Becoming the best player at your position in your franchise’s history requires a high level of productivity over many years. It helps to post huge seasons -- and to remain with the same team for the long haul. (Of course, it also depends on how storied your franchise’s history is at that position.)
Here’s a look at 20 active MLB players -- broken into four categories -- and their progress toward that milestone. While wins above replacement (WAR) is, of course, not the sole determining factor in who should be considered a franchise’s best, we’ve used that as our criteria here.
(WAR totals, via Baseball Reference, are through Sunday’s games. A player had to log at least half of his games with a franchise at the position in question to qualify.)
ALREADY THERE
Manny Machado, 3B, Padres (26.6 WAR)
Second place: Chase Headley (18.3)
Now in his seventh season in San Diego, Machado is also the Padres’ all-time leader in home runs.
Ketel Marte, 2B, Diamondbacks (32.0 WAR)
Second place: Orlando Hudson (10.5)
Here’s another example of a young franchise that hadn’t previously produced a star at one infield position. Marte has more than made up for that, settling in at second after past stints at shortstop and center field.
Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners (16.9 WAR)
Second place: Dan Wilson (13.5)
Raleigh isn’t just Seattle’s best catcher, passing his manager, Wilson. He’s on his way to having perhaps the best offensive season of any catcher in MLB history.
José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians (56.9 WAR)
Second place: Bill Bradley (34.7)
A Hall of Fame case is crystallizing for Ramírez, who recently became the first third baseman in MLB history to collect at least 275 home runs and 275 stolen bases.
Mike Trout, OF, Angels (87.1 WAR)
Second place: Tim Salmon (40.6)
Trout is not only the Angels’ best outfielder, he’s also the best player in franchise history and arguably the greatest of his generation.
JUST A MATTER OF TIME?
Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets (22.4 WAR)
Leader: Keith Hernandez (26.6)
It can take some time for fans and observers to accept that a franchise icon has been surpassed, but Alonso is right on the heels of a New York legend in Hernandez -- at least when it comes to WAR. Yet Hernandez, also a longtime television analyst for Mets broadcasts on SNY, might remain the sentimental favorite in Queens. Whether he remains the WAR leader figures to depend on whether Alonso declines his 2026 player option this offseason and departs the Mets in his second crack at free agency.
Hernandez’s career played out in reverse -- he established himself as a star in St. Louis, sharing MVP honors with Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell in 1979, before coming to New York and helping the Mets win their second and most recent World Series championship in 1986. A ring and a long-term contract might be all that can turn the tide in Alonso’s favor, but for now, his 251 home runs are one shy of Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record.
William Contreras, C, Brewers (11.3 WAR)
Leader: Jonathan Lucroy (17.2)
Lucroy owns the best season from a Milwaukee catcher, and it’s one that will be difficult to take down. In 2014, Lucroy accumulated 6.4 WAR by batting .301 with 53 doubles. Ten years later, Contreras became the second Brewers catcher to deliver a season with more than 4.0 WAR.
The key for Contreras, who is under team control through 2027, will be maintaining his value and staying with the Brewers. With the physical toll catching takes, the Brewers also might opt to move him to first base or left field to ensure his bat remains strong. For now, though, he seems on track to become the Brewers’ best behind the plate.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays (24.9 WAR)
Leader: Carlos Delgado (36.8)
Guerrero already has passed Fred McGriff and John Olerud in WAR for the Blue Jays, and he’s quickly closing in on Delgado. Considering Guerrero is signed through 2039, it’s difficult to see a scenario in which he doesn’t become the face of Toronto first basemen, if not the franchise overall.
Delgado did his damage during a 12-season stretch from 1993-2004. And considering Guerrero will be a two-decade mainstay if he remains in Toronto for the entirety of his contract, he’s liable to chase down Delgado and surpass him in on-field and sentimental value.
Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets (24.4 WAR)
Leader: José Reyes (27.9 WAR)
Similar to the Alonso-Hernandez conversation, Reyes might be the fan favorite because of a longer history with the Mets. He spent 12 years with the club, was a four-time All-Star and led MLB in triples four times and stolen bases three times, while also leading the NL in batting average once and hits once.
Lindor didn’t arrive in Queens until his age-27 season in 2021, and he has not yet led the NL in any major category. Still, the combination of his steadiness, relatively young age (31) and a contract that could keep him with the Mets through 2031 make him the likely heir to Reyes’ throne.
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals (19.2 WAR)
Leader: Freddie Patek (20.5)
If we’re being honest, Witt fits better in the “already there” category as easily the most talented shortstop in Royals history. But the fact is, Witt still trails Patek, a Kansas City cult hero, in WAR (at least for the moment).
That’s because Patek, for all of his offensive flaws, was one of the best defensive shortstops of his time, accumulating 11.5 defensive WAR from 1971-79. Witt trails in that category significantly, but he makes up for it with a bat that no other Kansas City shortstop can touch. Witt owns three of the top six seasons by fWAR for a Royals shortstop, doing so on the back of two 30-30 seasons before reaching age 25.
SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD?
CJ Abrams, SS, Nationals (10.5 WAR)
Leader: Trea Turner (22.3)
Shortstop has been a historically weak position for the franchise dating to its days as the Montreal Expos, with only three players reaching 10 career WAR. One of those, however, is Abrams, who has three straight seasons of at least 3.4 WAR and is still about two months from turning 25.
The two players ahead of Abrams are Ian Desmond and Turner, whom the team traded in 2021. That danger exists with Abrams, too, but with three more seasons after ‘25 to go until free agency, he could make up the approximately 11-WAR difference between himself and Turner before even entering his peak years.
Corbin Carroll, OF, Diamondbacks (13.1 WAR)
Leader: Luis Gonzalez (30.0)
Carroll ranks seventh in bWAR among Diamondbacks outfielders at the moment, but he’s less than 6 WAR from slotting into second place behind Gonzalez and already has cleared 3 WAR in each of his three full seasons. Just as important, Carroll inked an extension with Arizona that runs through at least the 2030 season.
Gonzalez didn’t debut with the Diamondbacks until he was 31, but he had his best years in Arizona, including five straight 100-RBI seasons and 57 home runs in 2001. He also came through with the walk-off hit in Game 7 of that year’s World Series, so he might remain the choice of many longtime fans, unless Carroll one day achieves similar October glory.
Jeremy Peña, SS, Astros (17.5 WAR)
Leader: Carlos Correa (34.1)
This one has taken a fun -- and rather complicated -- turn in recent days. Peña is already second in career WAR among Houston shortstops, and the player he’s chasing is the player he replaced. But now Correa is back in Houston following a Trade Deadline deal, playing third base and sharing the left side of the infield with his successor.
While Correa won’t accumulate more WAR as an Astros shortstop, he can still increase his lead. That’s because Correa isn’t going to lose his status as a primary shortstop after playing the position exclusively over his initial seven-season stint with the team. Peña’s ability to ultimately pass Correa figures to depend both on how much Correa has left in the tank in his return to Houston, and on whether Peña follows Correa’s example by leaving the franchise in free agency, which he’s due to reach after the 2027 season.
Corey Seager, SS, Rangers (20.0 WAR)
Leader: Toby Harrah (32.3)
As we’ve seen elsewhere on this list, Seager was on the way to achieving historical greatness with another franchise -- the Dodgers in this case -- before joining another and not missing a beat. He earned World Series MVP honors while helping lead Texas to the first championship in franchise history in 2023, just his second year with the club. Seager is now fourth among Rangers shortstops in career WAR, with Alex Rodriguez (25.5), Elvis Andrus (30.2) and Harrah ahead of him.
If short-term superiority is what you’re looking for, then there’s no matching Rodriguez’s 156 home runs, 395 RBIs, 382 runs and 25.5 WAR in three years. But if you lean toward long-term steadiness, Seager will likely ultimately be the pick, assuming he plays out a contract that runs through 2031.
Will Smith, C, Dodgers (22.8 WAR)
Leader: Roy Campanella (35.7)
Smith has three icons ahead of him, starting with Mike Scioscia (26.1 WAR), who played his entire 13-year career in Los Angeles and was the starting catcher for its 1988 World Series winner. Next up is Mike Piazza (32 WAR), who launched his Hall of Fame career in Los Angeles before building a lasting legacy with the Mets.
Then it’s Campanella, who joined the Dodgers at age 26 in 1948 and went on to win three NL MVP Awards before his career was cut short by a car accident before the 1958 season. So yes, Smith can achieve similar statistical excellence, especially since he’s signed through 2033. Winning the hearts and minds of fans the way those three predecessors did will be a much greater challenge, although being a two-time World Series champ (so far) certainly helps.
IN THE SHADOW OF GIANTS
Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves (28.2 WAR)
Leader: Henry Aaron (142.7)
Acuña won the 2023 NL MVP Award and is one of the franchise’s most exciting players, but injuries have hampered him. Even with better health, there’s no matching the historical or cultural significance of Aaron.
Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds (9.5 WAR)
Leader: Barry Larkin (70.5)
The sky seems to be the limit for the ultra-talented 23-year-old De La Cruz. It’s just that the Reds’ storied history features not only a Hall of Fame shortstop in Larkin, but Dave Concepcion, a nine-time All-Star and cornerstone of the Big Red Machine.
Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees (59.2 WAR)
Leader: Babe Ruth (142.9)
If there’s a player over the last 60 years or so that could be a threat to take down Ruth as the Yankees’ greatest outfielder, it’s Judge. That provides some incredible perspective, because even though Judge became the fastest to 350 home runs and is aiming for his third MVP Award in four seasons, he still trails Ruth by more than 80 WAR. Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio are ahead of Judge too.
Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners (20.6 WAR)
Leader: Ken Griffey Jr. (70.6)
We know Rodríguez is in Seattle for the long haul, with a contract that runs through 2029 and includes options that could keep him there through 2034. We don’t know if he’ll achieve icon status in Seattle and be immortalized in Cooperstown like Griffey and Ichiro Suzuki.
Fernando Tatis Jr., OF, Padres (26.0 WAR)
Leader: Tony Gwynn (69.1)
Tatis would have had an easier time becoming the Padres’ best shortstop, considering that Ha-Seong Kim is the franchise leader with 15.1 bWAR. But Tatis' move to right field significantly increases the difficulty. After all, there’s only one Mr. Padre, and that’s Gwynn.