On to the American League Central in our "Franchise Four" rankings, a division with four franchises that were original members of the American League. So a lot of history to consider. Go here to MLB.com to vote.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Career leaders in WAR:
1. Luke Appling, 74.5
2. Red Faber, 68.4
3. Frank Thomas, 68.2
4. Ted Lyons, 67.2
5. Eddie Collins, 66.6
6. Ed Walsh, 63.4
7. Wilbur Wood, 51.8
8. Billy Pierce, 49.1
9. Mark Buehrle, 49.0
10. Nellie Fox, 46.9
11. Minnie Minoso, 41.3
12. Robin Ventura, 39.3
13. Luis Aparicio, 35.2
One of the American League's original eight franchises, the White Sox have had various spurts of success: They won the World Series in 1906 and 1917 and another pennant in 1919 (you may have heard about that World Series as well). They were above .500 every season from 1951 to 1967, although they captured just one pennant. They were regular contenders for nearly 20 years, from 1990 to 2008, winning the World Series in 2005. So they've had many great and popular players, although the list above skews older. The first six players are Hall of Famers, as are Fox and Aparicio.
So who most defines the franchise? I think Thomas is an easy choice, even though he was injured in 2005 and missed the playoffs. Appling joins him as the best player in franchise history. He played 20 years with the White Sox, twice finished second in the MVP voting, and finished with a .310 career average. It's a little dicey after that. Fox and Aparacio symbolize the excellent clubs in the '50s and '60s. Fox was a little better and spent 12 years with the club; Aparacio was traded after seven years (although later returned for three more). I'll give Fox the edge, even if it took him longer to make the Hall of Fame.
I suppose Paul Konerko has his supporters, but he was more good than great. The MLB.com ballot doesn't even list Lyons and Faber -- they are pretty anonymous as far as Hall of Fame pitchers go -- and Collins is known more for his time with the Philadelphia A's than the White Sox. MLB includes Harold Baines, who was so popular when he was traded in 1989 the White Sox retired his jersey. Hard to compete with that, no?
And, no, Shoeless Joe not considered.
My picks: Thomas, Appling, Fox, Baines
CLEVELAND INDIANS
Career leaders in WAR:
1. Nap Lajoie, 80.0
2. Tris Speaker, 74.2
3. Bob Feller, 65.2
4. Lou Boudreau, 61.6
5. Stan Coveleski, 55.3
6. Kenny Lofton, 48.5
7. Jim Thome, 47.9
7. Earl Averill, 47.9
7. Mel Harder, 47.9
10. Addie Joss, 45.9
11. Joe Sewell, 45.6
12. Larry Doby, 43.4
MLB.com's ballot includes Omar Vizquel, who did spend 11 years in Cleveland while earning 30.3 WAR, but that's substantially below the guys above. My problem with voting for him is that he wasn't the first guy on those powerhouse teams of the 1990s that you thought of at the time: You had Thome or Albert Belle or Manny Ramirez or even Roberto Alomar for a couple of seasons. I can't pick Little O for that reason.
Feller is obvious and it's pretty hard to ignore Lajoie and Speaker, two of the best players in American League history. On the other hand, they did play a long time ago. Still, for a while the team was called the Cleveland Naps after their player-manager. One issue with Speaker: Based on WAR, his two best seasons and five of his top nine came with the Red Sox. However, Speaker did lead the Indians to the 1920 World Series. Boudreau, meanwhile, is a Hall of Fame shortstop and the player-manager of the 1948 World Series champs, Cleveland's last title team. Thome is the club's all-time home run leader and second in RBIs behind Averill. And Doby was the first black player in the AL; he had eight great years from 1948 to 1955.
This is a tough one. A lot of ways you can go, but I's discounting Speaker for his split duty with the Red Sox and going with Boudreau and Doby, with apologies to Thome, one of my favorite players.
My picks: Feller, Lajoie, Boudreau, Doby
DETROIT TIGERS
Career leaders in WAR:
Ty Cobb, 144.7
Al Kaline, 92.5
Charlie Gehringer, 80.6
Lou Whitaker, 74.9
Alan Trammell, 70.4
Harry Heilmann, 67.6
Sam Crawford, 63.5
Hal Newhouser, 59.0
Hank Greenberg, 54.1
Tommy Bridges, 52.5
Norm Cash, 51.7
Another franchise with a storied history of famous names. With apologies to the great double-play combo of Trammell and Whitaker, I think it's pretty easy to select the top four guys here. But keep room for Miguel Cabrera ...
My picks: Cobb, Kaline, Gehringer, Greenberg
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Career leaders in WAR:
1. George Brett, 88.4
2. Kevin Appier, 47.4
3. Amos Otis, 44.6
4. Willie Wilson, 42.2
5. Bret Saberhagen, 40.8
6. Mark Gubicza, 38.3
7. Frank White, 34.7
Brett, of course. My second nod would go to White, the longtime second baseman (18 seasons) and fan favorite. Don't you have to go Saberhagen next? The Cy Young Award winner and World Series hero of 1985? The fourth guy is more of a toss-up, but I'm going with a guy not listed: Dan Quisenberry, the great reliever.
My picks: Brett, White, Saberhagen, Quisenberry
MINNESOTA TWINS
Career leaders in WAR:
1. Walter Johnson, 152.3
2. Rod Carew, 63.7
3. Harmon Killebrew, 60.5
4. Sam Rice, 52.6
5. Kirby Puckett, 50.9
6. Bert Blyleven, 49.3
7. Joe Judge, 47.0
8. Joe Mauer, 46.3
9. Brad Radke, 45.6
10. Goose Goslin, 43.2
11. Tony Oliva, 43.0
The Twins were the Washington Senators from 1901 to 1960, which creates one of those awkward Franchise Four lists. MLB.com ends up ignoring 60 years of Senators history, including only Johnson on its ballot. They include Jim Kaat (30.5 WAR), who had a long career but not all of it with the Twins, while excluding Johan Santana (35.5), who had a terrific stretch of dominance, and Radke, who accumulated much more value. Blyleven would be a shoo-in if you accounted for his career value, but between his two stints with the Twins, he spent time with the Rangers, Pirates and Indians. And a player not listed above or on the MLB.com ballot who merits strong consideration: hometown hero Kent Hrbek.
In the end, though, it's a pretty easy foursome to pick.
My picks: Johnson, Puckett, Killebrew, Carew