atrain081 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 This season's most overrated players Story Tools: Print Email XML Dayn Perry / Special to FOXSports.com Posted: 48 minutes ago The following is an exercise in craven subjectivity. We're talking overrated and underrated. Any time these two words are introduced into the discussion, you're taking into account individual perceptions, however skewed and adulterated those might be. Nevertheless, we're at a point in the season in which performances are meaningful from a sample size standpoint, and we can also, with reasonable accuracy, read the hype meters around the league. Who's getting too much ink? Who's owed some bandwidth? These are the overrated and underrated performers for the season in our midst. And this time, it's the players whose numbers don't rise to the level of the column inches. If they were a band, they'd be Coldplay. Yep, it's the top 10 most overrated players for 2005 ... 1. Scott Podsednik, LF, White Sox Scott Podesdnik has all the speed in the world, but the left fielder hasn't hit a single home run this season. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images) To hear many in the media tell it, Podsednik is the catalyst for the best team in the American League. To hear the numbers tell it, Podsednik is a below-average performer by left-fielder standards. He has his merits — good defense, solid on-base skills, speed on the bases — but his failings are more critical. To wit, he can't hit for power. At all. Podsednik's .337 slugging percentage is appalling for a corner outfielder playing half his games in one of the best power parks around. A left fielder with no home runs this late in the season isn't doing his job, no matter how many bases he steals. 2. Carlos Beltran, CF, Mets Beltran was overrated before his disappointing season in 2005. Beltran, of course, ramped up his market value with a hot stretch drive and stunning postseason with the Astros last year, but consider the preponderance of the evidence. He was a good player with admirable defensive skills, exceptional base-stealing abilities and a solid bat made to look better by a succession of hitter-friendly parks. So who's underrated? Brian Giles and Jason Bay made Dayn Perry's list of underrated players. See who else is on the list However, the Mets gave this good player "great player" money. A nagging hamstring injury and the run-suppressing environs of Shea have exacted a toll on Beltran this season. He's a better player than his 2005 numbers, but he's a substantially worse player than that $119 million contract. 3. Hank Blalock, 3B, Rangers Blalock has loads of ability, but his levels of offensive production are illusory. That's because Ameriquest Field is drastically inflating his numbers. Consider his career batting line on the road: .241 AVG/.300 OBP/.401 SLG. Now contrast that with his work at home: .316 AVG/.386 OBP/.566 SLG. Until he learns to hit away from Arlington, Blalock won't be the All-Star he's passed off as. 4. Kevin Millar, 1B, Red Sox Folksy and likeable? Sure. Idiot, Cowboy Up and all that stuff? Sure. Productive? Nope. This season, Millar is putting up a batting line of .270 AVG/.357 OBP/.367 SLG, which isn't adequate for a defensively challenged first baseman. He's had a couple of very good seasons in his career (both as a Marlin), but he's been unable to produce at all on the road in recent seasons (Fenway is a haven for right-handed batters). Regardless of clubhouse chops, he needs to be benched for road games and cut loose altogether after this season. 5. Victor Zambrano, SP, Mets The Mets cut bait on Scott Kazmir, perhaps the best young lefty in the game, to get Zambrano, mostly because then new pitching Rick Peterson thought he could fix him. Zambrano has a career 4.40 ERA and is already 30 years old. At first glance you might think Zambrano has made nominal improvement, what with his 4.13 ERA. However, consider that Shea is a pitcher's park, run scoring is down this season, and Zambrano has out only 88 strikeouts against 66 walks. Kazmir is the better pitcher now, and he'll most assuredly be the better pitcher in years to come. A terrible, terrible trade for the Mets. 6. C.C. Sabathia, SP, Indians C.C. Sabathia has done little to impress anyone this season. (David Maxwell / Getty Images) In some circles, Sabathia is regarded as an ace. He's not. In only one season has Sabathia worked at least 200 innings while maintaining an ERA better than the league average. This season, his ERA has risen to a career-worst 4.75. Sabathia's still only 25, but the time has come to realize his promise. 7. Zack Greinke, SP, Royals Fits and starts for a pitcher this young are to be expected, but a 6.28 ERA? Greinke was once hailed as the best pitching prospect in baseball, but it's not likely he'll ever live up to those expectations. Why? Greinke posts low strikeout rates in tandem with fly-ball tendencies. That's a dangerous mix. No matter how good a pitcher's command might be, if he's allowing a lot of balls in play and a lot of those balls are in the air ... well, that's bad. Press clippings aside, don't expect future greatness from Greinke. 8. Ichiro Suzuki, RF, Mariners Ichiro is a cultural luminary, an important figure in baseball history and a thoroughly likeable and engaging athlete. He also hits for average, runs the bases well and plays an exceptional right field. However, Ichiro lacks secondary hitting skills. That means he doesn't draw walks and doesn't hit for power. Because of these deficiencies, he's a player who needs to hit .330 or higher to be effective. Some seasons, he does that, and some seasons he doesn't. When you consider all Ichiro signifies and his global popularity, he's worth the attention he gets. However, through the prism of on-field performance, he's not. 9. 3. Sean Casey, 1B, Reds Casey's had a handful of good seasons in his career, but he's horribly inconsistent and isn't worth the $7.8 million he's making this season. He's slugging only .440, which isn't impressive for a first baseman playing half his games in Cincinnati. Stat geeks generally overstate Casey's weaknesses, but he's overpaid and overvalued by the organization. Considering the Reds' outfield/first base bottleneck, they badly need to pass on Casey's 2006 option. He's a useful player, but these days he's best deployed in a reserve/platoon role. 10. Ryan Klesko, LF, Padres Bad defense? Yep. Bad defense no matter where you stick him? Yep. Hasn't hit for power since 2001? Yep. Klesko still has good plate discipline, but he does little else to help his team. He was once an excellent player, but his time has passed. Dayn Perry is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com and author of the new book, "Winners: How Good Baseball Teams Become Great Ones" (Available at Amazon.com). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I don't recall Scott being paid to hit home runs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Sox Josh Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Where is Kerry Wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Ya this guys opinion holds a lot of weight with me... :rolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Wow, look how many times slugging shows up in those criticisms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 just another moron from the steroid era. Shoo fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxLova6 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 who cares if podsednik hasnt hit a damn homerun this season. he's the damn leader in stealing bases and distracting the pitchers when he's on base. what more can you ask for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrain081 Posted August 30, 2005 Author Share Posted August 30, 2005 we brought him here for one reason, and he's pretty much done that. He kickstarts the little offense we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 QUOTE(WhiteSoxLova6 @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 05:31 PM) what more can you ask for? A lead off hitter who's higher than 83rd in baseball in runs scored? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesox247 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Wow. Just wow. What a f***ing idiot. I could have lived with him bagggin on Pod's OBP, but homers? Since when did leadoff guys have to hit homers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 QUOTE(whitesox247 @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 05:46 PM) Wow. Just wow. What a f***ing idiot. I could have lived with him bagggin on Pod's OBP, but homers? Since when did leadoff guys have to hit homers. Rickey Henderson? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santo=dorf Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 05:35 PM) A lead off hitter who's higher than 83rd in baseball in runs scored? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Let's just ignore the fact that he has been hurt and doesn't have much support around him. :rolly Don't you think Podsednik would score more runs if he was in Boston's lineup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daa84 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 04:48 PM) Rickey Henderson? i actually have gone on record to say that scotty is overrated, but the most overrated is not right. i dont give a damn that he doesnt hit homers either, but i will say, that ppl in chicago especially i believe overrate him some. but top spot is ridiculous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch and Judy Garland Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Rickey Henderson is the greatest baseball player ever to live (in my unpopular opinion) so he's not really someone to judge Pods off of. Maybe Vince Coleman or Juan Pierre. THe rest of the list is a joke to me. Blalock? Sabtathia? Come on. Also, who outside of espn and fox's payroll thinks Kevin Millar is a good player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 05:57 PM) Let's just ignore the fact that he has been hurt and doesn't have much support around him. :rolly Don't you think Podsednik would score more runs if he was in Boston's lineup? Well, you could put Tadahito Iguchi at #2 on the list then. Especially around here. Those two have been nothing more than average at the top of the order, yet you're not allowed to say a bad word about either one of them around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 QUOTE(Punch and Judy Garland @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 06:00 PM) Rickey Henderson is the greatest baseball player ever to live (in my unpopular opinion) so he's not really someone to judge Pods off of. Maybe Vince Coleman or Juan Pierre. Its unpopular because it is completely wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch and Judy Garland Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 well we'll have to agree to disagree then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 (edited) QUOTE(Punch and Judy Garland @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 06:03 PM) well we'll have to agree to disagree then He is possibly the greatest leadoff man ever, but are you trying to tell me that Henderson is better than Ruth, Bonds, Williams, Mays, etc. Edited August 30, 2005 by whitesoxfan99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch and Judy Garland Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 (edited) If I started a team, and that's the criteria I use when considering the greatest ever, he'd be my pick over Bonds or Ruth. He changed every game he played in, outside of course the ones he played in more recently. I should also mention that there is NO cloud of steroid suspicion with Henderson. If there was the slightest, he would have been named in Canseco's book. His absence from accusations tells you everything you need to know. Edited August 30, 2005 by Punch and Judy Garland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt4444 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Let's look at the stats. These stats are rankings for left fielders in the AL. Scott is last in homers, 7th in runs scored, 9th in batting average, last in slugging percentage, last in triples, 17th in the RBI (which means there are backup left fielders with more RBI's). So now you tell me if those stats deserve to be an All Star? No they don't. Is Scotty overrated, yes. He does steal a lot of bases, but that means nothing if you don't score. I would take 7 other left fielders in the AL before Scotty. Ramirez, Matsui, Anderson, Crawford, Mench, Crisp, and Stewart. If you are looking for offense, Scotty is not the man. Sorry, but the facts back it up. Podsednik is overrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beck72 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 This Perry guy was a big time tool based on his off season and early season predictions saying how bad the sox were. He's got no love lost for the Sox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch and Judy Garland Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 you only chose the stats that fit your argument. Not sure if Scotty is overrated or not but it's not fair to do that if you are goign to leave off things he's better at. All I know is that when he gets on base, good htings happen and I don't care what the numbers say about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt4444 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 QUOTE(Punch and Judy Garland @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 05:14 PM) you only chose the stats that fit your argument. Not sure if Scotty is overrated or not but it's not fair to do that if you are goign to leave off things he's better at. All I know is that when he gets on base, good htings happen and I don't care what the numbers say about that. Name the stats that he is near the top in then, especially before you accuse me of giving a one-sided explanation. I mentioned the one he leads in, stolen bases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punch and Judy Garland Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 you didn't mention obp and you dismissed the steal cateogry for the most part. I'm not saying where he ranks among left-fielders in the league but its clear from your post that you were using numbers to make your point and not letting the numbers make the point for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt4444 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 QUOTE(Punch and Judy Garland @ Aug 30, 2005 -> 05:14 PM) you only chose the stats that fit your argument. Not sure if Scotty is overrated or not but it's not fair to do that if you are goign to leave off things he's better at. All I know is that when he gets on base, good htings happen and I don't care what the numbers say about that. I'm sorry. Pods is also 9th in hits, 10th in doubles, 1st in being caught stealing (3 times as many CS than any other left fielder), 5th in walks, 6th in on base percentage, and 11th in on base plus slugging percentage. But yes, I was trying to keep these stats out of the picture just to prove my point. Oh wait, these stats only strengthen the point even more that Scotty is overrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.