MLB Franchise Four - Biggest Snubs for Each Team

MLB Franchise Four – Biggest Snubs for Each Team

Jul 14, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; The Cincinnati Reds franchise four (from left to right) Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Barry Larkin, and Johnny Bench are honored prior to the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

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Aug 18, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; The Chicago White Sox logo behind home plate before a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports /

Chicago White Sox – Luke Appling

Franchise Four: Harold Baines, Minnie Minoso, Paul Konerko, Frank Thomas

There is a double-standard out there in baseball. Pete Rose is the big name and with the game in Cincinnati, there was no way that Major League Baseball would leave him off of the Franchise Four voting ballot. Alas, that is what the league did with Shoeless Joe Jackson. Still, I can’t make the case for Jackson among the Franchise Four themselves.

Instead, I think the boat was missed on Luke Appling.

Coming into the league well after the Black Sox Scandal, Appling was a breath of fresh air for the White Sox, with whom he spent his entire Major League career with. A career .310/.399/.398 hitter over the course of his 20 years in the league, Appling remains the club’s leader with a 72.6 WAR. His combination of being both an excellent hitter and a stud fielder at shortstop were well before his time and were commemorated with seven All-Star appearances and Cooperstown enshrinement in 1964.

That said, there is no doubt what Baines, Minoso, Konerko, and Thomas meant to the club over the years. All four are pillars of the White Sox organization and all four are more than deserving of the honor. However, perhaps there could have been some room made for the greatest player in franchise history.

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