15 MLB Players Who Are Not as Bad as Everyone Thinks

By Nick Vorholt

15 MLB Players Who Are Not as Bad as Everyone Thinks

Los Angeles Angels Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Mike Trout — No, neither Albert Pujols nor Mike Trout made this list, but they are both examples of players that are under appreciated because of expectations. This list is players who the average fan doesn't think of as "good." Below are the Rodney Dangerfields of MLB. They are mostly free agents who don't get enough respect. It's a mix of back-end-of-the-rotation starters, No. 4 outfielders and stars who have fallen from grace.

15. Adam Lind - 1B

Seattle Mariners First Baseman Adam Lind

15. Adam Lind - 1B

Seattle Mariners First Baseman Adam Lind — For three years straight, Adam Lind has had OPS over .800. Since then, he's gone from Toronto to Milwaukee to Seattle. With a plus glove and a great contact rate, Lind should be an elite first baseman, not an also ran. Seattle Mariners GM Jerry DiPoto traded away Mark Trumbo, Logan Morrison and top prospect Patrick Kivlehan to make room for Lind, which all but gave him a spot on this list.

14. Alejandro De Aza, OF

San Francisco Outfielder Alejandro De Aza

14. Alejandro De Aza, OF

San Francisco Outfielder Alejandro De Aza — Alejandro De Aza is a plus defensive right fielder with an OPS of .700 or better and an OBS of .300 or better since he left the Miami Marlins early in his career. Oddly, he has been traded for next to nothing and waived in the last 18 months alone. Put him in a right field platoon situation and watch him flourish. (Dayton Moore, I'm writing this for you.)

13. Alex Rios, OF

Kansas City Royals Outfielder Alex Rios

13. Alex Rios, OF

Kansas City Royals Outfielder Alex Rios — Alex Rios is trying to combat his slowing bat by swinging with less power. It has not really worked with his average and stolen bases going down each of the past three years. His defense has become suspect too. However, he is better than batting ninth on the Kansas City Royals and being released.

12. Alfredo Simon, SP

Detroit Tigers Starting Pitcher Alfredo Simon

12. Alfredo Simon, SP

Detroit Tigers Starting Pitcher Alfredo Simon — Over the past two years, Alfredo Simon has pitched 383 innings, his first two as a starting pitcher. His walks and hits both went up when he joined the AL, but he is still a solid No. 4 starter. After being an All-Star and seeing Johnny Cueto sign a $ 130-million contract, why can't Simon get a job?

11. Billy Butler, DH

Oakland Athletics DH Billy Butler

11. Billy Butler, DH

Oakland Athletics DH Billy Butler — Billy Butler is no different than he was with the Royals. For some reason he is a disappointment in Oakland. Take a player from a pitcher's ballpark to even more of a pitcher's ballpark and this is what happens.

10. Billy Hamilton, OF

Cincinnati Reds Center Fielder Billy Hamilton

10. Billy Hamilton, OF

Cincinnati Reds Center Fielder Billy Hamilton — Here's an elite defender and base runner. Somehow, Billy Hamilton went from being a Rookie of the Year candidate to being baseball's biggest disappointment. That was back to back years where he stole the same number of bases in fewer attempts. His OBP needs to go up if he wants to remain a starter.

9. Elvis Andrus, SS

Texas Rangers Shortstop Elvis Andrus

9. Elvis Andrus, SS

Texas Rangers Shortstop Elvis Andrus — Elvis Andrus is a prisoner of his contract. For the past three years, he has been close to the same player with only his steals taking a step back. That's all the average fan and announcer should have noticed, but his defense has regressed as well.

8. John Danks, SP

Chicago White Sox Starting Pitcher John Danks

8. John Danks, SP

Chicago White Sox Starting Pitcher John Danks — Another prisoner of his contract, John Danks has been a mid-4 ERA starting pitcher with about 130 strikeouts per season. He had two injury-riddled seasons and people expected him to be better when he returned. Danks is what he is.

7. Juan Uribe, 3B

New York Mets Third Baseman Juan Uribe

7. Juan Uribe, 3B

New York Mets Third Baseman Juan Uribe — Juan Uribe was injured in 2010 and 2011. Those were tough years. The rest of his career, he's a .260 AVG and .725 OPS third baseman. Maintaining that, he's above-average defensively and should be starting somewhere next year.

6. Kelly Johnson, 2B

New York Mets Infielder Kelly Johnson

6. Kelly Johnson, 2B

New York Mets Infielder Kelly Johnson — Kelly Johnson is a left-handed batter that plays almost everywhere. Three of the past five years, he has had OPS of higher than .700. He may be a below-average defender, but he is a decent bench player to be sure.

5. Matt Albers, RP

Chicago White Sox Relief Pitcher Matt Albers

5. Matt Albers, RP

Chicago White Sox Relief Pitcher Matt Albers — Matt Albers is a veteran relief pitcher. Pitching mostly low-leverage relief for the Chicago White Sox this past season, he had an ERA of 1.21. How has he not drawn more attention yet this offseason?

4. Matt Thornton, RP

Washington Nationals Reliever Matt Thornton

4. Matt Thornton, RP

Washington Nationals Reliever Matt Thornton — Matt Thornton is the lefty specialist of his generation. He is getting up there in age, but he still produces. There's no reason he shouldn't receive more respect.

3. Ross Ohlendorf, RP

Texas Rangers Relief Pitcher Ross Ohlendorf

3. Ross Ohlendorf, RP

Texas Rangers Relief Pitcher Ross Ohlendorf — Ross Ohlendorf is another starting pitcher who should have been a reliever. In a relief role, he is striking out a batter per inning and lowered his WHIP to close to one. As a starter, he is a failure. He should be respected for the reliever he is.

2. Ryan Raburn, OF

Cleveland Indians Outfielder Ryan Raburn

2. Ryan Raburn, OF

Cleveland Indians Outfielder Ryan Raburn — Ryan Raburn had an OPS of over 1.000 against LHP for the Cleveland Indians last year and wasn't awful against RHP either. Since leaving the Detroit Tigers, he has established himself as a LHP killer. Pair him up with De Aza in RF and watch out. (Yes, Dayton Moore, that is for you too.)

1. Travis Snider, OF

Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Travis Snider

1. Travis Snider, OF

Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Travis Snider — Travis Snider is the quintessential fourth outfielder. He is a power-hitting lefty who plays plus defense in the corner spots. He is not an everyday, franchise-saving player. The disappointment that he isn't more keeps people from appreciating what he is. The "secret" to Snider is that he can't earn walks against lefties. That's it. His power numbers are similar, but his OBP is better against righties. He is an elite fourth outfielder.

Nick Vorholt is a writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Cincinnati Reds and all things MLB.

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