Sports Illustrated's new poll of 227 big-league players asks who the most overrated pitcher in baseball is, and Pirates righty A.J. Burnett finishes second, behind the Angels' C.J. Wilson.
↵Obvious aces like Stephen Strasburg, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay were also popular responses, raising the question of whether the players have any idea what they're talking about. The "overrated" accusation certainly doesn't make a lot of sense in Burnett's case, or at least it doesn't anymore. He's been a big part of the Pirates' success so far this season, and the Bucs acquired him for little more than a willingness to chip in $13 million to pay his salary the next two seasons. That suggests that, if anything, he's underrated right now.
↵Burnett has 56 strikeouts, 20 walks and a 3.61 ERA in 62.1 innings for the Bucs this season. It appears the AL East didn't suit him particularly well, but PNC Park and the NL Central certainly do.
↵Hat tip to Bucs Dugout, which is SB Nation's Pirates blog.