In today’s game of free agency and rebuilding sell-offs, it’s extremely rare for a player to stick with a team for much more than about a decade. Stars come and go, and the team’s is the only name that lasts through a fan’s lifetime.
But some players leave behind legacies that continue to capture the hearts of their fans long after they hang up their cleats.
Last week, Bleacher Report’s MLB Featured Columnists completed our hardest poll yet: picking the top players in the history of each AL franchise (NL results will be up next week).
Each voter was asked to name the top three players for each team, scored on a 3-2-1 basis. The greats were then ranked by points, with the number of first-place votes (in parentheses next to the vote totals) as a tiebreaker (one of the winners was actually decided this way).
Some of the results were pretty predictable—I don’t think saying Babe Ruth and Ted Williams won for the Yankees and Red Sox is much of a spoiler.
But some of the winners were harder to see coming, and how the rest of the lists filled out was fascinating.
Thanks to everyone who participated!
Note: I sent this survey only to the Featured Columnists who have been active in previous polls. If you are a new FC or you have changed your mind about wanting to participate, send me a message and I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop for next time!