According to a release by MLB on April 8, fans can visit MLB.com/FranchiseFour to select the four most impactful players for each franchise who best represent the history of each franchise out of eight choices from its lineage. There is also a space for a write-in selection. Voting is live now until May 8.
The Ballot:
Dwight Evans (1972-1991)
Carlton Fisk (1969, 1971-1980)
Pedro Martinez (1998-2004)
David Ortiz (2003-present)
Jim Rice (1974-1989)
Ted Williams (1939-1942, 1946-1960)
Carl Yastrzemski (1961-1983)
Cy Young (1901-1908)
Shoestring Catches Recommendations:
Carlton Fisk: Although Carlton Fisk was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, his impact on the Red Sox really comes from one swing. Fisk’s homer on the 12th inning off of Cincinnati’s Pat Darcy in the Game 6 of the 1975 World Series ended one of the greatest games ever played.
Ted Williams: The reception by the players at the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston says everything about Ted Williams. It is an iconic moment in the history of the franchise. That aside, Williams is the last person to hit over .400 in a season when he batted .406 in 1941. Perhaps his most important moment came during his Hall of Fame speech in 1966 when he spoke of adding Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson to the shine in Cooperstown. Paige was inducted in 1971 and Gibson the following year.
Carl Yastrzemski: Yaz. With a nickname like that how can you not get votes. Carl Yastrzemski played 23 years in Boston and followed Ted Williams as the club’s left fielder. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989 after a career that featured 3,419 hits and 452 home runs. He was the first person to reach 3,000 hits and 400 homers in the American League in 1979. His best season came in 1967 when he won the triple crown and was named the Most Valuable Player, while leading the Red Sox to the AL pennant.
Cy Young: When you have an award named after you that pitchers covet, you’ve had an impact. Cy Young holds the record for most career victories at 511. Young’s stats are mind-boggling by today’s standards, but in 1903 he made World Series history with two victories as the Red Sox beat Pittsburgh for the title.