There are underrated players all throughout the league regardless of which team you look at or cheer for. For the next five days, I will go division-by-division and team-by-team, identifying one underrated player or someone who ultimately seems to fly under-the-radar every year.
This player might be a pitcher or position player and could play anywhere on their 25-man roster. There are no limitations as the only goal is to finally give these guys the credit that they deserve!
1. Chicago Cubs: Pedro Strop - If I was able to, I would list the entire Chicago Cubs bullpen on here because from a league wide perspective, they just don't get the attention or respect that they deserve, but if I had to pick one reliever to talk about, it's Pedro Strop. Dating back to the 2015 season, Strop has pitched to the tune of a 2.8 WAR, has a 10.55 strikeouts-per-9 rate over that span, and a cumulative ERA of 2.87 over 175.2 IP. Strop, who is going into his fifth full season with the Chicago Cubs after being acquired prior to the trade deadline from the Orioles in 2013, also comes with a career Opponents Batting Average Against of .199 and a cumulative career WHIP of 1.17. In addition, Strop does have some closer experience with the Cubs, but he is best served as a 8th inning guy who can be utilized as a bridge to new Cubs closer, Brandon Morrow. With Morrow, Carl Edwards Jr., and Steve Cishek at the back of the Cubs bullpen, Strop makes the Cubs bullpen even more dangerous.
2. St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Carpenter - Since first base and third base happen to be the two deepest and most talented positions around the league, Matt Carpenter often times gets overlooked. Through his 7-year big league career, Carpenter has a batting line of: .277/.377/.460 over the span of 3,638 plate appearances with 853 hits, 97 home runs, 404 RBI, 476 walks, 15 stolen bases, and 660 strikeouts. While his strikeout rate is high, he does have a career 20.9 WAR with the Cardinals and an Offensive Wins Above Replacement (oWAR) value of 23.5. Besides Carpenter's ability to not only play first and third, he has played 201 games at second base as well as 19 games in right field and 7 in left field during his tenure with the Redbirds. From a league wide perspective, since 2015, Carpenter leads all third baseman with his 14.6% walk percentage and is 4th on the list in Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) with a value of 133 over 1,853 plate appearances. Carpenter might not be Joey Votto or Josh Donaldson, but he is a huge weapon in the Cardinals everyday lineup.
3. Milwaukee Brewers: Travis Shaw - One of the reasons why the Milwaukee Brewers were 5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central last year was partially because of Travis Shaw and the offense that he provided. Shaw, who is going into his second season with the Brew Crew, finished last year batting: .273/.349/.513 over 606 plate appearances with 147 hits, 31 home runs, 101 RBI, 60 walks, 10 stolen bases, and 138 strikeouts. If you want to expand the sample size to 2015, when Shaw first appeared in the big leagues, he's got 60 home runs, 208 RBI, and a .473 slugging percentage over that time. Considering that Shaw is in the midst of his peak right now at 27 years old, soon to be 28 next month, he should only continue to get better this season and once again provide a solid staple within the Brewers lineup to go with Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Ryan Braun, Domingo Santana, and Eric Thames. For a trade that required the Brewers giving up reliever, Tyler Thornburg, this has been a steal of a trade so far for Milwaukee.
4. Cincinnati Reds: Eugenio Suarez - Eugenio Suarez, who was just awarded with a 7-year extension on Friday, is easily the Reds most underrated offensive player. Suarez, who is coming off a season in which he hit: .260/.367/.461 over 632 plate appearances, will now be a cornerstone at the hot corner for Cincinnati and someone for the fans to cheer for as the Reds continue their rebuild. Given the depth and talent at third base, it's difficult for someone like Suarez to standout and rank high up on the list, but his 19 stolen bases dating back to 2015, puts him 10th among third baseman, and his 6.5 WAR over that span, ties him with Martin Prado of the Miami Marlins and the aforementioned Travis Shaw, for 15th on the list. As is the case with Shaw, Suarez is at the start of his prime given that he's 26 years old and will continue to be able to work on his craft even more in the coming years. While Suarez isn't Adrian Beltre or Josh Donaldson, he is a legitimate bat within the Reds lineup and is someone to watch this season.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates: Felipe Rivero - Felipe Rivero is another player who was awarded for his performance with an extension this winter and it was certainly well deserved. Dating back to 2015, Rivero has a 10.00 strikeouts-per-9 rate, a cumulative ERA of 2.87 along with a FIP of 2.89. In addition, Rivero has a 0.58 home runs-per-9 rate over that span and a 3.8 WAR. More recently, Rivero pitched to the tune of 1.67 ERA last season over 75.1 IP, which was 7th best among relievers, and had a 79.5 left on-base percentage over that span. Furthermore, Rivero recorded 21 saves in 23 save opportunities last year and had an Opponents Batting Average Against of .171. For a Pirates time that is in a transitional period and having a struggle finding it's identity, Rivero will play a crucial role in the coming years at the back end of Pittsburgh's bullpen and should be able to help the next championship Pirates club.
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