Ranking the 3 Most Underrated Twins Players

Arraez is GREATLY over rated.

Hard to argue, but this is subjective, right?  When I thought of my answer, before reading the article, I said Arraez, Colome and Donaldson.  Maybe some recency bias in there with Colome, but Josh has put together a pretty fine season without much recognition and Luis will forever be underrated until he wins that batting crown.....

I think Josh Donaldson is underrated. He gets endless grief from fans because he makes money but he's one of the few players earning his paycheck this season.

4 hours ago, RpR said:

Arraez is GREATLY over rated.

Luis Arraez has a career .313 AVG / .376 OBP / .781 OPS, while playing essentially league average defense at multiple positions. He's also 24 years old and under team control until 2026. That seems like a pretty underrated player to me. I truly don't understand how that is overated for the type of player and role he plays.

1 minute ago, Dodecahedron said:

We were all surprised when Arraez batted leadoff from LF in the opening game of the year, and not in a good way.  He proved himself then and he continues to prove himself, and this is actually a down year for him.  As pointed out elsewhere, he is also playing very good defense this year.

If memory serves, he was universally loved in 2019 when he dominated after being called up for the first time, so I'm not sure where the current hate comes from.  He is underrated for sure.  

His defense is at best average and too often worse.

Tough tough list. Ober isn't getting to decision time at all. Can he have an opener, perhaps?

Thielbar has excelled, but not much to being a setup man on a losing team. With Rogers gone, he was the heavy-carrying lefty, until Coulombe came on the scene (also underrated). Can Col-B and Farrell (and Minaya) be the core of a bullpen in 2022? Do we think Thielbar will stay on par or excel even more? Is Rogers still in the mix as setup, or are we going to play him at closer and forego getting a real closer for the team.

Can any Twins pitcher pitch an extra inning with a runner on second and get out of the inning?

At one point we were happy with Garlick, and rooting for Refsnyder. 

It's too bad there isn't anyone else the Twins could be running out at catcher.

I do not see anyone under rated this year.  Underperforming yes, underrated - no way.  Arraez was supposed to lead the league in batting, Ober is supposed to be a starter who goes more than 5 innings.  Thielbar is doing what he did before.  The reason that we have a losing record is that we do not have anyone who truly outperformed their expectations. Ober is a good story and close, but that is it.  

Mitch Garver could be included. 

I love Arraez at the plate, but I am unsure about how good he is defensively. From just using the eye test he looks well below average at LF/3B, but I will have to check on the advanced stats to see if that is backed up.

Luke Farrell is underrated. I'll bet most people couldn't tell you he is on the roster but he's been effective in the bullpen which is more than you can say about most of their relievers. Just a few days ago I was pretty sure he would get released but now I think they might keep him around for another season.

This list is perfect, though I could see arguements in regard to rankings. But I will comment based on the current list.

3] Ober: He's supposed to be in AAA considering his draft selection and injury history despite video game numbers when he was on the mound. He's worked very hard on his delivery to not only increase velocity, but to just feel healthy after each start. Tall and lanky, he was prone to injury. Suddenly, with hard work, he's found a fluid motion that has not only increased velocity, but he's gained a smooth and repeatable delivery. He's even tweaked his slider delivery on the fly. He's only gotten better the more he's pitched. Just STOP with IP arguements. He's a rookie, still learning, and having his IP monitored not only to protect him, but because the Twins are looking to toss some IP to others. This kid looks like a keeper. And if you don't think so, you aren't paying attention.

2] I was WTH, when Thielbar was brought back. Despite what he did in the Detroit system, I couldn't believe the Tigers wouldn't have brought him back. But he shined pretty well in 2020. His early 2021 numbers with the Twins don't indicate how bad he, and everyone else, were with runners in scoring position. (Inherited runners). But a switch was flipped a couple months ago. And while I still struggle as to how good be can be, and for how long, he has looked really good yet again. (Same as Duffey).

1] My single, biggest arguement with Rocco is in regard to Arraez. The , unfortunately deceased Bell, told Rocco to put him at #1 every day. There is a very wrong and disappointing misnomer,  that being a "ballplayer" means you have grit but not ability. And that is SO WRONG! Arraez is NOT a superb athlete. He is NOT a power hitter or speed demon. But he is a BALLPLAYER! 

Has anyone taken time to actually look at his career? Or do they just casually gloss over reality?

He's been asked to play LF/3B/SS/2B since he was brought up in 2019. And his attitude has been: "play me and give me a glove". And I've watched him since the day he came up. Do you realize his initial LF instruction was touch the wall and then step back 20-25 feet?

He is still only 24yo. The more he plays, the better he is defensively. But 2B/3B/LF/DH he needs to be in the lineup for 500 AB or so! Bell bad it right! And Rocco needs to figure that out!

Additional underrated?

I didn't expect Jeffers to replicate 2020. Too much too soon. But you can see the ability and the potential. 

Garver showed yet again what he can do when healthy. Let him split time and DH and MAYBE play some 1B. 

If you actually look at the numbers, Donaldson has actually produced. He needs to continue to play 3B as well as DH. In fact, one of the biggest "problems" the Twins may face is finding enough playing time with a healthy and young talent group of Kirilloff, Lanrach and Miranda.

Have to give a shout out to Farrell and and Minya and Coulombe. Their future is a mystery. But did anyone see them actually producing for 2021, much less be an option for 2022?

Oh, sorry, almost left Alcala off the list, we've seen good and bad. But we've seen mkre good than bad recently. 

Based on the way folks often talk about Sano, he could make my top 3. He's not at all the player once hoped for but he has still put together a season with some decent moments.

Thielbar #1. Another gutsy season from a guy who was retired.

Heck, I even think Polanco is underrated. We're witnessing Twins historic greatness (for a contract steal) and lots of folks don't seem all that impressed.

7 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

1.) Miguel Sano - There are still people who think that he is a terrible player. Meanwhile, in his last 75 games, he has hit .244/.321/.496 (.817) with 16 doubles and 17 home runs.

 

If you cherry pick your first baseman's best 75 game stretch and he still only has an 800 OPS while playing awful defense he's probably not that great. 

Arraez???    underrated....one of the best true hitters in the game right now.. i could give a rats $$$ what his power is..the kid can flat out rake !! 

I agree with Doc.  Why Arraez isn't hitting leadoff EVERY single game is beyond me.  He sets the table.  That's what leadoff guys are supposed to do.  Rocco just can't seem to "get" that.  Speaking of Rocco, what is this obsession with presenting Colome with save opportunity after save opportunity ?  Any Twins fan who was SHOCKED Colome gave up the tying 3-run BOMB to Judge yesterday hasn't been paying attention.  It was INEVITABLE.  All he's done this year is give up HR's late in games.  Why would we expect any other outcome.  Test somebody else rather than just handing the ball to Colome.  

I will grant Sano his recent production.  I was and still am all for trading him to somehow acquire better pitching.  However, he's such a negative trade asset that we're probably better off keeping him and hitting him 7th.  That kind of power near the bottom of your order can be beneficial.  

I wouldn't say Arraez is underrated. He's actually gotten worse every year of his MLB career so far. He's barely an above average hitter this year, and he's not exactly Omar Vizquel out there in the field. He's a great utility guy to have, and I love watching him play though. He should probably be hitting leadoff. 

17 hours ago, Dodecahedron said:

We were all surprised when Arraez batted leadoff from LF in the opening game of the year, and not in a good way.  He proved himself then and he continues to prove himself, and this is actually a down year for him.  As pointed out elsewhere, he is also playing very good defense this year.

If memory serves, he was universally loved in 2019 when he dominated after being called up for the first time, so I'm not sure where the current hate comes from.  He is underrated for sure.  

How do you know this is a down year for him?  Maybe his first 400 or so at bats were the outlier and not the norm. His stats are on pace to decline again from last year. The power that some thought might materialize hasn't happened. He has no speed so he has to hit a lot to be valuable.

10 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

The guy who only cites batting average to defend players is now going to rag on Arraez?

I....I mean....Wha?

I have never said boo about his batting average, only about his hitting in that he too often watches a third strike go by and too often looks like a wind-up toy dancing while batting. (To be more severe, he looks like a spoiled brat not getting his way.)

It is his POOR fielding that I have "ragged" on all season.?  I go by what I see, not some math nerd numbers that so many are infatuated with.

There are no "underrated"  Twins players this year.  Underperforming most definitely.  Ober is by no means underrated.  He is a promising prospect, but came to the Twins with little expecations.  Thielbar has turned things around, but so has most of the pen once the Twins fell out of contention.  What is his %inherited runs scored?  Well below average last time I looked.  He is not a core bullpen arm that can be counted on in late inning situations.  And lastly, Arraez's defensive liabilities and lack of power seem to limit him to a utility type player, unless Polanco or Donaldson are traded.  No, best use of Arraez is as a trade piece in an attempt to acquire an above average starter.

If anyone should be added to an underappreciated list, it might be Farrell, who is been pretty consistent, albeit in a SSS.  But that's it.  The number of disappointments far outweigh the pleasant surprises in this dreary season.

15 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

That all indicates that he provides a lot of value to the team. I don't think Arraez is overrated, but I also don't think he's underrated. We knew what to expect from him, and he's pretty much been that, with a lower-than-expected batting average. 

I was replying to a comment that suggested he was overrated. It's subjective ... Though some arguments for specific players fitting an overrated/underrated narrative are poor...

Austidillo!   Give him consistent playing time.  Bench Kepler and let Willians play.   He has better numbers and gives off good positive energy whenever and where ever he play.  200 less at bats then Kepler and only 10 fewer HRs.

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

You "going by what you see" and not "some math nerd numbers" is exactly why we have the "math nerd numbers." When your assessment is that Arraez "too often watches a third strike go by" and he is in the 99th percentile for K% in all of MLB you are literally proving the point that just going by your biased eyes is an awful strategy. You're complaining that a guy who strikes out less than all but 3 guys in baseball let's too many third strikes go by (Arraez strikes out in 10.2% of his ABs, Brantley 10.1, Fletcher 9.2, and Newman 7.3 are the only guys better in all of baseball. Sorry for being so nerdy). That's your complaint right now.

It is not how often , it is too often when the at bat really counts.