Your Franchise Player(s)

Great job, as expected, Buck.

I totally forgot about Delgado. I'll argue the Dodgers thing forever because I think after Sandy, Campy and Duke are next.
And before I posted my list, I mentioned Wagner with the Pirates...then changed my mind because I saw Clemente and loved everything about his game.

I listed Frank Robby twice because I think he is the most underappreciated great player in recent history.

And after my snarky comment early on, I couldn't pick Frank Thomas...even after I realized the White Sox have not had a lot of great players.

There are many good debatable choices for some teams

 

I may have to pile through stats later, but one important thing you left out there is stolen bases. Kiner stole 22 bases in his entire career. Bonds had 251 in just his time as a Pirate, including his career-high 52 in 1990.

Kiner's edge in hits and runs scored are only a function of playing for the Pirates longer. That also accounts for much of the gap in RBI, even though Bonds hit leadoff quite a bit early in his career. Bonds was also a better defensive player.

Kiner never finished higher than fourth in the MVP voting. Bonds won twice as a Pirate and should have won in 1991 as well (at least in my opinion).

The seven home run titles absolutely make a compelling case for Kiner, but I still put him behind Bonds.

 

Who knew Tim Salmon would compare so well with Anderson?

You still have to go with Vlad, maybe.

What about Francisco Rodriguez?

 

Sirs, Madames,

I'd have to say Hawk ahead of Rock in Montreal, but it's close. A couple of seasons more in Montreal (or even if the 'Spos had made the World Series in '94) and Walker would get the nod.

YD&OHS, etc

 

Jason Bay?

 

Well played, 'gola!

 

Stan is still -- and always will be -- the Man, but who do you list for St. Louis if Pujols winds up playing for 16 to 18 years?

Pujols' stats:
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
2008 102 361 68 127 27 0 23 73 223 74 37 6 1 .461 .618 .352

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
Car. 1193 4415 915 1471 325 13 305 934 2737 666 489 44 24 .424 .620 .333

I wish I had gotten to see Musial play.

 

We'l see if Pujols plays 16 or 18 years.
Then we'll see if he has a case against 22 seasons, 3630 hits, a .331 BA, 475 HRs and 1951 RBI.

 

All in the same city as well.

 

If he stays healthy and stays with the team, perhaps he is. His mid-90s years with the Tribe were phenomenal.

 

Bonds played in 1,010 games for the Pirates in seven seasons. Kiner played in 1,054 in his first seven years with the Pirates. Those are the only numbers I'm using for each player; Kiner played another 41 games in Pittsburgh in 1953. You can't possibly believe Bonds would have benefited that much in 44 more games.

I don't buy the MVP voting because of those eras in the National League. In the early '90s, Barry Larkin, Terry Pendleton, Bobby Bonilla, Darryl Strawberry, Gary Sheffield and Ryne Sandberg were the major threats; Tony Gwynn was there, too. In Kiner's time, Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, Duke Snider and Ernie Banks were constant threats. That's an entirely different class of players.

 

So neither Bob Gibson or Lou Brock causes at least a little brain usage here?