SEATTLE - In less than 24 hours, ballparks all around the United States will welcome fans to the first time in months. As teams prepare to debut on Opening Day, players all over the majors will look to make an immediate impact that could set them up for the rest of the season.
During Spring Training, MLB.com beat writers conducted a bunch of surveys asking players for their opinions on a wide range of topics. One of those included asking players what fellow peers are set to surprise fans and front offices alike this season. With over 100 players surveyed, most came to the conclusion that out of all, two Latinos stood out as some of the most underrated ball players in the league.
Tied for first place in MLB.com's survey, third basemen Yandy Díaz and José Ramírez were the ones voted by their peers as flying under the radar despite posting good numbers year in year out. The two AL infielders each received almost twice as many votes as any other player in the survey.
The Tampa Bay Rays third baseman had one of the best seasons of his career last year. Díaz connected a career-high 22 homers with a .330/.410/.522 slash line. His quality at bat allowed him to finish sixth in MVP voting in the American League but that's not all, the Cuban also earned the first All-Star appearance of his career.
A fine personal season for Díaz also meant a good campaign for the Rays, finishing with 99 wins, the second most in franchise history behind their 100 wins during 2021, and a spot in the AL Wild Card round.
The other third baseman tied at the summit is the Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez. The Dominican has been a force for the Guardians since becoming a regular in the rotation. Ramírez has finished in the top 10 of AL MVP voting in six of the last seven seasons and has connected at least 15+ homers in each season since 2017.
"I feel like if you put Ramírez in a New York or an L.A., he'd be one of those guys we're talking about all the time," an AL shortstop said. Despite his great numbers, seems like Ramírez is not rated as highly as his peers would love to see him. The Dominican has made an All-Star game in three consecutive seasons and five total in his 11-year career in the majors.
Ramírez is not only a great regular season player, he's also got some postseason experience under his belt. During the 2016 season, he helped Cleveland reach the World Series and even connected a clutch home run against the Cubs in Game 5.
The last Latino to make the list is D-backs utility player Ketel Marte. The Dominican rose to prominence as one of the brightest prospects in MLB during the 2019 season, earning the only All-Star appearance of his career so far that year and finishing up in fourth place in NL MVP voting.
Last season, he batted for 25 HR and .276 in 150 games for the Guardians. His impact for the D-backs was most noticeable during their postseason run, earning MVP honors in the NLCS series against the Philadelphia Phillies after going 12-for-31 with four doubles and a triple.
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