Most overrated superduperstar

[Skip]

Of legitimate HOFers, who do you think is the most overrated/overhyped? Your choices must be generally accepted megastars - no marginal calls here.

Off the top of my head, it is Joe D. While a great player, he just doesnt seem to earn his press clippings IMO. The hit streak thing is a fluke (ala Lee's rant about no-hitters). His post-retirement stuff about being called the greatest living player probably soured me on him more than it should. Other examples might be Reggie (too many K's), Ryan (too average except for the K stats), or Rose (though probably not overrated by the stat-smart folks on this board).

Any other thoughts on the most overrated superduperstar? I'm sure half our debate will be over which players even deserve superduperstar status so they can be included on this list. Lets say anyone who could be considered in the all-time top 100-200 or top 15 or so at their position counts.

[SmedIndy]

Rose is overrated by the vox populi.

I think Ivan Rodriguez is the most overrated super duper star right now. He brings BA and power and can throw out guys, but doesn't contribute anything else, gets hurt a lot, and there are grumblings he's lousy with the pitchers.

And yes I-Rod is a HOF player (unless he's out for good or gets in the way when Juan Gone's ex-wives come to beat him up)...

[moose]

Originally posted by SmedIndy
I think Ivan Rodriguez is the most overrated super duper star right now. He brings BA and power and can throw out guys, but doesn't contribute anything else, gets hurt a lot, and there are grumblings he's lousy with the pitchers.

bin....


....go.

[pwdennis]

Historically Pete Rose and Joe DiMaggio were significantly overrated - among todays players I-Rod and Jeter strike me as being overrated, although both are fine players. Were Jeter playing somewhere other than NY, I think the "Big Three" of today's shortstops would be the "Big Two" with Jeter outside the discussion.

[Sidewinder]

I second Skip's nomination of Ryan. He was certainly an excellent pitcher, but I never understood the deification of him.

[sweaver]

I'd say the Express. DiMaggio was a terrific player, although not quite as good as his press.

[poorme]

It seems to me that any Yankee is overrated. Jeter and Williams come to mind...But the question pertained to superduperstars. Hmmm. I always thought Kirby Puckett was overrated. Cal Ripkin too.

[moose]

Originally posted by pwdennis
Were Jeter playing somewhere other than NY I think the "Big Three" of today's shortstops would be the "Big Two" with Jeter outside the discussion.

Jeter hype re: hitting: pretty accurate
jeter hype re: fielding: overrated

[Skip]

Originally posted by SmedIndy
I think Ivan Rodriguez is the most overrated super duper star right now. He brings BA and power and can throw out guys, ...

I'm no Pudge fan, but this is hardly a ringing un-endorsement. There are lots of teams who'd be happy to have a catcher with BA, power, and an arm.

Now that I've bitched, I'll weigh in that Pudge is (well was, because the perception seems to have definitely reversed a bit) definitely overrated.

[Craig S.]

I'd have to go with Jeter. An excellent player, but Nomar is better, and ARod is not even in the same stratosphere.

[SmedIndy]

Originally posted by Skip
I'm no Pudge fan, but this is hardly a ringing un-endorsement. There are lots of teams who'd be happy to have a catcher with BA, power, and an arm.

Now that I've bitched, I'll weigh in that Pudge is (well was, because the perception seems to have definitely reversed a bit) definitely overrated.

Yes, but the point of the thread was superduper stars.

I mean, Mike Lieberthal in 1999 brought you the same thing Pudge did....and no one even said he was the next Darren Daulton, much less Johnny Bench.

You know, one guy that was elevated into stardom, and always struck me as not really as good as people thought he was was David Cone. Don't know why...maybe it's just me.

[tenkevcardinal]

One guy who was overrated recently is Tony Gwynn. People call him the greatest hitter since Ted Williams and he is nowhere near Bonds, Aaron, Schmidt, McGwire.

[Duque]

Raul Mondesi - with all the attention given to this guy in trade rumors, you think he was actually worth giving up Shawn Green.

[TimmyB]

I used to think Ryan was over-rated... but after a few months at Netshrine I am pleased to see he's been knocked down a few pegs. Netshriners have him right where he belongs.

I think Mantle (while a great, great player) gets overhyped a lot. (I wonder sometimes if it has to do with a certain 1952 baseball card...)

Ivan Rodriguez is way overhyped (and I wonder if, come this winter, some team is going to buy into the hype.).

Big Mac = Big Hype.

[VNV Nation]

It's hard to overrate someone who was legitimately the best player in baseball for a while, like Mantle or DiMaggio.

Similar thing with Pudge: When you have BA and power and you're the fastest player at your position and a defensive player of historic magnitude, it's hard to be overrated.

I hate being in the position of defending Yankees but Derek Jeter is a great player who was probably the best player in baseball in 1999. Trade him for Nomar and the Yankees don't win five pennants and four World Series titles in six years. He has a .304 lifetime average in the postseason, including five series with an average over .400.

Pete Rose has been bashed for so long that he's underrated by the recent generation who never saw him play and who don't understand that hitting 10 homers a year wasn't considered wussy in the 1970s.

That said, here's my historically overrated list of superdupers:

Roy Campanella -- maybe as good as any catcher, ever, at his peak, but too inconsistent.

Willie Stargell, Willie McCovey: Great, great hitters, but limited value defensively and neither one was particularly durable or consistent. Not to put them down, but Mathews and Ott are similar players, lefty power hitters with 500 homers, and they don't seem to get the respect the Willies get.

Ernie Banks, like Darrell Evans, gets elevated in stature because he split his career between a tough position and first base, and because he had a long career and piled up numbers. He was really only great for about a five-year period.

Cal Ripken is overrated. Again, had about half a dozen years of top-flight superstardom, and he had a lot of .260ish, 20-homer years, which is a nice shortstop, not an immortal.

Hank Greenberg is overrated.

Lou Brock is overrated.

Nolan Ryan is the most overrated pitcher of all time. I think Gaylord Perry, among many other contemporaries (Seaver, Carlton, Palmer, Jenkins), was a better pitcher.