I covered off on the American League Franchise Four yesterday which is a poll MLB is running until the end of today and will be announcing each teams before the All-Star game on July 14th.
Now I’ve got the National League as well as a few others that MLB.com was asking about including the Greatest Living Players, Negro Leaguers, and MLB Pioneers. Let’s do this…
NL East
Atlanta Braves
Options: Hank Aaron/OF, Tom Glavine/SP, Chipper Jones/3B, Greg Maddux/SP, Eddie Mathews/3B, Dale Murphy/OF, John Smoltz/SP, Warren Spahn/SP
My Vote: Aaron, Maddux, Chipper, Spahn
Comments: Holy pitching!! I can’t believe I had to leave Eddie Mathews off, however it would take a lot more statistical analysis between him and Chipper to make a confident decision either way.
Miami Marlins
Options: Josh Beckett/SP, Luis Castillo/2B, Jeff Conine/1B, Livan Hernandez/SP, Charles Johnson/C, Mike Lowell/3B, Gary Sheffield/OF, Giancarlo Stanton, OF
My Vote: Stanton, Beckett, Lowell, Conine
Comments: If I could have voted for Stanton four times, I would have
New York Mets
Options: Gary Carter/C, John Franco/RP, Dwight Gooden/SP, Keith Hernandez/1B, Mike Piazza/C, Tom Seaver/SP, Daryl Strawberry/OF, David Wright/3B
My Vote: Seaver, Wright, Carter, Gooden
Comments: Tough call on all but Seaver as they’ve had flashes of brilliance and well, other things…
Philadelphia Phillies
Options: Richie Ashburn/OF, Jim Bunning/SP, Steve Carlton/SP, Chuck Klein/OF, Robin Roberts/Sp, Jimmy Rollins/SS, Mike Schmidt/3B, Chase Utley/2B
My Vote: Schmidt, Ashburn, Klein, Carlton
Comments: I expected more from this franchise to be honest
Washington Nationals
Options: Gary Carter/C (Expos), Andre Dawson/OF, Vladimir Guerrero/OF, Dennis Martinez/SP, Tim Raines/OF, Steve Rogers/SP, Rusty Staub/OF, Ryan Zimmerman/3B
My Vote: Carter, Raines, Vlad, Dawson
Comments: Expected a little more from the Expos franchise
NL Central
Chicago Cubs
Options: Ernie Banks/SS, Three Finger Brown/SP, Gabby Harnett/C, Fergie Jenkins/SP, Ryne Sandberg/2B, Ron Santo/3B, Sammy Sosa/OF, Billy Williams/OF
My Vote: Banks, Sandberg, Jenkins, Sosa
Comments: Tough call between Jenkins and Brown, but 3000 k’s pushed me toward Jenkins even though it was a different era. Also, I stayed away from the PED guys on Texas, but Sosa electrified Chicago in the late 90’s. Hartnett was also a difficult call in leaving off.
Cincinnati Reds
Options: Johnny Bench/C, Dave Concepcion/SS, Eric Davis/OF, Barry Larkin/SS, Joe Morgan/2B, Tony Perez/1B, Frank Robinson/OF, Pete Rose/OF
My Vote: Rose, Bench, Morgan, Robinson
Comments: Not sure Davis deserves to be on the list, however, man I loved watching highlights of him on Saturday’s on This Week In Baseball
Milwaukee Brewers
Options: Ryan Braun/OF, Cecil Cooper/1B, Prince Fielder/1B, Rollie Fingers/RP, Jim Ganter/2B, Paul Molitor/DH, Gorman Thomas/OF, Robin Yount/SS
My Vote: Yount, Molitor, Fingers, Thomas
Comments: Prince left too early and going to have a tough time voting for Braun for anything
Pittsburgh Pirates
Options: Barry Bonds/OF, Roberto Clemente/OF, Ralph Kiner/OF, Bill Mazeroski/2B, Willie Stargell/OF, Pie Traynor/3B, Honus Wagner/SS, Paul Waner/OF
My Vote: Wagner, Bonds, Clemente, Stargell
Comments: Wow!! What a great group of players to choose from and some very difficult choices. Bonds makes my list regardless of being cheating dick, as he was pretty amazing before juicing
St. Louis Cardinals
Options: Lou Brock/OF, Dizzy Dean/SP, Bob Gibson/SP, Rogers Hornsby/2B, Stan Musial/OF, Albert Pujols/1B, Red Schoendienst/2B, Ozzie Smith/SS
My Vote: Musial, Hornsby, Gibson, Pujols
Comments: Tough, tough choices for a great franchise and I know they left some great players off (I’m a bit surprised at Schoendienst over Joe Medwick, etc.)
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks
Options: Steve Finley/OF, Paul Goldschmidt/1B, Luis Gonzalez/OF, Mark Grace/1B, Randy Johnson/SP, Curt Schilling/SP, Brandon Webb/SP, Matt Williams/3B
My Vote: Gonzalez, Williams, Johnson, Schilling
Comments: A tough call on all of these as they all feel like rent-a-players for an expansion franchise, except for Goldie, who doesn’t have enough time in the Major’s yet
Colorado Rockies
Options: Dante Bichette/OF, Vinny Castilla/3B, Andres Galarraga/1B, Carlos Gonzalez/OF, Todd Helton/1B, Matt Holliday/OF, Troy Tulowitzki/SS, Larry Walker/OF
My Vote: Helton, Walker, Castilla, Galarraga
Comments: Blake Street bombers in the house!
Los Angeles Dodgers
Options: Roy Campanella/C, Don Drysdale/SP, Steve Garvey/1B, Clayton Kershaw/SP, Sandy Koufax/SP, Jackie Robinson/2B, Duke Snider/OF, Fernando Valenzuela/SP
My Vote: Robinson, Koufax, Snider, Drysdale
Comments: Kershaw was right there for me as was Valenzuela for Fernando-mania that he drove in the early ‘80’s. Tough to leave Campy off as well
San Diego Padres
Options: Nate Colbert/1B, Steve Garvey/1B, Adrian Gonzalez/1B, Tony Gwynn/OF, Trevor Hoffman/RP, Randy Jones/SP, Jake Peavy/SP, Dave Winfield/OF
My Vote: Gwynn, Hoffman, Winfield, Garvey
San Francisco Giants
Options: Barry Bonds/OF, Orlando Cepeda/1B, Juan Marichal/SP, Christy Mathewson/SP, Willie Mays/OF, Willie McCovey/1B, Mel Ott/OF, Buster Posey/C
My Vote: Mays, Mathewson, Bonds, Ott
Comments: McCovey could be interchangeable with Ott and tough to leave Marichal off
Negro Leaguers
Options: Cool Papa Bell/OF, Oscar Charleston/1B, Martin Dihigo/2B, Josh Gibson/C, Judy Johnson/3B, Buck Leonard/1B, Buck O’Neil/1B, Satchel Paige/SP
My Vote: Pagie, Gibson, Bell, O’Neil
MLB Pioneers
Options: Grover C. Alexander/SP, Cap Anson/1B, Buck Ewing/C, Wee Willie Keeler/OF, King Kelly/OF, Kid Nichols/SP, George Sisler/1B, George Wright/SS
My Vote: Anson, Alexander, Sisler, Nichols
Greatest Living Players
Options: Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martinez, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver
My Vote: Mays, Aaron, Bonds, Henderson
