2009 All Underrated/Overrated teams

2009 All Underrated and All Overrated Team

Catcher
Underrated - Yadier Molina - We all know by now that he is a superb defensive catcher, probably the best in the game today. However, did you realize he's turning into a pretty decent hitter as well? He doesn't really have any power to speak of, but he currently sits at .364 with his OBP, not too shabby.
Overrated - Bengie Molina - It's an all Molina showing, unfortunately for Bengie. He's the exact opposite of his brother, using decent power to mask a .285 OBP. He also has lost a lot of ability behind the plate. Combine this with the fact that the team probably would have been better off playing Buster Posey down the stretch and you have the most overrated catcher in baseball.

First Base
Underrated - Derrek Lee - Lost in the misery of the Cubs' season is the fact that Lee is actually having a great year. For some perspective, he is ahead of Mark Teixeira in all three slash categories, posting 304/388/578 to date. While he is not quite the glove man his reputation would suggest, he is also still above average in the field as well.
Overrated - Russell Branyan - A lot of people have talked about the fine year Branyan is having, but it really has not been anything special. He's still in the bottom half of all first baseman in most every offensive category, and while it has been a good year for him, he is still just another guy.

Second Base
Underrated - Ben Zobrist - Yes, everybody knows he is having a great year, but few realize just how great a year it has been. Despite not playing quite as well down the stretch his OBP sits at .400, is slugging .530 and has been the best defensive second baseman in baseball during his time there. He's been as good as Chase Utley this year and significantly better than every other second baseman in baseball.
Overrated - Aaron Hill - Hill has some gaudy counting stats, 32 HR, 30 2B, 98 RBI, but most of those are inflated by his huge number of plate appearances. His OBP is 75 points lower than Zobrist, his slugging is 50 points lower and he is not in the same class defensively, yet most people seem to think he is actually having a better season.

Third Base
Underrated - Chone Figgins - A player who has often found himself on the other end of the spectrum, his outstanding year has been mostly overshadowed by Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales. Figgins' .400 OBP and 42 steals have helped fueled a powerful Angels lineup and his defense has been the equal of anyone in baseball.
Overrated - Brandon Inge - The Aaron Hill of 3B, Inge made the all-star team and despite not doing anything in the second half, still sits at an impressive 27 HR's. However, he sacrifices everything else for power, swinging from his heels and racking up massive strikeout totals. His excellent defense is really the only thing preventing him from being near replacement level.

Shortstop
Underrated - Yunel Escobar - Often the subject of trade rumors, I do not understand why the Braves seem so anxious to get rid of their extremely talented young shortstop. He's been nearly as valuable this year as Troy Tulowitzki who is often called one of the best shortstops in baseball.
Overrated - Rafael Furcal - Furcal really has not been an above average player since 2006, yet has still spent essentially the entire year batting at the top of the Dodger lineup, while Matt Kemp has often hit 8th.

Left Field
Underrated - Denard Span - Mauer and Morneau get all the talk, but the Twins have quietly developed themselves a potential great leadoff hitter in Span. He has an OBP around 390, just enough power to keep a pitcher honest and the speed to be dangerous on the bases
Overrated - Jason Bay - Bay is actually a very good player, however everybody seems to think he is the equal of Matt Holliday and that they will get a fairly equal payday in the off-season. While Bay and Holliday are comparable hitters, Holliday is a very good fielder in left and Bay has essentially been a DH masquerading as a LF for several seasons now.

Center Field
Underrated - Franklin Gutierrez - This should probably be Matt Kemp who has been the best CF in baseball this year, or Shane Victorino who was the third best, but Gutierrez is the reason I started writing this. He is the best defensive outfielder in baseball by a lot and while his batting numbers will not wow anybody, he has been one of the most clutch hitters in baseball this year, shown by his +3.38 WPA, which is 7th among AL hitters. Clutch performance may not carry over from one season to the next, but Gutierrez has certainly gotten it done this season.
Overrated - B.J. Upton - Yes his potential is off the charts and yes he is very good in the field, but Upton has been the worst hitting centerfielder in baseball this season. He has not hit for power, or average and has not drawn many walks. Upton's season is a big reason why the Rays fell short this year and few seem to have noticed.

Right Field
Underrated - Justin Upton - This could easily be many other people including Jayson Werth, Shin-Soo Choo, Nick Swisher or Andre Ethier, but I'm giving it to the person who was the best right fielder this year, 21-year-old Justin Upton. He hits for power, he hits for average, the plate discipline is coming around and he's a great defensive player. Just imagine how good he'll be when he's in his prime.
Overrated - Nick Markakis - Markakis came into the season with a ton of hype but is in the bottom half of right fielder in OPS and was below average with the glove this year. After showing constant development over the last few seasons, Markakis had a very bad year. Maybe the constant losing in Baltimore is getting to him or maybe it was a fluke, but he was a huge disappointment this season.

Starting Pitcher
Underrated -
Javier Vazquez - Second in the NL in K's, ERA right at 3.00, nobody notices.
Wandy Rodriguez - An even better ERA than Vazquez, yet somehow even less publicity. Rodriguez is currently sitting at 2.77.
Jon Lester - Forget Beckett, Lester has been the ace of the Boston staff for a couple of years now. He is third in the AL in K's and has posted a 3.29 ERA, improbably for lefty pitching at Fenway.
Scott Feldman - Don't say the Rangers have no pitching, Feldman has posted a 3.31 ERA this season in Arlington's hitter haven.
Matt Cain - Cain has been completely overshadowed by Lincecum, but Cain's ERA (2.71) is fourth in the NL.

Overrated -
Chad Billingsley - Thought of as one of the best young starters in baseball, Billingsley's ERA is around 4.00 and he has looked particularly ordinary in the second half.
Roy Oswalt - Former perennial Cy Young candidate has seen his ERA go up for four straight seasons and it is now over 4.
Mike Pelfrey - Still has never learned to throw anything other than a fastball and is frankly, barely a major league pitcher at this point.
Johan Santana - Even before going on the DL, Santana was posting the 12th best ERA in the league, while playing half his games in PETCO east, a.k.a. Citifield. Time will tell whether his relatively poor performance was due to injury or the start of his decline.
Josh Beckett - Currently has the 15th best ERA in the NL, behind Jarrod Washburn, Jeff Niemenn and Mark Buehrle

Relief Pitcher
Underrated -
Mike Wuertz - A 2.85 ERA to go along with 93 K's in 72.2 IP, he has been the perfect complement to breakout closer Andrew Bailey
David Aardsma - It is hard for a closer to be underrated, but Aardsma pulls it off with his 2.06 ERA. The Fact that he is 35/39 in save opportunities does not hurt either
Luke Gregorson - Gregorson has come out of nowhere to become the anchor in San Diego's pen. His 2.81 ERA is impressive, but his peripherals, 82 K in 67 IP and only 2 home runs allowed, are even more so.

Overrated -
Brian Fuentes - He leads the league in saves, but has actually blown more than anyone other than Brad Lidge and J.P. Howell
Bobby Jenks - Still tends to get grouped up with the upper-tier closers despite no numbers to support that assumption
Daniel Bard - Bard is very good but there has been a lot of talk about the Red Sox trading away Papelbon and handing the closer's role over to Bard, I think people spreading that rumor probably need to calm down a bit, he is not nearly at that level right now.