As the snow finally melts and we move ever closer to another wonderful year of baseball, there remains an alarming number of players who are not given the proper respect, by fans and the media alike, outside of their home markets. For some of these players, it is the simple misfortune of playing for small-market teams which fail to generate sufficient interest in their star players. Still, others seem to have an uncanny knack for flying under the radar year after year.
Here is a breakdown of some of the more under appreciated players in the league and how they stack up against some of their more well-known counterparts.
Catcher — VICTOR MARTINEZ, CLE.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Victor’s work, he hit a respectable .283 last year with 23 homeruns. His 108 RBIs were far and away the most among Major League catchers. His numbers from a year ago are comparable to those of Ivan Rodriguez in Detroit, and significantly better than those put up by Jason Varitek in Boston and Jorge Posada for the Yankees, widely considered the best in the game at their position. Are they overrated? Of course not, but Martinez is certainly deserving of more fanfare.
First Base — AUBREY HUFF, TB.
Over the past three seasons, Aubrey Huff has blossomed into one of the best hitters in the game, and far too many people don’t even know his name. Maybe it’s his workmanlike, less-than-flashy playing style, or maybe it’s the fact that he plays in the sports wasteland that is Tampa Bay, that keeps him tucked away, out of the limelight. Huff is a career .295 hitter, averaging 32 homers and 106 RBIs over the past two years. Compare these stats Houston’s Jeff Bagwell, whose average has dipped considerably over the past couple of seasons, and you’ll see that Huff is on his way up, while Bagwell is on his way out. Even though the stats say Huff is currently the better hitter, the media turns a blind eye to the Tampa Bay slugger.
Second Base — MARK LORETTA, SD.
When was the last time you heard a good Mark Loretta story? Unless you live in the San Diego area, I’m guessing it’s probably been a while. Loretta, a career .303 hitter, has averaged .321, with 15 homers and 38 doubles, while driving in 74 runs a year since he arrived in San Diego at the start of the 2003 season. Meanwhile, everyone knows about Atlanta spark-plug Marcus Giles, who is one of the best young players in the league. However, even the most cursory of statistical inferences will show that Loretta contributes at least as much as Giles, and is therefore deserving of a similar amount of media attention. Mark Loretta, another victim of the East-coast bias of the elitist media.
Third Base — DAVID WRIGHT, NYM.
In the case of the Mets third basemen, David Wright, it’s not so much being underrated, as much as it is underhyped. Wright, who appeared in 69 games for the Mets last season and performed better than many expected, showed considerable power, going deep 14 times in just 263 at-bats. Aside from his obvious power, his .293 average was more than adequate for a rookie. The 22-year-old Wright is comparable to 2003 AL Batting Champ Bill Mueller, a career .292 hitter, with the power of Troy Glaus. Jump on the bandwagon while there are still seats, because this kid is going to be a big-time player for many years to come.
Shortstop — MICHAEL YOUNG, TEX.
Who’s a better hitter, Derek Jeter or Michael Young? Now, before you answer, throw out Jeter’s on-field leadership, the many other intangibles he undoubtedly possesses and focus on their ability at the plate. Let’s take a gander at the stats for the last couple of years. We’ll start with batting average. Young has hit .310 to Jeter’s .305. Both very respectable. Next, let’s take a look at homeruns. Young has averaged 18 dingers a year, while Jeter has gone deep an average of 16 times, still pretty close. Now let’s move on to RBIs. Young has driven in an average of 86 runs over the past couple of seasons to Jeter’s comparatively paltry 65, not a great number considering the amount of base runners in New York. See a pattern emerging yet? Once you factor in Jeter’s 0 for 32 suck-fest early last year, along with the fact that he plays for the much-hated Yankees (a hatred they clearly deserve), you’ll see that Michael Young is a better hitter on the whole. Does that mean Derek Jeter is overrated? Well, that’s a question for another time and place. All I’m saying is that Young is better than people realize.
Outfield — JASON BAY, PIT.
Pop Quiz: Last year the NL Rookie of the Year was…I’m guessing most of you know that it was Pittsburgh’s Jason Bay, but sadly you’re in the minority. In his first full year at the Major League level, Bay hit .282, with 26 homers and 82 RBIs. Bay ranked just outside the top-10 in the NL with a .550 Slugging Percentage. He had a stellar rookie campaign and should only get better with time.
Outfield — AARON ROWAND, CHW.
When Magglio Ordonez went down last season, the White Sox looked to Rowand to pick up the slack, and pick it up he did. 2004 was a breakout year for Rowand. He hit .310 with 24 homeruns and added 17 steals, all quality numbers. On top of that, Rowand slugged .544, good for seventh in the American League.
Outfield — LEW FORD, MIN.
In his first year of full-time duty in the Major Leagues, Lew Ford surprised a lot of people around baseball with his consistent performance. Ford finished the year with a solid .299 average, 15 homers, and 72 RBIs. He scored 89 runs, while adding 31 doubles and stealing 20 bases. Known in the minors for his good speed and solid fielding, Ford was a pleasant surprise for Minnesota fans.
Every fan has his favorite players, and inevitably, that leaves some players out in the proverbial cold. Hopefully, some of these players will come out of the cold and into the spotlight sooner rather than later and start to get the recognition their performance merits.