Three Most Underrated Players At Each Position — Left Field

Phillies Left Fielder Kyle Schwarber (Photo courtesy of thegoodphight.com)

Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in June of 2014 and debuting in June of 2015, Kyle Schwarber has proven himself to be the best hitting primary left fielder in baseball, a position in which hitting is most important. Now a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Schwarber holds a career line of .235/.341/.493 with 160 homeruns and a 119 OPS+ over 2,672 plate appearances and 686 games. Known for his power and ability to draw walks, staying on the field has been an issue for Schwarber to this point in his career. Having played 150+ games in a season only once, Schwarber looks to double that total with his new team this season and help provide the Phillies and their stacked lineup with their first trip to the playoffs since 2011. Today we talk about the unsung left field heroes. And we start our list with…

3. Tyler O’Neill

Cardinals Left Fielder Tyler O’Neill (Photo courtesy of calltothepen.com)

27 year old Tyler O’Neill is currently in his fifth season in Major League Baseball, all with the St. Louis Cardinals. As of today, he holds a career line of .254/.319/.477 with 56 homeruns and a 117 OPS+ over 1,080 plate appearances and 331 games. Not even getting the opportunity to be an everyday player on your own team for the first 3 seasons of your career is a great way to make it on this list. Finally getting the nod in 2021, Tyler O’Neill showed that he has been deserving of the spot by hitting .286/.352/.560 with 34 homeruns and a 148 OPS+ while finishing eigth in NL MVP voting. O’Neill is a guy that will be a solid part of a Major League lineup for years to come, providing consistent production while also not being a defensive liability.

2. Jesse Winker

Mariners Left Fielder Jesse Winker (Photo courtesy of sodomojo.com)

Jesse Winker is another guy that has flown under the radar for the majority of his career due to not being given the opportunity to be an everyday starter despite clearly being the man best suited for the role on the roster. The Reds did not understand what they had and he is now a member of the Seattle Mariners where he is finally getting the opportunity to show what he can do. Currently holding a career line of .282/.381/.487 with 66 homeruns and a 125 OPS+ through 1,625 plate appearances and 437 games, Winker is one of the more consistent hitters playing left field even if he has below average power for the position. And speaking of consistent hitters playing left field…

1. Steven Kwan

Guardians Left Fielder Steven Kwan (Photo courtesy of factoryofsadness.com)

I get it. It’s an extremely small sample size. However, Steven Kwan makes this list strictly due to the fact that before this season, his rookie season, even I have never heard of him and he is absolutely raking to start the year. Through 16 games and 66 plate appearances, Kwan is hitting .340/.439/.472 and has an OPS+ of 172. Add that to his nine walks and only six strikeouts in his first taste of Major League pitching and you have a guy that may not be optioned any time soon, if ever. Kwan has yet to hit his first Big League home run, but that is not a part of his game as he only has 15 career home runs in the minors over 947 plate appearances. If Kwan can keep up this rate of production, he will be the hands down favorite to win the 2022 AL RotY and a force to be reckoned with at the top of the lineup for years to come.

Let me know on Twitter @TroyBrock1993 who you think is underrated as a left fielder or any of the other positions we’ve covered so far in this series. Those positions include starting pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, and shortstop. Keep an eye out for our next entry in the series when we will cover center fielders!