Duke Snider, the great Brooklyn Dodgers center fielder, passed away on Sunday.
The Duke of Flatbush was a Hall of Famer and an eight-time All Star.
But, even though he is immortalized in Terry Cashman’s “Willie, Mickey and the Duke," it’s no surprise that he comes after Mays and Mantle: Right or wrong, Snider is never mentioned in the same breath as Mays and Mantle for the game’s all-time greatest players.
Clearly, Snider—who didn't win a single NL MVP, while teammates Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe and Jackie Robinson won a combined five from 1949-56—is one of the most underrated players ever to step on the diamond.
That got us thinking about other such players across the game’s history. We chose the top 25 and ranked them.
Now, of course, “underrated” is a subjective term. But let’s say this: If a deserving player is usually left out of the conversation for greatest pitcher or greatest first baseman or whatever position, then they qualify.
And with the internet, ESPN and all the media out there (or the fact that any “underrated” player will probably be plucked out of town by the Yankees or Red Sox), it’s going to be hard for any player from today’s game to land on this list.
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