When Jeff Bagwell, who spent his entire career with the Houston Astros, was named as an inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, it got me wondering who the best homegrown players are in every MLB franchises’ history. Below is the answer to that question, with the following criteria: each player listed had to make his major league debut with his respective franchise, and in the process, accumulate more WAR than any other player that came up with the same team. All WAR is according to Baseball Reference and has been rounded down to the nearest whole number.
Ted Williams is the best homegrown player in the Red Sox history.
AL East
- Baltimore Orioles, Cal Ripken Jr. 1981-2001, 95 WAR
- Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams, 1939-1942, 1946-1960, 112 WAR
- New York Yankees: Lou Gehrig, 1923-1939, 112 WAR
- Tampa Bay Rays: Evan Longoria, 2008-Present, 46 WAR
- Toronto Blue Jays: Dave Stieb, 1979-1992, 57 WAR
AL Central
- Chicago White Sox: Luke Appling, 1930-1943, 1945-1950, 74 WAR
- Cleveland Indians: Bob Feller, 1936-1941, 1945-1956, 63 WAR
- Detroit Tigers: Ty Cobb, 1905-1926, 144 WAR
- Kansas City Royals: George Brett, 1973-1993, 88 WAR
- Minnesota Twins/Washington Senators: Walter Johnson, 1907-1927, 165 WAR
AL West
- Houston Astros: Jeff Bagwell, 1991-2005, 79 WAR
- Los Angeles Angels: Chuck Finley, 1986-1999, 52 WAR
- Oakland Athletics: Eddie Plank, 1901-1914 76 WAR
- Seattle Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr. 1989-1999, 2009-2010, 70 WAR
- Texas Rangers: Ivan Rodriguez, 1991-2002, 2009, 49 WAR
NL East
- Atlanta Braves: Hank Aaron, 1954-1974, 142 WAR
- Miami Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton, 2010-Present, 27 WAR
- New York Mets: Tom Seaver, 1967-1977, 79 WAR
- Philadelphia Phillies: Mike Schmidt, 1972-1989, 106 WAR
- Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos: Gary Carter, 1974-1984, 1992, 55 WAR
NL Central
- Chicago Cubs: Ron Santo, 1960-1974, 72 WAR
- Cincinnati Reds: Pete Rose, 1963-1978, 1984-1986, 77 WAR
- Milwaukee Brewers: Robin Yount, 1974-1993, 76 WAR
- Pittsburgh Pirates: Roberto Clemente, 1955-1972, 94 WAR
- St. Louis Cardinals: Stan Musial, 1941-1944, 1946-1963, 128 WAR
NL West
- Arizona Diamondbacks: Brandon Webb, 2003-2009, 31 WAR
- Colorado Rockies: Todd Helton, 1997-2013, 61 WAR
- Los Angeles Dodgers: Don Drysdale, 1956-1969, 67 WAR
- San Diego Padres: Tony Gwynn, 1982-2001, 68 WAR
- San Francisco Giants: Willie Mays, 1951-1952, 1954-1972, 154 WAR
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