Tag / Franchise Four

by admin

Franchise Four – Chicago White Sox

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, we finish up the entire league as I give my Franchise Four picks for the Chicago White Sox.

F4WhiteSox

LALuis Aparicio played for the White Sox from 1956 – 1962 and again from 1968 – 1970.  He was an All Star 6 times in those years and was elected to Hall of Fame in 1984.  His number 11 was retired by the White Sox in 1984.

NFNellie Fox teamed with Aparicio to make up the double play combination for the 1959 American League Champions.  Fox came to the White Sox in 1950 and manned second base through the 1963 season, earning 12 All Star nods and the 1959 AL MVP.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

LAppAfter the White Sox roster was decimated by the banishments following the throwing of the 1919 World Series, there were few bright spots until Luke Appling debuted in 1930.  20 years later, Appling retired, with 7 All Star nods, 2 batting titles, 3 top 10 MVP finishes, and too many team records to count.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964.

PKPaul Konerko came to the White Sox via trade prior to the 1999 season and became a fixture at first base until his retirement last year.  Having led the White Sox to victory in the 2005 World Series, he finished his career as the White Sox all time leader in total bases and second all time in home runs, RBIs, and games played.

HBHarold Baines was selected by the White Sox as the first overall pick of the 1977 draft.  He spent parts of 14 seasons with the team, in three different stints, until his retirement following the 2001 season.  He holds the White Sox team records for home runs, RBIs, and extra base hits for left handed hitters. Continue reading →

by admin

Franchise Four – Chicago Cubs

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.

F4Cubs

EBErnie 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.

RSRyne 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.

TFBMordecai “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.

RoSRon 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.

GHGabby 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. Continue reading →

by admin

Franchise Four – AL Central

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 American League Central, save the White Sox.

F4IndiansWith 6 of their 8 nominees debuting in the major leagues prior to 1950, the Indians representation is focused on their early successes, with the remaining 2 covering their renaissance in the 1990s.  The obvious choices are Nap Lajoie, for whom they owe their nickname, Tris Speaker, and Bob Feller.  For the final slot, I will go with the criminally overlooked Larry Doby, who gets none of the credit that Jackie Robinson gets despite facing the same challenges.

F4TigersThe Tigers nominees are more spread out across their long history, although their four selections are all fairly obvious.  With little thought, my picks here are Miguel Cabrera, Hank Greenberg, Ty Cobb, and Al Kaline.

F4Royals Continue reading →

by admin

Franchise Four – NL Central

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 National League Central, minus the Cubs.

F4Reds5 Hall of Famers should make this an easy choice, but the permanent exclusion of the all-time hit king adds a slight wrinkle to the proceedings for the Reds.  Let’s say that Johnny Bench and Frank Robinson hold down two of the spots.  That leaves Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Barry Larkin, and Pete Rose for the final two slots.  I’m going to go with the exiled Rose and Morgan.

F4Brewers

For a franchise that dates back to 1969, the Brewers, once you get past Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, don’t have much to choose from.  Ryan Braun, despite his association with PEDs, get my third slot.  I guess I’d give the final position to Rollie Fingers.

F4Pirates Continue reading →

by admin

Franchise Four – AL East

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 American League East.

F4OriolesAt first glance, my picks for the Orioles were easy.  Upon further review, though, I find myself with 5 players for only 4 slots.  Cal Ripken Jr., Frank Robinson, and Jim Palmer take my first 3 slots.  The last one comes down to Brooks Robinson and Eddie Murray.  While Murray was by far the better offensive weapon, Robinson was quite possibly the best defensive third baseman of all time.  I’m going to stick with my initial gut feeling and go with Robinson.

F4RedSoxPlenty of Hall of Famers to choose from for the Red Sox, as 6 of the 8 have been elected to Cooperstown.  The first two slots have to go to Cy Young and Ted Williams, both of whom would be in the conversation for a league wide contest.  The final two slots would have to go to Carl Yastrzemski and newly elected Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez.  Conspicuous by his absence is Roger Clemens.

F4Yankees

Continue reading →

by admin

Franchise Four – NL East

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 National League East.

F4BravesWell, this is a nice collection of players selected to represent the Braves.  6 of the 8 have been elected to the Hall of Fame with a 7th sure to make it once he is eligible.  Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn rise above their Hall brethren, so they take the first two slots.  The last two slots come down to Eddie Mathews, with his 512 career home runs, and the 3 aces of the 90s, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.  I’m going to go with Mathews and Maddux.

F4Marlins

A much different scenario for the Marlins, who have only been in existence since 1993 and have a history of ownership who ships out any player that may be any good and, thus, command a decent salary.  The 8 players in the running have averaged less than 7 years in a Marlin uniform.  That said, I will pick Josh Beckett, Gary Sheffield, Mike Lowell, and current star Giancarlo Stanton.

F4Mets

Continue reading →

by admin

Franchise Four – AL West

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 American League West.

F4Astros

The Astros, around since 1962, have 2 obvious options, and both are from their World Series team in 2005: Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.  After that, there is a bit of a drop off.  Nolan Ryan would seem to be a good pick for the third slot, having spent more years with the Astros than with any other team.  For the last slot, I’ll go with J. R. Richard, whose career was cut short due to a stroke, but still came to represent the franchise in the late 70s.

F4Angels

Despite existing since the 1961 season, the Angels have a complete lack of star power in their 8 nominees.  Garret Anderson?  Tim Salmon?  Brian Downing?  While fine players, none of them would be confused with an all time great.  Of the remaining 5, I will dump Jim Fregosi and take Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan (again!), Vladamir Guerrero, and, despite being in only his 4th season, Mike Trout.

F4As

Continue reading →

by admin

Franchise Four – NL West

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 National League West.

F4Dbacks

The Diamondbacks have only been around since 1998, so there isn’t a ton of history to choose from.  6 of the 8 nominees played on their 2001 World Championship team.  My selections would be Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, and Steve Finley.

F4Rockies

The Rockies franchise dates all the way back to 1993, so they are in a similar boat as the Diamondbacks, but without the championship to boost their roster.  Not surprisingly, no pitchers made their list of 8 nominees.  I would go with Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Dante Bichette, and Troy Tulowitzki.

F4Dodgers

Continue reading →