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I don't know if this was done before, but I have given this some thought. Who are the "Real" Face of the Franchise Players? A Face of the Franchise is not necessarily the Best player to ever play for that team (Bonds on the Pirates). Some Teams had legitimately 2 or more players so I just picked one. There were only two teams that I struggled to pick one, my Marlins and the D-backs (I don't think Randy Johnson was with the team long enough to be in the running) One last note - I included both Montreal and Washington for arguments sake.
Baltimore- Cal Ripken, Jr Boston - Ted Williams Yankees - Babe Ruth Tampa Bay - Evan Longoria Toronto - Robbie Alomar
Chisox - Frank Thomas Cleveland - Bob Feller Detroit - Ty Cobb, BUT I came really close to picking Kaline KC - George Brett Minnesota - Kirby Puckett, Killer was almost the pick here.
Angels - Mike Trout Oakland - Rickey Henderson Seatle - Ken Griffey, Jr. Texas - Nolan Ryan Houston - Jeff Bagwell
Atlanta - Hank Aaron Miami - Jeff Conine (with heavy consideration for Stanton and Jose Fernandez) Mets - Tom Seaver Philadelphia - Mike Schmidt Washinton - Bryce Harper Montreal - Andre Dawson (Gary Carter was a close second)
Cubs - Ernie Banks Cinncinati - Pete Rose Brewers - Robin Yount Pittsburgh - Roberto Clemente St. Louis - Stan Musial (Bob Gibson and Pujols were close)
Arizona - Luis Gonzalez Colorado- Todd Helton Dodgers - Jackie Robinson (Brooklyn) Sandy Koufax (LA) San Diego - Tony Gwynn San Francisco - Willie Mays
Pretty solid list but the Tigers is definitely Kaline even though Cobb is the best Tiger in history. Kaline’s nickname is Mr. Tiger
@the_dragon1912 said in Real Face of the Franchise Players:
That's the one I really struggled with. The distant past like Cobb or Ruth against more "Modern" players like Kaline. I also flip flopped on the Twins. Killer was the FOTF but Puckett meant so much to that team.
I used that same logic to pick the Marlins. Jeff Conine is known as Mr. Marlin here in South Florida.
love the list man, not much argument here. I had the pleasure to be a teen during the HR chase between Sosa and Bonds and when I think Cubs it has to be Sosa
@lazy_toast said in Real Face of the Franchise Players:
That's the issue. How do you balance the distant past with Modern baseball. Take the Red Sox for instance, to many people the Sox are Big Papi or Nomar, they were not alive for Ted Williams. To them Ted Williams is a dude that hit .406 and was nasty to the media. But it is a fun conversation
@ItsaCanesthing said in Real Face of the Franchise Players:
@lazy_toast said in Real Face of the Franchise Players: love the list man, not much argument here. I had the pleasure to be a teen during the HR chase between Sosa and Bonds and when I think Cubs it has to be Sosa That's the issue. How do you balance the distant past with Modern baseball. Take the Red Sox for instance, to many people the Sox are Big Papi or Nomar, they were not alive for Ted Williams. To them Ted Williams is a dude that hit .406 and was nasty to the media. But it is a fun conversation
Ted Williams no doubt. If I had to chose between Big Papi and Yaz, I'm going Yaz everytime but how can you not like Big Papi. He was a Great "clutch" hitter and hit over 500 HR's. Very Popular but he was a DH and I guess that's where the line is for me in his comparison to Yaz.. Good list BTW
As a Tribe diehard I don't mind Feller being on this list. Makes sense. Although he's hardly the guy I think of the most with us since the franchise has honestly had so many Superstars on the roster since the mid 90s. Good list!
@Jeviduty said in Real Face of the Franchise Players:
The Tribe was tough....If you go back to the Pre Albert Belle/Kenny Lofton Tribe, I bet a bunch of people would have picked Rick Vaughn.
Thome is a good pick but he was always overshadowed by better players. And those better players were not with the team long enough (Belle, Lofton, Manny) to be the True Face of the Franchise.
Pretty solid list. Zimmerman obviously never had the single season numbers of Harper, but he’s the only one I’d argue might be more well received by Nationals fans.
@Jeviduty said in Real Face of the Franchise Players: As a Tribe diehard I don't mind Feller being on this list. Makes sense. Although he's hardly the guy I think of the most with us since the franchise has honestly had so many Superstars on the roster since the mid 90s. Good list! The Tribe was tough....If you go back to the Pre Albert Belle/Kenny Lofton Tribe, I bet a bunch of people would have picked Rick Vaughn. Thome is a good pick but he was always overshadowed by better players. And those better players were not with the team long enough (Belle, Lofton, Manny) to be the True Face of the Franchise.
lol @ Rick Vaughn...Yeah the team's history post 50's-early 90s was...forgetful to say the least.
Only ones I kind of questioned:
Boston - I agree with Ted Williams, but I would say Papi has a legitimate argument for FotF. He was THE reason they won 3 World Series because of his clutch hitting in the playoffs.
Detroit - I agree with the_dragon1912, Al Kaline should be FotF.
Texas - I'd pick Ivan Rodriguez.
Atlanta - I agree with Hank Aaron, but I feel like Chipper Jones is really, really close.
Miami - I'll have to trust you on Jeff Conine. Personally, I'd go with Stanton.
I would say Halladay or Delgado for Toronto, Alomar only played like 5 seasons for them.
As a Nats fan I'd say Zimmerman has been the face of the franchise for the last 15 years, more than Harper even if Harper had a few very strong season. About the Jays, I'm not saying Robbie is the wrong choice but whenever I think Jays the first thing that comes to mind is Joe Carter jumping up and down on his way to first base on one of his big World Series homeruns. This is a lasting image for me so would qualify as face of the franchise. Delgado had such a sweet swing though and Doc was money, but Carter gets my vote.
Albert Belle or Pedro Cerrano?
@skywalker_25 said in Real Face of the Franchise Players:
I am a life long Marlins fan and I struggled to pick one for my team. The reasoning is simple, the Marlins have pretty much averaged a fire sale every 4 or 5 years. Players are simply not on the team long enough to be the Face of the Franchise.
The Marlins traded away Miguel Cabrera before his prime, same with Yelich. They traded Stanton coming off a historic, non chemically enhanced MVP season. And Jose Fernandez, through his own reckless actions, cut short his own life and that of 2 of his friends. If not for his actions, I think he would have been the FOTF. He had the talent and was beloved in Miami, especially in the Cuban Community.
Jeff Conine won 2 World Series with the team. Was atop the leader boards for most stats until Stanton and Cabrera. So he essentially wins due to the fact he stuck around long enough.
@skywalker_25 said in Real Face of the Franchise Players: Miami - I'll have to trust you on Jeff Conine. Personally, I'd go with Stanton. I am a life long Marlins fan and I struggled to pick one for my team. The reasoning is simple, the Marlins have pretty much averaged a fire sale every 4 or 5 years. Players are simply not on the team long enough to be the Face of the Franchise. The Marlins traded away Miguel Cabrera before his prime, same with Yelich. They traded Stanton coming off a historic, non chemically enhanced MVP season. And Jose Fernandez, through his own reckless actions, cut short his own life and that of 2 of his friends. If not for his actions, I think he would have been the FOTF. He had the talent and was beloved in Miami, especially in the Cuban Community. Jeff Conine won 2 World Series with the team. Was atop the leader boards for most stats until Stanton and Cabrera. So he essentially wins due to the fact he stuck around long enough.
What about Livan Hernandez? He was there for 5 years, that's pretty long for a Marlin or Alex Gonzalez who was a part of both world series team (1997 a rookie, 2003 a veteran and leader for the team). Connie did leave and come back though.
I like the Conine pick. This is my first year in DD. Has there ever been a Delino Deshields Sr. Card? Or a Moises Alou or Andres Gallaraga?
@samguenther1987 said in Real Face of the Franchise Players:
@ItsaCanesthing said in Real Face of the Franchise Players: @skywalker_25 said in Real Face of the Franchise Players: Miami - I'll have to trust you on Jeff Conine. Personally, I'd go with Stanton. I am a life long Marlins fan and I struggled to pick one for my team. The reasoning is simple, the Marlins have pretty much averaged a fire sale every 4 or 5 years. Players are simply not on the team long enough to be the Face of the Franchise. The Marlins traded away Miguel Cabrera before his prime, same with Yelich. They traded Stanton coming off a historic, non chemically enhanced MVP season. And Jose Fernandez, through his own reckless actions, cut short his own life and that of 2 of his friends. If not for his actions, I think he would have been the FOTF. He had the talent and was beloved in Miami, especially in the Cuban Community. Jeff Conine won 2 World Series with the team. Was atop the leader boards for most stats until Stanton and Cabrera. So he essentially wins due to the fact he stuck around long enough. What about Livan Hernandez? He was there for 5 years, that's pretty long for a Marlin or Alex Gonzalez who was a part of both world series team (1997 a rookie, 2003 a veteran and leader for the team). Connie did leave and come back though.
Livan maybe, but the Sea Bass? no way. He was a part of the 03 champs but he was a just a dude. Now Livan is interesting. He was a mega star in Miami. Talk about never having to buy a drink, he was the toast of the town back in 97.