ARIZONA
DIAMONDBACKS
Randy
Johnson
Johnson is also among the greatest Mariner players
in history. During his ten seasons in Seattle, he won 130 games and captured
four strikeout titles. He landed in Houston after getting off to a slow start
during the ’88 campaign. Unable to meet his salary demands, the Astros let him
go before the ’89 slate. Johnson spent eight of his prime seasons with the
Diamondbacks, compiling a 118-62 record with a 2.83 ERA. He averaged 260
strikeouts per year while helping the club to three postseason appearances, including
the only World Series title in franchise history. Johnson was co-MVP of the
Series—sharing the honor with Curt Schilling. By the time he retired in 2009,
the towering left-hander (6-foot-10) held numerous all-time records. His 4,875
lifetime strikeouts are most for a southpaw.
COLORADO
ROCKIES
Todd
Helton
Offense has always been an intrinsic feature of
Coors Field and, when Helton becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame, he will
have his share of detractors. Still, the talented first baseman put up some of the best numbers in franchise history. A lifetime .316
hitter in seventeen seasons, he logged a .372 average during the 2000 campaign with 59 doubles
and 147 RBIs. Despite those tacky numbers, he finished fifth in MVP voting that year. A
multi-dimensional player, Helton won three Gold Gloves during his career. He
helped the Rockies to their only World Series appearance in 2007. His .333
batting mark (highest among Colorado regulars) could not prevent a sweep at the
hands of the Red Sox. Helton currently holds franchise records for runs scored,
hits, total bases, doubles, homers and RBIs.
SAN
FRANCISCO GIANTS
Willie
Mays
Warren Spahn blamed himself for Mays’s complete
domination of National League pitching. “He was something like zero for
twenty-one the first time I saw him,” Spahn reminisced years after the fact.
“His first major league home run was off me and I’ll never forgive myself. We
might have gotten rid of him forever if I’d only struck him out.” Mays
eventually found his groove and captured Rookie of the Year honors in ’51.
Twelve Gold Gloves and Twenty All-Star selections would follow. A five-tool
player, Mays hit for power and average, ran the bases exceptionally well and
had unparalleled defensive skills. During his 21 seasons with the Giants, he
hit .304 with 646 homers and 1,859 RBIs. He holds franchise records for total
bases, doubles and extra-base hits (among others).
SAN
DIEGO PADRES
Tony
Gwynn
Gwynn spent his entire twenty-year career with the
Padres, helping the club reach the postseason three times. Gwynn was a .371
hitter in two World Series. During the regular season, he compiled a more
modest .338 mark. He was an eight-time batting champion and fifteen-time
All-Star. Proving he was a well-rounded player, he won five Gold Gloves and stole
30 or more bases four times. Opposing pitchers dreaded facing him, especially
Al Leiter, who once commented, “The only way to pitch Tony is to throw the ball
down the middle and hope he hits it at someone.” Elected to the Hall of Fame in
2007, he died seven years later at the age of fifty-four—a victim of cancer.
LOS
ANGELES DODGERS
Zack
Wheat
The Dodgers have had so many great players over the
years—especially during the ‘50s, when Ebbets Field was home to Pee Wee Reese,
Duke Snider, Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson. But from a purely statistical
standpoint, the most productive Dodger player retired long before “The Boys of
Summer” took the field. An obscure historical figure, Zack Wheat spent eighteen
seasons with the Dodgers from 1909-1926. During Wheat’s career, the club carried
three different names--the Superbas, Dodgers and Robins. Wheat was the team’s
brightest star for well over a decade. A writer from Baseball Magazine once remarked that “What Lajoie was to
infielders, Zack Wheat is to outfielders, the finest mechanical craftsmen of
them all.” Wheat led players at his position (LF) in fielding percentage twice
and remains among the all-time leaders in putouts, assists and double plays. He
was pretty good with a bat too, establishing franchise records for hits,
doubles, triples and times on base. He led the Dodgers to their first two World
Series appearances and reached base eighteen times in twelve games. Had he
played alongside the aforementioned luminaries, the Dodgers would likely have
captured several more world championships.
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