Most underappreciated/undercollected players

[jchcollins]

Frank Robinson I have always felt was underappreciated given his stats in a post-war hobby that sometimes seems to drool on Mantle, Mays, Williams, Aaron, and Clemente as if they were the only marquee names.

Another just for me personally is Roy Campanella. When I first started collecting old cards as a kid in the 1980's, you heard a lot more about him. He still routinely turns up along with Hartnett, Cochrane, Dickey, Berra, Bench, Fisk, Piazza et al. in the GOAT debates for catcher - but it doesn't seem like a ton of folks out there collect him. If you consider a career that was cut short on both ends - it was actually cut shorter by his delay into the majors on the front side of his career than it was the accident at the end of it, I believe - then I think he really does qualify as one of the greatest players - even though his stats don't necessarily show it. I guess there is also the factor of Jackie Robinson - if you are going after the historical aspect of trailblazing Brooklyn Dodgers - you are probably going to lean towards Robinson over Campy.

[Bram99]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

Frank Robinson I have always felt was underappreciated given his stats in a post-war hobby that sometimes seems to drool on Mantle, Mays, Williams, Aaron, and Clemente as if they were the only marquee names.

Another just for me personally is Roy Campanella. When I first started collecting old cards as a kid in the 1980's, you heard a lot more about him. He still routinely turns up along with Hartnett, Cochrane, Dickey, Berra, Bench, Fisk, Piazza et al. in the GOAT debates for catcher - but it doesn't seem like a ton of folks out there collect him. If you consider a career that was cut short on both ends - it was actually cut shorter by his delay into the majors on the front side of his career than it was the accident at the end of it, I believe - then I think he really does qualify as one of the greatest players - even though his stats don't necessarily show it. I guess there is also the factor of Jackie Robinson - if you are going after the historical aspect of trailblazing Brooklyn Dodgers - you are probably going to lean towards Robinson over Campy.

+1