The Diamondbacks Franchise Deep Three

Down to the two 1998 expansion franchises, both of which I plan to put up this month. Let's start with the one that's won a World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks:

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Randy Johnson	Miguel Montero	Paul Goldschmidt	Orlando Hudson	Matt Williams	Stephen Drew	Luis Gonzalez	Chris Young	Justin Upton
2nd	Curt Schilling	Damian Miller	Mark Grace	Aaron Hill	Mark Reynolds	Tony Womack	Gerardo Parra	Steve Finley	Danny Bautista
3rd	Brandon Webb	Chris Snyder	Travis Lee	Jay Bell	Jake Lamb	Alex Cintron	Eric Byrnes	A.J. Pollock	David Dellucci

If you thought the 1993 teams had some slim pickings, how much more so teams with five fewer seasons! Right field and shortstop are both virtual wastelands after the top spots, and catcher, first base, and left field aren't all that hot either.

Second base surprised me. If we'd done a 4th Team, Junior Spivey could've been a solid choice. I wasn't expecting Orlando Hudson to claim the 1st Team spot, but it was hard to argue with his three strong seasons in the desert.

Center field is another good position. A.J. Pollock is currently on the 3rd Team, but with a few more good years, he could find himself on that 1st Team pretty quickly.

The best of all though, was pitcher. The 1st Teamer is in the Hall of Fame, the 2nd Teamer probably will be someday (deservingly), and the 3rd Teamer had the potential before an injury suddenly ended his career. After that, well...let's just say that a 4th Team would've diminished the impressiveness ratio.

The Marlins Franchise Deep Three

Last time we did the Rockies, now it's time for that other 1993 expansion franchise, the one with higher heights and lower lows, the Florida/Miami Marlins. This team has been known for stockpiling talent and then giving it away in fire sales, so there were several short-term pieces that didn't make the three-season minimum.

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Josh Johnson	Charles Johnson	Derrek Lee	Luis Castillo	Mike Lowell	Hanley Ramirez	Christian Yelich	Cody Ross	Giancarlo Stanton
2nd	Dontrelle Willis	J.T. Realmuto	Greg Colbrunn	Dan Uggla	Miguel Cabrera	Edgar Renteria	Cliff Floyd	Juan Pierre	Gary Sheffield
3rd	Jose Fernandez	Mike Redmond	Gaby Sanchez	Donovan Solano	Wes Helms	Adeiny Hechaverria	Jeff Conine	Marcell Ozuna	Mark Kotsay

Ah, Josh Johnson. A star that burnt briefly but oh-so-brightly. Ah, Dontrelle Willis. The same, but to a slightly lesser extent. Will Jose Fernandez be the great Marlin pitcher who doesn't get hurt or flame out?

J.T. Realmuto's career is off to a good start, already the second-best Marlin backstop. Mike Redmond was a career backup, but he was quite serviceable in his day, and stuck around longer than most backup catchers do.

Third base was tough, as there weren't a lot of options. Miguel Cabrera only played third base full time in two seasons, but he saw significant time there in two other seasons, so I decided to include him. Besides, he's a future Hall of Famer. Ya gotta get him in somewhere. Wes Helms on the 3rd Team, though? Yikes.

Left field was surprisingly strong, as many teams don't have long-lasting players there; it's just a place to stick a solid-but-replaceable hitter. Christian Yelich has been inspiring in his brief career there, and there was enough depth that a solid guy like Josh Willingham missed the cut.

Hanley Ramirez was far and away the best choice at short, and the rest was a sea of average. Alex Gonzalez, a longtime Marlin, missed the cut for being mediocre. It's a mystery he lasted as long as he did.

I didn't expect Cody Ross to be the Fish's top center fielder, but he turned out to be better than Pierre, the guy I predicted would take the spot. A shame he's already forgotten.

The Rockies Franchise Deep Three

Wow, are we really at this point? A Deep Three? Yes, for the last four franchises in this series, I shall only go three deep. Even for this one, some spots on the 3rd Team were difficult to fill. Let's see how the table turned out with our friends in the mountains, the Colorado Rockies.

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Ubaldo Jimenez	Chris Iannetta	Todd Helton	DJ LeMahieu	Nolan Arenado	Troy Tulowitzki	Matt Holliday	Dexter Fowler	Larry Walker
2nd	Aaron Cook	Jeff Reed	Andres Galarraga	Eric Young	Vinny Castilla	Walt Weiss	Carlos Gonzalez	Juan Pierre	Brad Hawpe
3rd	Jhoulys Chacin	Wilin Rosario	Ben Paulsen	Clint Barmes	Garrett Atkins	Neifi Perez	Corey Dickerson	Ellis Burks	Dante Bichette

First base and left field were hard to find a 3rd Teamer for. For first base, Mr. Rockie, Todd Helton, held it down for over half of the franchise's existence, and Andres Galarraga had a solid five-year run too. Justin Morneau also had a good season at the position, but with the three-year minimum required for this list, he couldn't make it. Ben Paulsen, enjoy your small claim to fame! Left field was hard just because it's one of those positions where several players tend to get tried, and I chose Dickerson because he seemed as good a choice as any.

Third base has been a surprisingly strong position for Colorado in its short history. Jeff Cirillo would've made the list had he played one more season with the Rockies, but there's no shame in having Garrett Atkins show up here.

Pitcher and catcher were surprisingly weak spots. Perhaps pitcher isn't too surprising, since the mile-high air is famously tough on hurlers, but you'd think there would've been at least one catcher better than Chris Iannetta. Nope. I suppose a quarter-century without ever having a great catcher isn't unheard-of in baseball, though.

DJ LeMahieu must be one of the most underrated players in the game. Who knew he was already the greatest Rockie second baseman of all time? Seriously, fans. Appreciate this guy.

The Blue Jays Franchise Deep Four

Time for the latest installment of Deep Six, which has been reduced to Deep Four for our expansion franchise friends, and will be reduced to Deep Three for the post-1993 installments! Today we's gonna tackle the only remaining franchise representing the Great White North, the Toronto Blue Jays! Let's have ourselves a look-see:

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Roy Halladay	Ernie Whitt	Carlos Delgado	Roberto Alomar	Kelly Gruber	Tony Fernandez	George Bell	Devon White	Jose Bautista
2nd	Dave Stieb	Gregg Zaun	Fred McGriff	Aaron Hill	Rance Mulliniks	Alex Gonzalez	Shannon Stewart	Vernon Wells	Jesse Barfield
3rd	Pat Hentgen	Darrin Fletcher	John Olerud	Orlando Hudson	Brett Lawrie	Jose Reyes	Reed Johnson	Lloyd Moseby	Alex Rios
4th	Jimmy Key	Pat Borders	Willie Upshaw	Damaso Garcia	Roy Howell	Alfredo Griffin	Al Woods	Jose Cruz	Shawn Green

It was surprising to me how deep some of these positions turned out to be for only forty years of history. Right field was so strong that franchise legend Joe Carter just missed the cut. First base, center field, and pitcher were darn good too.

Josh Donaldson has an MVP under his belt and is having another monster year, but without the requisite three seasons in Toronto, he doesn't yet qualify for the list. I have a feeling he'll be somewhere in the next edition.

The guys on the 4th Team at left field and shortstop were selected more on longevity than anything else. Those positions don't have a ton of depth. No harm in giving some love to the guys who spent a lot of time there, even if they weren't that good.

The Mariners Franchise Deep Four

Now in their 40th season, naming the top four players at each position is a bit tough for the Mariners. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a try, so here it goes:

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Felix Hernandez	Dan Wilson	John Olerud	Bret Boone	Edgar Martinez	Alex Rodriguez	Phil Bradley	Ken Griffey Jr.	Ichiro Suzuki
2nd	Randy Johnson	Dave Valle	Alvin Davis	Robinson Cano	Adrian Beltre	Omar Vizquel	Raul Ibanez	Mike Cameron	Jay Buhner
3rd	Jamie Moyer	Kenji Johjima	Tino Martinez	Harold Reynolds	Kyle Seager	Brendan Ryan	Greg Briley	Franklin Gutierrez	Leon Roberts
4th	Mark Langston	Bob Stinson	Bruce Bochte	Julio Cruz	Jim Presley	Carlos Guillen	Henry Cotto	Ruppert Jones	Al Cowens

Pitcher was a really good position for the M's. Their top guy is a potential Hall of Famer, and their 2nd Team guy is already there. Jamie Moyer had a good long career, though he falls just short of the Hall of Fame standard. Freddy Garcia and Erik Hanson were pretty close to Mark Langston for the 4th Team spot.

Center field, second base, and third base were all pretty strong positions. Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager are both potential 1st Teamers if they keep producing. The fans in Seattle should be excited about those guys. Edgar Martinez was better known as a DH, but I'm glad that for now the Mariner icon is deserving of the 1st Team spot at the hot corner.

The two corner outfield positions have two strong players on the first two teams and slim pickings after that. Left field especially was like grasping at straws. Yikes.

Catcher would have to be the weakest position here. Nothing against Dan Wilson, but if he's your greatest catcher of all time, you need to work on that.