MLB Players Vote On The League’s Most Overrated Star
Major League Baseball is full of stars, some based on their actual production on the field…and some based on their profile off of it.
And in a new player survey conducted by The Athletic, some of the league's best gave their opinions on who actually deserves the reputation they have. Essentially, players were asked who they think is the most "overrated" player in baseball. Who hasn't actually earned the reputation or attention the media or outside commentators give them.
While some of the answers were certainly debatable, it's hard to argue with who the surveyed players chose at the top of the list. And who they chose as the second most overrated player in the sport.
Miami Marlins CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run vs. the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. (David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports)
Jazz Chisholm Tops List Of MLB's Most Overrated Players
With a whopping 20% of the vote, Miami Marlins outfielder Jazz Chisholm topped the list of the game's most overrated players. Coming in second was oft-injured Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon. Though given how far down the list of Rendon's priorities baseball ranks, it's impressive that he ever had any success at all. Minnesota Twins shortstop and former member of the 2017 Astros Carlos Correa came in third.
The full list of ranked players is below:
- Jazz Chisholm - 20.3%
- Anthony Rendon - 10.2%
- Carlos Correa - 6.7%
- Tim Anderson - 5%
- Jack Flaherty - 5%
- Pete Alonso -3.3%
- Cody Bellinger - 3.3%
- Alex Bregman - 3.3%
- Elly De La Cruz - 3.3%
- Manny Machado - 3.3%
- Blake Snell - 3.3%
So how did the players do with their list of most overrated players? Surprisingly well, actually.
While Jazz Chisholm receives an inordinate amount of attention; appearing on the cover of an MLB The Show video game, frequently getting attention for flashy celebrations and the like, his production has been generally mediocre.
In 2022, Chisholm had an exceptional 60-game stretch, hitting 14 home runs, stealing 12 bases, with a 136 wRC+ and 2.6 fWAR. But he's come nowhere close to matching that level of success since. In 2023, he had two wins in 97 games, which while solid production, raises another issue with his game: he can't stay on the field.
Chisholm's never played more than 124 games in a season, though he has been healthy through the first two and a half months of 2024. Yet his wRC+ is just 109 this season, leading to a 1.3 fWAR through 64 games. He just can't seem to put it all together at a star level that would justify the attention he receives.
The other players have similar issues; Rendon saw his production fall off a cliff after the 2020 season. Correa's best offensive season was the trash can season of 2017, and last season actually cost the Twins runs on offense. Tim Anderson is known for his celebrations and exceptional defense, but has been atrocious the past two years, leading to a -1.3 fWAR in Chicago and Miami.
Bellinger and Snell have won top honors in their respective categories, but have been plagued by inconsistency throughout their careers. De La Cruz is frequently highlighted by MLB on social media because of his exceptional Statcast metrics; he hits the ball really hard and throws it really fast.
He's shown flashes of brilliance this season, using his incredible speed to steal 34 bases through early June. But his strikeout rate and swing hard approach has led to just a .235 batting average and .424 slugging percentage. He's still on track for a well above average season, but not necessarily at the level you'd expect from the social media attention.
The consistent feature of the "most overrated" players is attention that's unjustified by production, whether that be due to Statcast metrics or celebratory antics. Most of these players aren't bad, or even below average. But the league often rewards style or substance. Mookie Betts, for example, doesn't light up the league's social media accounts or draw attention to himself. But he's consistently a top-5 player in the sport. Seems unlikely Jazz Chisholm will ever be one of them.