Who were the 3 most underrated players from the Cincinnati Reds 2021 season

The Cincinnati Reds overachieved in 2021. While the team still finished third in the National League Central Division, not many so-called experts expected Cincinnati to finish the season above .500. The Reds went 83-79; their first winning season since 2013 (the Reds were 31-29 during the 2020 pandemic-shortened season).

While a lot of credit goes to the highly-touted lineup that included All-Stars Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker, NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India, and the resurgent season of former MVP Joey Votto, the Reds had some unexpected contributions from a handful of players who may not be as recognizable as the aforementioned quartet.

With the cost-cutting that fans have already seen this offseason, the Reds will need similar production from some under-the-radar players in 2022. But let's take a look back at last season and see who Cincinnati's top three most underrated performers were.

1. Sonny Gray, Cincinnati Reds pitcher

We can't call Sonny Gray underrated as far as his standing in the big leagues is concerned. The Vanderbilt alum does have two All-Star appearances to his credit. But with the success of Wade Miley's 2021 season coupled with the performances of both Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, Gray's 2021 season tends to be easily dismissed as a below-average season for the right-hander.

That's a bit of a stretch. Despite multiple trips to the injured list, Gray still managed to start 26 games, which was only two less than Miley. The 32-year-old did post an uninspiring 4.19 ERA, but his FIP was 3.99 and Gray struck out 155 batters over 135.1 innings of work. That's 30 more punch outs than fellow veteran hurler Wade Miley, and good enough for third-most on the team.

Gray's K/9 was pretty much in-line with the numbers he put up during his first two seasons in the Queen City, and his 3.33 BB/9 is his lowest since joining the Redlegs in 2019. Gray's 3.3 bWAR was sixth-highest on the team, which was better than both All-Star outfielders Nick Castellanos (3.2 bWAR) and Jesse Winker (2.7 bWAR).

It may be a bit of a stretch to call Sonny Gray's 2021 season underrated, but to think of he right-hander as the fourth-best starter on last year's Reds team is just foolish. Wade Miley had an outstanding year and Tyler Mahle posted career-bests in several categories, but despite a "down year", I still believe that Sonny Gray is the second-best pitcher on the Cincinnati Reds.