Saturday, April 11, 2015

VOTE FOR THE TOP FOUR PLAYERS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY

Vote for the FOUR most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise.
The players from each group receiving the most votes will be revealed on

 July 14 at the All-Star Game in Cincinnati - 7:30pm ET on FOX

 http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2015/franchise_four.jsp
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This post is really a continuation of the previous.  Rather than quote from it, please read it:

FOUR GREATEST LIVING PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HISTORY  Friday, April 10, 2015

The titles with all caps are from the mlb.com.  The entire mess is so ill conceived that I suspect that it must have originated in the Selig regime.  Even Manfred, the A-Rod Slayer, has more common sense than this.

I won't attempt to pick four players for each franchise.  To spare you considerable bouncing around the mlb.com pages that contain their eight candidates for each franchise, I've created a matrix which is below and can be viewed by clicking this link.

Here is a key to my observations with more below the matrix:
REDterrible
BOLDbest
pitchersignored
new teamsignored
italicsmultiple teams
missingmore candidates

Players names in red were such terrible choices that I could not resist pointing that out.  Expansion teams, those created after 1960, are ignored for the most part.  The mlb.com wording has both top and most impactful.  My choice for the best player per franchise is BOLD and the cell has a thicker border.  In case it's not clear my fourth choice for "greatest living player" is one who was missing from the mlb.com candidates: Alex Rodriguez.  Rodriguez was not a candidate for any team, which suggests Selig's influence.  The first line is for the greatest living players.  Then come the teams listed in their current divisions as they are on mlb.com for the vote.  Names to the right of the eight candidates are my suggestions and labeled "missing".
teamcandidatecandidatecandidatecandidatecandidatecandidatecandidatecandidateteammissingmissingmissingmissing
LivingHank AaronJohnny BenchBarry BondsRickey HendersonSandy KoufaxPedro MartinezWillie MaysTom SeaverLivingAlex RodriguezAlbert Pujols
OriolesPaul BlairDave McNallyEddie MurrayJim PalmerBoog PowellCal RipkenBrooks RobinsonFrank RobinsonOriolesKen SingletonBobby Grich
Red SoxDwight EvansCarlton FiskPedro MartinezDavid OrtizJim RiceTed WilliamsCarl YastrzemskiCy YoungRed SoxJoe CroninWade Boggs
YankeesYogi BerraJoe DiMaggioWhitey FordLou GehrigDerek JeterMickey MantleMariano RiveraBabe RuthYankeesBill Dickey
RaysCarl CrawfordScott KazmirEvan LongoriaCarlos PenaDavid PriceJames ShieldsB.J. UptonBen ZobristRays
Blue JaysRoberto AlomarJose BautistaGeorge BellJoe CarterCarlos DelgadoTony FernandezRoy HallidayDave StiebBlue Jays
White SoxLuis AparicioLuke ApplingHarold BainesEddie CollinsNellie FoxPaul KonerkoMinnie MinosoFrank ThomasWhite SoxRichie AllenCarlton Fisk
IndiansEarl AverillLou BoudreauLarry DobyBob FellerNap LajoieTris SpeakerJim ThomeOmar VizquelIndiansAl RosenRocky Colavito
TigersMiguel CabreraTy CobbSam CrawfordCharlie GehringerHank GreenbergAl KalineAlan TrammellJustin VerlanderTigersHarry Heilmann
RoyalsGeorge BrettAlex GordonHal McRaeAmos OtisDan QuisenberryBret SaberhagenFrank WhiteWillie WilsonRoyals
TwinsBert BlylevenRod CarewWalter JohnsonJim KaatHarmon KillebrewJoe MauerTony OlivaKirby PuckettTwinsJoe CroninJohan SantanaCamilo Pascual
AstrosJeff BagwellLance BerkmanCraig BiggioJose CruzJ.R. RichardsNolan RyanMike ScottJimmy WynnAstros
AngelsGarret AndersonBrian DowningChuck FinleyJim FregosiVladimir GuerreroNolan RyanTim SalmonMike TroutAngelsJim EdmondsBobby Grich
AsDennis EckersleyRollie FingersJimmie FoxxLefty GroveRickey HendersonCatfish HunterReggie JacksonAl SimmonsAsJose CansecoMark McGwire
MarinersJay BuhnerAlvin DavisKen Griffey, Jr.Felix HernandezRandy JohnsonEdgar MartinezJamie MoyerIchiro SuzukiMarinersAlex Rodriguez
RangersAdrian BeltreJuan GonzalezJosh HamiltonFrank HowardRafael PalmieroIvan RodriguezNolan RyanMicheal YoungRangersAlex Rodriguez
BravesHank AaronTom GlavineChipper JonesGreg MadduxEddie MathewsDale MurphyJohn SmoltzWarren SpahnBravesAndruw JonesJoe Torre
MarlinsJosh BeckettLuis CastilloJeff ConineLivan HernandezCharles JohnsonMike LowellGary SheffieldGiancarlo StantonMarlins
MetsGary CarterJohn FrancoDwight GoodenKeith HernandezMike PiazzaTom SeaverDarryl StrawberryDavid WrightMetsCarlos BeltranEdgardo AlfonzoJose Reyes
PhilliesRichie AshburnJim BunningSteve CarltonChuck KleinRobin RobertsJimmy RollinsMike SchmidtChase UtleyPhilliesRichie Allen
NationalsGary CarterAndre DawsonVladimir GuerreroDennis MartinezTim RainesSteve RogersRusty StaubRyan ZimmermanNationals
CubsErnie BanksThree Finger BrownGabby HartnettFerguson JenkinsRyne SandbergRon SantoSammy SosaBilly WilliamsCubsHack WilsonCap Anson
RedsJohnny BenchDave ConcepcionEric DavisBarry LarkinJoe MorganTony PerezFrank RobinsonPete RoseRedsGeorge Foster
BrewersRyan BraunCecil CooperPrince FielderRollie FingersJim GantnerPaul MolitorGorman ThomasRobin YountBrewersBen Oglivie
PiratesBarry BondsRoberto ClementeRalph KinerBill MazeroskiWillie StargellPie TraynorHonus WagnerPaul WanerPiratesArky VaughanMax CareyDave Parker
CardinalsLou BrockDizzy DeanBob GibsonRogers HornsbyStan MusialAlbert PujolsRed SchoendienstOzzie SmithCardinalsKen BoyerEnos SlaughterTed SimmonsJohnny MizeJim Edmonds
D'BacksSteve FinleyPaul GoldschmidtLuis GonzalezMark GraceRandy JohnsonCurt SchillingBrandon WebbMatt WilliamsD'Backs
RockiesDante BichetteVinny CastillaAndres GalarragaCarlos GonzalezTodd HeltonMatt HollidayTroy TulowitzkiLarry WalkerRockies
DodgersRoy CampanellaDon DrysdaleSteve GarveyClayton KershawSandy KoufaxJackie RobinsonDuke SniderFernando ValenzuelaDodgersGil HodgesPee Wee ReeseZack Wheat
PadresNate ColbertSteve GarveyAdrian GonzalezTony GwynnTrevor HoffmanRandy JonesJake PeavyDave WinfieldPadresKen Caminiti
GiantsBarry BondsOrlando CepedaJuan MarichalChristy MathewsonWillie MaysWillie McCoveyMel OttBuster PoseyGiantsCarl HubbellBill Terry
teamcandidatecandidatecandidatecandidatecandidatecandidatecandidatecandidateteammissingmissingmissingmissing

My friend Eric sent this:

The top 5 players in career WAR not listed any where on any ballot: 
1) Roger Clemens (8th in WAR) 
2) Alex Rodriguez (17th) 
3) Phil Niekro (34th) 
4) Wade Boggs (42nd) 
5) Gaylord Perry (43rd)

 Total number of active players on the lists: 33
Ortiz, Crawford*, Kazmir*, Longoria, Price*, Shields*, M.Upton*, Zobrist*, Bautista, Mi.Cabrera, Verlander, Gordon, Mauer, Trout, F.Hernandez, I.Suzuki*, A.Beltre, Hamilton*, Stanton, Wright, Rollins*, Utley, Zimmerman, Braun, Fielder*, Pujols*, Goldschmidt, C.Gonzalez, Holliday*, Tulowitzki, A.Gonzalez*, Peavy*, Posey

 *indicates not playing for the team where he's listed on the ballot

 The Rays have 7 active players on their ballot, and only one of them still plays for the team (Longoria).

I mentioned Boggs and Niekro (not being candidates for any franchise), but Clemens and A-Rod??  Soviet style ballots, they never existed.
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Carlton Fisk played more for the White Sox than for the Red Sox but is a candidate only for the Red Sox.  However, Wade Boggs is not a Red Sox candidate.

Steve Garvey is a candidate for the Dodgers but Gil Hodges is not.  Garvey is also a candidate for the Padres.  Garvey is more recent and alive.

As mentioned is the previous post Mariano Rivera is a Yankee candidate but Bill Dickey is not.

Four of the eight Braves candidates are pitchers: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, oh, and Warren Spahn.

I never met a Met fan who knew what he was talking about.  Sunday, June 24, 2012

Will Rogers said "I never met a man I didn't like".  I say:

 I never met a Met fan who knew what he was talking about ... or a Boston fan of any sport...

 I had already heard about the all time Met team, which seemed like junk with Cardinal Keith Hernandez at first base.  Neither the Mets, nor their fans have any real history or tradition even after that expansion team has been around for fifty years...

 There does not appear to be any eligibility criteria for making the all time Met team.  I'll suggest some common sense stuff.

 1. Play at least half your career with the team or at least play more games with the team than with any other team.  That seems pretty reasonable but obviously beyond the grasp of Met fans who are embracing a CARDINAL as their first baseman.  A CARDINAL!

 2. Play at least eight full seasons with the team.  Let's use the very weak criteria for qualifying for leadership in annual averages: 502 plate appearances (PA).  Let's simplify that and round it to 4,000 PA.  Pretty lenient, right?

 1st base Keith Hernandez 3,684 (PA) 129 (OPS+) (CARDINAL 4,724 130; MVP; led in BA)
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You guessed it.  Keith Hernandez is a Met candidate but not a Cardinal candidate.  You can't make up stuff like this.

Most of the traditional teams have easy picks for best, top, most impactful player:
Red Sox - Ted Williams
Yankees - Babe Ruth
White Sox - Eddie Collins
Indians - Tris Speaker
Tigers _ Ty Cobb
Twins/Senators - Harmon Killebrew
As - Jimmie Foxx
Braves - Hank Aaron
Phillies - Mike Schmidt
Cubs - Ernie Banks
Reds - Johnny Bench
Pirates - Honus Wagner
Cardinals - Stan Musial
Giants - Willie Mays
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1 comment:

Cliff Blau said...

I agree the Cubs have an easy pick for most impactful player, but it isn't Ernie Banks. It is Cap Anson. Cubs won five pennants in seven seasons with Anson as star-manager. Meanwhile, they won zero pennants with Ernie Banks.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at 3:36:00 PM EDT

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