Tampa Bay Rays: SP Drew Rasmussen
2026 Season Stats: 11 GS, 59.0 IP, 4-2 W-L, 3.36 ERA, 5.1% BB%, 23.3 K%, 1.0 WAR
There are plenty of underrated players who could’ve been chosen from the Rays. They seem to turn relatively unknown players into meaningful contributors every year. Yandy Diaz could’ve definitely been on this list, but as of recently, he has been a common answer for “most underrated player in the league”. 1B Jonathan Aranda, UT Ryan Vilade, and SP Nick Martinez could’ve also made this list, but Drew Rasmussen is the one who tops them all.
Rasmussen has undergone three major elbow surgeries in his career and is still a reliable top-end starter for the Rays. Since 2022, he has the 8th-lowest ERA in the MLB (Min 350 IP), right in between Max Fried and Zack Wheeler, who are seen as top-tier aces. He hasn’t had an ERA above 3.00 since his rookie year in 2020, but he never seems to get brought up as a top-tier pitcher in the game. For someone who has overcome several major injuries, this sort of production is nothing short of a miracle, and Rasmussen deserves more praise for what he has done in his career.
