Star players are exciting to watch, no doubt, but baseball seasons are long, and there is plenty of time to build up an affection for just about every type of player.
Miguel Rojas is entering his 13th and final major league season, before he transitions into a front office role with the Dodgers. He’s never made an All-Star team, but was a dependable regular at shortstop for five years with the Miami Marlins before returning to Los Angeles in more of a reserve role over the last three seasons.
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Rojas had done everything that’s been asked of him, including playing all over the infield and even helping tutor star Mookie Betts or then-rookie Miguel Vargas about the finer points of middle infield play. Rojas isn’t a star, but he’ll be remembered forever for his game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.
“It’s coming on your feed every single day. You’re seeing the homer, you’re seeing the plays, you’re seeing the whole series,” Rojas said on SportsNet LA during Dodgers Fest on Saturday. “And then the feedback from the people on the streets. When they come to you and say, ‘That was the most memorable World Series,’ ‘That was the best game I’ve ever seen,’ it’s really impactful, because you were part of something really cool in baseball. That’s a moment you will never forget.”
The home run by Rojas to me was similar to that of catcher Mike Scioscia in Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS. Down 4-2 in the ninth inning against Mets ace Dwight Gooden, the Dodgers were three outs away from a 3-1 series deficit against a 100-win team. But after a leadoff walk, Scioscia jumped on a first-pitch fastball for a game-tying home run that was so shocking even Al Michaels on ABC noted that Scioscia to that point hit only 35 home runs in his nine-year career, while Scioscia was still rounding the bases.
Rojas has 57 regular season home runs in his 12 years to date. Scioscia made two All-Star teams with the Dodgers so perhaps he doesn’t fall into the underrated or unheralded category.
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Eric Karros never made an All-Star team, but is generally well-regarded as the Dodgers’ home run leader since moving to Los Angeles, and is still broadcasting games for the team on television from time to time. I’m not sure he is underrated, but maybe he is. To each their own.
There can be many reasons for having an affinity for a non-star player. Maybe it was a specific moment from a game you watched as a kid. Maybe they have a penchant for earning three-inning saves. Who knows?
Today’s question is who is your favorite underrated or unheralded Dodgers player, past or present, and why?
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