Team “All Underrated” for 2022

The moment everyone was waiting for has arrived. It’s time to reveal the All Underrated Team of 2022.

To qualify, we take into account:

• Zero calls to the All-Star Game

• Zero selections to the All MLB Team

• Zero awards (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove)

• Zero accolades on the 2022 “10 Best Now” lists

Catcher: Christian Vazquez, Red Sox
It is the third time that the Puerto Rican is on the All Underrated Team. The 293 games he has received in the last three years are the most in the Majors.

Although Vázquez had a tough year offensively in 2021, hitting the .258/.308/.352 line, he had one of the best moments of the postseason hitting a walk-off home run in Game 3 of the ALDS. The Puerto Rican has a wRC+ of 94 in the last three seasons, surpassing Mike Zunino (92) and Jacob Stallings (91) – both were in the Top 10 at his position.

His 11 defensive runs saved over the past three seasons tie him with JT Realmuto and Sean Murphy for eighth among players with at least 500 catching innings in that stretch.

First baseman: Ty France, Mariners
France has only played two seasons and one of them was shortened by the pandemic. Regardless, it’s still important to note that in that span he has racked up the eighth-best WAR calculated by FanGraphs (4.4) and wRC+ (130) among all first basemen.

France is expected to be the Mariners’ starting first baseman, after hitting .291/.368/.445 with 18 homers and 32 doubles in 2021.

Second base: Nicky Lopez, Royals
After posting a .586 OPS in 594 major league batting times and a rocky preseason last year, López did not make the Royals’ Opening Day roster in 2021. But an injury to Adalberto Mondesi allowed him to return to shortstop. He responded by hitting .300, with an on-base percentage of .365 in 565 times at bat.

His strikeout rate of 13.1% was in the 96th percentile and he often gets on base to take advantage of his speed — in the 79th percentile. Defensively, he led all position players with 25 Outs Above Average.

This year, López will start at intermediate.

Shortstop: Willy Adames, Brewers
After being traded by the Rays last year, the Dominican hit .285/.366/.521 in 99 games with the Brewers. Although he didn’t have a good record of Above Average Outs last year, Adames is seen as a solid defender with good instincts. He has speed and makes hard contact (72nd percentile for hard hit rate in 2021).

At just 26 years old and with what he saw last year in Milwaukee, Adames could be on the verge of making the leap to stardom.

Third base: Jeimer Candelario, Tigers
Candelario’s career has gone under the radar, being on some Tigers teams that have not been able to compete. But he has been a solid above-average hitter the past two years, with a 123 wRC+ that ranks sixth best among all qualified third basemen. He led the Majors with 42 doubles last year.

Since taking over the Tigers’ hot corner in 2018, Candelario ranks fifth in the position with seven Above Average Outs.

Left field: Robbie Grossman, Tigers
Grossman, 32, is a switch hitter with elite walk rates and swings out of the strike zone, plus above-average speed. Over the past two seasons, his 117 wRC+ (17% better than league average) ranked him 19th among qualifying outfielders. Since 2016, the only qualifiers among those who primarily patrolled left field during that stretch who had a better on-base percentage than Grossman’s .353 were Juan José Soto (.432) and Michael Brantley (.363). .

Here’s another interesting stat: The only player other than Grossman with at least 90 walks and 20 draws last year was none other than Shohei Ohtani.

Center field: Kike Hernandez, Red Sox
The Puerto Rican may be the most recognizable name on the list, simply because he has been a part of excellent teams that have gone far in the postseason. Plus, he’s been key to those clubs, with a three-homer game the night the Dodgers clinched the NL title in 2017 and his October of last year, when he went 20-for-49 (.408). with the Red Footed

For this reason, some would say that Kike is not underestimated. But as an unrecognized utility player, he fits this criteria and has always been surrounded by bigger stars. The arrival of Trevor Story in Boston would finally allow Hernandez to focus on center field, where his eight Above Average Outs ranked him seventh last season (although he played nearly a third of his time in middle of the infield).

Right field: Hunter Renfroe, Brewers
As it is at shortstop, we’re also in a golden age at right field, and to some, it’s obvious that Renfroe is nowhere near the ranks of Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts and Aaron. Judge.

Aside from his disappointing performance with the Rays in the abbreviated 2020 season, Renfroe has generally been a solid player. Over the last four full seasons, he has averaged 29 homers and 25 doubles. In his career he has punished left-handed pitching with a .263/.347/.557 offensive line. On defense, his arm strength is a boon, as demonstrated by his league-leading 16 outfield assists last year.

Designated Hitter: Franmil Reyes, Guardians
Reyes moved to the American League in mid-2019 and has settled into life as a DH over the past two years. “La Mole” has his ups and downs and his 32% strikeout rate last season was one of the worst in MLB. But over the past two seasons, Reyes has hit .261/.331/.498 with a 122 wRC+. Those numbers can be compared to JD Martinez, who had a .266/.333/.483 offensive line and wRC+. of 114 in the same section.

In 2021, Reyes was in the 89th percentile in average take-off speed and in the 86th percentile in anticipated slugging.

Starting pitcher: Joe Musgrove, Padres
The right-hander should have his spot in the Friars Hall of Fame secured after throwing the first no-hitter in club history. But other than that, Musgrove has quietly put together some of the best numbers among starters over the past three seasons. His 7.6 fWAR from 2019 to 2021 ranks 16th among those who qualify, while his 3.79 ERA over that stretch ranks 19th.

In 2021, the right-hander was above average in hard-hitting percentage (38.5), strikeout percentage (27.1) and walk percentage (7.2). And his revs on the straights and corners were in the 99th and 88th percentiles, respectively. His .253 anticipated slugging percentage against his curveball ranked him sixth among those who faced at least 100 batters.

Relief pitcher: Giovanny Gallegos, Cardinals
Some would imagine that Liam Hendriks and Josh Hader are the top two relievers in WHIP over the past three seasons, but most would be surprised to see Gallegos ranked third in that category.

But it’s true. The Mexican’s 0.85 WHIP in that span is second only to Hendriks (0.81) and Hader (0.83). With an ERA of 2.76 in 169.1 innings over those three seasons, Gallegos has been an integral part of the St. Louis bullpen. He moved into the closer role in the second half of last year and had 14 saves, while his opponents’ anticipated average (.206), strikeout rate (30.7%) and walk rate (6.5%) were all behind. above average.