Power Ranking MLB's Most Iconic Franchises: #11-15
We’ve reached the portion of our list where we examine the five teams just outside the top 10. These teams are just one title push away, one more cornerstone star from solidifying themselves as a top 10 iconic brand in Major League Baseball. Some will fall in the coming years and others will enter the rarified air of the top 10.
- Baltimore Orioles.If there’s one team in the 11-15 range most at risk of falling in the icon rankings, it’s the Orioles. They’re currently in the worst stretch in franchise history and there doesn’t appear to be light at the end of the tunnel. Camden Yards is a beautiful ballpark and helped usher in the modern ballpark, but the luster is wearing off as the team on the field struggles to win 50 games a season.
Of course, the Orioles have a rich and storied history, though. Between 1966 and 1983, the O’s played in the American League Championship Series roughly 50 percent of the time. During that span, they won six pennants and three World Series titles. And if you want to talk about star power, how about the starting staff they had during some of those runs? If you called the 1971 staff the best starting rotation in MLB history, it would be hard to argue. Mike Cuellar, Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Pat Dobson all won 20 or more games and lost fewer than 10 games that season. There are four Cy Young awards and a Hall of Famer in that bunch. Baltimore’s future path on this list depends on how much damage the current disaster does to the franchise’s storied past.
- New York Mets.Playing in New York certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to icon status in any sport. However, playing second fiddle to the Yankees doesn’t really do the Mets any favors. Yes, this franchise has World Series titles in two of the most memorable seasons in the Modern Era…the 1969 Miracle Mets run and the 1986 Buckner Boot come-from-behind Fall Classic. They’ve churned out stars like Darryl Strawberry and Tom Seaver. Still, too often the Yankees overshadow them on the other side of town.
Uncertain times are ahead for the franchise, but the Mets have improved their season win total in each of the past three years, so it appears they’re starting to turn the corner. They would have to do a lot of winning for, let’s say, a century, before passing the Yankees on this list. But that doesn’t mean they can’t climb into the top 10 if Pete Alonso continues doing his thing and the team takes home some hardware at some point in the next decade.
- Cincinnati Reds.The history of the Reds is the history of baseball to some degree. After all, the Cincinnati Redlegs were baseball’s first fully professional team, having started touring in 1869. They’ve been there since the beginning and there’s something to be said about that. In addition, they’ve won five World Series titles (there’s an asterisk on the 1919 championship). Cincinnati also boasted one of the most memorable dynasties in baseball history, if you can call it a dynasty. Other franchises have had longer and more successful runs than the Big Red Machine, but outside of the Yankees, few teams have had a more notable nucleus of players for an extended period of time.
It’s a testament to the Reds’ storied history and star power that they are this high on the list given they play in a relatively small media market by MLB standards. With an infusion of talent coming to Southern Ohio this offseason, it looks like they may once again be ready to compete for a playoff spot and within a few years, they might be ready to challenge for the team’s first World Series title in over three decades. As long as they contend fairly soon and keep churning out stars like Joey Votto and Luis Castillo, the Reds are a good bet to crack the top 10 at some point in the not-too-distant future.
- Philadelphia Phillies.Fans in Philadelphia are never satisfied, but the Phillies have given them a few nice runs to be excited about over the past few decades. They reached three World Series’ in the 1980s and 90s, winning just one title. Of course, they played in back-to-back Fall Classics, topping the Rays in 2008 and falling to the Yankees in 2009. Philly has never had a shortage of talent, either. Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Chase Utley, Curt Schilling, Jimmy Rollins are but a few of the Phillies’ stars from throughout the years.
One major thing they have going for them is that superstar Bryce Harper is now in town. He’s the most recognizable star in baseball to the average sports fan and that means something for a franchise’s brand. If the Phillies win a World Series with Bryce Harper on their roster, they’re virtually a sure bet to climb into the top 10.
- Detroit Tigers.Much like the Orioles, the Tigers risk undoing some of their past with a terrible present. They have a big rebuild ahead of them, so they aren’t going to be on many people’s radars for several seasons. That does damage no matter if it’s the franchise that once employed Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, Al Kaline, and Hank Greenberg, not to mention modern stars like Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera.
Detroit has won four World Series titles in four different decades. So, while they’ve consistently put together good teams, they’ve never had a team that resembled a potential dynasty. Ultimately, that along with medium market size is keeping the Tigers on the outside of the top 10. With what looks like is going to be a tough stretch coming up, it’s likelier than not that Detroit will fall even further back in these rankings in the near future.