Who is your choice for most underappreciated ballplayer, retired?

Question

An interesting question came up here on Yahoo!answers baseball earlier about Stan Musial. The question was about why he was under rated. It occurred to me that besides Stan the Man I could think of a number of players who should be regarded more than they are. Among my choices would be:
Pie Traynor
Joe Adcock
Mickey Lolich

And yours?

awcrip's and Frizzer -- both spot on. I was a Hank Aaron fan when I was a kid, so I know. And Roberts is STILL overlooked as a pitcher.

Jon A -- oh, you are very sharp. Lary Doby. Of course! He was ALSO the second black manager, too. He is given short shrift all the time.
Big Lee Smith, too.

Chipmaker and The Mick "7" -- gotta disagree. Yes, the Hall of Fame is the highest honor, but some Hall of Famers aren't even discussed as best 2nd baseman or center fielder or whatever when others who manifestly are NOT going into the Hall are. Sometimes, it seems, a guy goes into the Hall and disappears.

Answer 1

I got two, Larry Doby - first african american to play ball in the american league, great ballplayer has good numbers but is almost forgotten and overshadowed by Jackie Robinson. Next Lee Smith - former all time saves leader, his record of most saves was just broken by Hoffman last year and most people dont even know who he is.

Answer 2

Those who keep mentioning hall of fame players seems a bit fruitless. How can any hall of famer be considered under appreciated? Evidently someone thought that were great if they now sit in Cooperstown.

Ron Santo
Gil Hodges
Dwight Evans

are my choices for under appreciated players. All three should be members of the Hall of Fame but for whatever reasons, they are not.

Santo has to make my top five third baseman of all time behind, Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, Clete Boyer (who couldn't hit his weight but defensively was the greatest I ever saw), and Eddie Mathews.

Gil Hodges, in my mind, IS a hall of famer. There wasn't a classier guy in baseball. There are players in the hall that don't have the numbers Hodges has. The guy was a leader and a gentlemen. Sadly forgotten!

Dwight Evans was by far the greatest right fielder of his day and certainly the greatest right fielder in Red Sox history. His offensive numbers are more than respectable and his defense was unequaled by anyone in baseball during his career.

Answer 3

Robin Roberts

Answer 4

Dale Murphy. He meant everything to the Braves, and was a class act during that era. Batting titles, MVP's, and a great guy. Probably never see the Hall, but always be my hero.

Answer 5

Santo, Blyleven, Grich. Joe Gordon.

No one IN the Hall can be considered underappreciated. The Hall is the highest individual, achievement-based honor in the sport.

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Gene, you're going to have to cite specific names if you want your argument to float. I'll even pick second basemen, since that's the first position you mention. Who is not in the discussion for Greatest Second Baseman ever? Hornsby -- HOF. Morgan -- HOF. Sandberg -- HOF. Alomar & Biggio -- not yet eligible. Collins -- HOF. Lajoie -- HOF. Frisch -- HOF. Fox -- HOF. Doerr -- HOF. Mazeroski -- controversial, but HOF nonetheless. Kent -- not yet eligible. Robinson -- HOF. Gotta reach (and it's not a great reach, but it IS a reach) for Lou Whitaker, Bobby Grich, Joe Gordon, or Frank White before there's a top-flight 2Bman who is/has been eligible and isn't in. (Let's please ignore Rose, who did play 2B for part of his career. He is known to be a case with special conditions acting.) I could toss out a few other non-HOF names as well, but they really wouldn't be contending for Best Ever, because Hornsby or Morgan or Biggio or Alomar or pretty much anyone else listed above would trample them. (To be certain, a player need not be the Best Ever in order to be worthy of the Hall. It isn't THAT exclusive.)

Election to the Hall is a signal honor (at least when bestowed by the writers; VC history is spottier), and there are very few unjustly-overlooked players remaining across the long stretch of baseball history. The Hall is certainly not a perfect institution and probably is not perfectible; but it is still a very good, and very select, institution, whose primary honor is not substantially watered down. (And, as a sidenote, I generally disagree with your contempt for the voting writers. As a group they certainly have their flaws, shortcomings, failings, and public demonstrations of utter stupidity -- but I consider them, on the whole throughout Hall history, to have been a very well-behaved and responsible gatekeeping electorate.)

Answer 6

Harold Baines

Answer 7

I don't think that Musial was underrated. I thought that Elston Howard was underrated. He was a great catcher, and was a clutch hitter as well, but hardly no one talks about him. He was also very well liked by the Yankees.

Answer 8

He is getting the recognition now but he was never appreciated when he was playing, and that would be Hank Aaron. He was a soft spoken man and always took a back seat to the more flamboyant Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle.

Answer 9

Ron Santo

Answer 10

Ron Santo - no way! Robin Ventura - yes!

Disagree?? Look at their stats - they are just about the same. So does Ventura belong in the Hall too??