Baseball has been ruined for me. I'm talking about the jersey and hat combo wearing, not shaving until they lose, "Yankees suck" kind of baseball. It's gone and I have no one to blame but myself. For, you see, I play fantasy baseball.
My allegiance to one particular team is gone. I find myself just as likely to be rooting for the Royals as the Red Sox because Brian Bannister pitched a good game for me the other day and Youk went 0-fer.
In some ways, fantasy baseball has made real baseball miserable and stressful to watch. In other ways, it's made it amazing. I can ball park stats for pretty much every player in Major League Baseball and every player that could potentially be added to an MLB roster.
It has exposed me to the unsung heroes of the game-the guys that lead their team, but don't get any credit.
And that's why I'm here. I now present to you, the 2008 MLB All-Underrated Team.
Let’s start with the pitching staff.
Aaron Cook, SP, Colorado Rockies - In the past, "Ginger" (as I like to call him) worked as a middle and back end of the rotation innings eater for the Colorado Rockies.
This past year, he made giant strides in becoming the pitcher many saw glimpses of during the 2007 season. He’s not a big strikeout guy, but he has a nasty sinker that when paired with a good slider and a moderate fastball can be deadly. This year, his ERA hovered right around 4 and the guy won 16 games for a sub-.500 Rockies team.
Gavin Floyd, SP, Chicago White Sox – Chicago saw something in this guy that Philadelphia didn’t and it’s paid dividends. Floyd became major league ready this year and enamored Chicago fans with his low 90’s fastball, big-league hook, and alright change.
Next year Floyd will attempt to top his 17 wins and 3.84 ERA. Not bad for a guy who is still relatively unknown behind proven names like Buerhle and Vazquez.
Jesse Litsch, SP, Toronto Blue Jays – I cannot remember a more surprising move than when the Jays sent Jesse Litsch to Triple-A Syracuse midseason. He was pitching admirably, albeit with an ERA approaching 4.50 through July, for an anemic Jay’s offense with an injured Vernon Wells and a pop-less Alex Rios.
It was shocking to me and apparently lit a fire under Litsch as he posted a stellar 4-1 record in September and finished 13-9 with an ERA under 4.00 for the second consecutive season. Next year, Litsch will attempt to get his name recognized in the best-in-the-majors rotation of Halladay, Burnett, McGowan, and Marcum.
Zack Greinke, SP, Kansas City Royals – Besides the Josh Hamilton and Rick Ankiel stories, Greinke’s is the feel good story of 2007/2008.
Once one of the top prospects in baseball, Greinke was sidelined with severe social anxiety and depression for almost all of the 2006 season. He returned the following year to pitch in 52 games, mostly as a reliever, before returning to the rotation in 2008. This year, Greinke posted career highs in IP, K’s/9, wins, and ERA while mired at the top of the starting rotation for the perennially awful and forgotten Royals.
Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Houston Astros – The diminutive Rodriguez does not look like he belongs on a Major League mound. At 5’11” and 160 pounds, he is far from intimidating. But over the past three years he has routinely pitched like Randy Johnson at Minute Maid Park while getting lit up away from home.
This year, Rodriguez evened out his home/away record and while he pitched less innings, notched a better K/9 rate, an equal amount of wins, and a better ERA than 2007. If he can stay healthy and keep his splits intact, I expect him to make a name for himself among National League pitchers.
Honorable mentions: Aaron “Down Year” Harang (Cincinnati), Paul Maholm (Pittsburgh), Todd Wellemeyer (St. Louis), Ted Lilly (Chicago Cubs), and Jamie “I’m Still Alive and Freaking Good” Moyer (Philadelphia)
Next up, I will delve into the 2008 MLB All-Underrated Team’s relief pitching. While pretty much every reliever is unknown and under-appreciated, I’ll attempt to grab some shockers.
I appreciate all comments, criticisms, suggestions, and hate mail, so feel free to send it along.
comments (12) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
Nice job Dylan. I think your analysis was really well done. Jamie Moyer especially proved that he's still alive and good in the World Series. Good for him for being well over 40 and still being able to get guys out. I actually like Grienke a lot. I've seen him pitch several times when the Royals and Yankees play and I think he's a guy that has the potential to be a great pitcher with a little more experience. Keep up the good work!
from about 1 month ago
One reason Jamie Moyer may be the most underrated pitch in baseball is that each time he pitches he is supposed to lose yet 70% of the time he proves the skeptics wrong
He is still alive and well and should be 12-15 times next year
about 1 month ago
Burnett opted out of the last two years of his deal, Marcum will miss next year with TJ surgery, and McGowan will be coming back from Labrum surgery and won't pitch before May. That actually increases the odds of Litsch getting recognition, since barring a free agent signing he's the number 2 of the staff.
from about 1 month ago
Barring no Halladay trade he's number 1
about 1 month ago
Hi DYlan,
Nice article, although you really should try to make sure your facts are somewhere near correct. As the previous poster noted, the rotation of the Jays is not at all as you said it would be. This has been known for a few months already. Marcum and McGowan both gone is 2/5 of the starting rotation. You should know better. I know its a Canadian team that most baseball fans couldn't care less about, but facts are facts.
from about 1 month ago
Thank you for the comments. I really appreciate them. Yeah, I should have known that about McGowan and Marcum. I was well aware of Burnett's situation, but as of right now, he's a Blue Jay so I kept him in there. Thanks again.
about 1 month ago
I disagree about Gavin Floyd. Gavin showed flashes of greatness but overall disappointed. He needed to get away from philly.
from about 1 month ago
Oh there's no doubt Floyd showed flashes of greatness or else he wouldn't have been a first round pick. But, his two call-ups in Philly were less than impressive. Pretty hard to watch actually. Chicago gave up Gio Gonzalez for him, so who knows what the future holds for that trade when both are full timers.
about 1 month ago
Wow. Dude please do your research before you post. I know you've been corrected, but do you even follow MLB? It doesn't take alot of searching to find who's injured and who's not. Shawn "North Of Stelles" Marcum. Google it. It's really, really easy. Sure he's not on the R.Sox/Yankees/Cubs/Dogders/ but..... Wow. I know the Jays aren't on ESPN but christ. My goodness. I mean he's been out for months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
from about 1 month ago
I know he's injured and I've been corrected. I just didn't know he was out for as long as he is. Thanks for your moderately constructive criticism.
about 1 month ago
Dylan,
I liked the article, I think that Aaron Cook really didn't get the recognition that he deserved this year. He has the ability to dominate a game like only a few others do. I think that I would also have to include Matt Cain in my list of underrated pitchers...talk about lack of run support. This kid is the real deal.
from about 1 month ago
David, thank you for your comments. I couldn't agree more about Cook. This year he was throwing that sinker and winning ball games as consistently as any ace, especially when the Rockies needed him because of Jeff Francis taking a step back from his 2007 form. I was going to include Cain in this article, but truthfully, I feel like that's been done too much. Everyone knows Cain's plight and it's become almost cliche to include him on underrated lists. I should have acknowledged him at some point though! Much appreciated!
write a new comment