Most overrated baseball superstar ever?

[brewing]

I agree on Jeter, Ryan, and Rose. I'll add Banks and Koufax.

Not great but an easy way to ID players that accumulated WAR or counting stats based on playing well past their expiration or useful date.
Take Games played divided by WAR for hitters and IP divided by WAR for pitchers.


Jeter 38.53 Games per WAR
Rose 44.69 Games per WAR
Banks 37.29 Games per WAR
Point of reference Ruth 15.44 Not counting his pitching WAR, therefore lower is clearly better.

2 guys that don't get nearly the same press.
Eddie Mathews 24.85 Games per WAR
Rod Carew 30.37 Games per WAR


Koufax 43.77 IP per WAR
Ryan 64.43 IP per WAR
Point of reference Walter Johnson 38.93.

1 guy that doesn't get enough press.
Pedro Martinez 32.83 IP per WAR

If you don't like WAR, the guys I mentioned have the counting stats.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by brewing

1 guy that doesn't get enough press.
Pedro Martinez 32.83 IP per WAR

In his prime, I've always thought that Pedro was the best pitcher to ever lace 'em up.

Naturally the lack of career bulk really hurts his legacy (with how so many people focus mostly on that side of someone's numbers), but it makes me roll my eyes when those "greatest of all time" lists assume that the stone age pitchers were the best to every play.

You'd think it'd be beyond obvious that the game wasn't nearly the same back then when Young and Johnson started five games per week

[steve B]

Originally Posted by brewing

If you don't like WAR, the guys I mentioned have the counting stats.

Saying that right after talking about accumulated WAR.. it IS a counting stat.

[sycks22]

I know he's not a top tier guy, but Rock Raines making the Hall is a joke. He was good at 1 stat (stealing bags), if that's all you have to do why isn't Kenny Lofton in the hall? He never even had 200 hits in a season even though he had over 700 plate appearances 4x's. He wasn't even a top 20 in MVP voting his last 10 years along with no all-star appearances. 2600 hits to boot. I'll never get it.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by sycks22

I know he's not a top tier guy, but Rock Raines making the Hall is a joke. He was good at 1 stat (stealing bags), if that's all you have to do why isn't Kenny Lofton in the hall? He never even had 200 hits in a season even though he had over 700 plate appearances 4x's. He wasn't even a top 20 in MVP voting his last 10 years along with no all-star appearances. 2600 hits to boot. I'll never get it.

They let in 2160 career hit Larry Walker last year. In his amazing career he got 200 hits once. It has become the Hall of OK let him in.

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by bnorth

They let in 2160 career hit Larry Walker last year. In his amazing career he got 200 hits once. It has become the Hall of OK let him in.

The average WAR of a Hall of Fame electee is actually trending up, especially over the last 20 years.

I mean, when was the last time we had a really terrible BBWAA electee? Other than Baines and maybe Morris, even the vets have been solid.

On original topic - I agree on Jackson and Rose.

No Hall of Famer, but Joe Carter and his RBI’s is a classic example.