Batting Around: Who's the most underrated player in Major League Baseball?

Underrated may be affected by how you define the word

Throughout the season the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we debated whether Matt Olson will get to 60 home runs. This week we're going to talk about the most underrated players in baseball.

Who is the most underrated player in baseball?

R.J. Anderson: It's a hard question to answer because "underrated" is a nebulous concept. Does it mean the best player to not make an All-Star Game or garner real award consideration? Does it mean player whose contributions are still underappreciated, even if they do get those recognitions? Austin Riley has made two consecutive All-Star Game appearances and he's finished top-10 in MVP voting in consecutive years. On those grounds, I would find it difficult to describe him as being underrated. But, at the same time, do people realize he's top-five in Wins Above Replacement since the start of the 2021 season? I kind of doubt it. Factor in the abundance of stars on that Braves roster, and maybe you can fashion an argument for Riley being underrated or overlooked. (Shy of that, my answer would be Ha-Seong Kim. Great defender whose bat has blossomed beyond my expectations.)

Dayn Perry: I feel like Logan Webb doesn't quite get enough ink as the Giants' ace. He's got an ERA+ of 135 over the last three seasons, and this season he leads the NL in K/BB ratio. He doesn't have the big fastball, which may explain why he's a bit overlooked, but few combine his excellent control with his strong groundball tendencies. He's yet to make an All-Star appearance, which shouldn't be the case given his performance throughout recent history. 

Mike Axisa: Yeah, Kim is a good answer, though I wrote about him last week and I'm not sure how underrated he is anymore. I'm going to go with George Kirby. He was an All-Star this season, which maybe disqualifies him from the "underrated" conversation, but I still think he doesn't get enough love. Kirby has pitched at an ace level -- true top of the rotation performance -- since making his big league debut with the Mariners last season and I consider him a top-10 pitcher in the game. He's outstanding. I'm a Bryson Stott fan too. He's not a star or anything, but it's good production at an up-the-middle position and he consistently puts up quality at-bats.

Matt Snyder: I'd like to stick in the same ballpark of when we used to say Mike Trout was underrated, due to the notion that he should actually have been more widely praised, and say Mookie Betts. I know he's a superstar and I know so many people talk about him and treat him like a superstar, but I also feel like there's a level of shortchange here. Not only does Mookie do everything he's supposed to do on an elite level, but he even does stuff he's not supposed to do. Specifically, the six-time Gold Glove right fielder is now an excellent defensive second baseman and even usable at shortstop. That's outrageous. People are going to start debating Matt Olson or Freddie Freeman over Ronald Acuña Jr. for NL MVP, but Mookie might well have the best case. 

If we want a less obvious player, give me Nico Hoerner. He doesn't walk or hit for power at big levels, but he hits for average and is an exceptional defender and baserunner who is going to approach 6 WAR and be among the league leaders despite an average-ish OPS. The bat-on-ball skills and clutch hitting factor in. He entered the week hiting .339/.424/.446 in late-and-close situations and .343/.400/.448 in high-leverage situations. The "feel" is there, too. Anytime it's a big spot and he comes up, it just feels like he's going to come through with a good at-bat.