Post by Captain America on Aug 6, 2015 16:24:06 GMT -5
Less than a month ago during the real life 2015 MLB All-Star Game festivities, each team's "Franchise Four" was revealed before the All-Star Game itself. Earlier in the season, fans were asked to vote for the 4 best players in each team's franchise history out of 8 nominees. This inspired me and got me thinking...what would each BBSBL team's Franchise Four look like at this point?
Thus, I went through the site and CATO extensively to search through every team's history and see who their 4 best players were that had the biggest impact on the given team for a long period of time. I'll then show what they did for their team(s) to show what kind of impact they had. Players can be eligible for multiple teams as long as they played for 3 full seasons, but if they spent a significant portion of their careers with 1 team, I will try to not consider them as part of another team as well. Longevity with the same team will be valued quite a bit here. I'll also provide 4 additional players per team as honorable mention nominees to make it look like an 8-nominee fan ballot like it was in reality.
We'll start it off with the AL Great Lakes teams.
Detroit Tigers
RF J.D. Drew (2002-2006)
- Tied his career high of 36 home runs in 2002 after being traded from the Cubs in April; Also hit .282 with 32 doubles, 118 RBI, 99 runs and an .881 OPS
- Averaged over 25 home runs per season as a member of the Tigers
- Made 1 All-Star appearance with the Tigers in 2002
- Helped lead the Tigers to their first AL Central title in 2006
SS J.J. Hardy (2004-Present)
- Is the longest tenured Tiger in franchise history
- Averaged 25 home runs during a 4-year stretch between 2010-2013
- Holds the Tigers' career franchise records for home runs (217) and RBI (1029)
- Was a big part of the Tigers' 2006 and 2007 AL Central titles
2B Brian Roberts (2001-2013)
- Hold the Tigers' career franchise records for batting average (.306), hits (2143), doubles (510), triples (92) and stolen bases (792)
- Led the AL in triples 3 times (2003, 2006, 2011) and in stolen bases once in 2007
- Batted over .300 9 times with the Tigers
- Helped lead the Tigers to consecutive AL Central titles in 2006 and 2007
SP Tim Hudson (1998-2009)
- The Tigers' career franchise leader in wins (167), strikeouts (1608), starts (424), complete games (41) and shutouts (13)
- Had 4 seasons with an ERA under 3.00 in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007
- Was the Tigers' ace during their 2006 and 2007 postseason runs
- Represented the Tigers in the 2006 All-Star Game
Honorable Mentions: Joe Crede, Bobby Higginson, Nick Markakis, Scott Strickland
Milwaukee Brewers
SP Jeff D'Amico (1996-2013)
- The longest tenured player in Brewers history
- Leads the Brewers career records in wins (199), strikeouts (2135), games started (599) and shutouts (9)
- Posted his best season in 2003 with 18 wins and a 2.10 ERA (4th in the NL)
- Helped lead the Brewers to consecutive AL Central titles in 2012 and 2013
RF Geoff Jenkins (1996-2012)
- The longest tenured hitter in Brewers history
- Holds Brewers career franchise records in Hits (2554), doubles (628), home runs (330), RBI (1394), walks (456) and runs (1228)
- Had a career season in 1999 with a .282 average, 36 doubles, 31 home runs, 125 RBI, 97 runs and an .818 OPS
- Helped lead the Brewers to their AL Central titles in 2012 and 2013
SP Kyle Kendrick (2009-2016)
- Followed up his 2009 AL Rookie of the Year season by winning 2010 AL Cy Young Award with 22 wins and a league-leading 2.48 ERA
- Won 20+ games during a 4-year stretch from 2010-2013
- Posted a career best 2.06 ERA in 2012 as he led the Brewers to 2 division titles in 2012 and 2013
- Was a 2-time All-Star with the Brewers in 2010 and 2012
2B Drew Meyer (2005-2017)
- Won the 2013 AL MVP Award with a .326 average, 37 home runs (led the AL), 111 RBI, 208 hits, 107 runs, and a .916 OPS
- The Brewers' career franchise leader in average and slugging percentage
- Was the offensive leader of the 2012 and 2013 Brewers division championship teams
- 6-time All-Star for the Brewers in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015
- Won the 2012 AL batting title with a .348 average
Honorable Mentions: Heath Bell, Troy Cate, Brandon Larson, Dave Nilsson
Minnesota Twins
LF Hector Asuncion (2012-present)
- Holds Twins career franchise record in home runs with 135 and 2nd in RBI with 518
- Set a Twins single season record with 114 RBI in 2017, breaking Greg Colbrunn's mark of 113 RBI in 1997
C Travis d'Arnaud (2013-present)
- Has hit 112 home runs as a member of the Twins; good enough for 2nd in franchise history
- Was selected to the 2015 All-Star Game
- Posted career highs of 31 home runs and 97 RBI in 2015
SP Ricky Nolasco (2012-present)
- Holds Twins career franchise records in wins (110), strikeouts (1450), games started (221), complete games (42) and shutouts (11)
- Also holds Twins single season records in wins (26 in 2014) and strikeouts (294 in 2014)
- Had his best season in 2014 with 26 wins, a 2.63 ERA, 294 strikeouts (led AL), 14 complete games and 5 shutouts
SP Jordan Zimmermann (2013-2016)
- Holds Twins single season records in ERA (2.36 in 2015) and shutouts (7 in 2013)
- Was a 2-time All-Star in 2015 and 2016
- Had an ERA under 3.00 in every season with the Twins
Honorable Mentions: Rich Becker, Kelvim Escobar, Chris George, Garrett Jones
Pittsburgh Pirates
RF Vladimir Guerrero (2003-2010)
- Hit .319 in 8 seasons with Pirates and hit 184 home runs with 838 RBI (both Pirates career franchise records)
- Won 2005 NL MVP Award with a .334 average, 44 doubles, 35 home runs, 138 RBI (led NL), 122 runs, 56 steals and a .998 OPS
- Was a 7-time All-Star with Pirates in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010
- Led the Pirates to 6 postseason appearances during his time there, including a trip to the 2003 World Series
- Already inducted into the BBSBL Hall of Fame as a Pirate
SP Mark Prior (2002-2011)
- Pirates career leader in wins (192), ERA (2.72), games started (359), complete games (63) and shutouts (19)
- Won the 2010 NL Cy Young Award with 30 wins (led NL), a 1.79 ERA, 256 strikeouts, 17 complete games and 8 shutouts
- Was a 2-time All-Star with the Pirates in 2007 and 2010
- Posted 5 seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA with the Pirates
- Led the Pirates' pitching staff to 6 postseason appearances
SS Hanley Ramirez (2003-2011)
- Hit .288 with the Pirates over 8 1/2 seasons with 121 home runs and 635 RBI
- Holds Pirates career records in hits (1413), doubles (413), and steals (469)
- Won the 2003 NL Rookie of the Year Award and 2 Gold Glove Awards with Pirates in 2005 and 2008
- Led NL with 10 triples in 2010
- Was a big force in 6 Pirates postseason runs
2B Chase Utley (2002-2006, 2012-2013)
- Hit .321 with the Pirates over 7 seasons and 2 separate stints, with 102 home runs and 595 RBI
- Was a 4-time All-Star with the Pirates in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2012
- Helped lead the Pirates to 4 postseason appearances in 2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013
Honorable Mentions: Jeremy Affeldt, Jose Guillen, Akinori Iwamura, David Ortiz
Toronto Blue Jays
3B Adrian Beltre (1999-2009)
- Blue Jays' career leader in home runs (226), RBI (1,001), hits (1,937) and runs (976)
- Hit .291 over his 11 seasons with Blue Jays
- Helped lead the Blue Jays to 4 consecutive postseason appearances from 2003-2006 and a World Series championship in 2003
- Was a 3-time All-Star in 2001, 2003 and 2006
- Won a record 6 AL Gold Glove Awards at third base in 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009
SS Juan Encarnacion (2001-2009)
- Won the 2006 AL MVP Award, hitting .362 (led AL) with 57 doubles, 22 home runs, 98 RBI, 94 runs and a .956 OPS
- Hit .322 over 9 seasons with Blue Jays
- Helped lead the Blue Jays to 4 consecutive postseason appearances from 2003-2006 and a World Series championship in 2003
- Was a 4-time All-Star in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008
SP Roy Halladay (1997-2009)
- Won the 2004 AL Cy Young Award, with 25 wins (led AL), a 2.11 ERA, 299 strikeouts (led AL) and 7 shutouts (led AL)
- Blue Jays' career leader in wins (247), ERA (3.26; among pitchers with 1,000+ innings as a member of Blue Jays), strikeouts (3,306), games started (459), complete games (106) and shutouts (38)
- Is 1 of just 3 BBSBL pitchers to ever have over 300 wins and over 4,000 strikeouts
- Led the Blue Jays to 4 consecutive postseason appearances from 2003-2006 and a World Series championship in 2003
- Was a 3-time All-Star in 2003, 2004 and 2006
- Already inducted into the BBSBL Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay
1B Albert Pujols (2001-2009)
- Won the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year Award, hitting .285 with 37 doubles, 16 home runs and 82 RBI
- Won the 2005 AL MVP Award, hitting .404 with 48 doubles, 28 home runs, 131 RBI, 235 hits, 118 runs and a 1.101 OPS
- Became the 1st ever BBSBL hitter to bat over .400 in a single season
- Hit .324 over 9 seasons with Blue Jays, with 442 doubles (Blue Jays career leader), 144 home runs, 888 RBI, and an .872 OPS
- Led the Blue Jays to 4 consecutive postseason appearances from 2003-2006 and a World Series championship in 2003
- Represented the Blue Jays in the 2005 All-Star Game
- Won 3 Gold Glove Awards at first base with Blue Jays in 2003, 2006 and 2007
Honorable Mentions: Gerik Baxter, Todd Helton, Joe Lampman, Ian Stewart
AL Atlantic teams coming up next!
