Ranked: MLB's 10 most underrated players

Certain professional athletes fly under the radar, but their contributions are critically important to their ballclubs.

Not every MLB player has the flashiest skill set. Many ballplayers have made a name for themselves getting it done quietly.

Normally, plenty of attention is given to some of baseball’s biggest names, and rightfully so. But today we’ll take a look at the 10 most underrated players in MLB. All statistics are sourced from Baseball Reference.

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Some MLB fans might take issue with the fact that a two-time batting champion can be considered underrated. Barstool Sports believes Arraez has the best chance of any MLB player to hit .400 in a season. Despite all this, he still seems underrated amongst MLB front offices.

Arraez is still just 27 years old, and has hit over .300 in every season in each of his five prior big league seasons except for one. Yet, he’s on his third team in six seasons, as he was traded to the San Diego Padres in May 2024. It seems somewhat bizarre that someone of his caliber at the plate would be traded twice in the prime of his career, which makes him underrated.

The Yankees have some of the most recognizable players in sports, but an unheralded player has managed to become a pillar of stability in their rotation. Nestor Cortes spent four solid seasons in New York's rotation. The New York Times wrote a piece about him in 2022, calling him more than a gimmick.

NJ’s website covering New York sports pointed out that it seemed like The Athletic thought Cortes was “just a guy” in their rankings of 2023 MLB pitchers. Cortes has shown that he’s capable of more than that, pitching well in the most pressure-packed market in the Major Leagues. His next challenge will come in Milwaukee, as he was dealt to the Brewers in December 2024 in the Devin Williams trade.

Morton broke into MLB way back in 2008 with the Braves, and finds himself back with the team who gave him his first chance. It was hard to predict that he would become a consistent pitcher for 17 MLB seasons, as he struggled in his first few campaigns. However, Morton has been a strong performer for about the last decade.

Atlanta needed players like Morton to step up in the wake of Spencer Strider’s season-ending injury in 2024, and the 40 year-old did just that. It’s been incredible to watch Morton keep hitters off balance at this advanced stage of his career. Fox 16’s website took a closer look at how he’s been able to maintain this level of production.

It’s hard to look at the full scope of Bassitt’s career in MLB and say anything other than he’s been a consistent force. It’s possible that detractors believed that he was greatly aided by the vast area of foul territory in Oakland early on in his career, but Bassitt has shown that he belongs near the top of MLB rotations.

Only now in his mid-thirties is Bassitt starting to get the respect he’s deserved for a while. The Port Clinton News Herald pointed out how durable he’s been, especially for the Toronto Blue Jays, in the last couple of years. He might be a player who contending teams pursue aggressively in the years to come.

Most MLB fans are dazzled by the supreme talent the Dodgers have in the infield and outfield, but Smith’s production at and behind the plate should not be taken for granted. Simply put, he’s just a solid presence for Los Angeles’ pitching staff, and does almost everything well.

Smith’s batting average has tended to remain steady between .260 and .290, which is pretty solid for a catcher. Additionally, he’s provided notable pop at the plate, hitting at least 19 home runs in each of his last four seasons. Dodger Insider noted that the pitching staff’s earned run average metrics are impressive, with Smith catching as well.

Martinez is a six-time All-Star and a three-time Silver Slugger award winner, who is still somehow underrated. That’s because he wasn’t signed until the precipice of Opening Day in 2024, by a team who may not have been looking for a veteran thumper. MLB appeared to sleep on the fact that the soon-to-be 37 year-old still had plenty of gas left in the tank.

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His season got off to a belated start, but Martinez was a reliable force at the plate for most of the season, just as he’s been his entire career. The Bergen Record openly wondered why New York would bring him in, as did many other outlets in late March and early April 2024.

Many baseball fans have Gray’s less than stellar production with the New York Yankees etched in their minds. However, that’s not really fair to a pitcher who has made three All-Star teams, and has shown that he can get it done in a variety of places.

Fox News’ website wrote that Gray has solidified himself into possibly the most underrated pitcher in the game. Gray is in his first season with the St. Louis Cardinals, and he’s picked up right where he’s left off. His ERA outside of his time with the Yankees has been under four, which is extremely solid.

A two-time All-Star in the prime of his career might not be able to fly under the radar, but Tucker somehow does. Former Astros teammates like Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve and Josh Bregman got the majority of the credit in Houston. While that trio has been stellar for Houston, the club also would not have achieved the same team success without Tucker’s contributions.

Before the 2024 MLB season, ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle pegged Tucker as the most underrated player in the game. Doolittle believes that there are a bunch of MLB teams that Tucker could be placed on today where he would be the top player. It'll be interesting to see if Tucker flies under the radar for his new team, the Chicago Cubs, in 2025.

Lugo has been something of a baseball nerd’s MVP, rather than a player who garners the spotlight from the national media. That’s because Lugo’s spin rate, particularly on his curveball, has been highlighted by baseball sabermetrics for a while. The MLB’s website called this out way back in 2016, when he was just getting his career started with the New York Mets.

However, Lugo had always expressed his desire to become a starting pitcher, and has blossomed into one of the best in his first season with the Kansas City Royals at age 34. His evolution from high leverage reliever to frontline ace has been remarkable to watch, and might finally start to get the credit he’s deserved for a long time.

Yardbarker believes that Diaz is one of the most gifted players in MLB that no one talks about, and it’s hard to argue with that notion. As a small market team, Tampa Bay’s players are often slighted in these conversations, but Diaz has been a force at the plate for several years. He won the American League batting title in 2023.

MLB’s website had a catchy but accurate headline in May 2024: As Yandy goes, the Rays go. Although his numbers weren't that impressive during the first half of the MLB season, Diaz’s final numbers looked more reminiscent of a typical season for him when 2024 concluded.

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