The Stark Truth

#1
hatvol96

hatvol96

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#1
I metioned Jayson Stark's great new book on the main board. He lists the 5 most overrated and underrated players at each position. To start the thread off, here are his starting pitchers;

Overrated:

1. Nolan Ryan
2. Don Drysdale
3. Kerry Wood
4. Dizzy Dean
5. Kevin Brown

Underrated:

1. Bob Feller
2. Juan Marichal
3. Bert Blyleven
4. Charley "Old Hoss" Radbourn
5. John Smoltz
 
#2
#2
I don't see how you can put Nolan Ryan with Kevin Brown and Kerry Wood.
 
#3
#3
I don't think Kevin Brown was ever really overrated, he just got hurt and the Dodgers were stupid when they offered him that fat contract.
 
#4
#4
JZVOL said:
I don't see how you can put Nolan Ryan with Kevin Brown and Kerry Wood.
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I do. He was essentially a .500 pitcher. His strikeouts and longevity mask the fact that his more important numbers weren't anything special.
 
#5
#5
GAVol said:
I don't think Kevin Brown was ever really overrated, he just got hurt and the Dodgers were stupid when they offered him that fat contract.
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At his best, Kevin Brown was as good as anyone in his era.
 
#6
#6
hatvol96 said:
I metioned Jayson Stark's great new book on the main board. He lists the 5 most overrated and underrated players at each position. To start the thread off, here are his starting pitchers;

Overrated:

1. Nolan Ryan
2. Don Drysdale
3. Kerry Wood
4. Dizzy Dean
5. Kevin Brown

Underrated:

1. Bob Feller
2. Juan Marichal
3. Bert Blyleven
4. Charley "Old Hoss" Radbourn
5. John Smoltz
Click to expand...

The major criticism of Nolan Ryan has always been he lost a lot of games. Not sure if that's more a reflection of playing on poor teams or giving up a lot of HR's.
 
#7
#7
Wood had a good season or too and plenty of potential but idk about overrated. Overhyped for sure though.
 
#8
#8
Relief Pitchers:

Overrated:
1. Lee Smith
2. Jeff Reardon
3. Dave Righetti
4. Bobby Thigpen
5. Armando Benitez

Underrated:
1.Goose Gossage
2. Trevor Hoffman
3. Hoyt Wilhelm
4. Billy Wagner
5. Dan Quisenberry
 
#10
#10
hatvol96 said:
At his best, Kevin Brown was as good as anyone in his era.
Click to expand...

Exactly . . . which is why it's a little strange to see him on this list. When he was healthy he was as good as advertised. It's just that somebody misjudged when his decline would begin.
 
#13
#13
hatvol96 said:
I do. He was essentially a .500 pitcher. His strikeouts and longevity mask the fact that his more important numbers weren't anything special.
Click to expand...

I think other people already mentioned it but he played on some pretty bad teams.
 
#15
#15
hatvol96 said:
Stark goes to great pains to explain that being on the overrated list doesn't mean one isn't great. It simply means that perception doesn't match the reality of their career.
Click to expand...

Smart move by Stark to write this kind of book. I'm now thinking about picking it up.
 
#16
#16
JZVOL said:
I think other people already mentioned it but he played on some pretty bad teams.
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I just looked him up on Wikipedia to look over his stats, and that was mentioned.

However, it was also mentioned that his winning percentage was only slightly better, .023%, than the teams for whom he pitched. His average season was only around 13-12.

Also pretty wild. He has the most walks and wild pitches of anyone... like his other numbers, also aided by his longevity.
 
#18
#18
JZVOL said:
I think other people already mentioned it but he played on some pretty bad teams.
Click to expand...
California won its division in '79. Houston was in the playoffs three times while he was there. In fact, it was his inability to hold a lead in Game 5 of the 1980 NLCS that cost a trip to the World Series.
 
#19
#19
Underrated: Phil Niekro - Winning 300 games playing predominantly with the Atlanta Braves of the 70s and 80s is an amazing feat.
 
#21
#21
GAVol said:
Underrated: Phil Niekro - Winning 300 games playing predominantly with the Atlanta Braves of the 70s and 80s is an amazing feat.
Click to expand...
One of the stats I've always thought says a whole lot about a pitcher is his winning percentage compared to that of his team.
 
#25
#25
DHs:

Overrated:
1. Ron Blomberg
2. Dave Parker
3. Reggie Jackson
4. Steve Balboni
5. Harmon Klllebrew

Underrated:
1. Edgar Martinez
2. Hal McRae
3. Travis Hafner
4. Chili Davis
5. Oscar Gamble
 
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