Call to the pen
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Most underrated player on each National League team heading into 2022

By Eric Treuden

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 28: A general view of the Nation League logo at Citizens Bank Park prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies on August 28, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Phillies defeated the Braves 7-4. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 28: A general view of the Nation League logo at Citizens Bank Park prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies on August 28, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Phillies defeated the Braves 7-4. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 29: Adam Duvall #14 of the Atlanta Braves fields the ball against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Three of the World Series at Truist Park on October 29, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 29: Adam Duvall #14 of the Atlanta Braves fields the ball against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Three of the World Series at Truist Park on October 29, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Atlanta Braves: OF Adam Duvall

Adam Duvall of the Atlanta Braves had a career year in 2021; hitting 38 home runs, driving in 113 RBI (to lead the National League), posting 2.4 fWAR and a .772 OPS.

Duvall’s .228 batting average may not jump off of the page to the old-school fans out there, but his Statcast page has him ranking near the top in the league in HardHit%, Barrel %, maximum exit velocity and – a new one for Duvall – sprint speed and OAA.

Duvall, 33, ranked in the 86th percentile in sprint speed amongst major leaguers in 2021 while ranking in the 82nd percentile in OAA, or Outs Above Average, on defense. He rode this performance to his first career Gold Glove award after playing plus-defense at all three outfield spots for the Marlins and Braves.

Duvall managed to fly under the radar in 2021 underneath a breakout performance from Austin Riley, controversy surrounding Marcell Ozuna, and the impending free agency of superstar Freddie Freeman. 2022 should be a different story for the power-hitting outfielder.

Honorable mention: LHP Will Smith 71 G, 37 SV, 3.44 ERA, 1.7 bWAR, 11.5 SO/9 in 2021

Washington Nationals: RHP Paolo Espino

Penciled in as the Washington Nationals’ fifth starter in 2022 per FanGraphs’ Roster Resource projections, Paolo Espino came seemingly out of nowhere last season and gave the Nationals almost 20 starts and over 100 innings of 4.27 ERA and 96 ERA+ ball.

Espino, 35, has bounced around between multiple teams in his career; surfacing in the big leagues with the Brewers and the Rangers as well as the Nationals. 2021 was his first significant sample-size in the majors and he did enough to earn himself a spot in this upcoming season’s rotation.

Hidden behind the likes of Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Max Scherzer last season, it’s easy to see why Espino’s quietly solid season flew under the radar of many.

Honorable mention: OF Lane Thomas 45 G, 7 HR, .364 OBP, .853 OPS, 115 OPS+ in 2021 for WAS

New York Mets: INF Eduardo Escobar

One could make the argument that the signing of Eduardo Escobar by the New York Mets received the least amount of publicity when the club went on their spending-spree and signed four big-name free agents in a matter of days.

Escobar, 33, spent last season as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. The switch-hitting infielder hit 28 home runs and drove in 90 runs, posting a 109 OPS+ and 107 wRC+ while adding another position to his defensive repertoire; first base.

Escobar is not a flashy player – he has regularly flown under the radar throughout his entire career – but he is going to be a major contributor to this Mets lineup alongside big boppers Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor.

Honorable mention: RHP Seth Lugo 46 G, 3.50 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 10.7 SO/9, 115 ERA+ in 2021

Miami Marlins: OF Avisail Garcia

Avisail Garcia is coming off of a quietly successful two-year run with the Milwaukee Brewers highlighted by his performance last year.

Garcia, 30, struggled a bit in 2020 but went off last season; putting up career-high home run numbers (29) and RBI (86) while also being worth 2.9 bWAR.

Garcia suddenly finds himself on a young Miami Marlins team aiming to contend in the very near future. He will provide a big power bat to the lineup that already features exciting up-and-comers Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesus Sanchez.

While he has a large, bulky frame, Garcia is capable of playing all three outfield positions respectably and is expected to get the majority of his playing time in 2022 in right field.

Honorable mention: RHP Anthony Bender 60 G, 61.1 IP, 2.79 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 10.4 SO/9 in 2021

Philadelphia Phillies: LHP Ranger Suarez

There’s just no way to reference underrated players without mentioning the performance by Philadelphia Phillies lefty Ranger Suarez, who quietly was one of the best pitchers in not only the National League, but the entire major leagues as a whole.

Suarez, 26, pitched exclusively out of the Phils’ bullpen last year up until August when he made the transition to the starting rotation. All told, Suarez posted a 1.12 ERA in 27 outings out of the pen, striking out 42 and allowing just 5 earned runs in 40+ innings.

Upon the transition to the rotation, Suarez continued to dominate the opposition. His best outing  came in his second to last start of the season when he threw a complete-game shutout against the Pirates on September 25th.

Suarez wrapped up 2021 with 5.8 bWAR, a 1.36 ERA and a miniscule 0.3 HR/9 rate. He allowed just one home run across his 11 starts and 65 innings.

Honorable mention: INF Jean Segura 131 G, 14 HR, .290 AVG, 111 OPS+, 3.7 bWAR in 2021

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