Who Are The Arizona Diamondbacks’ ‘Franchise Four’?

Although they haven’t been around for very long, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a pretty rich history. Not around yet for two decades, the organization has already won a World Series and five National League West titles.

It’s hard to win without having great players and the franchise has had many of those over the years. One hall of famer player has played in a Diamondbacks uniform and there’s a possibility for a couple of others down the line.

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MLB.com recently released ballots for a campaign called “Franchise Four.” Each organization has a list of eight players which can be voted on by the fans.The contest runs through May 8 with the winners for each franchise announced before the All-Star Game on July 14.

The eight players on the D’Backs list are no surprise. Here are the eight members.

"Center fielder Steve FinleyFirst Baseman Paul GoldschmidtLeft Fielder Luis GonzalezFirst Baseman Mark GracePitcher Randy JohnsonPitcher Curt SchillingPitcher Brandon WebbThird Baseman Matt Williams"

As of right now, Johnson, Gonzalez, Schilling and Goldschmidt are the four leaders in the voting. That of course could change with two weeks left of voting.

For me, the first two are easy choices, Johnson and Gonzalez. They are by far and away the two best players in the history of the franchise, although Goldschmidt could have an argument a few years down the line.

Grace and Williams should be thrown out of the discussion. Grace will always be known as a Cub while Williams as a Giant, although Grace remains a fan favorite here in the Valley and is on the coaching staff. Williams was also hurt for a good portion of his stint in a D’Backs uniform.

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That leaves the final two spots between Finley, Goldy, Schilling and Webb with all of them having legit arguments.

Finley and Schilling were crucial parts to that 2001 team. Finley for his elite defense and big at-bats and Schilling of course for having one of the all-time great postseasons in the history of the game.

If he keeps going at this rate, Goldschmidt will go down as the Diamondbacks best player in franchise history. If it weren’t for his shoulder injury that ended his career early, there would have been no debate about Webb being in the final four.

I’ll give the slight edge to Goldschmidt and Schilling over Finley and Webb, although it is really, really close. All four guys have legit arguments and were important components to this organization at one point.

Be sure to get out the vote, D’Backs fans. Remember, it’s your duty as a fan to do so.

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