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Franchise's All-Time Lineups: Currently: Fictional All-Star Lineup (2 Viewers)

Great list.

Charlie Root remains the all-time Cubs leader in wins, seventy-nine years after his retirement. His legacy is unfortunately entwined with Babe Ruth (though he denied it to his dying day), but he was a fine pitcher.

Mark Grace was excellent for a long time. He led the decade of the 90's in hits, was a doubles machine, and was a stellar defensive player. He saved Shawon Dunston from being charged with about one hundred throwing errors (no exaggeration). 

Glenn Beckert would be Sandberg's backup. 

Rick Sutcliffe and Derrek Lee deserve a kind of honorable mention for their brief but lasting contribution to the team. 

 
Encyclopedia Brown said:
Great list.

Charlie Root remains the all-time Cubs leader in wins, seventy-nine years after his retirement. His legacy is unfortunately entwined with Babe Ruth (though he denied it to his dying day), but he was a fine pitcher.

Mark Grace was excellent for a long time. He led the decade of the 90's in hits, was a doubles machine, and was a stellar defensive player. He saved Shawon Dunston from being charged with about one hundred throwing errors (no exaggeration). 

Glenn Beckert would be Sandberg's backup. 

Rick Sutcliffe and Derrek Lee deserve a kind of honorable mention for their brief but lasting contribution to the team. 
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Good mentions there. I thought about Root, but his numbers looked more due to longevity than elite to me.  I have similar feelings about Beckert -- I think he'd be below Sandberg, Evers, Herman, and Rogers Hornsby for me.  As discussed earlier in this thread, Cubs have a pretty great crop of 2Bs to pick from.

 
Milwaukee Brewers/Seattle Pilots

C Jonathan Lucroy - He really just had one great year, but that is enough for me to put him #1 here.  Other options are BJ Surhoff, or post-peak Ted Simmons, but I’ll get to Simmons later.
1B Cecil Cooper - Tough crowd at 1B. Prince Fielder and George Scott are close here, but Cooper’s longevity puts him over the top.
2B Paul Molitor - Mostly played 3B, but slotting him here as Brewers have more at 3B than 2B. Otherwise, maybe looking at Jim Gantner.
3B Don Money - 4x All-Star that picked up some MVP votes. Top 10 in franchise career WAR.
SS Robin Yount - Pretty easy pick here. Only question was whether to put him at SS or CF. 
LF Ryan Braun - A current player that makes the squad. Looking at their history, I can’t think of anyone else that would go above him. Ben Oglivie may be the backup.
CF Gorman Thomas - Had some good years in the early 80s. Next best option might be Carlos Gomez (with Yount at SS).
RF Christian Yelich - He’s only been in MIL for two years, but I think he’s clearly already the best ever here for MIL, as they have had a lot of turnover in RF in their history. Next best options are Sixto Lezcano or Corey Hart.
DH Ted Simmons - Catcher decision was made easier because Simmons qualified here too.

SP Teddy Higuera
SP Ben Sheets
SP Mike Caldwell
SP Chris Bosio
SP Moose Haas
RP Rollie Fingers

You know it is going to be tough when you look at the franchise career pitching WAR leaders and the top 3 are Higuera, Sheets, and Bosio.  And then even looking at top single season pitching WAR in isolation, the options are about the same.  If they had to win one game, I’d probably start Higuera and then go to a bullpen game with Fingers, Plesac, Hader, Ken Sanders, and F-Rod.

 
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Don Quixote said:
3B Don Money - 4x All-Star that picked up some MVP votes. Top 10 in franchise career WAR.
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The position players are almost entirely from the Wallbangers/Bambi's Bombers era or the current club.  Jeff Cirillo is in the frame at 3B if you want to break that up a little.

Don Quixote said:
SP Moose Haas
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I'd probably go with Jim Slaton over Moose.  Slaton is the team's all-time leader in most pitching categories although he was pretty much the epitome of a league average innings eater.

 
Eephus said:
The position players are almost entirely from the Wallbangers/Bambi's Bombers era or the current club.  Jeff Cirillo is in the frame at 3B if you want to break that up a little.

I'd probably go with Jim Slaton over Moose.  Slaton is the team's all-time leader in most pitching categories although he was pretty much the epitome of a league average innings eater.
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Good call on Cirillo.  Yeah, I had not really thought about it all being from just those eras.  Their numbers are pretty close; I gave edge to Money based on how long he was with the club, but he was more of a drag than an asset by the end of his career.

Slaton and Moose was a bit of a toss-up for me; I'm too young to have watched either.  I gave edge to Moose because he seemed to have a couple of single seasons better than any of Slaton's single seasons.  But Slaton does have the franchise marks.

 
Don Quixote said:
Slaton and Moose was a bit of a toss-up for me; I'm too young to have watched either.  I gave edge to Moose because he seemed to have a couple of single seasons better than any of Slaton's single seasons.  But Slaton does have the franchise marks.
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I lived in Milwaukee at the time.  Both guys were decent but needed a lot of run support.  One of Slaton's big contributions was being involved in the trade that brought Ben Oglivie to the Brewers.  Slaton pitched one season for the Tigers (when they won 86 games and finished fifth in a seven team division) before returning to Milwaukee as a free agent.

Slaton is also one of only two Brewers pitchers with a World Series win.  Mike Caldwell is the other. 

 
Pittsburgh Pirates

C Manny Sanguillen - Despite the long history, Pirates don’t really have an all-time great here.  Other options out there are Jason Kendall or Tony Pena from recent history, or George Gibson from the 1900s. But probably the weakest position player in the lineup.

1B Willie Stargell - Mostly played LF, but Pirates are loaded in left. I will stick him here.

2B Bill Mazeroski - He may be one of the worst hitters in the HOF, but given his longevity at the position, difficult to put someone else here. And he has that signature moment from the 1960 World Series that nobody else has.

3B Pie Traynor - Bill Madlock had some good years here too, as did Bobby Bonilla before he became a punchline.  But hard to go against a HOFer (even if, like Mazeroski, his numbers don’t hold up that great) who played 3B for the Pirate more than anybody else.

SS Honus Wagner - Runaway, even though Pirates have another great in Arky Vaughn.

LF Ralph Kiner - Could go Fred Clarke or Barry Bonds here too.  Tough to pick between them all. Stargell would go here if I did not put him at 1B.  

CF Max Carey - Pirates are loaded here too.  Another HOFer in Lloyd Waner another option (I had him originally, but editing to replace with Carey on reflection), and Andrew McCutcheon has a pretty good case here too.

RF Roberto Clemente - Tough to leave out the Paul Waner, but only one can start here.

SP Bob Friend

SP Babe Adams

SP Wilbur Cooper

SP John Candelaria

SP Doug Drabek

RP Kent Tekulve

I could go with someone else from early Pirates’ history like Deacon Phillipe or Ray Kremer, or from the 50s like Vern Law to fill out the rotation (absent other considerations,they probably all deserve over Drabek and maybe Candelaria), but I’ll go with Candelaria and Drabek instead to give space for a couple of modern players. And Drabek gives a representative from the post-We are Family era, since I could not find space for Bonds, McCutcheon, or Kendall in the position players.

Roy Face another great RP option, but tiebreaker goes to the glasses.

...I think the Pirates backup team could compete with many of the all-time teams that I’ve assembled.

 
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This only goes back to ~my lifetime, but...

Bench -- Votto -- Morgan -- Larkin -- Rose* -- Eric Davis -- Griffey Jr. -- Frank Robinson

Left off:  Perez, Concepcion, Griffey Sr., George Foster, Dave Parker.

If you like Perez over Davis you could move Rose to LF and put Perez in at third.  All eight are HOFers* if you do.

Pitching is a lot harder.  Tom Seaver...

 
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Dinsy Ejotuz said:
Bench -- Votto -- Morgan -- Larkin -- Rose -- Eric Davis -- Griffey Jr. -- Frank Robinson

Left off:  Perez, Concepcion, Griffey Sr., George Foster, Dave Parker.

If you like Perez over Davis you could move Rose to LF and put Perez in at third.  All eight are HOFers if you do.
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I was working on my Reds team the other day, and have that one next in my queue. They have a pretty strong team and bench too. 

 
Don Quixote said:
C Manny Sanguillen - Despite the long history, Pirates don’t really have an all-time great here.  Other options out there are Jason Kendall or Tony Pena from recent history, or George Gibson from the 1900s. But probably the weakest position player in the lineup.
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I'd probably go with Kendall over Sanguillen because his OBP and baserunning would work better in this offense.  Manny's WAR is helped a lot by the ridiculous number innings he caught per year.   Smokey Burgess also deserves a shout for six solid years in Pittsburgh including 1960.

Don Quixote said:
CF Max Carey - Pirates are loaded here too.  Another HOFer in Lloyd Waner another option (I had him originally, but editing to replace with Carey on reflection), and Andrew McCutcheon has a pretty good case here too.
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It would have been a crime for Lloyd Waner to make the all-time team with Paul left on the outside.  Little Poison was a slapdick hitter.  His empty AVG numbers aren't nearly as impressive when you look at them in the context of his peers in the 1930s.

 
Don Quixote said:
SS Robin Yount - Pretty easy pick here. Only question was whether to put him at SS or CF. 
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It was mentioned in another thread, but it is baffling that Yount made only three All-Star games in twenty seasons. It wasn't just Trammel and Ripken that blocked him. Rick Burelson, Roy Smalley, Freddie Patek and Craig Reynolds all got picked over Yount in various years.

 
Eephus said:
I'd probably go with Kendall over Sanguillen because his OBP and baserunning would work better in this offense.  Manny's WAR is helped a lot by the ridiculous number innings he caught per year.   Smokey Burgess also deserves a shout for six solid years in Pittsburgh including 1960.

It would have been a crime for Lloyd Waner to make the all-time team with Paul left on the outside.  Little Poison was a slapdick hitter.  His empty AVG numbers aren't nearly as impressive when you look at them in the context of his peers in the 1930s.
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Kendall and Sanguillen is definitely a tough one.  Kendall had the better power bat and speed, but I gave a bit of boost to Sanguillen for his defense. It also surprised me a bit how much MVP support Sanguillen received (but may have been attributable to playing on teams with better records).

Paul Waner definitely the superior Waner.  Digging into numbers, Lloyd’s best single-season WAR was 3.6.  Carey’s career SLG and OPS, all around Lloyd Waner’s, but Carey’s NL stolen base mark that lasted until Lou Brock certainly points heavier in his favor.

 
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Don Quixote said:
Paul Waner definitely the superior Waner.  Digging into numbers, Lloyd’s best single-season WAR was 3.6.  Carey’s career SLG and OPS, all around Lloyd Waner’s, but Carey’s NL stolen base mark that lasted until Lou Brock certainly points heavier in his favor.
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The big difference between Carey and Lloyd Waner is the era they played in.  Carey played the first half of his career in the deadball era while Waner played in the high scoring 30s.  Their raw OPS is identical, Carey's era and park normalized OPS+ is ten point better than Waner's below par 99.

Neither player would be a Hall of Famer by today's tight induction standards.  Carey's career was comparable to Kenny Lofton's.  I'm a big hall guy and would be perfectly OK with Lofton going to Cooperstown but BBWAA clowns turning in short ballots should take a closer look at the old time players who are already in.

 
Don Quixote said:
Kendall and Sanguillen is definitely a tough one.  Kendall had the better power bat and speed, but I gave a bit of boost to Sanguillen for his defense. It also surprised me a bit how much MVP support Sanguillen received (but may have been attributable to playing on teams with better records).
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Our knowledge of catcher fielding analytics have changed significantly even from when Kendall was active.  There was no way to measure pitch framing so catchers were evaluated on the available data.  Fielding percentage and assists have less relevance for catchers than for other position players.  Controlling the running game is important and was probably more important during Sanguillen's career but I recall a catcher's throwing arm having a huge impact on his defensive reputation.  We're working with estimated caught stealing statistics prior to 1951. 

 
Cincinnati Reds

C Johnny Bench - Ernie Lombardi another HOFer with an MVP to his credit, but Bench clear pick as he may be the best catcher of all-time.
1B Joey Votto - Could put Rose or Perez here, but I’ll save them for other positions.
2B Joe Morgan - Bid McPhee another HOFer who is just behind Morgan in career franchise WAR (but a lot of that because McPhee played 18 years in CIN).
3B Tony Perez - Rose or Perez the only question, but Rose has more positional flexibility.
SS Barry Larkin - Honorable mention to Dave Concepcion, who is only second to Pete Rose in games played in franchise history, but not as elite as Larkin.
LF Frank Robinson - Tough to leave out George Foster, but with Robinson and Rose in my corners, no space for Foster in LF.
CF Vada Pinson - Close between him and Edd Roush here. Honorable mention to Eric Davis and Ken Griffey Jr. But Davis not in Cincy long enough, and Griffey too much trouble staying healthy in Cincy.
RF Pete Rose - Four different places he could go, but I’ll put him here. Next best option probably Ken Griffey Sr.

SP Eppa Rixey
SP Paul Derringer
SP Tom Seaver
SP Jose Rijo
SP Bucky Walters
RP Aroldis Chapman

Reds have a pretty deep group of position players to pick from, but a mostly solid (but elite) group of pitchers.  Rixey the lone HOFer who spent most of their time in Cincy (Seaver mostly outside CIN). Noodles Hahn (the franchise career pitching WAR leader, who had a few great years before his arm gave out due to overuse, like so many other pitchers from the early 1900s), Dolfe Luque, Joe Nuxhall, or Mario Soto could go in here somewhere, but these SPs mostly feel interchangeable.

Tough to compare RPs across eras; Clay Carroll could go there as the closer during the Big Red days, but Aroldis seemed more elite.
 

 
Don Quixote said:
RP Aroldis Chapman
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The Reds have had some great relief pitchers.  Sidearmer Ted Abernathy had a 6.2 WAR season in 1967 as a reliever and Bill Henry had that great WIS cookie season.  Jim Brosnan was a much better writer than Bouton.  The Nasty Boys were nasty for a while and Franco, K-Rod, Pedro Borbon and Clay Carroll had their moments as well.  But the Reds career leader in SVs is one of the kings of fantasy crap closers Danny Graves.

 
Eephus said:
The Reds have had some great relief pitchers.  Sidearmer Ted Abernathy had a 6.2 WAR season in 1967 as a reliever and Bill Henry had that great WIS cookie season.  Jim Brosnan was a much better writer than Bouton.  The Nasty Boys were nasty for a while and Franco, K-Rod, Pedro Borbon and Clay Carroll had their moments as well.  But the Reds career leader in SVs is one of the kings of fantasy crap closers Danny Graves.
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Yeah, the Reds have a lot to pick from.  Also thought about Joe Nuxhall there, as he was both a SP/RP for the Reds.  Went with Aroldis because if you only need one RP with a game on the line, I’d go to him, but Nuxhall certainly has the career numbers (albeit boosted by his SP numbers).

 
Don Quixote said:
LF Frank Robinson - Tough to leave out George Foster, but with Robinson and Rose in my corners, no space for Foster in LF.
CF Vada Pinson - Close between him and Edd Roush here. Honorable mention to Eric Davis and Ken Griffey Jr. But Davis not in Cincy long enough, and Griffey too much trouble staying healthy in Cincy.
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The 1953 team at McClymonds HS in Oakland had a better OF than some all-time franchise teams.  Robinson, Pinson and Curt Flood totaled over 200 career WAR.

 
Detroit Tigers

C Bill Freehan - A two-person race between Freehan and Lance Parrish for me. Mickey Cochrane and Ivan Rodriguez better players than these two, but I don’t think they played there long enough. Debated going with Parrish due to recency (and not having seen Freehan play), but I think Freehan had a higher peak, including two years where he was Top 5 in Offensive WAR in the AL.
1B Hank Greenberg - I could put him in LF, but he belongs at 1B for the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera and Norm Cash a couple of others that could have been worthy if not for Greenberg, but I can put Cabrera elsewhere.
2B Charlie Gehringer - Lou Whitaker may be fourth in franchise career WAR, but Gehringer is in 3rd.  Only one can make it.
3B George Kell - Tigers are surprisingly weak at 3B, given how loaded the rest of the team is.  Advanced stats don’t seem to have treated him well, but not really a close number two. 
SS Alan Trammell - He seems a pretty clear pick here, as he played the position the longest and had the best numbers. Donnie Bush with some solid years in the deadball era.
LF Bobby Veach - As mentioned, I could have put Greenberg here, but I still like Veach in the lineup.  Put up great years in the deadball era; six seasons in Top 10 WAR among position players. Veach feels like an overlooked player in the Tigers' OF, when he played with Cobb, Crawford, and Heilmann.
CF Ty Cobb - Probably the biggest gap between pick and second option that I’ve seen in this exercise (at least among players that primarily played the position, as Sam Crawford eligible here, but mostly played RF).  After Cobb, probably left seriously considering Chet Lemon.
RF Al Kaline - Sam Crawford and Harry Heilmann a couple of other HOFers here that would make most squads, but Kaline in a league of his own.
DH Miguel Cabrera - Cabrera’s switch to DH last year makes his eligible here.  Tigers have some good options here — Kirk Gibson and Victor Martinez for a couple, and Al Kaline played DH his last year.

SP Hal Newhouser
SP Justin Verlander
SP Tommy Bridges
SP Mickey Lolich
SP Jack Morris
RP John Hiller

Jack Morris and Dizzy Trout the only tough choice here (and could go either way), but I’ll go to Morris to break up the eras a bit, as Trout overlapped with Newhouser and Bridges (pretty sick rotation).  Hooks Dauss an honorable mention as the franchise wins leader.

I was originally thinking Willie Hernandez for RP. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand Willie Hernandez winning both the AL MVP and Cy Young award in 1984, but it will make me forever associate with him as the Tigers’ RP. But the more I read about John Hiller, the more I think Hiller has to be the pick. Hiller’s 1973 season with a 7.9 WAR for a RP is a holy cow number.

 
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Don Quixote said:
Pittsburgh Pirates

C Manny Sanguillen - Despite the long history, Pirates don’t really have an all-time great here.  Other options out there are Jason Kendall or Tony Pena from recent history, or George Gibson from the 1900s. But probably the weakest position player in the lineup.

1B Willie Stargell - Mostly played LF, but Pirates are loaded in left. I will stick him here.

2B Bill Mazeroski - He may be one of the worst hitters in the HOF, but given his longevity at the position, difficult to put someone else here. And he has that signature moment from the 1960 World Series that nobody else has.

3B Pie Traynor - Bill Madlock had some good years here too, as did Bobby Bonilla before he became a punchline.  But hard to go against a HOFer (even if, like Mazeroski, his numbers don’t hold up that great) who played 3B for the Pirate more than anybody else.

SS Honus Wagner - Runaway, even though Pirates have another great in Arky Vaughn.

LF Ralph Kiner - Could go Fred Clarke or Barry Bonds here too.  Tough to pick between them all. Stargell would go here if I did not put him at 1B.  

CF Max Carey - Pirates are loaded here too.  Another HOFer in Lloyd Waner another option (I had him originally, but editing to replace with Carey on reflection), and Andrew McCutcheon has a pretty good case here too.

RF Roberto Clemente - Tough to leave out the Paul Waner, but only one can start here.

SP Bob Friend

SP Babe Adams

SP Wilbur Cooper

SP John Candelaria

SP Doug Drabek

RP Kent Tekulve

I could go with someone else from early Pirates’ history like Deacon Phillipe or Ray Kremer, or from the 50s like Vern Law to fill out the rotation (absent other considerations,they probably all deserve over Drabek and maybe Candelaria), but I’ll go with Candelaria and Drabek instead to give space for a couple of modern players. And Drabek gives a representative from the post-We are Family era, since I could not find space for Bonds, McCutcheon, or Kendall in the position players.

Roy Face another great RP option, but tiebreaker goes to the glasses.

...I think the Pirates backup team could compete with many of the all-time teams that I’ve assembled.
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Van Slyke in CF would work too.

No Dave Parker?

 
Copeman said:
Van Slyke in CF would work too.

No Dave Parker?
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Parker another one of those victims of circumstance, stuck in RF behind Clemente and Paul Waner.  

Van Slyke would definitely work in CF too.  Pirates had a lot of good options in CF (Al Oliver probably gives them 5 deep options).

 
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Don Quixote said:
3B George Kell - Tigers are surprisingly weak at 3B, given how loaded the rest of the team is.  Advanced stats don’t seem to have treated him well, but not really a close number two. 
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Kell is in the HoF but had a HoVG career.

Travis Fryman was a lot better than I remembered. 

Tony Phillips was a 5 win player for his entire five year stay in Detroit.

Excluding Eddie Mathews curtain call in 67-68, Darrell Evans was the best 3B to ever call Tiger Stadium home but he was mostly a 1B/DH type by that stage of his career.

 
Eephus said:
Kell is in the HoF but had a HoVG career.

Travis Fryman was a lot better than I remembered. 

Tony Phillips was a 5 win player for his entire five year stay in Detroit.

Excluding Eddie Mathews curtain call in 67-68, Darrell Evans was the best 3B to ever call Tiger Stadium home but he was mostly a 1B/DH type by that stage of his career.
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I noticed after the fact that I could have put Cabrera at 3B, as I forgot he started his Tigers' tenure there.  So, I could probably replace Kell with Cabrera, and then put in Victor Martinez or Kirk Gibson at DH -- but I'm not sure if Kell for Gibson or Martinez is much of an improvement to the lineup.  

 
If you get super lenient with position requirements for the Tigers... Charlie Gehringer played 6 career games at 3B, which solves that position and lets Whitaker in.  Harry Heilmann also played 8 games in LF.

 
Chicago White Sox

C Carlton Fisk - Post-Red Sox prime, but still had a lot of great years on the South Side. Another HOFer in Ray Shalck for backup, who was with White Sox longer, but not as elite as Fisk.

1B Paul Konerko - Frank Thomas another option here.  **** Allen also had some good years, but I don’t think he was with Chicago long enough.  Konerko was solid but never really elite; however, he is second to Thomas in many franchise marks like HRs and RBIs, so difficult to leave him out.

2B Eddie Collins - Nellie Fox would make most other teams (and is #4 in franchise career WAR for position players), but Collins probably one of the top 5 all-time to play the position.

3B Robin Ventura - Pretty close between Ventura and Willie Kamm. Coin toss to Ventura because it gives me an excuse to post the video of Nolan Ryan pummeling Robin Ventura. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljO5T8lmxS0

SS Luke Appling - An excuse to post the video of Appling hitting a home run at 75 years old off Warren Spahn in an Old-Timers game.  https://twitter.com/bsmile/status/1152181808152403968?s=21.  Luis Aparacio another HOFer who deserves an honorable mention.

LF Shoeless Joe Jackson - It is either a Black Sox or “Mr. White Sox,” Minnie Minoso. Probably the toughest choice.  I really wanted to go with Minoso, but Jackson put up pretty incredible numbers for the deadball era. Minoso getting left out gives me two players in top 5 career franchise WAR position players that don’t make the list. 

CF Johnny Mostil - Despite long history and HOFers all around the lineup, White Sox don’t seem to have a lot here.  Injuries and depression seemed to derail Mostil’s career (including a suicide attempt). Chet Lemon and Lance Johnson among those next up.

RF Harold Baines - Another one that could stick at DH.

DH Frank Thomas - Could have put him at 1B, but I’ll place at DH, so Konerko in my lineup. Jim Thome another option here.

SP Ted Lyons

SP Ed Walsh

SP Red Faber

SP Eddie Cicotte

SP Billy Pierce

RP Hoyt Wilhelm

White Sox have had a lot of great arms in their arms in their history, and pretty hard to narrow down. I’ve probably switched between these pitchers about a dozen times.  I’d like to throw in someone like Chris Sale or Mark Buehrle to give a modern arm in the rotation, but I can’t think of which of the five I’d leave out. Billy Pierce gives the squad its lone representative from the 1959 Go-Go Sox team (due to leaving out Fox and Aparacio above). Also tried finding space for Wilbur Wood, who was an innings beast and had two 10+ WAR seasons.  

Wilhelm played with the Sox in his 40-45 age years, but they were some of his best years.  An ERA of 1.92 over six seasons. Bobby Thigpen holds the saves record and would be a good alternate, as would Goose Gossage for his 1975 season.

 
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Don Quixote said:
Another HOFer in Ray Shalck for backup, who was with White Sox longer, but not as elite as Fisk.
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Ray Schalk is in the Hall in part because he was one of the Clean Sox in 1919.  He was also the premier defensive catcher of his era.

Don Quixote said:
CF Johnny Mostil - Despite long history and HOFers all around the lineup, White Sox don’t seem to have a lot here.  Injuries and depression seemed to derail Mostil’s career (including a suicide attempt). Chet Lemon and Lance Johnson among those next up.
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Lemon has been an all-time runner up for two different three century franchises.  He would have been more appreciated had he played in a more analytically aware era.  He certainly wouldn't have been traded straight up for Steve Kemp.

 
Eephus said:
Lemon has been an all-time runner up for two different three century franchises.  He would have been more appreciated had he played in a more analytically aware era.  He certainly wouldn't have been traded straight up for Steve Kemp.
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His OBP and defense certainly would be more appreciated now. I was just reading a stat that he had most career WAR of any player to never receive any MVP votes.

 
Don Quixote said:
Parker another one of those victims of circumstance, stuck in RF behind Clemente and Paul Waner.  

Van Slyke would definitely work in CF too.  Pirates had a lot of good options in CF (Al Oliver probably gives them 5 deep options).
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Don Quixote said:
DH Frank Thomas - Could have put him at 1B, but I’ll place at DH, so Konerko in my lineup. Jim Thome another option here..
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related...

I get how Frank Thomas gets the Nugenix commercial, but Andy Van Slyke now in there?  His agent deserves an award.

 
Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays

Well, I’ve done some long histories like the Pirates, Reds, Tigers, and White Sox recently. I need to throw in a dud every now and again.

C Toby Hall - Someone has to catch.
1B Carlos Pena - Pena second to Longoria in franchise career HRs.  Fred McGriff some solid years late in his career too.
2B Ben Zobrist - Pretty easy pick to put him on the squad (second in franchise career WAR); only question was position. 
3B Evan Longoria - Franchise career WAR leader by a healthy margin.
SS Julio Lugo - Someone has to play SS. If you want to sub for Jason Bartlett, I won’t argue (but I’m not going to argue much about my Rays’ picks).
LF Carl Crawford - Not much else to go here.
CF Melvin Upton Jr - Kevin Kiermaier has more franchise career WAR, but that is boosted by defense.  I'll go with Upton for a bit more offense in the lineup.
RF Aubrey Huff - Eh, why not?
DH Austin Meadows - Only one full year in Tampa, but I'll go with him.  Another position that I’ve got very little to go with. Either Meadows or Jose Canseco.  If I threw out my arbitrary positional eligibility rule, I'd probably do Kiermaier in CF and put Upton here.

SP David Price
SP James Shields
SP Blake Snell
SP Chris Archer
SP Scott Kazmir
RP Roberto Hernandez

Rotation decently solid considering the short history here. Hernandez leads in saves and games finished, and got some Cy Young votes in 1999.  Rodney or Colome could have cases too.
 

 
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Don Quixote said:
Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays

Well, I’ve done some long histories like the Pirates, Reds, Tigers, and White Sox recently. I need to throw in a dud every now and again.
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The Rays front office could take this roster to the Winter Meetings and end up getting Paul Waner and Red Schoendienst in trades.

Don Quixote said:
SP David Price
SP James Shields
SP Blake Snell
SP Chris Archer
SP Scott Kazmir
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I'm going to start a write-in campaign for Lurch Hendrickson

 
Eephus said:
The Rays front office could take this roster to the Winter Meetings and end up getting Paul Waner and Red Schoendienst in trades.
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Maybe I should combine them with some of the defunct teams -- like throw in Old Hoss Radbourn from the Providence Grays.

 
Encyclopedia Brown said:
More egregious, Tim Beckham instead of Buster Posey or Bobby Abreu for Kevin Stocker? 
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Leaving Josh Hamilton unprotected in the Rule 5 draft up there as well. I am working on a Rangers all-time team and Hamilton has a pretty good shot at the CF spot.

 
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Texas Rangers/Washington Senators v3.0

Time to get the Rays off the headline here….

C Ivan Rodriguez - All-time leader in franchise career WAR. Surprised that Jim Sundberg is 6th in that category.
1B Rafael Palmeiro - Despite the juice, nobody else really in the conversation here.
2B Ian Kinsler - Fifth in franchise career WAR.
3B Adrian Beltre - Senators/Rangers are relatively deep here for their franchise. Buddy Bell (4th in franchise career WAR) and Ken McMullen a couple of other options.
SS Toby Harrah - ARod more elite, but Harrah had a longer run. And I’ve got some juice already in the lineup. Harrah also helps me spread the eras a bit (and I said in my OP that I sometimes might pick somebody out of respect for the ‘stache). Elvis Andrus has a pretty good case too (and Michael Young for his bat) .
LF Frank Howard - The lone Senator (from this iteration of the Senators) on my squad here. 
CF Josh Hamilton - There’s not a lot of longevity at the position for Texas. According to BREF, the players that have spent the most years as plurality CFer are Don Lock and Oddibe McDowell at 4 each. Lock would be a good alternate.
RF Juan Gonzalez - I think Gonzalez was a bit overrated during his career, but only one that might challenge Gonzalez here is below at DH. Jeff Burroughs seems a bit behind those two.
DH Ruben Sierra - A couple of top 10 MVP votes to his name.

SP Nolan Ryan - 3rd appearance in this thread. I’m not sure if anybody else will be able to claim that.
SP Fergie Jenkins - 2nd appearance.
SP Charlie Hough
SP Kenny Rogers
SP Yu Darvish
RP Jeff Russell

It is pretty close between Darvish and Kevin Brown for me. Darvish did not have many years in Texas, but was more elite.

Close between Russell and Wetteland. Once again, tiebreaker to the ‘stache.
 

 
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Don Quixote said:
3B Adrian Beltre - Senators/Rangers are relatively deep here for their franchise. Buddy Bell (4th in franchise career WAR) and Ken McMullen a couple of other options.
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Beltre has to suit up for somebody and the Rangers make the most sense here.

Buddy Bell was an excellent player in his prime.  He averaged 6 WAR over a six year stretch from 1979 to 1984.  His production fell off a cliff right after that in his age 33 season and never recovered.  Playing in Arlington probably didn't help his longevity.  Bell would have been good enough to start at 3B for at least a few three century franchises. 

 
Eephus said:
Beltre has to suit up for somebody and the Rangers make the most sense here.

Buddy Bell was an excellent player in his prime.  He averaged 6 WAR over a six year stretch from 1979 to 1984.  His production fell off a cliff right after that in his age 33 season and never recovered.  Playing in Arlington probably didn't help his longevity.  Bell would have been good enough to start at 3B for at least a few three century franchises. 
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Yeah, Bell definitely deserving of many squads. I’d put him above George Kell for the Tigers.

 
Don Quixote said:
Yeah, Bell definitely deserving of many squads. I’d put him above George Kell for the Tigers.
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Better than Pie Traynor and Matt Williams (SF years only) too.

Bell was a contemporary of Graig Nettles and Ron Cey.  Bell was the better 3B by modern analytical standards but the other two were probably more highly regarded at the time, in large part because they played for successful big market clubs.

 
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Colorado Rockies

In honor of Larry Walker getting into the HOF...

C Chris Iannetta - Rockies don’t have a lot here.
1B Todd Helton - Despite some good years from Galarraga from franchise inception, Helton a runaway pick here.
2B DJ LeMahieu
3B Nolan Arenado - Vinny Castilla some good years as well, but Arenado already 4th in franchise career WAR.
SS Troy Tulowitzki - Maybe Trevor Story can make a run, but not there just yet.
LF Matt Holliday
CF Charlie Blackmon
RF Larry Walker

One of the easier OFs to assemble. Maybe an argument could be made for giving a spot to Carlos Gonzalez, but I’d take Holliday over him in LF (and he's well behind Walker for RF).

I should stop there, but I guess I have to name some pitchers too.

SP Ubaldo Jimenez - Franchise career pitching WAR leader at 18.9.
SP Aaron Cook
SP Jorge De La Rosa - Franchise wins leader.
SP Jhoulys Chacín
SP Jon Gray - Could go with a couple of other from the past couple of years like Marquez or Freeland. Mostly interchangeable when you get down to Chacin/Gray.
RP Steve Reed - Saves leaders are Brian Fuentes and Jose Jimenez, but Reed a pretty surprising (at least to me) fifth in career franchise pitching WAR.
 

 
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Don Quixote said:
RP Steve Reed - Saves leaders are Brian Fuentes and Jose Jimenez, but Reed a pretty surprising (at least to me) fifth in career franchise pitching WAR.
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Probably the most random guy to make one of these teams.  And he's a sidearmer to boot.  Reed and Fuentes are in a dead heat in WAR/IP.  Fuentes has a slightly better ERA+ as a Rockie and was selected for three ASGs.

 
Eephus said:
Probably the most random guy to make one of these teams.  And he's a sidearmer to boot.  Reed and Fuentes are in a dead heat in WAR/IP.  Fuentes has a slightly better ERA+ as a Rockie and was selected for three ASGs.
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He certainly is.  Reed probably just had one elite year, but it was quite a year for a middle reliever -- he was 10th among NL pitchers in WAR for 1995, which might be the most random fact that I've learned.  He had a 2.14 ERA with an impressive ERA+ of 251 that year.  But can't go wrong with Fuentes either.

 
Cleveland Indians/Naps

I think this is the last 100+ year old club that I have yet to hit. Downhill from here.

C Victor Martinez - I’m not sure if he is actually the best, but nobody else really jumping out at me.
1B Jim Thome - Also eligible at 3B, but I’ll put here. Hal Trotsky would be in the mix if not for Thome.
2B Nap Lajoie - Franchise career WAR leader.
3B Al Rosen - Brief, but bright. His 1953 season (10.1 WAR) ranks as the best ever by a third baseman. Retired pretty young due to injuries.
SS Lou Boudreau - In Boudreau’s 1948 season, he had 10.8 WAR with a .987 OPS while serving as player-manager and leading the Indians to the World Series title. Some other options like Omar Vizquel and a HOFer in Joe Sewell, but no one is touching that.
LF Albert Belle - Not a whole lot here for the Indians. Jeff Heath (not the Cowboys safety) and Joe Vosmick among the next up. None had the heights of Belle, brief as it was before he left for Baltimore. Belle second to Thome in franchise career HRs.
CF Tris Speaker - I could not find room for him on Red Sox roster (as Yaz needed a spot), but he’ll make it here. Kenny Lofton, Larry Doby, and Earl Averill all deserving, but they all get left out.
RF Manny Ramirez - Close between him and giving Shoeless Joe Jackson a slot on another team, but I’ll go with Manny based on years.
DH Travis Hafner - Rare DH who primarily played that position throughout career, and put up some solid numbers there.

SP Bob Feller
SP Stan Coveleski
SP Bob Lemon - Started his career at 3B, but formed a formidable duo with Feller.
SP Addie Joss - HOFer who died at the age of 31. One of the great pitchers from the dead ball era. Career ERA of 1.89.
SP Mel Harder - More of an accumulator, but second to Feller in many franchise stats.
RP Jose Mesa - All-time saves leader is Cody Allen. Some others who could be in conversation like Bob Wickman, Rafael Betancourt, and Doug Jones, but Mesa is first that popped into my mind and not sure any of the other jump off the page enough to top that mental image.
 

 
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Don Quixote said:
C Victor Martinez - I’m not sure if he is actually the best, but nobody else really jumping out at me.
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Jim Hegan was regarded as the best defensive catcher of his time and made five All-Star games.  He's in the top 25 of career games caught. 

The problem is he couldn't hit a lick.  His career OPS+ is 74 and he never had a season with an OPS+ above 100.  If his defense was really as good as his reputation, modern analytics  probably would have increased his career WAR above the 5.7 he's credited for.  On the other hand, he might be a career backup in the modern game.

 
Don Quixote said:
SP Mel Harder - More of an accumulator, but second to Feller in many franchise stats.
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Their best lefty was Sudden Sam McDowell , a great pitcher for some bad Cleveland teams in the 60s.  Injuries and alcohol hurt his longevity but it must have been frightening to stand in against him.  He led the league in strikeouts and walks five times each.  Sudden Sam is a first class nickname too.

 
Kansas City Royals

C Salvador Perez - Darrell Porter has a pretty good case here too, but I’ll go with Perez due to more years, and this lineup has a lot from the 1970s.

1B John Mayberry - Three seasons in Top 10 for AL Offensive WAR. Next up is probably someone like Eric Hosmer.

2B Frank White - Never really elite, but 15 years at 2B (almost three times the next closest in such seasons (Cookie Rojas)) makes it hard to pick someone else.

3B George Brett - Easy pick. 

SS Freddie Patek - All 70s infield, but best option. Next up probably Alcides Escobar

LF Willie Wilson - Could go Alex Gordon with Wilson in CF, but I’ll slot Wilson here. Sorry Bo.

CF Amos Otis - Royals have lots of options here. Wilson could go here instead. Beltran could have a case too, but not enough years (he’ll have to settle for only making my Mets squad).

RF Danny Tartabull - Breaking up the 70s run, but Al Cowens would have a case too. I would not argue with Jermaine Dye here either.

DH Hal McRae - Back to the 70s.

SP Kevin Appier - Leader in franchise career WAR.

SP Bret Saberhagen - Although worried because it is an even-numbered year.

SP Mark Gubicza

SP Zack Greinke - He left KC shortly after becoming great, but his 2009 season strong enough to put him on the list.

SP Dennis Leonard - A couple of top 10 Cy Young award finishes; close between him and Spittorff.

RP Dan Quisenberry

This list ends up going a bit chalk, with the top 6 in franchise career WAR on it. Franchise wins record is held by Paul Splittorff, but I don’t think he was ever really as elite as those listed (and seemed to benefit more that lineup in the 70s). Also thought about giving David Cone a spot, as he belongs to make a team somewhere, but I think he is one of those whose career was too diffuse.

 
Don Quixote said:
1B John Mayberry - Three seasons in Top 10 for AL Offensive WAR. Next up is probably someone like Eric Hosmer.
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Mike Sweeney made five All-Star game appearances during some lean years around the turn of the century.  He doesn't have one exceptional season like Mayberry's 1975 but was a more consistent contributor.

Don Quixote said:
SP Dennis Leonard - A couple of top 10 Cy Young award finishes; close between him and Spittorff.
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Charlie Leibrandt was only in town for half as much time as Leonard and Splittorff but is very close to them in team WAR.

 
Eephus said:
Mike Sweeney made five All-Star game appearances during some lean years around the turn of the century.  He doesn't have one exceptional season like Mayberry's 1975 but was a more consistent contributor.

Charlie Leibrandt was only in town for half as much time as Leonard and Splittorff but is very close to them in team WAR.
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Sweeney is a good mention. He would help to diversify, so not a pure 70s infield.  Mayberry certainly had the higher peak, but had some pretty mediocre years around it.

Liebrandt has a pretty good case too.  I think Leonard's WAR would have been a bit higher if injuries did not derail this career (even if he was starting to slide by that point), and I was feeling a bit of an opposite problem with being heavy on the 1990 era in the rotation with Sabes, Appier, and Gubicza. 

 
Seattle Mariners

C Dan Wilson - He was rarely better than league average, but manning the position for a lot longer than anybody else (and nobody else really being able to claim being much better than league average) gives him the edge.
1B Alvin Davis - Close between him and Olerud. But I don’t really have much from the M’s in the 1980s, so I’ll try to spread out.
2B Bret Boone - Robinson Cano a strong contender too; Cano does have more franchise career WAR. Harold Reynolds worth a mention too, but never had the peaks of Boone or Cano.
3B Kyle Seager - Really tight between Seager and Adrian Beltre. Seager has in years, and had a couple of years on par. Seager a surprising 5th in franchise career WAR for position players. Beltre seemed to really turn it on when he went to Texas (and he made that squad), so he’ll have to settle for just one appearance on this list.
SS Alex Rodriguez - Pretty easy pick. Maybe pre-Indians’ Omar Vizquel for runner-up.
LF Phil Bradley - Not a lot here for the M’s. Raul Ibanez another option, and a good case could be made for him (I had him down originally), but I’ll get another 80s representative in here.
CF Ken Griffey Jr - Runaway pick. Next best probably who he was traded to the Reds for, Mike Cameron.
RF Ichiro Suzuki - Another runaway. Jay Buhner worth a mention though.
DH Edgar Martinez - One of the more naturally slotted players at DH (but my people loved Ken Phelps; they kept saying, Ken Phelps).

SP Randy Johnson - Was not in Seattle for very long, but has the top two pitching WAR seasons.
SP Felix Hernandez - Franchise leader in WAR and wins.
SP Jamie Moyer - Second in franchise wins.
SP Mark Langston - One of players traded to the Expos for Randy Johnson. 
SP Hisashi Iwakuma - Only one elite season, but that’s enough for me to put him here. Kind of meh on the next options -- Mike Moore, Freddy Garcia, James Paxton.
RP Jeff Nelson - Saves leader is Kazuhiro Sasaki, but Nelson is all-time leader in games played by a pitcher. Solid middle reliever for a long time.
 

 
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