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I was just wondering, who do you think is the least appreciated Hall-of-Famer relative to what they've achieved (excluding Negro League players)? For me, it would have to be between Arky Vaughn, Dan Brouthers, or Billy Hamilton, as all three of them can conceivably lay stake to the claim as being the best overall player of their respective era. And yet, you can ask even a semi-casual fan about them and they might not know who any of them are.
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"Age is a question of mind over matter--if you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
-Satchel Paige -
Stan Musial.
Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.-Crash Davis -
Al Simmons, considered by many of his era to be a great five-tool player.
Carl Hubbell, the only guy behind Lefty Grove who could compete as an elite in a time of hitting."Allen Sutton Sothoron pitched his initials off today."--1920s articleComment
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I agree with San Musial. There are a lot of people who don't know who he is.Comment
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The first two that came to my mind were Arky and Mize.1885 1886 1926 1931 1934 1942 1944 1946 1964 1967 1982 2006 2011
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The Top 100 Pitchers In MLB History
The Top 100 Position Players In MLB HistoryComment
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Most of the old timers..Delahanty and Lajoie are two guys arguably in the top 40 all time who nobody's ever heard of.
Speaker is number one though...a top 10 all time player who is virtually unknown today.Comment
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Clearly it's Oscar Charleston. The other immortal Negro Leaguers (Paige, Gibson) are well known. Most people never heard of Charleston, even though it's likely that he was among the 10-15 greatest players ever.Comment
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Collins, Vaughan, Speaker among the general public. Interestingly Vaughan was alluded to in a recent commercial, I think for some I-pod type device ("I'm 99% sure...").
Henderson may actually be underrated as saber-wise he is a top 15 player.
Maybe Frank Robinson.
Barry Bonds, a lot of people don't realize he was on a top 10 course.Comment
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Although he wasn't the very best of his era (I give that nod to Honus Wagner), I'd say that George Davis was still a whole lot better than some of the more illustrious players of his time. He's basically a top 100 player that most people have never even heard of.
Eppa Rixey is another good candidate for this thread. Pretty much like the Bert Blyleven of his time, Rixey was better than his pitching stats would otherwise indicate because he played on horrible teams. Given at least an average team to play on, he likely would have won more games (while losing fewer), as well posting a lower ERA/ERA+. Even here, on this forum, he's still considered a HOF mistake by some, which couldn't be any further from the truth.Last edited by rsuriyop; 08-12-2012, 12:10 PM."Age is a question of mind over matter--if you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
-Satchel PaigeComment
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I agee with your call of Frank Robinson. Many people know he's a HOFer but few know how good he really was. I'm not sure if it's because he didn't play in glamor cities, or maybe because his name is Frank. I ran his name by my buddy the other day... he heard of him, but figured he was in the Dale Murphy mold when I told him he won 2 MVPs.Originally posted by brett View Post"Chuckie doesn't take on 2-0. Chuckie's hackin'." - Chuck Carr two days prior to being released by the Milwaukee BrewersComment
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Barry Bonds? When was he elected? Say it ain't so!Originally posted by brett View PostThey call me Mr. Baseball. Not because of my love for the game; because of all the stitches in my head.Comment
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I would go with Stan Musial. I think he's only appreciated in St.Louis."(Shoeless Joe Jackson's fall from grace is one of the real tragedies of baseball. I always thought he was more sinned against than sinning." -- Connie Mack
"I have the ultimate respect for Whitesox fans. They were as miserable as the Cubs and Redsox fans ever were but always had the good decency to keep it to themselves. And when they finally won the World Series, they celebrated without annoying every other fan in the country."--Jim Caple, ESPN (Jan. 12, 2011)Comment
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Every player mentioned on this thread I would have to agree with.But the most puzzling would have to be Musial.Back in the mid-80s,Bill James prophetically observed,in his Historical Baseball Abstract,about how Musial`s image "seems to be fading quickly".He was initially left off the All Century Team!Comment
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I didn't even know until I looked up his recent whereabouts that President Obama gave him the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
I'm not sure how is best, but Musial needs some time like Ted Williams got near the end of his life. I know he was featured at the 2009 All Star game in Busch Stadium. But Williams turned his Fenway Park appearance into a small rebirth of his celebrity. He was even on commercials.Comment
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I would say Orlando Cepeda
He was an 11 time all-star and World Series champion.
Granted he played twice in the same year at the all-star games.Comment
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