The most underrated MLB players of the 2019 season

Ahmed has turned himself into a quality major leaguer, complementing his elite defense with more offense over the last two seasons. He produced a .757 OPS through 584 plate appearances this season and has been top 10 in defensive WAR among shortstops.

Alberto has been a utilityman during his career and overlooked on a terrible team, but he's produced a solid 2.9 WAR with a good contribution at the plate and in the field. He's hit .314-11-48 in 512 plate appearances and played multiple infield positions.

Anderson's peripherals far exceed what are already good numbers to the naked eye. A setup man for the Marlins and now the Rays, Anderson has a eye-popping 15.2 strikeouts per nine innings and has yet to walk a batter since joining the Rays at the trade deadline. His 3.21 ERA is solid, but he's arguably been a top five relief pitcher in MLB this season.

There haven't been many bright spots in Detroit this season, but Boyd is one of them. The lefty has a worse ERA than last season at 4.54, but his peripherals show a potentially dominant pitcher with an elite 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.82 xFIP through 30 starts. He's the pitcher the Tigers could build around.

It's clear Darvish hasn't earned the six-year, $126 million contract he signed with the Cubs last year, but he's started to come around in the second half of this season. His ERA is hovering around 4.00 as a result of his incredible second half of a 2.44 ERA and 15.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 66.1 innings. The Cubs are in good position if he's at full go in the playoffs.

DeJong's defense has graded tops at the shortstop position this season, and his bat hasn't been bad either. The Cardinals shortstop has a 3.8 WAR as a result of that defense and a .763 OPS with 27 home runs in 623 plate appearances.

Fletcher is overlooked because he doesn't have much power in an era when power is all the rage, but he does have a strong skill set. That includes elite defense at multiple infield positions and great contact ability with a 9 percent strikeout rate that's enabled him to hit .292 this season. 

Fried is having a breakout year, and the peripherals show that he's pitched even better than his 4.25 ERA. The lefty has a 3.81 FIP and more than one strikeout per inning while also showing an elite groundball rate. His control progress makes him a pitcher to watch going forward.

Garver's power has been truly incredible this season, as he leads MLB in at-bats per home run (9.8) with 30 home runs in only 294 at-bats. His 1.000 OPS has been truly elite, and Garver has also made nice strides defensively.

The hard-throwing James never found the starting rotation like what was anticipated entering the year, and his 5.02 ERA is hardly anything to get excited about. However, he has an elite 14.9 strikeouts per nine innings and 4.10 FIP that shows he's pitched better than the ERA indicates. He has a bright future despite some pedestrian numbers.

The expectations were sky high after Kelly signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason, and he immediately struggled to start his career in L.A. Still, he's pitched some of the best ball of his career since May 8 with a 2.68 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 37 innings. The setup man's FIP is almost a full run lower than his 4.62 ERA, and he will be a key part of the Dodgers bullpen in the playoffs.

Lynn's three-year, $30 million contract signed in the offseason is looking like a huge bargain for the Rangers, if his first season is any indication. He's among the starting pitcher leaders in WAR, with 195.2 innings, 224 strikeouts, and a 3.23 FIP despite pitching in a hitter's park at home. The 3.77 ERA isn't quite as shiny, but even that result is impressive.

Marquez had a disappointing year with an ERA that increased by nearly a full run over his 3.77 ERA in 2018, but the peripherals still show an excellent pitcher. He fanned more than one batter per inning for the second straight year and walked only 1.8 batters per nine innings. Marquez pitched well away from Coors Field with a 3.67 ERA in 15 starts but just couldn't shake pitching at altitude in Denver.

Elite control has made Martin one of the game's best and most underappreciated relievers. He's walked a total of five batters in 53.1 innings, helping him produce a gaudy 12.20 strikeout to walk ratio. A trade deadline acquisition by the Braves from Texas, he's posted a 3.54 ERA this season and will be an important piece in the playoffs.

McNeil has successfully shown that his strong production from last year wasn't a fluke, hitting .318-22-71 as one of New York's best stories. His defense has also been extremely valuable, seeing significant time at four different positions.

Like teammate Lance Lynn, Minor has been underappreciated even with an excellent 3.33 ERA in 30 starts. Minor has weathered the hitter's atmosphere in Texas and continued to provoke soft contact with the highest spin in the game on his fastball. As a result, he has one of the highest WARs in baseball among pitchers.

Colorado finally gave up on Murphy, a great minor league power hitter, before this season, and that's been to Seattle's benefit. Despite being the Mariners second catcher, Murphy has hit .284-18-40 with an .891 OPS in 260 plate appearances. He's done more than enough to earn regular playing time in 2020.

Polanco has been a breakout contributor this season, posting a 5.6 WAR as a result of his fantastic offense. He's hit .300-22-78 with an .853 OPS, becoming one of the catalysts of an improved Twins team.

Realmuto is considered by many to be the top catcher in MLB, but his improvement defensively this season has made him one of the top players in the game. He has a 4.4 WAR, and he's hit a career-high 25 home runs and 82 RBI for the Phils.

A solid offensive player before this season, Semien has turned into an elite player with drastic improvements at the plate and in the field. His 7.4 WAR is currently sixth-best among hitters. He has career-best numbers across the board, hitting .283-31-87 with an .882 OPS.

Vazquez was a defense-only player before this season, but he's finally come around with the bat. He's hit .271-21-66 with a .781 OPS, making him a well-above-average starter overall.

Villar's defense remains shaky, but he's had an excellent year with the bat for a bad Orioles team. He became a 20/20 man for the first time, hitting .279-23-69 with 36 stolen bases and an .812 OPS while playing both middle infield positions.

Wheeler's 4.09 ERA isn't great, but the pending free agent is about to get a giant payday based on his elite stuff and peripherals. The right-hander has a 3.50 FIP, nearly one strikeout per inning and has also shown elite fastball velocity. Reaching 180-plus innings in back-to-back seasons is also significant given his injury history.

An oblique injury disrupted Woodruff's season, limiting him to only 20 starts through mid-September, but he showed ace ability until he got hurt. The right-hander had a 3.75 ERA in 20 starts, but his 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.10 FIP show dominance. 

Wong has been offensively challenged for much of his career but could finish with a career year to go along with his excellent defense. He's hitting .284-11-59 with 24 steals and a .784 OPS. Wong has a good 4.9 WAR, among the best at his position.