Franchise Four Revealed

While the 2015 All-Star Game offered it’s own moments, the lasting memory actually occurred before the game as Henry Aaron, Johnny Bench, Sandy Koufax, and Willie Mays were honored on the field after being voted as the Franchise Four: Greatest Living Players in Baseball. Over 25 million votes were cast during between April and May for the recognition.

Each team also announced their “Franchise Four”–with Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Rogers Hornsby, and Stan Musial taking the honors for the St. Louis Cardinals. They beat out Dizzy Dean, Albert Pujols, Red Schoendienst, and Ozzie Smith. Other storied franchises, like the New York Yankees, had a similar case of leaving out great players like Yogi Berra and Derek Jeter as Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth were voted the “Franchise Four”.

Nolan Ryan made the “Franchise Four” for three teams–the Angels, Astros, and Rangers.

Here are the “Franchise Four” listed by each team:

Angels
Vladimir Guerrero
Nolan Ryan
Tim Salmon
Mike Trout

Astros
Jeff Bagwell
Lance Berkman
Craig Biggio
Nolan Ryan

Athletics
Dennis Eckersley
Jimmie Foxx
Rickey Henderson
Reggie Jackson

Blue Jays
Roberto Alomar
Joe Carter
Carlos Delgado
Roy Halladay

Braves
Hank Aaron
Chipper Jones
Greg Maddux
Warren Spahn

Brewers
Cecil Cooper
Rollie Fingers
Paul Molitor
Robin Yount

Cardinals
Lou Brock
Bob Gibson
Rogers Hornsby
Stan Musial

Cubs
Ernie Banks
Ryne Sandberg
Ron Santo
Billy Williams

D-backs
Paul Goldschmidt
Luis Gonzalez
Randy Johnson
Curt Schilling

Dodgers
Don Drysdale
Sandy Koufax
Jackie Robinson
Duke Snider

Giants
Barry Bonds
Willie Mays
Willie McCovey
Buster Posey

Indians
Bob Feller
Tris Speaker
Jim Thome
Omar Vizquel

Mariners
Ken Griffey Jr.
Felix Hernandez
Edgar Martinez
Ichiro Suzuki

Marlins
Jeff Conine
Mike Lowell
Gary Sheffield
Giancarlo Stanton

Mets
Keith Hernandez
Mike Piazza
Tom Seaver
David Wright

Nationals/Expos
Gary Carter
Andre Dawson
Vladimir Guerrero
Tim Raines

Orioles
Jim Palmer
Cal Ripken Jr.
Brooks Robinson
Frank Robinson

Padres
Tony Gwynn
Trevor Hoffman
Randy Jones
Dave Winfield

Phillies
Richie Ashburn
Steve Carlton
Robin Roberts
Mike Schmidt

Pirates
Roberto Clemente
Bill Mazeroski
Willie Stargell
Honus Wagner

Rangers
Adrian Beltre
Ivan Rodriguez
Nolan Ryan
Michael Young

Rays
Evan Longoria
David Price
James Shields
Ben Zobrist

Red Sox
Pedro Martinez
David Ortiz
Ted Williams
Carl Yastrzemski

Reds
Johnny Bench
Barry Larkin
Joe Morgan
Pete Rose

Rockies
Andres Galarraga
Todd Helton
Troy Tulowitzki
Larry Walker

Royals
George Brett
Dan Quisenberry
Bret Saberhagen
Frank White

Tigers
Miguel Cabrera
Ty Cobb
Hank Greenberg
Al Kaline

Twins
Rod Carew
Harmon Killebrew
Tony Oliva
Kirby Puckett

White Sox
Harold Baines
Paul Konerko
Minnie Minoso
Frank Thomas

Yankees
Joe DiMaggio
Lou Gehrig
Mickey Mantle
Babe Ruth

Major League Baseball also had a “Franchise Four” for these other categories:

Greatest Living Players
Hank Aaron
Johnny Bench
Sandy Koufax
Willie Mays

Greatest Negro Leagues Players
Cool Papa Bell
Josh Gibson
Buck O’Neil
Satchel Paige

Greatest Pioneers
Walter Johnson
Nap Lajoie
Christy Mathewson
Cy Young

photo credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports