The MLB hot stove season is rolling on with trades happening left and right, and big fish still available on the free agent pitching market. Beyond Max Scherzer and James Shields, however, are some valuable players whose worth isn't easily noticed because they don't necessarily have gaudy stats.
Here are five underrated free agents still on the pile that could be potential bargains in 2015.
Rickie Weeks, 2B
The New York Yankees went out and re-signed Stephen Drew to a one-year deal this offseason despite the fact he hit .162 with them and the Red Sox last year and showed declining ability in the field.
Why not go for Rickie Weeks, a low-batting average player who provides value despite his flaws. Last season Weeks benefitted from a high BABIP and hit .274. While that's no great shakes he is two years removed from a 21-home run, 16-steal campaign as a second baseman in Milwaukee.
He's never been a great defender, and last season he struck out in a quarter of his at-bats. That just means he will be discounted power at a position where it's scarce. His on-base skills aren't terrible either. Some team will add him as a bench piece and he will play a fairly significant role at some point.
Everth Cabrera, SS
Cabrera is a former All-Star who wasn't tendered an offer by the Padres following a steroid suspension and a .232 average last year. Cabrera is a plus defender at short who stole 81 bases in 2012 and 2013 combined.
He suffered from bad luck (.291 BABIP) last season, and only played in 90 games, but still was able to steal 18 bags and offer positive contributions running the bases as well.
Eric Young Jr., OF/2B
Eric Young shouldn't still be a free agent. He is not a starting caliber player-his .299 on-base percentage doesn't jibe with his leadoff-hitter profile-but as a role player he is a championship piece.
Young's speed is undeniable; he stole 30 bases as a part-timer with the Mets last season and for his career he's been both prolific and efficient. Defensively he is a clear plus in the outfield, and he is capable of playing in the infield too He's the ideal utility player with multi-positional capability and game-changing speed.
Eric Stults, SP
Stults is not a sexy name by any means, and whenever he's signed, fans of that team will barely even react. He's a serviceable pitcher though, his 2014 numbers be damned. In 2012 and 2013 he managed a sub-4.00 ERA while making close to 50 starts. Last season his ERA spiked to 4.30, and the advanced metrics weren't kind. That can be chalked up to a big spike in home runs allowed. Stults home run/fly ball percentage pretty much doubled in 2014 from the previous campaign.
That was unlucky though. His fly ball rate actually dipped while his ground ball rate rose. If that trend continues, Stults will wind up inducing more ground ball outs and can surely get his ERA back down.
Phil Coke, RP
This free agent left-hander will not blow you away with his stats, but a solid performance last season hints at better times to come. Coke finally nudged his ERA under the 4.00 mark, and the advanced metrics backed him up.
The reason for this is a spike in ground-ball rate, likely caused by an increase in the use of his two-seam fastball. He was getting hitters to drive the ball down, not through the air, and he reaped the benefits.
He's still very much a prototypical left-handed specialist, but going against lefty boppers won't be so nerve-racking knowing he's not getting hitters to ground out more.
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