Underrated

[The People's Peep]

So we already discussed which athletes were overratted. Now its time to discuss which ones are Underrated. Just like the last thread, it can be any sport.

I'm gonna go to hockey for this one and talk about Zach Parise. The guy gets better every year. He's scored over 30 goals in each of the last three years and totals of 45 and 38 in the last two. Not only does he score with with the best of league, but he also is a solid defensive player, with +/-'s of 30 and 24 in the last two years. If you have ever watched him play, you probably know the best thing he does: hustle. The man is like the energizer bunny. He gives it his all on every shift and even at the end of the game, he's full of energy. Maybe its because he plays in Jersey, but he possibly one of the 5 best players in the league and no one knows it.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Clinton Portis.

Some people forget how good Clinton was when he played for the Denver Broncos. Portis had a couple of very good years with Denver, and then he was traded to Washington. The Redskins franchise has been a clusterfuck for most of this decade, and Portis has unfortunately been a part of that. Still, Portis has been able to maintain a rushing average of 4.5 yards per carry over the years, and that's pretty good for a guy who's on a mediocre team.

Portis has been banged up for the past 2 or 3 years, but I still think he's the most underrated running back in the NFL.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

I have a player that I feel is underrated, Rick Ankiel. I'm not going to say Rick is a great player by any means but he is underrated. For those of you that don't know Rick Ankiel was a 20 year old pitcher for the Cardinals back in 2000 and finished 2nd in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, going 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 194 strikeouts. That year in the post season everything went wrong, he lost command of his pitches, and got hammered in the 2 games he pitched in. The next season he picked up where he left off in the post season, and was never right after that. He ended up being sent back down to the Minor Leagues for the last time in 2004.

Rick would never pitch again. Instead he went to the Minors to work on his hitting and fielding to become an everyday player. 7 years later he made his return.

In 2007 Rick Ankiel was called back up to the Cardinals to be an everyday player. In 47 games he hit 11 homeruns and 39 RBI, but the Cardinals didn't make the post season. 2008 was his 1st full year as an everyday player, and he delivered with a .264 average 25 homeruns and 71 RBI. He played center field and had a .986 fielding percentage. This is a former pitcher we are talking about here.

Ankiel fell off in 2009 an 2010 is only just underway but what he accomplished in going from dominant pitcher to everyday center fielder is something not many can do. I don't know if he is completly underrated but he doesn't get the praise he deserves for what he has done.

 

[Theo Mays]

There are plenty of underrated guys out there in sports. All 3 choices above are excellent picks. Parise is underrated (though not around here, as I hear a lot about the kid). Portis is another underrated star and Ankiel is a pretty solid OF. If I had to pick a star per se, like a Clinton Portis I would take Thomas Jones. I just feel Jones doesn't get a lot of credit as a top notch RB, yet he has consistently produced the last 5 or 6 seasons. When I'm with a group of friends and we are talking RB the first guys to come up are always Peterson, MJD, Johnson, Williams, and Jackson. Thomas Jones right up there with those guys. While he isn't on the elite level that an AD or Chris Johnson are on, he is on that list of RB that are going to consistently put up solid seasons.

 

[jrwill122090]

Ian Kinsler of the rangers, I will give you some of his averages as far as stats go. Averages 175 hits a year, 38 doubles, 26 homers, 85 rbi, 29 stolen bases, 65 walks, and a career fielding average of 978. He is a really good hitter, great fielder and just a guy you would want on your team.

 

[The Brain]

Ian Kinsler of the rangers, I will give you some of his averages as far as stats go. Averages 175 hits a year, 38 doubles, 26 homers, 85 rbi, 29 stolen bases, 65 walks, and a career fielding average of 978. He is a really good hitter, great fielder and just a guy you would want on your team.

Ian Kinsler could be a total stud if he could just stay healthy. Unfortunately it’s inevitable that he will have a lengthy DL stint at least once a year.

 

[The Brain]

I’m not sure if this was meant only for active players, but I’m going to mention someone who is retired. Larry Walker. This guy was an absolute stud, but he is rarely mentioned when discussing the great players of his era. He batted .313 for his career with nearly 400 home runs and over 1300 RBI. He was also great in the field as he won seven gold gloves. Every year from 1997-2002, except his injury plagued 2000, he was either first or second in league batting average winning the batting title three times. His MVP season of 1997 was possibly the most amazing all around season I’ve seen. That year he hit .366 with 49 home runs, 130 RBI, 208 hits 143 runs scored, 33 stolen bases, and he won a gold glove. Walker was awesome. It’s time the Rockies retire his number (they haven’t yet to my knowledge). He’s on the hall of fame ballot for the first time next year and I bet he will not get the recognition he deserves.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

God I can't believe I'm about to do this.... another player that is underrated is Derek Lee.

Derek Lee is a 3 time Gold Glover, 1 time Silver Slugger, and 2 time All-Star yet he gets close to no love. Lee is a 14 year veteran with a career average of .284, 28 homeruns, and 90 RBI to go along with a .994 fielding percentage. All this and he is barely mentioned when talking about great first basemen. I think the biggest reason is he has been overshadowed in his own division since joining the Cubs in 2004.

 

[ThePeoplesChampion]

Not a single football player...well im going to put one in this...Matt Forte...overlooked in the draft...bears grabbed him had a great year his rookie season...had a sophomore slump...but is putting up good numbers in his marshaul faulk role...im no way saying he is Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson but he is a top 5 or 10 back

 

[Hazardous]

I'm going to say the most dominate man of the Post Season for the past few years.. Johan Franzen. The guy is an absolute beast. But due to the fact that he plays on the very talented Red Wings.. He gets lots in the star power. If you look at his playoff stats though, he's better then a lot of the top guys in the league. And is that not really what it's all about? Your playoff performance?

 

[Big Sexy]

Not a single football player...well im going to put one in this...Matt Forte...overlooked in the draft...bears grabbed him had a great year his rookie season...had a sophomore slump...but is putting up good numbers in his marshaul faulk role...im no way saying he is Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson but he is a top 5 or 10 back

I call bullshit on this. He had a good rookie season then fell off significantly in his second season and so far this year he has been absolutely horrendous. He has yet to average even 3 ypc in any game this season, and he has yet to get a rushing touchdown. In week one he had 50 yards rushing, the last 3 weeks he has failed to get even 30 yards in a game. Against the Lions he had a great game receiving with 7 catches for 151 yards and two scores but since then he hasn't been putting up good receiving numbers either. No way is he a top 5-10 back. If anything the guy is overrated.