Ken Williams was a late bloomer of sorts, some by his own play, some by circumstance.

In the first half of the 1900s, Hank Gowdy was one of the more popular players who arguably was not an offensive star.

When you look through the pages of New York Yankee lore, you don’t see enough on Gil McDougald, who played in the infield for the Bronx Bombers throughout the 1950s.  It should, as the five-time All-Star, be a large part of their success of the decade.

McDougald played all ten of his seasons for the Yankees, first debuting in 1951, winning the American League Rookie of the Year award, and helping the Bronx Bombers win the World Series.  The Yanks and McDougald won the next two titles, and McDougald was a consistent player on the squad.

The infielder helped the Yankees win the World Series five times over his career, and from 1956 to 1959, he was a perennial All-Star.  McDougald was not a power hitter, nor did he hit for exemplary average, but he was a defensive superstar who legitimately earned MVP votes annually from 1955 to 1958. His play helped New York win five World Series Titles.

McDougald might not have been a superstar player, but his overall impact and ability to be in the right place at the right time have few peers.

Davey Lopes made his first appearance in the Majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1972, where the Second Baseman would quietly showcase himself as one of the better infielders of the decade. 

Lopes and the Dodgers were a team on the rise, and he helped them reach the Fall Classic twice in the 70s.  From 1973 to 1979, the speedster had at least 36 Stolen Bases, leading the National League in that statistic in '75 and '76.  In 1978, Lopes was named to the All-Star Team and would be again the next three seasons.  While Lopes was not considered a power hitter, he had 28 Home Runs in 1979, with seven other 10-plus-year seasons.  The culmination of that four-year run of All-Stars saw Lopes help Los Angeles win the 1981 World Series.

After the '81 World Series win, he entered journeyman status, was traded to Oakland, and later played for the Cubs and Houston before retiring in 1987.  Lopes left the game with 1,671 Hits, 155 Home Runs, and 557 Stolen Bases.

Lopes would later become a successful Coach, winning a World Series Ring with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.