The Underappreciated All Stars

Most baseball stars get more publicity than they need. How many times do you hear about Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, or David Ortiz and wish that you could be reading about other players? The MLB has a whole new breed of All Star caliber players; it’s just that few know anything about them. So let’s give credit where credit is overdue. Here are the top up-and-coming or simply underrated players in the majors. Catcher: Ramon Hernandez, Orioles: Unless you are one of Hernandez’s fantasy owners, it’s doubtful that you’ve heard of this monster behind the plate. While Hernandez posted decent numbers for a catcher with San Diego the last few years, he has been the best offensive catcher in the majors this year. He’s hitting over .300 with 9 homeruns and 44 RBIs, the latter two being first in the majors at his position. The 44 ribbies are tied for the team lead with Miguel Tejada, who is having quite the season himself. Hernandez should be a catching standout for years to come.

    First base: Ryan Howard, Phillies: Besides Albert Pujols, who has had the most homeruns and RBIs out of every regular first basemen? That’s right, it’s this Philadelphia superstar, who put up 22 homers last year in just half a season. This year he already has 20 dingers to go along with his team-leading 50 RBIs. How excited should Phillies fans be about this 25-year-old stud? He’s on pace for 56 homers, which would be more than Jim Thome’s best during his seasons with the team. Howard is a special player, and the best has yet to come with him.

    Second base: Chase Utley, Phillies: Utley, only 27 years old himself, has risen quickly to become the best offensive second baseman in the league. Last year’s 28 homer, 105 RBI performance was only a prelude to his season this year, in which he is hitting .326. He tears up right handed pitchers, as all of his 11 season homeruns have come against right-handers. Utley performs in the field as well, with only 2 errors the entire season. Philadelphia’s offense, featuring Utley, the aforementioned Howard, Bobby Abreu, and Jimmy Rollins, is becoming one of the top lineups in the entire majors.

    Shortstop: Freddy Sanchez, Pirates: Though Sanchez wasn’t even starting at the beginning of the year, he has hit very well to become one of the league’s top contact hitters. Sanchez ranks second to Miguel Cabrera in NL batting average with a remarkable .352. He has driven in 29 runs, including 22 in May alone. Sanchez also has 9 games of at least three hits, and 17 total multi-hit games. While even huge baseball fans might not know who he is, by the end of the year they will.

    Third Base: Morgan Ensberg, Astros: Ensberg had a breakout season last year in which he hit 36 homers and 101 RBIs. He has been even better this year, with 18 homers and 38 runs driven in (on pace for 51/109). Ensberg has an excellent eye at the plate as well, with 43 walks and a .392 on-base percentage. He is an up-and-coming star and has become one of the best power hitters in today’s game.

    Outfield: Jason Bay, Pirates: What does a guy have to do in Pittsburgh to get some attention? Apparently he has to do better than a .300 average, 17 homers, and 46 RBIs, as Bay’s fantastic numbers have generated little attention around the league. He’s on pace for 48  and 131, which would be the best offensive performance this city has seen in a long time. Bay is a balanced hitter that isn’t affected by which arm the pitcher throws with–he has identical batting averages against lefties and righties. Bay also has the dubious distinction of being the best major league player from Canada.

    Outfield: Alexis Rios, Blue Jays: The 25-year-old Rios has been a huge part of the Blue Jays’ league-leading .303 team average. Rios leads the AL with a .360, with an excellent OPS of 1.02 on the MLB’s most underrated offense. He has also shown power, with 10 homeruns and 41 RBI, and speed (on pace for 22 steals). Rios is only in his third major league season, but if he hits this well there will be many, many more to come.

    Outfield: Carlos Lee, Brewers: While he hides in baseball’s shadow otherwise known as Milwaukee, Lee has put together another great power-hitting season. Despite the depleted Brewers lineup, Lee has driven in 45 runs on the season, including 19 homeruns. He had a monstrous April in which he hit .297 with 10 homers; since then his power numbers have remained excellent though his average has dropped to .266. Lee would be even better if he didn’t play half of his games at a pitcher’s stadium; he has hit 14 homers on the road compared with 5 at home.

    Starting pitcher: Bronson Arroyo, Reds: The Red Sox let him go to the Reds during the offseason, though Arroyo has proved to be the ace Boston needs. He is second in the NL to Brandon Webb in both wins (7) and ERA (2.40). He ranks in the top ten in the NL in innings pitched, strikeouts, WHIP, ERA, and winning percentage, among other categories. The only concern for Arroyo is keeping up this pace–his career ERA is an underwhelming 4.32 and his career record is 40-35. If he can, he’ll be the best Reds pitcher in years.

    Starting pitcher #2: Chris Capuano, Brewers: Like his teammate Lee, Capuano plays for the attention-less Brewers. He has been one of the most consistent and efficient pitchers in the majors this year, as 11 of his 12 starts this year are considered “quality starts.” While Capuano’s record this year stands at an unimpressive 6-4, the Brewers have only put up 4 combined runs in his losses. Capuano is also durable–he has gone at least six innings in every start and is third in the majors in innings pitched. If this continues, he will be pursued by many teams come the offseason.

    Closer: Tom Gordon, Phillies: I hate to have three Phillies on this list, but Gordon’s accomplishments this year cannot be denied. As the closer this year for Philly, he has only allowed five earned runs en route to a 1.80 ERA. Gordon has 17 saves on the year and has only blown one save opportunity. He also has 31 strikeouts in only 25 innings pitched, a great ratio. Gordon has been this impressive despite this being his first year in the closing role. What’s surprising to me is that with Gordon closing and an excellent offense, the Phillies are only 29-27 on the year.

Closer #2: BJ Ryan, Blue Jays: Ryan’s acquisition in the offseason made more noise than his play so far this season, even though he has been outstanding. At 6-6 and 260 pounds, Ryan’s play has been just as dominating as his size. He has only allowed 2 runs the entire season and has a basement-low .68 ERA. His WHIP is just as awesome at an identical .68. On the season Ryan has saved 13 games and only blown one opportunity. The Orioles would sure love to have him back.

***This is not a list of unheard of players, this is a list of players who have not gotten enough national media attention considering their production this year. Many players at each position get much more TV airtime and mentions in columns despite similar production to the players on this list. If you disagree, post a comment and I will defend.