Major League Baseball is asking its fans to vote for the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise. The winners will be announced in July at the All Star Game in Cincinnati. Today, I will give my Franchise Four picks for the Chicago Cubs.
Ernie Banks, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977, played his entire 19 year career with the Cubs, earning back-to-back MVP honors in 1958 and 1959. When he retired following the 1971 season, he ranked 9th all-time in home runs, with 512.
Ryne Sandberg joined the Cubs in 1982 and quickly became a fixture in the middle of the Cub infield, where he remained until 1997. The 10-time all star, who earned MVP honors in 1984, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005.
Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, who earned his nickname due to farming incident in his youth, spent 10 of his 14 seasons with the Cubs, leading them to World Series titles in 1907 and 1908. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1949.
Ron Santo spent 14 of his 15 big league seasons with the Cubs, earning 9 All Star game appearances and 5 Gold Gloves. He followed his playing career with a long broadcasting stint with the team. He was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012.
Gabby Hartnett spent the first 19 years of his career with the Cubs, appearing in 6 All Star games and earning the MVP award in 1935. Perhaps best remembered for the “Homer in the Gloamin'” in 1938, Hartnett was considered the best National League catcher until the emergence of Johnny Bench. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955.
The most prolific home run hitter in Cubs history, Sammy Sosa spent 13 of his 18 year career with the Cubs. He, along with Mark McGwire, captivated the nation in 1998 while chasing, and eventually surpassing, Roger Maris’ record of 61 home runs. Sosa holds the major league record with 3 seasons of 60+ home runs, and finished his career with 609. His Cub career came to an acrimonious end and, due to steroid allegations, he has not received much support in Hall of Fame balloting.
Fergie Jenkins spent 10 of his 19 years in the big leagues with Cubs, earning the Cy Young Award in 1971. After leaving the Cubs following the 1973 season, he returned in 1982 to finish out his career. Jenkins was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Billy Williams spent the first 16 seasons of his career with the Cubs, winning Rookie of the Year in 1961 and the NL batting title in 1972. Williams set a National League record of 1,117 consecutive games played between 1962 and 1971. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987.
Obviously, my selections for the Franchise Four start with Ernie Banks. Earning the nickname “Mr. Cub” makes you a shoe-in for this type of list. For my other selections, I will go with Billy Williams, Three Finger Brown, and Ryne Sandberg.