Over the past few seasons, Mark Canha has been the definition of underrated. Since 2018, Canha has averaged a 133 wRC+, .361 wOBA, 1.8 UZR, and a 10.4 fWAR. Evidently, Canha is a great hitter, with decent defense. His overall production makes him a top 50 player, and top 12 outfielder.
Brandon Nimmo is the perfect example of a player who would fit into a moneyball scheme. Since 2018, Nimmo has a .399 OBP, 140 wRC+, and a .375 wOBA. It is apparent that Nimmo’s offensive production is elite, as he is another example of how players can be elite hitters without batting .300.
While Josh Donaldson is no longer the MVP caliber player, he is still a very good offensive player. Since 2018, Donaldson has a 126 wRC+, a .362 wOBA, 6 DRS, and a 4.0 UZR. His overall production still makes him one of the better players in the league.
Ozuna was very good in the past few seasons, which is why he is this high, but he’ll probably never play a professional game again.
Offensively, Pete Alonso is a top three first baseman. But since players such as Goldschmidt, Rizzo, and Matt Olson are better defenders, Pete Alonso finds himself as the 7th best first baseman. Alonso is one of the most prolific power hitters in the game right now, as he has a .537 SLG, .883 OPS, 133 wRC+, and .366 wOBA in his short career. Although the 25.4 K% is unappealing, Alonso’s offensive production is undeniable and he will be an elite first baseman for a long time.
Similar to Alvarez and Cruz, Martinez is fantastic offensively, but does not play the field (for a good reason). But strictly looking at offense, JD Martinez is one of the best hitters in baseball. JD has slashed .302/.375/.559, .388 wOBA, and a 143 wRC+. This conveys how Martinez is one of the better hitters in the MLB.
Michael Brantley is one of the key pieces to the offensive juggernaut in Houston. Brantley has put up monstrous numbers since 2018, slashing .316/.372/.490 with a .368 wOBA, 134 wRC+, and a 11.3 fWAR. Considering the fact that he has maintained this level of production for years conveys that Brantley is elite.
Personally, I thought 2020 was a fluke for Burnes, but he proved me wrong. In his 21 combined starts since 2020, Burnes has a 2.38 ERA, 1.55 FIP, 2.39 xFIP, 2.60 SIERA, and a 31.2 K-BB%. These are elite numbers over a decent sample size, making him in contention for being a top 10 starting pitcher.
While injuries probably confirmed that Stanton is no longer in his prime, he is still elite offensively. From 2018-2021, Stanton has a 132 wRC+, .365 wOBA, and an .860 OPS. It is clear that Stanton is one of the better power hitters of this generation, and his career is far from over.
While he is not quite the same player that Mookie Betts was, Alex Verdugo was definitely a good piece acquired by the Boston Red Sox. Since 2018, Verdugo has slashed .290/.347/.456 with a 114 wRC+, .342 wOBA, 22 DRS, and a 6.0 UZR. Verdugo is a complete player, and at only 25 years of age he will only improve.
Winker has been one of the more underrated hitters over the past few years, and that is shown by the success he’s had in 2021 (166 wRC+ and a .421 wOBA through 68 games). Overall since 2018, Winker has a 136 wRC+, .379 wOBA, and a 6.0 fWAR. The reason why he isn’t higher is because he’s an atrocious fielder, and is really only elite against right-handed pitching. But overall, Winker is a fantastic hitter.
Coming into 2021, I was not very high on Marcus Semien. Besides 2019, we never saw him produce at a high level. But, his performance in 2021 has changed my mind. So far this year, Semien has a .370 wOBA, .329 xWOBA, 2.9 fWAR, 9.2 UZR/150 and a 134 wRC+. In a weak second base position, a strong 2021 has catapulted Semien into the top 5 of that position.
DJ Lemahieu is a hard player to rate because he was so good from 2019-2020 with the Yankees, but so far in 2021 he’s been bad. A 98 wRC+ is not what we expected out of Lemahieu, but is it that surprising? ZiPS and FGDC both projected a regression for DJ, but not at this rate. For now I don’t want to penalize Lemahieu too much, as he has a 133 wRC+ since 2019, but I think the best has already come from DJ Lemahieu.
Will Smith has been elite ever since his career started with the Dodgers. Offensively, he has a career .374 wOBA and a 139 wRC+, and ranks in the top 20 in framing this season. Overall, Smith has a elite offense with solid defense, making him a top three catcher.
Even though Voit has gone through some obstacles to start 2021, his hitting numbers since 2018 are fantastic. He has a 139 wRC+, .378 wOBA, but has -26 DRS. While the offensive value is high, he is a defensive liability which drops him down a little bit in the rankings.
Josh Hader is undoubtedly the best reliever in baseball. Since 2018, Hader has a 1.86 SIERA, a 2.35 xFIP, and a 7.0 fWAR. These numbers are unmatched by any other reliever in the game, and he is having another career year in 2021, with a 1.56 xERA, 1.86 SIERA, and 2.12 xFIP.
Even though Bauer is not a top 10 player in the game, his overall impact on the sport is arguably the largest. But just as a player, since 2018 he has a 3.07 ERA, 3.71 xFIP, a 3.57 SIERA, and a 13.0 fWAR. By no means is he a top four pitcher that people make him out to be, but Bauer is easily a top 15 pitcher to me, and has been getting better over the past few years.
Even though the Diamondbacks are arguably the worst team in the history of Major League Baseball, Ketel Marte is putting up MVP numbers in 2021. He has a 165 wRC+, .416 wOBA, and a 1.5 fWAR. If the Diamondbacks coaching staff had a brain and put him at second base instead of center field, his defensive numbers would look better as well. But overall, since 2018 Marte has slashed .302/.362/.507 with a .367 wOBA and 127 wRC+. If he was put in his natural position he would be ranked higher, but for now his defensive metrics will suffer.
Tyler Glasnow has flown under the radar the past few years. Since 2018, Glasnow has a 3.02 xFIP, 3.20 SIERA, and 24.3 K-BB%. The numbers put him towards the top of the league for starting pitchers, and he will likely maintain this for a long time.
While Baez may never return to his 2018-19 offensive form, he is still an overall very good player. Since 2018 as a whole, Baez has a 110 wRC+, .336 wOBA, 45 DRS, a 10.7 UZR, and an 11.3 fWAR. Overall, Baez is a decent hitter with exceptional defense. Because of this, he adds great value to the Cubs, and is definitely a top 10 shortstop.
It’s clear that Cathellanos is in the middle of his prime, and the offensive numbers that are coming from him are great. From 2018-2021, Casthellanos has a slash line of .293/.348/.522, with a 129 wRC+, and .366 wOBA. Although he’s a bad defender, Casthellanos is a great hitter and is having a career year in 2021.
One could make the argument that Gallo is a top 50 player in baseball, due to his immense power, elite on base rate, and stellar fielding. The reason why I don’t value him that high is because Gallo strikes out at a historically high rate. His overall numbers since 2018 are a slashline of .215/.342/.488 with a .353 wOBA, 118 wRC+, .272 ISO, 23 DRS, and a 19.9 UZR. These numbers are great, but they’d be even better if Gallo did not have a 35.2 K% they’d be even better. If Gallo can fix the strikeout problem, he’d easily be a top 40-50 player.
Once Devers became accustomed to the big leagues in 2019, his offensive numbers became elite. Devers has slashed .294/.348/.546, with a .371 wOBA and 131 wRC+. Defensively, he’s mediocre at best, but overall Devers provides great value to the Red Sox.
Albies is a pretty solid player, but by no means is he a top 5 second baseman. Since 2018, Albies has a 110 wRC+, .340 wOBA, 21 DRS, 9.2 UZR, and an 11.1 fWAR. Overall, he’s a decent hitter with great defense. He’s having a good offensive season in 2021 with a .355 xwOBA, but I’ve seen too many people saying he’s better than McNeil when it isn’t even close.
Vasquez has always been an elite pitch framer, but his bat has improved over the past few years. Since the start of the 2019 season, Vasquez has slashed .276/.323/.445 with a 100 wRC+ and .323 wOBA. While this is not elite by any means, it is a good compliment to his defense, as he has 13 DRS, 29.2 FRM, and 16.7 FRAA ADJ. since 2018. While Vasquez is not quite as good of a pitch framer as players such as Jose Trevino and Austin Hedges, his offense pushes him higher up in the ranks.
After a poor 2019, and missing out on the entirety of the 2020 season, Buster Posey has come back to the lineup with thunder. Offensively, he has a .411 wOBA and a 166 wRC+, to add to his 2.7 FRM and 50.1% strike framing rate. Since 2018 as a whole, Posey has 11 runs saved from framing, 15.0 FRM, a .331 wOBA and 109 wRC+. Overall, Posey is a complete catcher.
