David Dryburgh

Ask and ye shall receive. Here's a why I think each of those HOF'ers I listed are underrated (and they're surely not the only underrated HOF'ers, just the first 10 that immediately came to mind): Yogi Berra • He is so well known for his amusing sayings and the fact that he won 10 World Series with the Yankees –– the most ever –– that people lose sight of just what a tremendous hitter he was. Probably among the top 3 catchers ever! And a war hero! Gary Carter • He's the only catcher in history with 100+ Rbat and 100+ Rfield, making him perhaps the most well-rounded catcher ever, and he also had a WS ring and all the intangibles you could hope for. Probably among the top 3 catchers ever! Somehow, it took him 6 ballots to get into the HOF! Stan Musial • He's one of the all-time greats, but I feel like there is a huge gap between how amazing he was and how much recognition he receives. Look at his hits, XBH, RBI, batting average, all of it. Inconceivably huge numbers, but not talked about much outside of St. Louis. Hank Aaron • He's so known as the home run king that people forget what a great all-around hitter and ballplayer he was. He's got the third-most hits ever, won a Gold Glove and a batting title and an MVP and a World Series. He was the total package, but because he was so consistently dominant, some folks think he never had a "peak" and therefore was never actually dominant at all. It's crazy! Al Simmons • Look up his numbers and then consider how few people ever talk about him. Truly, he had a crazy run, especially with the Philadelphia Athletics. Never won an MVP, but finished in the top 10 in 8 different seasons. Fred McGriff • Should not have taken him as long as it did to get into the Hall of Fame. He was a feared slugger, was the first to have a 30-homer season with 5 different teams, won two HR titles, won a World Series, and was beloved by fans and teammates everywhere he played. Without the 1994-95 strike, he easily finishes over 500 HR, so he was a casualty of both the strike and the Steroid Era, during which other players' enhanced numbers made his natural numbers look pedestrian. He also doesn't get enough credit for his outstanding postseason numbers. Cal Ripken Jr. • He's so known for The Streak and for being one of the original big power-hitting shortstops that people underrate his defensive prowess; he was always in the right position, had an absolute cannon arm, and had all-time levels of baseball IQ, even calling pitches for O's hurlers from the shortstop position. Juan Marichal • Won 20+ games 6x in 7 seasons from 1963-69 and had a 2.34 ERA during that stretch. I think he's underrated because he never reached 300 wins, but he was absolutely one of the most dominant pitchers ever at the height of his powers, yet nobody mentions him in the same breath as peak Koufax or Maddux or Pedro. Frank Robinson • Like Stan Musial, he's an all-time great that doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He had his number retired by three teams, was the first to win MVP in both leagues, first Black manager in both leagues, and was an absolute stud player. He came VERY close to 3000 hits and 600 homers, and since he was a player-manager, he could have given himself enough ABs to get there. But he didn't, because he wasn't selfish. He'd be talked about much more with 3000 hits and 600 homers. Jackie Robinson • He's so known as a civil rights icon that people forget just what a fine ballplayer he was. Great hitter and baserunner, fierce competitor. And baseball was only his fourth-best sport!!! He was an all-time talent in football, basketball, and track, with baseball coming in fourth by all accounts. He served in the military in WW2 and didn't debut in the big leagues until he was 28 years old. He put up 63.9 WAR as it is, but imagine if he had a longer career?