Sports Illustrated recently polled 228 MLB players, asking them to identify the "Most Underrated Position Player" in baseball. "Underrated" is a very broad term, so there aren't many players that would universally qualify as "bad" choices for the "Most Underrated" title.
In fact, there's really no excuse for the winner of this poll to be a controversial selection at all. The players could've picked any talented, well-liked guy from a small market (Ben Zobrist, Shin Soo-Choo, whomever), and they would've been right. Or even a well-paid star in a large market who just doesn't get his due for some reason (Adrian Beltre, Paul Konerko). There are so many justifiable options out there for Most Underrated.
Instead, they chose Michael Young. Michael Young, the most underrated player in baseball. Why is this a terrible and very ironic choice? Because Michael Young of the Texas Rangers might actually be the most overrated player in baseball.
This season, Young's batting average has taken a dive down to .273. His on-base percentage is just .304, below the league average of .320. His slugging percentage is only .352, well below the league average of .406. That leaves Young's OPS at .656, also below the league average of .726. The average player walks 8.1% of the time; Young's walk-rate is at 4.6%. He has just three home runs. His adjusted OPS+ is currently 71, meaning his offense is about 29% worse than league average. And for some perspective: Young is practicing all of this offensive mediocrity in one of the most offense-friendly home ballparks in baseball.
To make matters worse, Young has started 65 of his 87 games at either DH or first base this season. So not only is he an offensive liability--he's an offensive liability at positions reserved entirely for offense.
And as for his "leadership" and other "intangibles" that he always gets credit for: he threw a hissy fit when the Rangers asked him to change positions to accommodate the signing of Adrian Beltre two offseasons ago. Rather than gracefully accepting a move that greatly improved his team's World Series chances, Michael Young publicly demanded a trade. Draw your own conclusions.
Now, for some comparisons. One usually gets two standard answers when one asks the masses, "Who are the most overrated players in baseball?" These players are Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Please note these 2012 statistics:
Michael Young: .273/.304/.352, 3 HRs, 71 OPS+
Derek Jeter: .308/.353/.411, 7 HRs, 103 OPS+
Michael Young: .273/.304/.352, 3 HRs, 71 OPS+
Alex Rodriguez: .270/.353/.442, 14 HRs, 111 OPS+
On top of those numbers, both Jeter and Rodriguez play the field more often than Young does, and actually provide baserunning value (they've stolen a combined 17 bases while getting caught a total of 3 times; Young has successfully stolen just two bags on four attempts). Jeter and A-Rod, universally confirmed as overrated players, are easily outperforming Michael Young, apparently the poster child for the underrated and unappreciated.
In Young, we have a 35-year-old who plays first base and DH in an offense-friendly ballpark for a first-place team, yet isn't doing any of the following things: hitting for average, hitting for power, walking, stealing bases, or playing good defense (or any defense at all). Add it all up and Young has been worth -1.0 Wins Above Replacement this season. His "contributions" have cost his team a win. And oh-by-the-way, he's pulling in $16 million for his efforts this season, making him the highest-paid player on his team.
So yeah, when I look at Michael Young, I think, "Man, this guy is so underrated."
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