The most underrated player on every MLB team

Middle relievers often are some of the most overlooked players on a big-league roster, as they simply will never generate as much fanfare as elite starting pitchers or dominant closers. But there is a legitimate argument to be made that they are some of the most important contributors on the entire roster. If you can't bridge the gap from your starters to your closer, your team will not be successful, and the teams with deep bullpens are often the ones playing in late October. Which brings me to the Yankees. New York had a good enough rotation in '23 led by Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole and a good closer in Clay Holmes. But the middle innings were too often where games got away. This team desperately missed righty Jonathan Loaisiga, who was limited to only 17 outings due to a lingering elbow problem. When healthy, the veteran was effective, working to a 3.06 ERA and an 0.85 WHIP in 17.2 innings, and the Yankees simply need him to stay off the injured list in 2024. 

Speaking of relief pitching, there were not nearly enough people talking about the historically dominant season Boston righty Chris Martin was having in 2023. In 55 appearances, the 37-year-old finished with an incredible 1.05 ERA to go along with a 1.03 WHIP. He allowed only six earned runs in 51.1 innings, while holding the opposition to a .237 batting average and issuing only 11 free passes. Martin racked up a career-high 23 holds, setting the table for closer Kenley Jansen, and the Red Sox hope he can be every bit as effective in 2024. 

The Rays are perpetually impressing the baseball world with their ability to consistently compete with a fraction of the payroll some of their rivals carry. Tampa Bay is the epitome of an organization that always does things the right way and, it is generally at the forefront of some of the strategic changes happening in the sport. So many of the Rays are honestly underrated and underappreciated by fans on a national level, but none more so than first baseman, Yandy Diaz. The Cuban-born slugger just put together one of the most impressive offensive seasons in recent memory, slashing .330/.410/.522 with 22 homers, 78 RBI, and 35 doubles. He won the American League batting title, made his first all-star team, earned a Silver Slugger, and shattered his previous high in total bases by 74. And yet, he inexplicably wasn't even included on MLB Network's list of the top 10 first basemen heading into 2024. 

Jacksonville University product Austin Hays was someone scouts were projecting to become a superstar when he rose through the Orioles' system. While he hasn't quite reached that stratosphere, the 28-year-old is certainly a critical player on one of baseball's best teams. Last season, Hays delivered one of his best all-around campaigns, slashing .275/.325/.444 with 16 homers, 67 RBI, and a career-high 36 doubles. He's also an excellent defender in left field, and while many other Baltimore players get more attention, Hays is not somebody that should be overlooked. 

Righty Chris Bassitt has been a steady and reliable big-league starter for almost a decade, but the veteran has never seemed to get nearly enough accolades. Over the last two seasons (one with the Mets and one with the Blue Jays), Bassitt has made 63 starts and earned 31 victories with an ERA of 3.51. That level of productivity and even more notably, durability, is nearly extinct in today's game and something that should be appreciated. Heading into 2024 the Blue Jays have aspirations of again playing in October, and to do so in a challenging AL East they'll need Bassitt to play a starring role again. 

Venezuelan-born right-hander Pablo Lopez was perpetually underappreciated during the five seasons he spent in Miami with the Marlins, and the January 2023 trade that sent him to Minnesota did help him gain more national exposure. In Miami, Lopez was never viewed as the club's ace thanks to the presence of Sandy Alcantara, but with Minnesota he found the opportunity to be the leader of a staff. In 32 starts last season he pitched to a 3.66 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP, while setting new career highs in wins, innings, and strikeouts. He was especially excellent in the playoffs, winning both of his starts and delivering a 0.71 ERA in 12.2 innings, and a similar campaign in 2024 will get him off of this list for good. 

Right-handed swinging first baseman Andrew Vaughn was in the big leagues less than two years after being selected 3rd overall by the White Sox in 2021, and he's steadily improved in each of his three years at the sport's highest level. In 2023, Vaughn played in all but 10 of the White Sox' contests, slashing .258/.314/.429 with 21 home runs, 80 RBI, and 30 doubles. Chicago is a team in serious transition, but Vaughn is undoubtedly one of its cornerstone pieces, and the organization looks forward to what he can do in '24 and beyond. 

Southpaw Tarik Skubal was selected by the Tigers in the 9th round of the 2018 draft, and in the short time since then he's drastically outperformed his draft expectations. Skubal reached the Major Leagues during the pandemic-truncated 2020 campaign and has been an important member of Detroit's pitching staff ever since. He missed the first half last season recovering from flexor tendon surgery, but following his return he pitched better than he ever had at the big-league level. In 15 starts, the 27-year-old worked to a 2.80 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP, while holding opponents to a .199 batting average and striking out 102 hitters in 80.1 innings. Heading into 2024 both Skubal and the Tigers are excited about what he can accomplish over the course of a full season. 

Oregon State product Steve Kwan took over a starting outfield job in Cleveland in 2022 and has missed only 19 Guardians games over the last two years. The 26-year-old doesn't light up really any statistical category, but he does a lot of things well, and has made himself a critical part of what Cleveland does. In 2023 he slashed .268/.340/.370 with five home runs, 54 RBI, 36 doubles, seven triples, and 21 stolen bases. He's typically deployed out of the Guardians lead-off spot, and his peskiness and speed often cause fits for opposing pitchers. 

Young MJ Melendez reached the big leagues as a catcher with the Royals in May of 2022, but it didn't take long for the team to move him to the outfield full-time. An injury to Kansas City captain Salvador Perez is what created the opening behind the plate, but Melendez swung the bat so well as a rookie that when the veteran returned the club simply could not shuttle the youngster back to the minors. As a sophomore in 2023, Melendez slashed .235/.316/.398 with 16 home runs, 56 RBI, 29 doubles, and even five triples. Kansas City stars Bobby Witt Jr. and the aforementioned Perez understandably get most of the fanfare around this team, but I encourage you not to overlook the left-handed swinging Melendez. 

West Chester, PA native Chas McCormick was a solid role player for the Astros in both '21 and '22, but last season he proved his ceiling is significantly higher than that. Participating in 115 of Houston's contests, McCormick slashed an impressive .273/.353/.489 with 22 homers, 70 RBI, 17 doubles, and 19 steals. Every single one of those numbers set new personal bests for the 28-year-old, and heading into 2024, he's being penciled in as an everyday player from the get-go. Houston obviously has a tremendous amount of star power on its roster with future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander and Jose Altuve leading the way. McCormick, though, has played his way into a significant role on this team, and he should not be overlooked. 

Right-handed swinging outfielder Taylor Ward had played sparingly for the Angels between '18-'21, but dramatically changed the trajectory of his career with his excellent 2022 season. That year, the Fresno State alum slashed .281/.360/.473 with 23 homers, 65 RBI and 22 doubles in 135 games. Heading into last season the Halos were excited about what he could do for an encore, but unfortunately his campaign did not totally go to plan. After a strong first half, Ward was hit in the face with a pitch in a game against Toronto, suffering multiple facial fractures and ending his season on the spot. He had been on pace to eclipse all of his power numbers from '22, and heading into 2024 the Angels hope he can pick up right where he left off. 

Game-changing speed is one of the most entertaining things to watch on a baseball field, and throughout the course of history, there have been very few players who could strike fear in their opponents using only their legs. Young Oakland outfielder Esteury Ruiz is somebody who unquestionably falls into that category. The A's acquired Ruiz prior to last season in a three-way deal with Atlanta and Milwaukee, and the rebuilding organization gave him his first chance to start on an everyday basis. It's safe to say he took advantage of the opportunity. In 132 games, the 25-year-old slashed .254/.309/.345 with five homers, 47 RBI, 24 doubles, and an American League-high 67 stolen bases. Ruiz was a high-average hitter in the minor leagues, and Oakland believes he'll be on base much more frequently as he gets better acclimated to the Major League level. And if that happens, look for the stolen base numbers to only go up. 

The Mariners made Elon University product George Kirby the 20th overall pick in the 2019 draft, and after debuting early in 2022 he's asserted himself as an integral piece of the team's starting rotation. In 56 big-league starts to date, Kirby has worked to a 3.37 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP, while striking out 305 hitters in 320.2 innings and earning 21 victories. Despite all that success, he's still somewhat overlooked on his own pitching staff. Most of the conversation about Seattle's starting rotation this spring has centered around Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, and even young Bryan Woo, but don't be shocked if Kirby ends up pitching better than all of them in 2024. 

Nathaniel Lowe was who I highlighted last year as the Rangers' most underrated player, and 12 months later, not much has changed. The powerful left-handed swinging first baseman just helped Texas win its first World Series championship, but on a team loaded with big names he's often not given his due. Lowe was a Silver Slugger winner in 2022, and while he didn't have quite have that type of offensive season a year ago, he was still immensely productive. Playing in all but one of the Rangers' games, the 28-year-old slashed .262/.360/.414 with 17 homers, 82 RBI, and a career-high 38 doubles. He also took his defensive game to new heights, committing only three errors all year and finishing with a .998 fielding percentage en route to winning his first Gold Glove. 

The New York Mets rotation was almost historically bad in 2023, and while much of the blame for that was attributed to the injuries and struggles of both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, not nearly enough was being said about the absence of Jose Quintana. New York had brought in the veteran lefty the previous winter and had been counting on him anchoring a spot in the middle of its rotation. Instead, a fractured rib suffered in spring training kept him out for the entire first half, and by the time he returned the Mets were already out of the race. In the 13 starts he did make, Quintana pitched to a 3.57 ERA in 75.2 innings, and the team desperately missed that level of consistency while he was on the shelf. 

Philadelphia selected second baseman Bryson Stott in the first round of the 2019 draft coming out of UNLV, and while he impressed as a rookie in 2022, he showed flashes of stardom as a sophomore. In 151 games last season, Stott slashed .280/.329/.419 with 15 home runs, 62 RBI, 32 doubles, and 31 stolen bases. He's developed into a legitimate difference maker at this level, and at just 26-years-old he'll likely continue to get better. The Phillies are loaded with big names all over the diamond, but opposing pitchers should not fall into the trap of easing up when Stott is in the batter's box. 

The Marlins have somewhat sneakily had one of the game's best young pitching staffs for several years now, and lefty Braxton Garrett is firmly part of that mix. After struggling with some injuries early in his career Garrett was able to make a full complement of starts in 2023, and really thrived. In 31 outings, the Foley, AL native turned in a 3.66 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP, while limiting the opposition to a .250 batting average and striking out 156 hitters in 159.2 innings. Now Miami is excited to see what he can do for an encore. 

The Braves offense is a problem from top to bottom, and catcher Sean Murphy is undoubtedly not the first player opposing pitchers gameplan against when getting set to face Atlanta. And that is honestly probably why being traded to Atlanta immediately led to the veteran delivering the best offensive year of his career. In just 108 games with the Braves in 2023, Murphy slashed .250/.365/.478 and set new career highs with both 21 home runs and 68 RBI. The thing about facing the Braves is their line-up simply has no weaknesses, as even if you can survive Acuna, Olson, Riley, and others, hitters like Murphy can really hurt you from the bottom of the order. 

Outfielder Lane Thomas began his career as an underutilized role player in St. Louis, but a 2021 trade to Washington has drastically changed his fortunes. With the Nationals, Thomas has developed into a borderline star, and he's coming off an absolutely phenomenal 2023 campaign. In 157 games, the 28-year-old slashed .268/.315/.468 with 28 home runs, 86 RBI, 36 doubles, and 20 stolen bases. The Nationals are a rebuilding organization that is exceedingly unlikely to compete in 2024, but Thomas has proven he should definitely be considered part of the solution in D.C. 

Right-hander Ryan Helsley has been one of baseball's better closers over the last couple of seasons, and his long-term absence in 2023 certainly contributed to the Cardinals disappointing campaign. In the 33 games he was able to participate in, the veteran converted 14 saves and pitched to 2.45 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. Opposing hitters managed just a .176 batting average against him, and he impressively struck out 52 men in only 36.2 innings. St. Louis' bullpen really struggled without him, which heading into 2024 should earn him more appreciation from fans and the organization alike. 

One of the most exciting players on the Cubs is versatile Christopher Morel, who brings passion, energy, and positional flexibility to play six different positions. But in some ways, I don't think fans even comprehend just how dynamic of a player he really is. In 107 games last season, Morel slashed .247/.313/.508 with 26 home runs, 70 RBI, and 17 doubles in only 388 at-bats. Yes, he could stand to cut down on his strikeouts, but there just are not many players in the game that can do the kinds of things Morel can on a nightly basis. He's still only 24-years-old and has not played a full Major League season. Provided he can stay healthy, Chicago is extremely excited to see what he can do in 2024, and you should be too. 

As was the case with Nathaniel Lowe in Texas, third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes was listed as the Pirates most underrated player when we did this list last year. And despite easily the best season of his career, I'm not seeing nearly enough attention headed his way this spring. In 124 Bucs games in '23, Hayes slashed .271/.309/.453 with 15 homers, 61 RBI, 31 doubles, seven triples, and 10 stolen bases. He was easily Pittsburgh's most consistent player, and provided validation for all of the prospect hype that followed his journey through the minor leagues. He also accomplished what was once believed to be impossible, beating out the Cardinals' Nolan Arenado to win the NL's Gold Glove award at the hot corner. 

As is the case in Chicago with Christopher Morel, Cincinnati's Spencer Steer gives his team an abundance of line-up options thanks to his versatility. In his first full season in the big leagues the former Oregon Duck started games at five different positions, which really allowed manager David Bell to play the match-up game against opposing pitchers. Most impressively, especially for such a young player, bouncing around the diamond defensively did not affect his offense whatsoever. In 156 games, Steer slashed .271/.356/.464 with 23 home runs, 86 RBI, 37 doubles, and 15 stolen bases. Heading into 2024, he is absolutely a name you should remember. 

Left-hander Wade Miley is a grizzled veteran with 13 years of Major League experience under his belt, but for some reason he seems to be underrated perpetually. It's true that Miley is not an ace or a star--he's qualified for only one all-star game during his career--but that doesn't mean he doesn't carry immense value. For starters, the 37-year-old has made more than 29 starts in a season seven different times, which is a level of durability that seems to be lost on the younger generation. He also remains tremendously effective even with over 1,700 big-league innings on his arm. In Milwaukee a year ago, Miley pitched to a 3.14 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP, while holding opponents to a .223 batting average. He doesn't wow you with strikeouts, but he's more than capable of solidifying a middle-of-the-rotation spot in a good starting five, and the Brewers are happy to have him on their side. 

Righty Evan Phillips had a bit of a tumultuous beginning to his career in Baltimore, but since arriving in LA with the Dodgers he's been absolutely lights out. Over the last two seasons, the UNC Wilmington product has been one of the very best relief pitchers in baseball, and last year he actually took over as the Dodgers closer-- a role in which he thrived. In 62 appearances in 2023, Phillips delivered a 2.05 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP while holding opposing hitters to a minuscule .177 batting average and striking out 66 hitters in 61.1 innings. He converted 24 of his 27 save chances, and he'll enter 2024 in one of the most important roles on baseball's best team. 

The best thing that happened to Thairo Estrada was coincidentally being designated for assignment by the Yankees at the end of spring training in 2021. The young second baseman had been blocked at the keystone by Gleyber Torres in the Bronx and had struggled in the minimal playing time he received in '19 and '20. The Giants swiftly picked him up following his release, and in San Francisco, Estrada has blossomed into a tremendously valuable big league regular. In 120 games last season, he slashed .271/.315/.416 with 14 homers, 49 RBI, 26 doubles, and 23 steals. He's become a critical part of what the Giants do on both sides of the ball, and the organization certainly hopes that continues in 2024. 

San Diego shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is the third repeat player on this list from last year, and I'll be honest, it is somewhat strange that he continues to be a little overlooked. Kim's abilities both at the plate and in the field are what drove the Padres to move Fernando Tatis Jr. off of shortstop for good, and even on a team that's had big-name star power in recent years, his production simply speaks for itself. In 152 games a year ago, the 28-year-old set new career highs across the board, slashing .260/.351/.398 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI, 23 doubles, and 38 stolen bases. He's quietly emerged as one of baseball's most dynamic players, and it's time fans outside of southern California start giving him more respect. 

For most of his time coming up through the Cleveland system, left-handed swinging Nolan Jones was considered one of baseball's best third-base prospects. He consistently tore up minor league pitching early in his professional career, but for whatever reason, things did not work out for him in eastern Ohio. The Guardians eventually gave up on Jones and traded him to Colorado in November of 2022, a move that seems to have revitalized his career. With the Rockies the Langhorne, PA native found a chance to play every day, and he really took advantage of the opportunity in 2023. In 106 games, Jones slashed .297/.389/.542 with 20 homers, 62 RBI, 22 doubles, and 20 steals. Colorado used him at first base, third base, and all three outfield positions, and heading into 2024, he's now firmly entrenched as one of this team's most important pieces. 

It feels a little strange to include Arizona righty Zac Gallen on a list of underrated players. After all, he was the National League's starting pitcher in the all-star game last summer. And while his peers certainly know and respect just how good Gallen is, it doesn't always feel like he gets that same admiration from fans on a national level. In 34 starts for the eventual NL champion Diamondbacks in '23, Gallen won 17 games while pitching to a 3.47 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP. He stuck out a career-high 220 hitters in 210 innings while surrendering just a .238 batting average against. While those numbers are obviously impressive, Gallen was even better in 2022, and it's time fans start looking at his body of work as a whole and realize he's elevated himself to elite status.