Post by Sha-Le Unique on Aug 12, 2015 1:16:42 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 HOFFBL 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.
Expansion teams will not be included unfortunately in this edition because of their very limited histories. They need more time for this.
Next up are the NL East teams!
Chicago Cubs
CF George Altman (1956-present)
- 2nd in Cubs history in doubles, home runs, RBI and walks
- Cubs all-time leader in triples and stolen bases
- Had a career season in 1957, with career highs in average (.304), doubles (27), home runs (21), RBI (83), and OPS (.830)
1B/SS Ernie Banks (1953-present)
- Cubs career leader in average, OBP, slugging, OPS, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and walks
- Has made 9 All-Star Game appearances in 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963
- Had a career season in 1963, with a .336 average, 33 doubles, 28 home runs, 100 RBI, 80 walks, 90 runs and a .949 OPS
SP Tom Cheney (1958-1963)
- Won 58 games over 5 1/2 seasons with a 3.90 ERA in 145 starts
- Had his best season in 1961, with 13 wins, a 3.02 ERA and 87 strikeouts
SP Tom Flanigan (1958-1965)
- Cubs career leader in wins, ERA, games started, and strikeouts
- Had a career year in 1963, with 11 wins, a 3.13 ERA, 220 strikeouts, 3 complete games and 2 shutouts
- Led the NL with 231 strikeouts in 1959
Honorable Mentions: Don Elston, Bill Mazeroski, Katsuya Nomura, Bob Shaw
Philadelphia Phillies
CF Richie Ashburn (1948-1960)
- Phillies career leader in triples and stolen bases
- Led NL in stolen bases twice in 1953 and 1958
- Won 7 consecutive Gold Glove Awards in center field with Phillies between 1953-1959
- Helped lead the Phillies to 2 NL East titles in 1958 and 1960
C Smoky Burgess (1952-1963)
- Phillies career leader in hits, runs, doubles, home runs (tied with Willie Jones) and RBI
- Was a 6-time All-Star with the Phillies between 1953-1955 and 1957-1959
- Helped lead the Phillies to 2 NL East titles in 1958 and 1960
SP Curt Simmons (1947-1950, 1952-present)
- Phillies career leader in wins, ERA, strikeouts, games started, complete games and shutouts
- Finished in the top 5 among NL pitchers in ERA 7 times
- Led the NL in shutouts twice in 1953 and 1956
- Made 6 trips to the All-Star Game between 1956-1958 and 1961-1963
- Led the Phillies to 2 NL East titles in 1958 and 1960
LF Ted Williams (1953-1955)
- Phillies career leader in average, OBP, slugging and OPS
- Led the NL in OBP 3 times (1953-1955), doubles in 1955, and walks twice (1953-1954)
- Made 2 trips to the All-Star Game in 1954 and 1955
Honorable Mentions: Don Buddin, Roy Face, Ned Garver, Dallas Green
Pittsburgh Pirates
SP Don Drysdale (1956-present)
- Won 1961 NL Cy Young Award, with 25 wins (led NL), a 2.12 ERA, 305 strikeouts (led NL), 18 complete games and 3 shutouts
- Pirates career leader in wins, ERA, strikeouts, games started, complete games and shutouts
- Has been a 5-time All-Star (1960-1961, 1963-1965)
- Led the Pirates to 4 NL East titles in 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1964, including 2 NL pennants in 1959 and 1962
CF Bob Skinner (1955-1964)
- Pirates career leader in hits, runs and stolen bases
- Led NL in triples twice (1961, 1964) and stolen bases once (1959)
- Helped lead the Pirates to 4 NL East titles in 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1964, including 2 NL pennants in 1959 and 1962
SP George Spencer (1958-1963)
- Won 81 games in 6 seasons, with a 3.40 ERA, 629 strikeouts, 83 complete games and 19 shutouts
- Won an NL Gold Glove Award in 1961
- Helped lead the Pirates to 3 NL East titles in 1959, 1961, and 1962, including 2 NL pennants in 1959 and 1962
1B/LF Dick Stuart (1956-present)
- Pirates career leader in doubles, home runs, RBI and walks
- Had a career season in 1958, with a .282 average, 31 doubles, 25 home runs, 102 RBI, and an .824 OPS
- - Helped lead the Pirates to 4 NL East titles in 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1964, including 2 NL pennants in 1959 and 1962
Honorable Mentions: Harry Agganis, Clete Boyer, Ike Delock, Gene Freese
St. Louis Cardinals
SP Bob Gibson (1959-present)
- Won 1963 NL Cy Young Award, with 32 wins (led NL), a 1.92 ERA (led NL), 308 strikeouts, 20 complete games and 8 shutouts
- Cardinals career leader in wins, ERA, strikeouts, complete games and shutouts
- Is a 4-time All-Star (1961, 1963, 1964, 1965)
- Led the Cardinals to an NL pennant in 1963
SP Stu Miller (1952-1961)
- Is among top 5 in Cardinals career wins, ERA, strikeouts, complete games and shutouts
- Went to 2 All-Star Games as a Cardinal in 1954 and 1957
- Helped lead the Cardinals to a pair of World Series championships in 1954 and 1956
LF Stan Musial (1941-1961)
- Cardinals career leader in average, OBP, slugging, OPS, hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI and walks
- Made 5 consecutive trips to the All-Star Game between 1953-1957
- Won 3 NL Gold Glove Awards in left field in 1953, 1955 and 1959
- Led the Cardinals to a pair of World Series championships in 1954 and 1956
- Won the 1956 Postseason MVP Award, hitting .409 in 22 at-bats, with 9 hits, 1 double, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 4 walks and 4 runs scored
2B Red Schoendienst (1945-1958, 1960-1961)
- Is 2nd in Cardinals career average, 3rd in OBP, 4th in slugging, 3rd in OPS, 2nd in hits, 2nd in runs, 2nd in doubles, 5th in home runs, 2nd in RBI and 2nd in walks
- Went to the All-Star Game 6 years in a row between 1953-1958
- Won an NL Gold Glove Award at second base in 1958
- Helped lead the Cardinals to a pair of World Series championships in 1954 and 1956
Honorable Mentions: Harvey Haddix, Vinegar Bend Mizell, Roy Sievers, Lee Thomas
Next up: NL West!
