Power Ranking MLB's Most Iconic Franchises: #1-5

Drumroll please…we’ve finally reached the top 5 most iconic franchises in MLB history. These are the best of the bunch, the teams that are already household names. When people think about the sport of baseball, their minds instantly go to these five franchises. Based on the long, storied history of these franchises, it will be hard for other teams to boot any of these ones out of the top five in the near future.

5. Boston Red Sox.Despite the Red Sox’s winning legacy being relatively new, Boston has always been toward the top of baseball’s collective consciousness. It began when they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees and triggered one of the greatest rivalries in sports. The Red Sox also participated in two of the most memorable World Series’ of the last 50 years…the 1975 Fall Classic where Carlton Fisk waved his home run ball fair in Game 6 & of course the heartbreak of 1986 and the Bill Buckner Boot.

Fast forward to 2004 when the Red Sox went on one of the most memorable postseason runs in baseball history. It was the start of a run which saw the franchise take home three World Series titles in 10 seasons. They’ve been the most successful franchise in the sport over the last 16 years and while they’re struggling right now, it’s hard to imagine Boston falling out of the top five anytime soon.

4. St. Louis Cardinals.Outside of the Yankees, the Cardinals have the best winning tradition in the sport’s history. Their 11 World Series titles are the second most in league history, a mere 16 (!) behind the Bronx Bombers. The team has boasted one of the greatest hitters of all time in Stan Musial and one of the greatest pitchers as well in Bob Gibson. Most impressive is that the Cardinals overcome their small market with a loyal and spread-out fanbase. With the help of KMOX radio, the Cardinals became the official team of many fans in the Midwest & South who didn’t have a home team of their own.

Enos Slaughter’s “Mad Dash” to score the winning run in Game 7 of the 1946 World Series and David Freese’s Game 6 theatrics in the 2011 World Series are among the most memorable plays in the history of the Fall Classic. Over the course of their history, the Cardinals have won the World Series in more decades than they haven’t. As long as that continues to be the trend, they will be in the top 5 for decades to come.

3. San Francisco Giants.Outside of maybe the Braves and the next team on this list, the Giants are the only team on this list who saw a ton of success in two different cities. They were a premiere franchise in New York until 1958 when they moved across the country to San Francisco. They took their five World Series titles from their New York days and packed their bags not to win another title for more than half a century. San Francisco didn’t see its first title until 2010, but it set off the “even-numbered year” magic in which the Giants won the Fall Classic in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Add to that the fact they’ve had two of the best five hitters to ever play the game and it’s easy to see why they’re this high on the list. Barry Bonds broke the home run record in San Francisco and Willie Mays staked his claim as the greatest player to ever live while playing for the franchise. There’s a chance the Giants could slip on this list a bit based on their recent struggles, but only if teams directly behind them can develop some more star-level talent and win some hardware in the next few years.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers.The Giants are as relevant as they are, in part, because of the rival Dodgers. These two teams formed New York’s original baseball rivalry and have had a contentious West Coast rivalry for the last 60+ years. L.A. doesn’t have the same historically great hitters as the Giants, but they have some of the best pitchers of any franchise in history. Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Clayton Kershaw are but a few of the hurlers to have called the L.A. home. Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, and Duke Snider are among the greatest hitters in team history.

The team’s 32-year title drought is threatening to drop them on this list, but they have to break through sooner or later. They’ve been baseball’s most successful regular-season team over the past decade, but they just haven’t been able to put it all together in October yet. Still, the fact they’re the premiere team in the country’s second-biggest market will keep them from dropping too far.

1. New York Yankees.This was a pretty obvious selection. Let’s be honest, the Yankees have it all. They’re an international brand, the one brand most associated with baseball and one of the most recognizable in sports in general. That was fueled by the star power and success of their past. It’s all intertwined and it makes them the solidified, runaway No. 1 team on this list for years to come. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle…there are too many iconic players in this franchise’s history to keep going on.

The 1980s and 2010s are the only decades in which the Bronx Bombers haven’t won a World Series title since the team’s first championship in 1923. They’ve consistently been at the forefront of the sport as one of the most successful teams in the league with some of the sport’s most recognizable stars. It’s a vicious cycle now: players on the Yankees are going to be turned into stars in the eyes of fans and the media more easily now simply based on the fact they wear the pinstripes. That tells you all you need to know about baseball’s most iconic franchise.