All 30 Franchise Fours

Major League Baseball announced today that they're doing this "Franchise Four" thing.  Fans of each team get to vote for the four most impactful players in franchise history, and they're going to unveil all 30 at the All-Star Game in Cincinnati (all the more reason for Pete Rose to be reinstated, since he should be on the Reds' Franchise Four).

This "Mount Rushmore" concept is something that has been debated on various websites for the last couple years now, but this is the first time it's been formalized in any fashion.  And it's a fun thing.  Fans will finally get the chance to compare players from different eras and decide who truly are the most significant players in franchise history.  There are plenty of obvious selections, while some will be incredibly hard.  How can you pick just four Yankees?  Or four Cardinals?  Likewise, how do you pick four Marlins or Diamondbacks?

I decided it would be fun to take on the challenge of picking the "Franchise Four" for all 30 teams.  I realize that I'm probably going to be way off on some teams, which is OK.  That's part of the fun of it.  Everybody's top four is going to be different.

There were also some decisions that I had to make.  Originally, I wanted to make players eligible for only one team.  After all, the Hall of Fame makes them choose a hat.  Then I realized it was unfair to the handful of guys it applied to.  Because Randy Johnson is just as important a figure in Mariners history as he is in Diamondbacks history.  I also wasn't sure what to do about teams that have relocated.  Do Expos count for the Nationals?  What about Washington Senators with the Twins?  But Jackie Robinson can't not be one of the four Dodgers, which means Brooklyn has to be included.  So what I decided was that for the franchises that have relocated but kept their name/identity (Dodgers, Giants, A's, Braves), all players qualify.  For those that basically recreated their identity when they moved (Nationals, Twins, Rangers, Orioles), it's only players from their current city.  And since they said most impactful "players" in franchise history, that means no Joe Maddon for the Rays or Earl Weaver for the Orioles or any other managers.

So now, without further ado, here are my selections for the "Franchise Four" for all 30 Major League franchises (plus a bonus "Franchise Four" for the Expos):

Baltimore Orioles: Cal Ripken Jr., Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray
Boston Red Sox: Ted Williams, Carl Yastrezmski, David Ortiz, Roger Clemens
Chicago White Sox: Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk, Eddie Collins, Nellie Fox
Cleveland Indians: Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby, Jim Thome
Detroit Tigers: Al Kaline, Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Cochrane
Houston Astros: Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Scott, Nolan Ryan
Kansas City Royals: George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, Dan Quisenberry
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Rod Carew, Nolan Ryan, Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero
Minnesota Twins: Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva
New York Yankees: Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter
Oakland Athletics: Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Catfish Hunter, Lefty Grove
Seattle Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez
Tampa Bay Rays: Evan Longoria, David Price, Ben Zobrist, Wade Boggs
Texas Rangers: Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Nolan Ryan, Michael Young
Toronto Blue Jays: Dave Stieb, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, George Bell

Arizona Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Curt Schilling, Paul Goldschmidt
Atlanta Braves: Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Dale Murphy, Chipper Jones
Chicago Cubs: Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo, Sammy Sosa
Cincinnati Reds: Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Barry Larkin
Colorado Rockies: Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Troy Tulowitzki
Los Angeles Dodgers: Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Steve Garvey
Miami Marlins: Jeff Conine, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sheffield, Josh Beckett
Milwaukee Brewers: Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Rollie Fingers, Ryan Braun
New York Mets: Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza, Dwight Gooden
Philadelphia Phillies: Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Chase Utley
Pittsburgh Pirates: Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Ralph Kiner
San Diego Padres: Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield, Trevor Hoffman, Jake Peavy
San Francisco Giants: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Barry Bonds, Juan Marichal
St. Louis Cardinals: Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Albert Pujols
Washington Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Alfonso Soriano

Montreal Expos: Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Pedro Martinez