10 Underrated MLB Players Who Will Explode in 2023

There are a handful of players across baseball who do not receive the attention they deserve relative to their contributions.

Sometimes, it's a case of playing in the shadow of a bigger star. Other times, it can be a result of suiting up for a small-market team that simply doesn't receive the same national focus as some of its larger-payroll counterparts.

At any rate, ahead we've highlighted 10 underrated MLB players who are poised to explode onto the national stage during the 2023 season.

In order to be eligible for consideration, a player had to have at least three seasons of MLB experience under his belt. That provided enough time to establish a player's level of production relative to whether he is overrated, properly rated or underrated.

Who is the best player on the Oakland Athletics following a complete roster upheaval over the past two years?

The answer might be slugger Seth Brown.

The 30-year-old posted a 116 OPS+ while leading the team in home runs (25) and RBI (73) last year, and it was the late bloomer's second straight 20-homer season while bouncing around between first base and all three outfield spots.

Despite his age, there is reason to believe he can still take another step forward after he posted a .900 OPS with eight home runs and 23 RBI in 30 games over the final month of the 2022 season.

A 120 OPS+ and 30 home runs might be within reach provided he sees enough quality pitches to hit as the biggest threat in a weak lineup.

J.D. Davis was acquired by the San Francisco Giants last summer in a deal that sent Darin Ruf the other way to the New York Mets, and he could be a key bat in the middle of the lineup during his first full season in the Bay Area.

The 29-year-old had a 140 OPS+ in 158 plate appearances following the trade, and with veterans Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria both departing in free agency, there is a more clear path to regular playing time.

He is a below-average defender at the hot corner and might profile best in the designated hitter role, but if he gets 500 plate appearances, he could push for the team lead in home runs and RBI.

In 2019, he hit .307/.369/.527 with 22 doubles and 22 home runs in a career-high 453 plate appearances, so it could just be a matter of opportunity for him to put together a standout offensive season.

Cristian Javier has the talent to be one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.

Overshadowed by Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez in the Houston Astros rotation last season, he finished 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 194 strikeouts in 148.2 innings but did not receive a single Cy Young vote.

The 25-year-old was at his best during the stretch run, closing out the regular season with a 23-inning scoreless streak before twirling gems in the ALCS (5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) and World Series (6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K).

His late-season emergence no doubt contributed to the decision to let Verlander walk in free agency, and he will now anchor the starting rotation alongside Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr. and whoever secures the final two spots between Luis García, José Urquidy and top prospect Hunter Brown.

If Javier can pick up where he left off, a legitimate run at AL Cy Young honors is not out of the question.

Left-hander Jesús Luzardo was a top-10 prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2019 (No. 7) and 2020 (No. 9) seasons, according to Baseball America, while he was rising the ranks in the Oakland Athletics farm system.

He struggled to a 6.87 ERA in 38 innings on the MLB roster to start the 2021 campaign, and the Athletics flipped him at the trade deadline that year for a two-month rental of veteran outfielder Starling Marte.

A post-hype sleeper last year, he finally started to put everything together, posting a 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 120 strikeouts in 100.1 innings over 18 starts, and he enters spring training firmly entrenched in the MLB rotation.

Still only 25 years old, he has time to live up to his front-line starter potential, and another step forward would go a long way in helping to ease the loss of Pablo López after he was traded to the Minnesota Twins during the offseason.

Looking for baseball's next elite closer?

Andrés Muñoz has the stuff to be unhittable in the late innings with a fastball that averaged 100.2 mph and a wipeout slider that limited opposing hitters to a .126 average with a 50.8 percent whiff rate.

Pitching mostly in a setup role last season, he finished with a 2.49 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 13.3 K/9 while tallying four saves and 22 holds in 64 appearances.

Veteran Paul Sewald has more experience in the closer's role, and he led the Seattle Mariners with 20 saves in 25 chances last year. But Muñoz is the more overpowering pitcher, and he could take the role and run with it as one of the game's top relievers in 2023.

Harold Ramírez could benefit as much as anyone on the Tampa Bay Rays roster from the decision to trade Ji-Man Choi to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Splitting his time between first base, corner outfield and designated hitter last season, he batted .300/.343/.404 for a 119 OPS+ in 435 plate appearances, and his batted-ball numbers suggest he is capable of more of the same in a large role.

His .280 expected batting average ranked in the 94th percentile, and while he doesn't walk a ton, his 16.6 percent strikeout rate speaks to his advanced bat-to-ball skills and ability to continue hitting for a high average.

At the least, he could be the 2023 version of Yandy Díaz, who put together a 3.5 WAR season despite middling power numbers.

The Los Angeles Angels starting rotation has gone from a glaring weakness to a potential area of strength, and the emergence of left-hander Patrick Sandoval has been a big reason for the turnaround.

The 26-year-old posted a 2.91 ERA with 151 strikeouts in a career-high 148.2 innings last season, and his 3.09 FIP doesn't suggest any significant regression to come from a batted-ball standpoint.

While his 1.34 WHIP and 8.4 hits per nine innings suggest he could stand to induce a bit more weak contact, he ended the 2022 season with his stock on the rise.

Over the final two months, he had a 1.83 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a .219 opponents' batting average, and he tossed a four-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 19 for the first complete game of his career.

Pitching behind Shohei Ohtani and free-agent signing Tyler Anderson, he'll be one of the best No. 3 starters in baseball.

Brady Singer was squarely in the conversation to go No. 1 overall in the 2018 draft before some inconsistency during his junior season at the University of Florida caused him to slip to the Kansas City Royals with the No. 18 pick.

After enduring some growing pains in 2020 and 2021 with a 4.62 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 192.2 innings, he emerged as the ace of the staff for a young team on the rise last season.

The 26-year-old went 10-5 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 150 strikeouts in 153.1 innings, and with a strong 6'5", 215-pound frame and a well-rounded repertoire, he has the tools to be an innings-eater going forward.

He is set to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, and that could be the beginning of a true coming-out party on a national level in 2023.

Luis Urías had an under-the-radar breakout season in 2021, posting a 112 OPS+ with 25 doubles, 23 home runs and 75 RBI with 3.1 WAR in 150 games in his first full season in the big leagues.

He missed the first month of the 2022 season with a quad strain, but he put up similar numbers once he got healthy with a 110 OPS+ and 16 home runs in 119 games for a Milwaukee Brewers team that fell just short of reaching the postseason.

His ability to handle second base and third base gives the Brewers some flexibility this spring as they take a long look at top prospect Brice Turang at second base and reclamation project Brian Anderson at third base.

The additions of William Contreras and Jesse Winker could mean he has more RBI opportunities hitting toward the bottom of the lineup, and a more balanced attack could also mean more pitches for him to hit.

Daulton Varsho has the potential to be one of the most impactful additions of the offseason after he was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and promising young catcher Gabriel Moreno.

Last season, Varsho logged a 109 OPS+ with 23 doubles, 27 home runs and 74 RBI in 151 games, and he did it playing in a home ballpark that ranked among the worst for hitting home runs.

The 26-year-old hit 16 of his 27 home runs on the road last season, which should make a run at a 30-homer season well within reach now that he will be playing half of his games in Toronto.

His left-handed bat also provides some needed balance to a lineup led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Matt Chapman, who all bat from the right side.