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Anyone with even a basic knowledge about baseball or a loose association with the sport will have heard of the game’s legendary figures like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Barry Bonds.
Yet for every household name etched into Cooperstown’s walls, there are underrated MLB players to match, whose quieter brilliance down the years often went under the radar.
For differing reasons, these names are often left out when fans discuss the pantheon of all-time baseball greats, though we feel these unsung heroes deserve their own slice of recognition.
To that end, we’ve written a rundown of the most underrated players in MLB history.
10. Tony Phillips: The Ultimate Utility Weapon
A switch-hitter who could be deployed at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions, Tony Phillips played 18 seasons with six different teams in the MLB.
He compiled 2,023 hits, 1,600+ walks, 160 home runs and over 300 stolen bases while posting a career .266/.374/.389 line and 50.9 WAR. Stunning numbers across the board that would have made him a favourite in baseball markets on MLB betting sites had he been around in the modern era.
However, despite his output, Phillips never won a Golden Glove, never made a single All-Star team and never even received serious MVP consideration. And that’s despite leading the league in runs scored (1995) and walks twice (1993 and 1994) for Detroit and Anaheim.
9. Norm Cash: Tiger Who Stalked the Shadows
Norm Cash spent a mammoth 17 campaigns dominating at first base for the Detroit Tigers, finishing with a career line of .271/.374/.488 with 377 home runs and 1,103 RBI.
In 1961, Cash won the American League batting title with an impressive .361 average and also led the way for hits, however, he was always seen as something of a support act for the likes of Al Kaline and Mickey Lolich.
Cash had power to burn and was the first player to hit a ball completely out of Tiger Stadium on four separate occasions. He did finish with five All-Star team selections, though he never really got the share of the spotlight he deserved.
8. Sal Bando: The Understated Architect of the Oakland Dynasty
While his teammates generally picked up the accolades, Sal Bando was the real heartbeat of the successful 1970s Oakland Athletics, a three-time World Series-winning outfit.
As the regular third baseman and de facto team captain, Bando batted .254/.352/.408 over 16 seasons while driving in 1,039 runs.
Bando led the A’s in RBI four times during their dynasty years, yet he was overshadowed by the more flamboyant Reggie Jackson, the moustachioed Rollie Fingers and the electric Vida Blue.
Bando did earn four All-Star nods and finished in the top ten of AL MVP voting five times, but he rarely headlined on the evening news in Oakland or elsewhere.
7. Dave Concepcion: The Glue That Held the Big Red Machine Together
Dave Concepcion was a shortstop who anchored the Cincinnati Reds’ Big Red Machine for a full 19 seasons, collecting 2,326 hits while batting .267/.322/.357 with 950 RBI.
A nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, Concepcion was the defensive whizz who turned the double play with mechanical precision.
Yet with counterparts Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez routinely centre stage, Concepcion’s contributions were often overlooked.
He stole 321 bases, hit .300 in two World Series and posted a career fielding percentage that ranked among the best at his position, but for decades, his name rarely surfaced in debates over Hall of Fame entries. The Reds recognised Concepcion’s value when they retired his number 13 in 2007.
6. Brett Butler: The Leadoff Specialist Who Never Got His Due
Brett Butler patrolled the centre field with authority and led off for 17 years, registering a .290/.377/.376 line with 2,375 hits, 1,359 runs scored and a gigantic 558 stolen bases.
He led the National League in runs twice and triples four times, yet earned just one All-Star selection during his career. A master of the bunt and the stolen base, Butler probably did his best work with the San Francisco Giants and LA Dodgers in the early 1990s.
Indeed, in 1990, he delivered an MVP-calibre 192 hits, 108 runs and 51 steals, though Butler was never really in the shakeup for individual honours.
5. Jim Abbott: The One-Handed Phenomenon Who Defied the Odds
Born without a right hand, the incredible Jim Abbott posted an 87-108 record with a 4.25 ERA over 10 seasons, though those overall figures don’t really tell the full story.
In 1991, he went 18-11 with a 2.89 ERA and finished third in Cy Young voting. Two years later, he threw a no-hitter for the New York Yankees against the Cleveland Indians, on the road, no less.
However, despite his physical disadvantage and inspiring personal story, Abbott never really received the sustained acclaim that was reserved for the more conventional stars of the time.
4. Darrell Evans: The Power Hitter Lost in the Schmidt Era
Darrell Evans walloped 414 home runs and drew more than 1,600 walks across his 21 campaigns in the MLB, posting a career 58.7 WAR that rivals many Hall of Famers.
The two-time All Star, who was a regular at both third base and first, averaged 25 homers and 20 doubles per year while also posting exceptional on-base percentages.
However, any player sharing the diamond with Mike Schmidt was always likely to play second fiddle in terms of attention and accolades.
Modern analytics have placed Evans among the most valuable players of the 1970s and ’80s, yet he was always in Schmidt’s shadow during the latter’s heyday with the Phillies.
3. Kenny Lofton: The Center Fielder Who Changed Franchises
Kenny Lofton batted .299 with a .372 on-base percentage, stole 622 bases and won four Gold Gloves while appearing in six All-Star Games during a sparkling career, yet he remains one of the most glaring omissions from Cooperstown.
Loften was one of the stars of the Cleveland Indians’ renaissance in the 1990s, helping transform a perennial loser into a World Series contender.
Lofton did bounce between 11 teams in 17 seasons, which probably explains why his legacy is somewhat diluted in the eyes of voters.
His 1994 season (.349 average, 12 triples, 60 steals) was MVP-worthy, while Loften’s career WAR sits comfortably alongside Hall of Fame center fielders.
2. Lou Whitaker: The Silent Star of the Detroit Infield
Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell formed the greatest double-play combo in Tigers history, but while Trammell eventually reached the Hall of Fame, Whitaker received less than five percent of the vote in his only year on the ballot.
Over 19 seasons, “Sweet Lou” hit .276/.363/.426 with 244 home runs, 1,084 RBI and 75.1 WAR, which is higher than several Hall of Fame-enshrined second basemen.
A key cog in the Tigers’ 1984 World Series campaigns, Whitaker earned five All-Star nods and three Gold Gloves while posting superb walk rates for a middle infielder.
Whitaker’s continued exclusion from Cooperstown remains one of the game’s great injustices and cements his place among the most underrated MLB players ever.
1. Bobby Grich: The Complete Second Baseman Who Deserved Better
First, we look at Grich’s numbers. He posted .266/.371/.424, 224 home runs, won four Gold Gloves and made six All-Star appearances, while he posted more WAR than most Hall of Fame second basemen.
Yet Grich received less than five percent of the Hall of Fame vote in his lone year on the ballot. Playing alongside stars in Baltimore and later California, Grich’s quiet excellence never fully translated into mainstream fame.
Today’s advanced metrics place him among the top ten second basemen in the history of baseball, however, in his prime for the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels, Grinch was just that “good defensive guy”.
Statistically elite and universally respected by his peers, Grich was strangely invisible to the wider public, and still waits for the recognition he has earned.
