Heller: Looking for lifetime St. Louis Browns
From SABR member Dave Heller at Seamheads.com on April 5, 2015:
Jeter. Rivera. Mantle. Robinson. Palmer. Ripken. Yaz. Williams. Rice. Musial. Yount. Brett. Schmidt. Bench. Larkin. Banks. Clemente. Feller. Puckett. Gwynn.
Over the years, a handful of players have become associated with a ballclub because that was the only team they played for in their career. These are the players who would be held in special regard by fans because they were their guys and no one else’s.
But who is that champion for the St. Louis Browns? After all, the franchise existed for more than 50 years (1902-53), so there has to be someone, right?
There were some great players that suited up for the Browns – George Sisler, Ken Williams, Urban Shocker, Vern Stephens and Ned Garver, for example – but none of those played only for St. Louis.
Perhaps not surprisingly due to the fortunes of the Browns over the years, there are few choices. In fact, only 20 players in the history of the franchise played solely for the Browns for four or more years (and only 11 of those for five-plus).
Here’s a look at those players who were “only Browns” for an extended period of time.
Read the full article here: http://seamheads.com/2015/04/05/lifetime-st-louis-browns/
Originally published: April 5, 2015. Last Updated: April 5, 2015.