The Most Underrated Player in Baseball

Johnny Damon, the Boston Red Sox centerfielder and part-time Jesus impersonator, verbalized the popular view of the San Diego Padres last year when he said, "Does anyone know who plays for San Diego?" He asked this before the Red Sox played the Padres, when the Padres had David Wells as the ace of their staff.

While such ignorance could be attributed to the distance between San Diego and Boston, there's a lack of knowledge closer to home, as well. Tune in to FOX's "Southern California Sports Report," and you'll hear about the Los Angeles Dodgers, the L.A. Angels of Anaheim, USC football, and UCLA basketball. Even local high schools get a share of the stories. Yet, rarely do their broadcasts mention San Diego. Why is it that the national media and baseball fans in general seem to forget that a team plays south of Los Angeles?

One reason could arise from the Padres' games ending very late on the East Coast, but then the same should be true of the San Francisco Giants and the Dodgers. Most people, however, can name at least a couple players on both the Giants and Dodgers. And that's not including Barry Bonds. Perhaps the Padres lack of a championship, or their fluctuation from worst to first and back makes them harder to follow. Many fans know of the Padres fire sale in the early 1990s, but that's probably because their favorite team got one of the Padres' quality players at bargain prices (remember Gary Sheffield, Roberto Alomar, and Fred McGriff?).

Maybe it's the nice weather that reminds fans more of a walk in the park on a summer day than a baseball game. Whatever the reason, the Padres players lack any sort of national recognition. Jake Peavy, just 23-years-old, won the National League ERA title, posting a 2.27, a full 0.33 points lower than runner-up Randy Johnson, and 0.71 points below Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. Despite his performance, he didn't receive one vote for the Cy Young award. And Peavy isn't even the best player on the Padres. That honor belongs to Mark Loretta, the most underrated player in baseball.

No second baseman last year came close to the year Mark Loretta had. His .335 batting average was nearly 30 points higher than Tony Womack of the New York Yankees. His .391 on-base percentage was highest, almost 20 points higher than Mark Bellhorn of the Red Sox. While he hit just 16 home runs compared to Alfonso Soriano's 28, he still finished third in slugging percentage for all second basemen at .495. He had the most hits and the most runs, with 208 and 108, respectively. He finished third in doubles, and had the second fewest strikeouts.

When compared against players at all positions, Loretta's numbers still ranked well. He finished fourth in hits, sixth in average, sixth in doubles, and tied for 19th for both runs and on-base percentage. Despite this well-rounded offensive year, Loretta was not selected by the fans for the All-Star Game. When the players voted, however, he was chosen to make his first All-Star Game appearance. While he lacked the nationwide recognition, the Padres and the fans in San Diego have been acknowledging his abilities. He has been the Padres' MVP for the past two years, and comparisons to Tony Gwynn are popping up with increasing frequency.

His improvement between 2003 and 2004 was not isolated to one particular area, but came across the board. Loretta increased his runs by 34, hits by 23, doubles by 19, and average by 0.21. But that doesn't mean his prior year wasn't impressive either. In 2003, he finished with a .314 average, which placed him third among all second basemen, and 18th overall. And his on-base percentage ranked fourth at .372.

While this could be attributed to a short-lived offensive explosion, along the lines of a Jay Bell, Loretta has had the foundation in place since his days with the Milwaukee Brewers. He consistently held a .290 average or better, but was often plagued by injuries that cut his seasons short. From 1995 to last year, he managed only five years with 130 games or more.

While his offense has been consistently increasing over the past few years, Mark Loretta is not a one-tool player. Teamed with rookie phenom Khalil Greene, he made the Padres one of the strongest defensive combinations up the middle. For most of last year, San Diego led the league in double plays turned.

Loretta's best ability, however, does come at the plate. He is regarded as the top hit-and-run player in baseball. He is contact hitter, who can inside-out the ball to the 3.5 hole between first and second. And his low tendency to strike out means manager Bruce Bochy can put the hit-and-run on with little fear of a double play.

The hit-and-run might be the best example of Loretta's leadership style, and the reason why so few people appreciate his skills. The hit-and-run is not glamorous. It usually doesn't end up with a home run, which is the only offense that impresses the fans. It simply puts the team in a better position to win. By getting runners on base or advancing them before the power guys come up, a good hit-and run player can increase a team runs significantly, although he might not always get the credit.

And that's the type of player Loretta is. He's not going to complain about his relative obscurity or about it being harder to hit home runs at San Diego's Petco Park. He's simply going to play the game, and do what it takes to help his team win.

Chances are Mark Loretta is not going to hit the game-winning home run, but if you look closely, he'll be the guy on base who made it possible.