just .185 with a 38 percent strikeout rate in 213 plate appearances the rest of the way, and an 84 OPS+ in 51 games as the team's everyday third baseman last year did little to quell concerns about his long-term upside.
Readers pointed to third base as a weak spot time and again during the offseason as Kris Bryant trade rumors swirled, but the Atlanta Braves held firm and penciled Riley in at the hot corner once again in 2021.
That confidence is now paying off in a big way.
The 24-year-old has a 126 OPS+ with 23 home runs and 68 RBI, and he is now hitting in the cleanup spot in the lineup with Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna out of action.
He has also vastly improved defensively, tallying 4 DRS at after a minus-10 DRS showing in just 51 games at third base a year ago.
With club control through the 2025 season, he is a significant part of the present and future in Atlanta.
Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers
11 of 12
"Chris Taylor. He doesn't strike out, has an amazing eye at the plate, hits for power, gets extra-base hits. He can hit from anywhere in the order and play all three outfield spots, plus shortstop and second base. Should honestly be in MVP talks, but people don't realize how elite he is." (@Mamba24_8)
Chris Taylor was one of the first players who came to mind for this discussion.
The 30-year-old has been an extremely valuable piece of the puzzle for the Los Angeles Dodgers since he was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for flopped former top prospect Zach Lee.
His defensive versatility has been invaluable over the past few years—and particularly this season after Enrique Hernandez walked in free agency.
After leading the NL with 178 strikeouts in 2018, he has trimmed his strikeout rate to a manageable 26.6 percent this year while also walking at a 10.8 percent clip en route to a .375 on-base percentage.
He's hitting .285/.375/.492 with 21 doubles, 17 home runs, 62 RBI, 80 runs scored and 11 steals while playing double-digit games at three different positions, and he was an All-Star for the first time.
With power, speed, on-base ability and the versatility to play all over the field, he's going to be a hot commodity in free agency this winter.
On a Los Angeles Dodgers roster filled with superstars, he is arguably the team's most irreplaceable player.
My Pick: Michael Brantley
12 of 12
Not a single mention of Michael Brantley?
The 34-year-old has one of the sweetest swings in baseball, and he is showing no signs of age with a career-high .329 batting average that puts him in the driver's seat for the AL batting title.
A five-time All-Star, he has hit .315/.374/.491 for a 131 OPS+ and 9.6 WAR in three seasons in Houston.
Despite the fact that he didn't join the Astros until the 2019 season, he is often unfairly lumped in with the ongoing hate surrounding the sign-stealing scandal that took place in 2017 and 2018.
That could be part of the reason he's so underrated, but it also has to do with his old-school offensive game.
He has hit 20 home runs in a season just twice in his 13-year career, topping out with a 22-homer showing in his Astros debut. That contact-over-power profile is a rare one in today's game, especially for a corner outfielder, and that no doubt also contributes to him being overlooked.
That said, there might not be a better pure hitter in the game today.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, and they are accurate through Tuesday's games.
.png?w=480)
