John Sickels has a look at Lyle Overbay's path to the top:
Lyle Overbay was a great hitter in college, and he's been a fine hitter as a pro. Why did it take him so long to get respect? Traditionalists were skeptical about his defense, and his lack of big-time home run power for a first baseman. Statheads were concerned about his age-relative-to-league, and the fact that he put up his big numbers in environments (the Big West Conference, the Pioneer League, the Texas League, the PCL) that are conducive to gaudy statistics.