by The MLB is amazing because so many players can have fantastic seasons each and every year, but it can also be a bad thing. Many times, players get overlooked and overshadowed by other players just having better seasons than them. When we look back at some of the best seasons, we think Bonds, Griffey, Mays, Aaron, A-Rod, and many more. We immediately look at the Legends usually, but I think way too many guys go unnoticed or are underrated, and it will always be this way, some players will never get the full credit they deserve. There is no specific criteria, these are just seasons that have become underrated over the years but deserve to be looked at and remembered.
Luis Gonzalez, LF | Diamondbacks | 2001
Gonzalez is one of several players to fall victim to Barry Bonds reign of terror. From 2001-2004, Bonds won the MVP every year which drowned out some of the other candidates. Gonzalez exploded for a career year in 2001 at 33 years of age. The DBacks went on to win the World Series in this season which ended with Gonzalez walking off Mariano Rivera with a base hit to win it all.
2001 Stats: 162 G, .325 AVG, 57 HR, 142 RBI, .429 OBP, .688 SLG, 1.117 OPS
Career Accolades: 5x All Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 1x WS Champ
Albert Belle, LF | Cleveland | 1995
This is probably one of the biggest MVP robberies in the history of the MLB, as Belle came runner up to Mo Vaughn in 1995 despite Belle having a significantly better season. This season, Belle led the league in runs, doubles, home runs, RBI’s, and slugging. Belle is one of the forgotten players of his era just like a lot of people who are going to be on this list.
1995 Stats: 143 G, .317 AVG, 50 HR, 52 2B, 126 RBI, .401 OBP, .690 SLG, 1.091 OPS
Career Accolades: 5x All Star, 5x Silver Slugger
Carlos Delgado, 1B | Blue Jays | 2000
Delgado was a hitting machine but to be honest he was in a stacked First Base era which included Jason Giambi, Frank Thomas, Todd Helton, Jeff Bagwell, and more which cast a shadow over his greatness. In 2000, he led the league in doubles and had well over a 1.000 OPS. Delgado had 11 seasons with over 30 home runs and he always played most of the year, being a consistent star.
2000 Stats: 162 G, .344 AVG, 41 HR, 57 2B, 137 RBI, .470 OBP, .664 SLG, 1.134 OPS
Career Accolades: 2x All Star, 3x Silver Slugger
Larry Walker, RF | Rockies | 1997
Larry Walker is one of the best hitters ever, and the fact that it took him 10 ballots to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is insane. Walker had 4 career seasons hitting over .350 but that’s not all, he was great defensively and had a cannon arm. Walker could be on here several times but I think this season is severely overlooked even though he did take home the MVP Award this season. In 1997, he led the league in home runs, on base percentage, slugging, and OPS.
1997 Stats: 153 G, .366 AVG, 49 HR, 46 2B, 130 RBI, .452 OBP, .720 SLG, 1.172 OPS
Career Accolades: HOF, 1x MVP, 5x All Star, 3x Batting Title, 3x Silver Slugger, 7x Gold Glove
Jim Edmonds, CF | Cardinals | 2004
Jim Edmonds is known as one of the greatest defensive outfielders of all time but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good hitter, in fact he was a phenomenal hitter. Edmonds had always been a great player but his most successful year came in 2004 at 34 years of age. He helped lead Saint Louis to a 105 win season and a World Series appearance, although they lost, baseball is a team sport obviously, and Jim Edmonds’ impact was incredible.
2004 Stats: 153 G, .301 AVG, 42 HR, 38 2B, 111 RBI, .418 OBP, .643 SLG, 1.061 OPS
Career Accolades: 4x All Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 8x Gold Glove, 1x WS Champ
Alfonso Soriano, LF | Nationals | 2006
Soriano’s lone season with the Nationals was unbelievable as he became 1 of just 4 players in history to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season, not only that but he also had 40 doubles. He could do everything, he could hit, run, and field at an elite level, Soriano was versatile as well, he could play all outfield and second base as well. The only knock on him was that he didn’t walk much and struck out a lot, but his career was still illustrious.
2006 Stats: 159 G, .277 AVG, 46 HR, 41 2B, 41 SB, 95 RBI, .351 OBP, .560 SLG, .911 OPS
Career Accolades: 7x All Star, 4x Silver Slugger
Javy Lopez, C | Braves | 2003
Javy Lopez was one of the best Catchers of his era and he absolutely exploded for a career year in 2003 at the age of 32. He put up career high numbers in so many categories including average, home runs, OPS, and more. The amazing thing about this season is that Lopez is a Catcher, it’s so valuable to have a Catcher who can hit, and it always has been.
2003 Stats: 129 G, .328 AVG, 43 HR, 109 RBI, .378 OBP, .687 SLG, 1.065 OPS
Career Accolades: 3x All Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 1x NLCS MVP, 1x WS Champ
Adrian Beltre, 3B | Dodgers | 2004
Beltre is a sure first ballot Hall of Famer due to him entering the 3,000 hit club towards the end of his career. Somehow, he’s still underrated, probably because his accolades aren’t the greatest compared to other Hall of Famers, but he played 20 years and was consistently great. In 2004, Beltre led the league in home runs and this is definitely his best career year. Beltre was the runner up in the NL MVP voting in 2004 to, you guessed it, Barry Bonds.
2004 Stats: 156 G, .334 AVG, 48 HR, 32 2B, 121 RBI, .388 OBP, .629 SLG, 1.017 OPS
Career Accolades: 4x All Star, 4x Silver Slugger, 5x Gold Glove, 2x Platinum Glove
Derrek Lee, 1B | Cubs | 2005
I genuinely feel that if the Chicago Cubs didn’t miss the Playoffs in 2005, Derrek Lee would’ve taken home the NL MVP. Lee had a career year in 2005, as he led the league in batting average, hits, doubles, slugging and OPS. Albert Pujols and Andruw Jones placed ahead of Lee in the NL MVP voting but if it came down to the counting stats, I definitely think Derrek Lee had the best year of all of them. Lee, like Delgado, was in the middle of a great First Base era.
2005 Stats: 158 G, .335 AVG, 46 HR, 50 2B, 107 RBI, .418 OBP, .662 SLG, 1.080 OPS
Career Accolades: 2x All Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 1x Batting Title, 3x Gold Glove, 1x WS Champ
Magglio Ordonez, RF | Tigers | 2007
Ordonez had always been a 30 home run and 30 double threat every single year even in his early years with Chicago. He is one of the more underrated Outfielders of the early to mid 2000’s, he was a great hitter as he put up a career batting average of .309, and 2007 was by far his best year in many different categories. Ordonez was the AL MVP runner up in 2007 as he led the league in batting average and doubles, he finished only behind Alex Rodriguez who had a 50 home run and 150 RBI season.
2007 Stats: 157 G, .363 AVG, 28 HR, 54 2B, 139 RBI, .434 OBP, .595 SLG, 1.029 OPS
Career Accolades: 6x All Star, 1x Batting Title, 3x Silver Slugger
Mark Teixeira, 1B | Yankees | 2009
Mark “Tex” Teixeira has a couple of seasons that could land himself on this list, like 2005 where he had 40 home runs and 40 doubles for the Rangers. In 2009, Teixeira led the league in home runs and RBI’s but was runner up in the MVP voting behind Joe Mauer. The Yankees went on to win the World Series in 2009 and Mark Teixeira was their statistical best player in the Regular Season although he was subpar in the Playoffs.
2009 Stats: 156 G, .292 AVG, 39 HR, 43 2B, 122 RBI, .383 OBP, .565 SLG, .948 OPS
Career Stats: 3x All Star, 3x Silver Slugger, 5x Gold Glove, 1x WS Champ
Matt Kemp, CF | Dodgers | 2011
Matt Kemp had some fantastic seasons, especially in 2011, I feel as if this season is so overlooked for Kemp considering he led the league in home runs, RBI’s, runs, and total bases. He was runner up in the MVP voting to Ryan Braun, but I fully believe Kemp should’ve won the Award even though both players had fantastic stats. Kemp in his prime was a true 5-tool player as on top of what he did this year, he also swiped 40 bases.
2011 Stats: 161 G, .324 AVG, 39 HR, 40 SB, 126 RBI, .399 OBP, .586 SLG, .986 OPS
Career Accolades: 3x All Star, 2x Silver Slugger, 2x Gold Glove
Lance Berkman, LF | Astros | 2001
Berkman is the overlooked member of the Astros’ “Killer B’s” as the main chunk of the attention went towards Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. Berkman led the league in doubles in 2001 and that season was the best hitter on the Astros as he and Bagwell both finished top 10 in MVP voting where Berkman placed 5th. He is one of the more underrated hitters of the 2000’s as he had 6 career seasons of 30 or more home runs.
2001 Stats: 156 G, .331 AVG, 34 HR, 55 2B, 126 RBI, .430 OBP, .620 SLG, 1.051 OPS
Career Accolades: 6x All Star, 1x WS Champ
Jermaine Dye, RF | White Sox | 2006
In 2006, Dye was one season removed from winning World Series MVP in their sweep of the Astros the year prior. Dye continued his scorching hot play in 2006 as he finished top 5 in MVP voting with a career year where they unfortunately missed the Playoffs despite a 90-72 record. Dye was extremely impactful when he was on the Royals at the start of his career as well, he was a great hitter, and was also a plus fielder.
2006 Stats: 146 G, .315 AVG, 44 HR, 120 RBI, .385 OBP, .622 SLG, 1.006 OPS
Career Accolades: 2x All Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 1x Gold Glove, 1x WS Champ, 1x WS MVP
Grady Sizemore, CF | Cleveland | 2006
Grady Sizemore is one of the biggest “What If’s” in MLB history as he went on a tear from 2005 through 2008. He unfortunately couldn’t shake the injury bug for the rest of his career after 2008, which is extremely sad. In 2006, Grady led the league in doubles and runs, he was a fantastic leadoff hitter, and when at his best he was a 5-tool player. I could’ve put 2006 or 2008 on here but ultimately settled with 2006 because of his OPS, doubles, runs, and slugging being higher.
2006 Stats: 162 G, .290 AVG, 28 HR, 53 2B, 11 3B, 76 RBI, .375 OBP, .533 SLG, .907 OPS
Career Accolades: 3x All Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 2x Gold Glove
Shawn Green, RF | Blue Jays | 1999
Shawn Green put together a fantastic year in 1999, he was an All Star, placed top 10 in MVP voting, won a Silver Slugger, and also a Gold Glove. Green led the league in doubles and total bases in the season, but unfortunately the Blue Jays missed the Playoffs despite having some really nice players on the team. Green posted a career high in batting average, hits, and OPS and had the most well-rounded season of his 15 year career in 1999.
1999 Stats: 153 G, .309 AVG, 42 HR, 45 2B, 123 RBI, .384 OBP, .588 SLG, .972 OPS
Career Accolades: 2x All Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 1x Gold Glove
Todd Helton, 1B | Rockies | 2000
The fact that Todd Helton was 5th in MVP voting in 2000 is absurd to me, most likely because the Rockies missed the Playoffs. This was definitely Helton’s best year of his career as he led the league in batting average, hits, doubles, RBI’s, on base percentage, slugging, OPS, and total bases. It was a dominant year for Helton on a not so dominant Colorado Rockies team, and it didn’t help that his Hall of Fame teammate Larry Walker got injured just 87 Games into the year.
2000 Stats: 160 G, .372 AVG, 42 HR, 59 2B, 147 RBI, .463 OBP, .698 SLG, 1.162 OPS
Career Accolades: 5x All Star, 1x Batting Title, 4x Silver Slugger, 3x Gold Glove
Rich Aurilia, SS | Giants | 2001
Aurilia as a player is underrated either way due to the fact that he was the third star on a great San Francisco Giants team which included MVP winners Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent. In 2001, Aurilia led the league in hits and took home his only Silver Slugger award of his career. Despite the hitting being great, the Giants missed the Playoffs but that doesn’t seem to be the reason Aurilia was just 12th in MVP voting because his teammate Barry Bonds won it that year.
2001 Stats: 156 G, .324 AVG, 37 HR, 37 2B, 97 RBI, .369 OBP, .572 SLG, .941 OPS
Career Accolades: 1x All Star, 1x Silver Slugger
John Olerud, 1B | Blue Jays | 1993
Olerud absolutely exploded for a career year in 1993 as a 24 year old young star. Olerud was the best hitter for this Blue Jays team who ended up winning the World Series as their second of the back to back Championships in 1992 and 1993. Olerud led the league in batting average, doubles, on base percentage, and OPS. Olerud also played well in the Playoffs overall despite struggling a bit in the World Series.
1993 Stats: 158 G, .363 AVG, 24 HR, 54 2B, 107 RBI, .473 OBP, .599 SLG, 1.072 OPS
Career Accolades: 2x All Star, 1x Batting Title, 3x Gold Glove, 2x WS Champ
Hanley Ramirez, SS | Marlins | 2009
Hanley was MVP runner up in 2009 and the only reason he didn’t win is because prime Albert Pujols was on an absolute tear. Hanley had some really nice pop for a Shortstop as he had 8 career seasons with 20 home runs or more and was a real threat on the bases, averaging 36 stolen bases per year from 2006-2011 with the Marlins. In 2009, Hanley won the batting title and smoked over 40 doubles for the third time in his career at just 25 years old.
2009 Stats: 151 G, .342 AVG, 24 HR, 42 2B, 106 RBI, .410 OBP, .543 SLG, .954 OPS
Career Accolades: ROTY, 3x All Star, 1x Batting Title, 2x Silver Slugger
Kenny Lofton, CF | Cleveland | 1994
Lofton is one of the greatest leadoff hitters in MLB history, not to mention he was absolutely elite on defense and is one of the best base stealers of all time. In 1994, Lofton led the league in hits and stolen bases while nearly winning the batting title. From 1992-1996 Lofton averaged 65 stolen bases per season, making him a table setter and a threat to always be in scoring position. He also had an OPS of above .900 which is crazy for a leadoff hitter mainly based on contact.
1994 Stats: 112 G, .349 AVG, 32 2B, 9 3B, 60 SB, 57 RBI, .412 OBP, .536 SLG, .948 OPS
Career Accolades: 6x All Star, 4x Gold Glove
Charlie Blackmon, CF | Rockies | 2017
Blackmon had an incredibly well-rounded year and he quickly entered the MVP race in 2017 where he eventually finished 5th in voting. In this season, he led the league in batting average, hits, runs, triples, and total bases. From 2016-2020 Blackmon simply made himself into one of the best Outfielders in the entire league. He and his teammate Nolan Arenado both finished top 5 in MVP voting which energized the city of Colorado.
2017 Stats: 159 G, .331 AVG, 37 HR, 35 2B, 14 3B, 104 RBI, .399 OBP, .601 SLG, 1.000 OPS
Career Accolades: 4x All Star, 1x Batting Title, 2x Silver Slugger
Ketel Marte, CF/2B | Diamondbacks | 2019
Ever since 2019, Ketel Marte has really struggled with injury and hasn’t gotten back to his form in which he once was. Marte had a career year in 2019 especially at the plate, not only that but he is one of the best utility players in the game. Marte put up career high numbers in batting average, home runs, RBI’s, and OPS in 2019 and I hope he can return back to this form soon.
2019 Stats: 144 G, .329 AVG, 32 HR, 36 2B, 92 RBI, .389 OBP, .592 SLG, .981 OPS
Career Accolades: 1x All Star
Anthony Rendon, 3B | Nationals | 2019
Anthony Rendon is another player who seems to always be injured and it’s sad to see because we know what he’s capable of when he’s healthy. In 2019 the Nationals won the World Series and Rendon was a big reason as he also hit over .300 in the Playoffs. In 2019, Rendon led the league in doubles and RBI’s, but he hasn’t played over 60 games in a season for the last 2 years and like Marte, I really hope he can stay healthy and get back to the level he used to be at.
2019 Stats: 146 G, .319 AVG, 34 HR, 44 2B, 126 RBI, .412 OBP, .598 SLG, 1.010 OPS
Career Accolades: 1x All Star, 2x Silver Slugger, 1x WS Champ
Don Mattingly, 1B | Yankees | 1986
The fact that Don Mattingly most likely will not be in the Hall of Fame is insane to think about, I truly believe he is underrated because he was a Yankee and is drowned out by names like Mantle, Ruth, Gehrig, Jeter, DiMaggio, and Rodriguez. In 1986, he led the league in hits, doubles, slugging, OPS, and total bases. Just another thing to mention, Mattingly was an elite hitter and elite fielder, making him one of the most impactful players of his time.
1986 Stats: 162 G, .352 AVG, 31 HR, 53 2B, 113 RBI, .394 OBP, .573 SLG, .967 OPS
Career Accolades: 1x MVP, 6x All Star, 1x Batting Title, 3x Silver Slugger, 9x Gold Glove
