MLB: The Most Under-the-Radar Player on Each Team's 40-Man Roster
Every team has at least one superstar to keep them in their respective division races and bring the fans out to the ballpark. But, what separates the mediocre teams from the dominant ones are the average, everyday, under-the-radar players that can play any role and hold their own out in the field.
While they don't bring home as much money as their superstar counterparts, it is they, the under-the-radar roster players, that put their respective teams into a position to win. As the 2011 regular seasons goes on, look for the lesser-known players to step up and help propel their teams into the postseason.
This slideshow will examine one of each team's under-the-radar, standout players. While, undoubtedly, each team has more than one, this presentation will seek to find the most influential player on each team's roster.
New York Mets: Angel Pagan
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Pagan plays center field alongside the Mets' others highly-publicized (and criticized) outfielders Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay.
In a limited role in 2009, Pagan posted a .837 OPS, .306 batting average and drove in 32 runs in just 88 games. The following season, which saw his at-bat total nearly double from the season prior, Pagan hit 11 home runs and batted in 69 runs and finishing with a .290 average.
Pagan's 2011 has already gotten off to a rocky start, however. Through 19 games, he's batting a frigid .159 with one home run and and six RBI in 69 at-bats. Pagan will need to break out of his mini-slump in order for the Mets (9-13, last place NL East) to compete in the division.
Philadelphia Phillies: Carlos Ruiz
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Ruiz is not as low-profile a player as many of the others on this list, but with a team consisting of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and the fantastic foursome of pitchers, he doesn't get the respect he deserves from baseball fans outside of Philly.
Last season, the Phillies' catcher hit .302 with eight home runs and 53 RBI in 121 games. Even more impressive than his average was his ability to come up with the late go-ahead hits his team needed to win.
Ruiz is, again, a key to the Phillies' success this season. Thus far, he's knocked in nine runs and has two home runs.
Florida Marlins: Gaby Sanchez
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Last season was Sanchez's first full-season in the major leagues, a season which saw him finish fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting among an All-Star cast of players - Buster Posey, Jason Heyward and Jaime Garcia.
In 151 games with the Marlins last year, Sanchez hit 19 home runs and batted in 85 runs while finishing with a .273 batting average. He was a solid defensive player for the team as well, as finished the season with a .991 FPCT.
Sanchez's 2011 is already off to a torrid start, as he's batting .307 with 23 hits, including two home runs, in 75 at-bats. He has been a key to the Marlins' early season success and will need to continue swinging a hot bat if they plan to overtake the Phillies.
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Washington Nationals: Adam LaRoche
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LaRoche has hit at least 13 home runs in each of seven seasons in the MLB, his highest total being 32 from his 2006 season with the Braves. In the last three years, playing for four different teams over that period, LaRoche has finished with 25 home runs in each season, proving he's capable of hitting the ball out of any ballpark, not just Turner Field.
He's already hit three home runs in 18 games with the Nationals and will likely break the 20-home-run barrier once more this season. The only downside to LaRoche's numbers are the high number of strikeouts he accumulates each season. If he can cut down on those, he'll be a huge asset to the up-and-coming Nationals.
Atlanta Braves: Peter Moylan
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The Braves' side-armed reliever has pitched his way into a veterans role on this year's young Braves squad. In each of the past two seasons, Moylan has finished 6-2, appearing in 87 and 85 games, respectively.
In his five years with the Braves, Moylan has never given up more than six home runs in a single season and finished with an ERA lower than three in all but his first season with the team.
Although a lower-back strain has landed Moylan on the Disabled List already this season, expect him to come back pitching well. His fastball can reach up to 95 mph, an often unreachable number for a side-armed reliever, and he's said his arm is feeling the best it has in years.
The Braves will need him to anchor their bullpen if they plan on keeping pace with the Phillies.
Houston Astros: Chris Johnson
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In just 94 games with the Astros last season, Johnson hit 11 home runs and batted in 52 RBI en route to a season-ending .308 batting average.
Although little is said of Johnson outside of Houston, he has slowly become a force to be reckoned with in the Astros' lineup. In 19 games with the team this season, Johnson is batting .181 with 13 hits in 72 at-bats. He'll need to return to 2010 form if the Astros plan to compete against the the rest of the NL Central.
Milwaukee Brewers: Chris Narveson
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In a starting rotation that features both Yovani Gallardo and Zach Greinke, Narveson often goes unnoticed. But, if he continues pitching like he has at the start of the 2011 season, Narveson will be a household name by 2012.
In his four starts this season, games against the Braves, Cubs, Nationals and Phillies, Narveson has posted a 1-0 record and a 2.19 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 11 walks through 24.2 innings pitched. What is even more impressing is that opposing batters are batting .205 against him, and both the Cubs and Braves were unable to score a run off of him in seven and six innings, respectively.
He has stepped up to fill the shoes left empty by Greinke, and will need to continue to fill them in order to propel the Brewers into the postseason.
St. Louis Cardinals: Lance Berkman
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After being traded to the Yankees to help them make a run in the postseason late last season, there were times Berkman looked flat and even washed-up at the plate.
But 2011 is a different story.
In 19 games with his new team, Berkman has already hit six home runs and driven in 15 runs in just 69 at-bats. His OPS is 1.173 and his batting average is .377. If Berkman can continue swinging a hot bat, all this talk about Pujols' contract may take a backseat in St. Louis.
Chicago Cubs: Jeff Baker
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In what is now his third season with the Cubs, Baker is off to a hot start after finding himself in the Cubs' starting nine. Through 12 games this season, Baker is batting .361 with a home run and eight RBI alongside a .528 SLG.
Although he has been unable to even come close to replicating his 12 homer season from 2008 with the Rockies, Baker will need to in order for the Cubs to make the postseason. If he can prove to be a reliable bat in the Cubs' lineup featuring the hot hitting Starlin Castro and deep-threat Alfonso Soriano, the Cubs are capable of making a run late in the season.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Matt Diaz
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When the Pirates signed free agent Matt Diaz to a two-year contract during the offseason, they acquired one of the most reliable bats of all available bench players in baseball.
Diaz finished three of his five seasons in Atlanta batting .300 or above, with his best season coming in 2009 when he hit 13 home runs and batted in 58 runs while finishing the season with a .313 average.
Diaz was used primarily as a pinch hitter and platoon outfielder in Atlanta, something he will likely be doing again in Pittsburgh. Diaz is familiar with the role of clutch hitting off of the bench and will be a huge asset for the Pirates in each of the next two seasons.
Cincinnati Reds: Bronson Arroyo
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Since leaving the Boston Red Sox, Arroyo has gone under-the-radar playing for the smaller market Cincinnati Reds. Despite the change, Arroyo's numbers are almost identical to those he put up in Boston while leading the team to a World Championship.
Arroyo went 17-10 last season, finishing with a 3.88 ERA in 33 appearances for the Reds. He was somewhat overshadowed by the likes of Edison Volquez and the late-season call-up of Aroldis Chapman, but continued to anchor the Reds' rotation throughout the season.
Although he's 2-2 with a 4.24 ERA in four games this season, Arroyo is an experienced ace of the Reds' rotation and will likely step into the veteran's role of the staff and lead the team back into the playoffs this season.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Kelly Johnson
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At the start of last season, it seemed as though Johnson hit a home run in every game the Diamondbacks played. Although his numbers tailed off a bit during the second half of the season, Johnson still finished 2010 with 26 home runs, 71 RBI and a .284 batting average.
Johnson is not a flashy player and kind of takes a back seat to fan favorites Chris Young and Justin Upton in Arizona, as well as the rest of the powerhouse middle infielders in the National League, which is why he's found himself on this list.
Although he's not off to a great 2011, he does have three home runs in just 19 games. Look for Johnson to heat up as the season progresses.
Colorado Rockies: Seth Smith
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Playing alongside teammates Todd Helton, Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki is no easy feat, especially if you plan on establishing your own fan base, but Seth Smith is slowly starting to make a name for himself outside of Colorado.
Since becoming a full-time starter for the Rockies in 2009, Smith has posted two straight seasons of 15-plus home runs and recorded more than 50 RBI.
This season looks as though it will be another strong one for Smith, as he's batting .306 with two home runs and 11 RBI through the team's first 17 games. It's no wonder the Rockies are off to one of their best starts in years.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Jerry Sands
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The only reason that Sands is under the radar is because he was just called up to the majors from Triple- A last Monday.
In his debut, Sands, who hit 35 homers in the minors last season, doubled and hit a sac-fly off of Braves All-Star Tim Hudson. Sands made such an impact that in his third at-bat of the game, Hudson felt the need to send a message to Sands by throwing a high-and-inside pitch at him.
Through seven games, Sands already has four RBI. The only downside to his young season is that he swings and misses a lot, striking out in five of his first 16 at-bats at the major league level.
San Diego Padres: Orlando Hudson
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Hudson, playing on his fourth different team in four seasons, is in his mid-30s and often under appreciated by those outside of his current team's fan base.
Although he's not much of a deep threat, recording only six home runs with the Twins last season, he's a consistent bat in the lineup and a base stealing threat once he reaches.
This season, Hudson, the Padres' second baseman, is batting .229 with four RBI and seven stolen bases through 21 games.
San Francisco Giants: Miguel Tejada
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In winning the World Series last season, it seems as though every Giant on this year's roster became a household name. Cody Ross caught fire during the postseason. Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez were consistent bats late in the season. Buster Posey was NL Rookie of the Year. Everyone in the pitching staff won every time they stepped on the mound. The only player new to the Giants' starting nine is Miguel Tejada.
After being moved to San Diego late last season, Tejada hit eight home runs and helped add a veteran presence to the team which missed out on the postseason in their final game of the season.
In acquiring Tejada, the Giants have given themselves a strong fielding shortstop and a better batting choice than Mike Fontenot, his backup. If Tejada can stay healthy all season, the Giants will likely find themselves playing in October once again.
Toronto Blue Jays: Kyle Drabek
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Rookie starting pitcher Kyle Drabek is off to an impressive start this season.
With the exception of his last start against the New York Yankees, in which he allowed four earned runs in 5.1 innings, Drabek has yet to have a bad outing.
In his season debut on April 2, he held the hot-hitting Twins to only one hit over seven innings. He followed up that performance with impressive outings against both the Mariners and Angels, as well.
Currently, Drabek is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. He has 19 strikeouts and has allowed 15 walks in 24 innings pitched. If he can cut down on his walk total, he'll be one of the best starters on the Blue Jays' roster.
New York Yankees: Bartolo Colon
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Despite Colon's strong spring, many Yankees fans felt he could contribute very little to their team in 2011. He didn't throw a pitch in the majors last season, and hadn't pitched more than 100 innings since 2005.
But Colon is off to an impressive start.
In his start against Toronto on April 20, Colon went 6.2 innings, allowing only five hits and two earned runs. He struck out seven batters and picked up his first win of the season, as well.
Currently, his ERA sits at 3.50 and he's struck out 20 batters while allowing only five walks. If he can continue to pitch effectively, the Yankees starting five may not be in as much trouble as many expected them to be.
Baltimore Orioles: Zach Britton
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Orioles rookie southpaw Zach Britton has pitched well in each of his four starts for the team this season.
Currently, he sits at 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched in 2011. Britton was one of the Orioles' highly touted pitching prospects and has yet to disappoint this season. In fact, by winning in his most recent start against the Twins, Britton tied an Orioles team record for most wins by a rookie pitcher in the month of April.
He'll likely have one more chance to make the record his own, as he's scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the Red Sox.
Boston Red Sox: Jed Lowrie
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As of last Saturday, Jed Lowrie had made his way not only into the Red Sox starting nine but to the top of the team's batting order for the fourth consecutive game, ultimately forcing Marco Scutaro, batting .182, to the bench.
But for good reason.
In his 51 plate appearances this season, Lowrie has 22 hits, three of which were home runs, 12 RBI and is batting a torrid .431 with a 1.141 OPS. Lowrie is bound to cool off at some point this season, but if he can keep up his consistency he'll likely continue starting for the Red Sox, a team in need of a strong leadoff hitter such as himself.
Tampa Bay Rays: Sam Fuld
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Fuld, the Rays' left fielder, has spent much of the early season flying under the radar because of the team's offseason acquisitions of Johnny Damon and the now-retired Manny Ramirez.
But his 2011 season has been anything but quiet.
Fuld is batting .346 for Rays so far this season with one home run, eight RBI and 10 stolen bases. After losing Carl Crawford to the Red Sox during the offseason, Fuld's speed on the bases is a pleasant sight for the Rays.
After a dismal last two years in Chicago with the Cubs, it seems as though Fuld has found his swing again with Tampa.
Chicago White Sox: Phil Humber
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Humber has had a rather unimpressive career up to this point, spending time with the Mets, Twins, Royals and now the White Sox.
But in his April 9 start against the Tamp Bay Rays, he showed fans and owners alike that they shouldn't close the book on his short-lived major league career. At least, not yet.
Humber went a career-long six innings in the start, allowing just four hits and one run. However, in his two starts following the gem against the Rays, Humber allowed two earned runs and picked up the loss against the Angels, and then he allowed four earned runs and picked up the loss against those same Rays.
With more experience, Humber could make the White Sox rotation one of the best in the AL Central. Pitching behind Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson and John Danks is bound to help him improve at least a little.
UPDATE: Humber had a no-hitter going against the Yankees through six innings before Alex Rodriguez ended his bit with a single in the seventh inning.
Cleveland Indians: Justin Masterson
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One of the biggest reasons that the Indians have jumped out into first place in the AL Central is because of the pitching of Justin Masterson.
In the four games he's started this season, Masterson has gone 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA while holding opponents to a .219 batting average against him.
Prior to this season, it seemed as though Masterson couldn't buy a win, but now he's turned the page on his struggles and has become one of the Indians more dominant pitchers on their staff this season. Masterson has yet to face a incredibly tough hitting lineup, however, as his starts this season have come against the White Sox, Mariners, Orioles and Royals. If he can silence the Yankee bats like he's done to the other teams this season, the Indians will be a legitimate threat to make a run into the postseason.
Minnesota Twins: Danny Valencia
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After starting off the season going 2-for-20 at the plate, Valencia was in danger of losing his starting spot at third base until the injury to second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Now, Valencia's bat is heating up and he leads the team in RBI with 11. In addition to his team-leading RBI count, Valencia has managed to bring his batting average up to .227 and has 17 hits, including two home runs.
According to baseballpress.com, he's owned by only 11 percent of fantasy baseball owners, but is a "nice play" because of all the injuries to third basemen around the league.
Detroit Tigers: Joaquin Benoit
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Benoit falls into the same category as Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz in terms of this list. His name is recognizable and his statistics from years past are outstanding, yet Benoit is often overshadowed by the other big name players and pitchers on the Tigers.
Benoit came to Detroit after an impressive 2010 with the Rays and has continued to impress. In 9.2 innings pitcher this season, Benoit has allowed only one run. His ERA currently sits at 0.93 and he has recorded only one walk and six strikeouts.
The combination of Benoit and closer Jose Valverde (2-0, 0.93 ERA) is surely one of the more feared one-two punches in all of baseball.
Kansas City Royals: Kila Ka'aihue
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It's hard to say that someone batting .194 through 19 games is the Royals' best under-the-radar hope for the rest of the season, but Ka'aihue has shown flairs of brilliance in the minor leagues and is poised to break out of his early season slump at any time.
On April 19, Ka'aihue's batting average was .151 and there was much talk in Kansas City about replacing their first baseman. However, since that date, Ka'aihue seems to have found his swing, as he is riding a four game hit streak which includes a two-hit game on April 20.
Last season in Triple-A, Ka'aihue hit 24 home runs in only 323 at-bats, something that's bound to take effect in Kansas City sometime soon. Look for Ka'aihue to heat up by mid-May.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Macier Izturis
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Izturis is one of the least talked about leadoff men in all of baseball, but if he continues to be as successful as he's been so far this season, he'll be household name in no time.
Entering the Angels' three-game series with the Rangers last Monday, Izturis was second in the league with his .383 batting average, trailing only Alex Rodriguez by .002 points. His .384 on-base percentage is another impressive statistic, especially as a leadoff hitter.
If Izturis can continue to swing a hot bat, the Angels, who recently got back Erick Aybar, will be a force to be reckoned with in the AL West.
Oakland Athletics: Brad Ziegler
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The Athletics, currently third in the AL West, will need a lot of help from their bullpen if they plan on making a run into the postseason this year. With injuries to pitchers Andrew Bailey, Dallas Braden, Rich Harden and Michael Wuertz, the team's bullpen consists of relative no-names until you get to their eighth and ninth inning guys, Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes.
On of the bright spots of the bullpen's season so far is Ziegler, who, though 7.1 innings, has yet to allow a run. Ziegler has also stuck out seven and walked only two.
If he can continue his dominance in June, a month in which he struggled mightily last season (6.57 ERA and .339 opponent's batting average against), Ziegler will likely secure his spot as the team's seventh inning go-to guy.
Seattle Mariners: Michael Pineda
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Pineda, the Mariners' fifth starter, is off to impressive start in the young season.
Through four starts, Pineda is 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched. Opposing batters are hitting .202 off of him and have struck out 21 times and walked only nine times.
Pineda has not only thrown himself into the thick of the AL Rookie of the Year race, but emerged as the early favorite to snag the award. The rest of Pineda's season depends not only on his pitching ability, but the Mariners' management. If they don't manage the rookie-pitcher's innings count, he'll be a late-season disaster. If managed correctly, Pineda will easily win AL ROY.
Texas Rangers: Derek Holland
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Holland is 3-1 with a 4.39 ERA and has collected 25 strikeouts while allowing only seven walks pitching from the No. 5 spot in the Rangers' rotation so far this season.
Although his ERA is higher than desired, Holland has shown he can spot his pitches on the outer-half of the plate so far this season, a devastating characteristic that will likely lead to continued success as the season rolls on.
Judging from seasons past, Holland seems to become more comfortable as the season wears on, as his number of home runs and walks allowed decrease steadily.
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