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best players money can buy
I can understand Alex being on a list like that - he isn't the best in the game even though many call him that. But why is Joba and Swisher? Who overrates them? Joba was an incredible story a few years ago and I still love the possibility of him doing it again as Rivera's replacement in the future but I can't think of the last time he was seriously discussed in anything. And Swisher? Huh? He used his personality to try to sway fans to get him into the All Star game. Once. I don't get it.Tom Servo said:SI polled players on who is most over-rated
Joba Chamberlain, Yankees P 12%
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees 3B 5%
Gary Matthews Jr., Reds CF 5%
Nick Swisher, Yankees RF 4%
J.D. Drew, Red Sox RF 3%
Three of them are Yankees...what a surprise.
Perhaps you didn't read the OP where I stated it was a poll of MLB players.
Overpaid? definitelyOverrated? by who, other than the Angels' management who signed him to the big contract
I guess the Rays have arrived when guys started getting over-rated. We've come a long way baby!
He'll be tossing the guy's salad next year when he's in pinstripes.
I understand that, but what is the universe of "overrated". I'm basing my judgement on advertising representation, media coverage and credibility on a national level, along with contracts received/demanded. I don't really see Swisher receiving accolades beyond "he's a great guy" and in which case, if he in fact, is not, then he is overrated. I don't see him or Joba as being overpaid If you want to to attack A-Rod is overpaid, I can't disagree, in fact, I would agree strongly. But I also don't hear A-Rod discussed much for his abilities near as the the controversy he sparks. If anything, I would say based on last year, his play is UNDERRATED. The guy has been a pretty clutch mofo for the last couple of years, he probably should have won the ALCS MVP. A-Rod is not any part of MLB marketing or any prominent national or regional advertising that I'm aware of. A three time MVP closing in on 600 home runs, you figure would be a bigger story. Its not, he wears the taint and cloak of the roid thing, justafiably so. But that being the case, I dont' think he's overrated.Perhaps you didn't read the OP where I stated it was a poll of MLB players.
I doubt he'll be here, and I will grant you, I might gain a new perspective and appreciation on him if he were here day to day. I'm human and have my biases, but I think I'm fair(don't we all). We'll see.He'll be tossing the guy's salad next year when he's in pinstripes.
Apparently the players must have a good idea of who is getting more coverage than they deserve. I don't think ad dollars and "credibility" factor into this as much as you think it does.To the point, when Joba throws a one-hit shutout he gets lionized and shirts are made and sold with his name on it, and now functions as a mop-up man, I'd say he well deserves this "title". Out here in fly-over country, we were told he was supposed to be the next great Yankee hurler and was going to be a perennial All-Star, etc. Apparently, that hasn't happened. Same with Nick Swisher; he was a decent hitter before he came to NY, and now he's freaking Reggie Jackson? Child please. He a good player, but not worth the drooling he gets from the media.
You could do that for the entire list.
Where is Joba getting attention though? As far as I know, most Yankees fans realize how far his star has fallen. Joba's not getting much pop from the media...and I don't even think consensus pre-season rankings in fantasy baseball had him high.
I agree if you are thinking he'll be over-rated after his new contract...hence your 'we'll see'. But that's different than being over-rated now.I doubt he'll be here, and I will grant you, I might gain a new perspective and appreciation on him if he were here day to day. I'm human and have my biases, but I think I'm fair(don't we all). We'll see.He'll be tossing the guy's salad next year when he's in pinstripes.I guess the Rays have arrived when guys started getting over-rated. We've come a long way baby!
So you pretty much think almost every top tier player in the game is overrated. I'm surprised you didnt list Pujols and Cabrera.
He's a horse and a heck of a pitcher, but he's carving up Quadruple A right now. Like I said, he's got the potential to be overrated, but not currently overrated, he's the second best pitcher in baseball, but he could ascend to those heights.
Are you serious? He carved up the best division in baseball for the past past five years.He's a horse and a heck of a pitcher, but he's carving up Quadruple A right now. Like I said, he's got the potential to be overrated, but not currently overrated, he's the second best pitcher in baseball, but he could ascend to those heights.
this reminds me...a few years ago, i went to a Spring Training game between the Reds and the Yankees in Tampa. This kid from the minors steps up to the plate. Name of Joey Votto. Now i'm not sure who i was thinking of instead, but (wanting to show off my vast knowledge of the minors to my buddies) i opined that Votto was decent, but he was more of a Quadruple-A guy. Votto promptly blasts a long home run to RF, at which point, this gruff blue-collar guy behind me half-mumbles "Quadruple-A, my ###."
Agree on Vlad being underrated and Hamels and Beckett being overrated. Mark Buehrle is the biggest omission on the overrated list, the only thing he ever leads the league in is batters faced, and yet I still hear him being referred to as some type of elite pitcher. Roy Halladay and Joe Mauer have already established a track record for being premium performers and Mauer especially is a once in a generation type talent. Justin Smoak's career just started so I'm not sure why he would be on anyone's overrated list and Carl Crawford should actually be on the underrated not overrated list.
You dont know anyone that thinks Swisher, Drew and Joba are very good?
Swisher gets pop for being perceived as a likeable, decent player who appears to be having fun. I think Yankees fans like him the way they liked Melky. Joba rightfully got pop until those damn Canadian soldiers got in his head. After that, he had the talent to be considered a MLB quality starter....but has since fallen off. Drew was an oft injured All Star whose pop at the beginning of his career ( Mickey Mantle Jr.) hasn't quite shown in his play. He's a solid player at this stage in his career who got a contract above what he has produced. To be honest, I don't know anyone thinks these guys are overrated. I've never heard any of them be brought up as top players in the game.
I'm overrating Crawford not based on recognition but more rumor, so I should be fair with that. With talk of a 15-17 million dollar contract this offseason, I think that would skyrocket him into the realm of the overrated. My issue with Mauer is his contract as well. He's being paid top dollar and he's had one spike of power in his career. A 30 home run guy, yeah, he's that sort of talent. He takes a bigger dip if they move him from behind the dish, which you figure they could in the next three seasons to maximize his value and throw Ramos back there, then I don't think he's a 20 million dollar guy.Smoak, I'll fess up, may be sour grapes over the Montero-Lee deal.
Not good enough to be overrated.Joba's appeal wore off 2 years ago. He's a failed starter and now a failing reliever.Swisher's a .250 hitter with some pop. I don't know of anyone who thinks of him as any more than that. In other words, Mike Napoli. (Until the first half of this season, which I assume everyone knows is a total fluke).I thought everyone except Theo Epstein stopped caring about or expecting anything from JD Drew a long time ago.Most of the baseball fans I know personally play in the same fantasy league. Best way for me to gauge expectations of these players is where they were drafted.Swisher went in Round 20, after OF's Franklin Guittierez and Chris Coghlan. FraGu plays in a market that nobody cares about and Coghlan himself was vastly overrated.Drew went in Round 28, just after Jeff Franceour, who's career was essentially over years ago in the minds of most.Joba went in round 30 (though, I guess, the fact that he was drafted at all is evidence of him being overrated).It seems to me that these are all mediocre players that people expected mediocrity from.
Mediocre players are people like Marco Scutaro and Melky Cabrera.JD Drew, while injured a lot and perhaps not worth his contract, has put up very good numbers for 11 years. You dont get on base at a .390 clip and slug at a .500 clip if you are a mediocre player.Likewise, Swisher has had a very nice 5 year stretch, with just one down year in Chicago in 2008. He is mediocre enough this year to be an all-star (questionable) and have the 2nd best OPS+ of all AL outfielders.Joba, I'll give you. Man, what the hell happened to him anyhow?
I guess it depends on how somebody interprets "overrated", which is hard to determine. It's a guess at the opinions of others.Seems to me that Drew keeps being written off and everyone expects him to get hurt, so his solid production would make him underrated.This is an odd year for Swisher to be called overrated, as (I assume) he's outperforming expectations this year by a good bit in the AVG dept.
You could do that for the entire list.
Worst list ever. Not sure what games he is watching.
well, it's a little silly to even be talking about, but i can understand how Cano, Longoria and Mauer with their very early success could be candidates for drop-offs. Reyes's injuries could cause a dip in his performance much greater than his reputation in people's minds.But Halladay has been a horse for a decade in the toughest division in baseball and now has an ERA of almost 2.You could do that for the entire list.Worst list ever. Not sure what games he is watching.
