Post by Captain America on Aug 24, 2015 17:16:31 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.
As we move to the NL teams, the NL West is up next!
Anaheim Angels
2B/SS Ruben Gotay (2010-present)
- Angels career leader in home runs and RBI
- Led AL with 119 RBI in 2012
- Has been a 2-time All-Star with Angels (2012, 2015)
Helped lead the Angels to consecutive AL West division titles in 2010 and 2011
CF Corey Patterson (2009-2012)
- Won consecutive AL MVP Awards with Angels in 2010 and 2011
- As an Angel, led AL in slugging 3 times, OPS once, home runs 3 times and RBI 3 times.
- Angels career leader in slugging and OPS
- Made 3 consecutive All-Star Game trips with Angels between 2009-2011
- Led the Angels to consecutive AL West division titles in 2010 and 2011
RF Tim Salmon (1992-2005)
- Angels career leader in walks
- Hit 205 home runs and drove 721 RBI between 1996-2005
- Won an AL Gold Glove Award in right field in 1997
- Led the Angels to an AL Wild Card berth in 1999
CF Grady Sizemore (2012-2016)
- Led AL in OBP in 2012 and walks in 2015
- Had an OPS over .800 in each of his 3 full seasons with Angels
- Made 3 consecutive All-Star Game appearances with Angels between 2014-2016
Honorable Mentions: Jim Edmonds, Darin Erstad, Josh Hamilton, Troy Percival
Colorado Rockies
2B/3B Edgardo Alfonzo (1997-2010)
- Rockies career leader in walks
- Ranks 2nd in team history in career hits, runs, doubles, and RBI; 3rd in home runs
- Went to 2 All-Star Games in 2001 and 2004
- Won consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards at second base in 2001 and 2002; Also won an NL Gold Glove at third base in 2008
- Helped lead the Rockies to an NL Wild Card berth in 1998 and 2 NL West division titles in 2006 and 2007
C Corey Hart (2005-2012)
- Rockies career leader in triples
- Among top 5 in team history in career hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI and stolen bases
- Led NL in home runs twice with Rockies in 2008 and 2009 and led NL in triples in 2012
- Was a 6-time All-Star with Rockies between 2005-2009 and in 2012
- Helped lead the Rockies to 2 NL West division titles in 2006 and 2007, plus an NL Wild Card berth in 2009
RF Larry Walker (1995-1999)
- Won 2 NL MVP Awards in 1996 and 1998; also won 3 NL in-game MVP Awards in 1996, 1998 and 1999
- Rockies career leader in average, OBP, slugging and OPS
- As a Rockie, led NL in average 3 times, OBP 3 times, slugging 4 times, OPS 4 times, hits twice, doubles once, triples once, home runs once, RBI once, runs 4 times and stolen bases once
- Made 4 consecutive All-Star appearances with Rockies between 1996-1999
- Led the Rockies to an NL Wild Card berth in 1998
- Already inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Rockie
SS David Wright (2005-present)
- Won in-game NL Rookie of Year Award in 2005
- Won consecutive in-game NL MVP Awards in 2016 and 2017
- Rockies career leader in hits, runs, doubles, home runs and RBI
- Has led NL in slugging twice, doubles 4 times, home runs 3 times and RBI 3 times
- Has been an 8x All-Star (2006-2007, 2010-2013, 2016-2017)
- Has led the Rockies to 2 NL West division titles in 2006 and 2007, plus 3 NL Wild Card berths in 2009, 2016 and 2017, including an NL pennant in 2017
Honorable Mentions: Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, John Lackey, Eric Young Sr.
Oakland Athletics
SP Mark Buehrle (2004-2007, 2016-present)
- Won 2 AL Cy Young Awards with A's in 2005 and 2007
- A's career leader in ERA, complete games and shutouts
- Has made 5 All-Star Game appearances with A's between 2004-2007 and in 2017
- Led the A's to 3 division titles in 2006, 2016 and 2017, 2 Wild Card berths in 2005 and 2007, and a World Series championship in 2006
1B Jason Giambi (1995-2002)
- A's career leader in runs, home runs, RBI and walks
- Made 2 All-Star Game appearances with A's in 1998 and 1999
- Helped lead the A's to their 1st World Series championship in 2000 and was part of an A's team that won 3 consecutive AL West titles between 1999-2001 and also won an AL pennant in 2001
SP Carl Pavano (1998-2007)
- A's career leader in wins, games started and strikeouts
- Went to 2 All-Star Games with the A's in 2004 and 2007
- Helped the A's reach the postseason 7 times in a 10-season stretch, including 2 World Series championships in 2000 and 2006, plus an additional AL pennant in 2001
SP Todd Van Poppel (1991, 1993-2001)
- Among top 5 in A's history in wins, ERA, strikeouts, complete games and shutouts
- Led AL in strikeouts in 1998 and led in wins in 2000
- Went to 2 All-Star Games in 1999 and 2001
- Helped lead the A's to their 1st World Series championship in 2000 and was part of an A's team that won 3 consecutive AL West titles between 1999-2001 and also won an AL pennant in 2001
Honorable Mentions: Travis Harper, Chris Johnson, David Ortiz, Stephen Strasburg
San Diego Padres
LF Alex Gordon (2007-2009, 2014-2017)
- Won the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year Award
- Padres career leader in doubles, home runs and RBI
- Represented the Padres at the 2014 All-Star Game
- Helped lead the Padres to an NL Wild Card berth in 2014 and an NL West division title in 2015
2B/3B/SS Ricky Gutierrez (2002-2006)
- Padres career leader in slugging; among Padres top 5 in career average, OBP, OPS, hits, runs, triples, RBI and stolen bases
- Made 2 All-Star Game appearances with the Padres in 2003 and 2004
- Helped lead the Padres to 2 NL West division titles in 2003 and 2005
SP Joseph Jackson (2003-2005, 2010-2011)
- Won 2005 NL Cy Young Award and led NL with a 1.49 ERA that season
- Padres career leader in wins, ERA, games started, strikeouts, complete games and shutouts
- Made 4 trips to the All-Star Game with the Padres in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011
- Led the Padres to 3 NL West division titles in 2003, 2005 and 2010
- A member of the BBSBL Hall of Fame
CF Grady Sizemore (2002-2010)
- Padres career leader in hits, runs and walks; among Padres' top 5 in average, OBP, slugging, OPS, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI and stolen bases
- Won 2 NL Gold Glove Awards in center field in 2006 and 2007
- Helped lead the Padres to 3 NL West division titles in 2003, 2005 and 2010
Honorable Mentions: Patrick Corbin, Darren O'Day, Thomas Rumble, Ichiro Suzuki
Texas Rangers
SP Erik Bedard (2002-2006, 2008-2011
- Rangers career leader in wins, games started and complete games
- Among Rangers' top 5 in career strikeouts and shutouts
- Put together a career season in 2008, with 15 wins and a 3.26 ERA (both career highs)
2B Robinson Cano (2005-2010)
- Among Rangers' top 5 in career average, OBP, slugging, OPS, hits and doubles
- Led AL in hits in 2007 and doubles twice in 2007 and 2010 with Rangers
- Made consecutive All-Star Game appearances with Rangers in 2007 and 2008
LF Matt Holliday (2000-2005)
- Rangers career leader in average, OBP, slugging and OPS
- Among Rangers' top 5 in career hits, runs, doubles, home runs and RBI
- Went to 3 All-Star Games with the Rangers between 2002-2004
C Ivan Rodriguez (1991-2003)
- Rangers career leader in doubles and RBI
- Among Rangers' top 5 in career slugging, OPS, hits, runs and home runs
- Represented the Rangers at the 2001 All-Star Game
- Won 2 AL Gold Glove Awards at catcher with Rangers in 1996 and 2002
Honorable Mentions: Juan Gonzalez, Bill Hall, Antonio Osuna, Charles Peterson
NL Midwest coming up next!
