Which Two Current MLB Players Would You Take to Start a Franchise With?

When it comes to starting a Major League franchise, there are many directions you can go if you had to choose one player to start it with.

You might be of the opinion that you want a big, strong power hitter who can club 40-50 homers a season, or you might be of the elk to want to go pitching first, grabbing a thrower who can get 15-20 wins with 200 K’s a year.

Whatever the case, it’s always a great debate as to what player you would take if you had that option to start a team.

Today our panel of writers here at “Cleveland Baseball Insider” not only get that choice of one player, but we go the extra mile and give them two players.

See who they picked, and if their selections would meet up with yours.

T.J. Zuppe

There might be a day when the firm grasp of age slows Mike Trout enough that he’s no longer the obvious choice, but it is not this day. At the age of 28, he’s still in the midst of his prime, and somehow, the game’s most talented and all-around most valuable player has still managed to find areas of his game to refine and improve over the years.

Heck, if he decided he wanted to do something else with his life — “The Masked Singer” always needs more contestants — he would have already built a solid Hall-of-Fame case, amassing more wins above replacement in his career than the average center fielder that is currently in the Hall, per Baseball-Reference.

Even if he slips at all in his early 30’s, his decline will still likely be better than many’s best. And if I’m trying to win games now [clears throat and raises an eyebrow in the general direction of the Angels], there is no better starting block.

Second, while I’d be tempted to snag a pitcher as my next foundational piece, I’d also note how betting on arms can be a risk. I’d instead hunt for another everyday star, and while I’d put some serious consideration into the age factor of 21-year-old Juan Soto or the positional value of Francisco Lindor, Cody Bellinger would be way too difficult to pass up.

Sure, maybe grabbing two outfielders isn’t the best use of my selections, but I’m too busy salivating like a cartoon character over the thought of a lineup that features Trout and Bellinger, two of the game’s most lethal offensive forces.

Bellinger, 24, is also just approaching his best years, and while it was never expressed for how long we’d have our picks, based on current control, I’d have the Trout-Bellinger super squad through at least 2023.

If I can’t build a dominant team around the combined 16.4 fWAR between the pair of brilliant bats in 2019, I should have my fantasy GM credentials revoked.

Alex Hooper

I cannot believe I’m going to omit Mike Trout from my picks, but at 28 with a mega-contract, I think I can get more out of other spots.

Although, maybe ‘more’ is the wrong word. Now that I’ve established where my priorities lie, my first choice becomes easy.

Ronald Acuña, Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves

At 22 years old, Acuña is already one of the game’s best power hitters, pairing peripherals like an 89 percentile HardHit%, a 93 percentile xwOBA, and 95 percentile Barrel% with 67 homers in his first season and a half.

Oh, his sprint speed is in the 96 percentile and he has swiped 53 bases in 267 games. With the ability to play a league-average center field, he can play up the middle.

Acuña is also under control through 2028, making $12.5 million per year on average, with two $17 million club options for those last two seasons. If contracts are being thrown out, I think I still take Acuña here, but the next choice is not as easy.

Cody Bellinger, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Considering contract status, I’ll take four years of Bellinger, and attempt to re-sign him through his age-32 season.

Everything about the 24-year-old as a hitter is elite, and he has proven to be a tremendous right fielder as well.

His sprint speed is also in the 90 percentile. If we throw out contracts altogether, I’m probably taking Francisco Lindor here, and I have two young, elite players up the middle.

Because he will be a free agent in two years, I would take the security of Bellinger.

Mark Warmuth

One of the obvious answers for who would you start a franchise with would be Mike Trout, because he might be one of the ten best players all time, but we'll go against the grain here.

Trout will hit 29 this summer, meaning he will only play one more year in his 20's. (And we know he was reaching here).

We will eliminate pitchers too, because they are too volatile.

We will pick one outfielder and one infielder to start our franchise.

The outfielder is 21 year old Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals. Last year, at age 20, Soto hit .282 with 34 HR and 110 RBI for the World Champions, with a 949 OPS. And he should only get better over the next 6-8 years. Is he a great defensive player?

Not really, but our guess is he will improve and even if he doesn't, with the universal DH on the horizon, his lethal bat can stay in the lineup there.

Yes, he might strikeout a little more than you would like (132 last year) but it's not really that much in today's game, and he still knows how to take a walk (108 in 2019).

He could be a Miguel Cabrera or Manny Ramirez type bat in the middle of an order.

The other guy is somewhat familiar to Tribe fans, because he plays in Cleveland, at least for now.

Francisco Lindor hasn't turned 27 years old yet, and has three consecutive seasons with more than 40 doubles and 30 home runs, and he has won a pair of Gold Glove awards at shortstop.

And you can't go wrong in having him be the face of your franchise, his enthusiasm and infectious joy for the game is something baseball needs desperately. And he's a leader too.

Why wouldn't you want Frankie Lindor on your roster?

Casey Drottar

Mike Trout is one of the best players the sport of baseball has ever seen. This is both fact, and a reason why picking him here almost feels like cheating.

Knowing that, I’ll skip the easy call and take a different route, one which admittedly carries a pinch of bias.

Still, shortstop is a crucial spot on the roster, so I’m starting my franchise with one of the best in the league -- Francisco Lindor.

In Lindor, you have a player who provides Gold Glove caliber defense at arguably one of the most important positions on the field. Since 2016, no shortstop has a higher combined fWAR (23.2), while only one (Andrelton Simmons) has generated more defensive runs above average (68.3).

Are there shortstops who are more offensively potent than Lindor? Yes. Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa and Corey Seager have each amassed more offensive runs above average over the past four seasons.

This hardly means Lindor is subpar at the plate, though, as he consistently posts above average numbers in both wOBA and wRC+.

Combine Lindor’s overall value with the fact his personality is the kind that’s cherished both in the clubhouse and in the stands, and it feels like he’s an ideal franchise player. The kind of guy you just don’t let walk out the door, am I right?...

OK, with that non-subtle shot out of the way, I’ll move to player number two. This team needs a starting pitcher, and for that role, I’m tabbing Gerrit Cole.

To say Cole’s numbers continue to get better is an understatement. Instead, said numbers are separating him from the rest of the league.

Over the past four seasons, his WHIP has dropped from 1.44 to 0.89, while his K/9 has spiked from 7.60 to 13.82. For reference, 2019 league averages for WHIP (1.33) and K/9 (8.88) were, well, slightly less impressive than what Cole offered last year.

That he’s seeing such a significant upswing while averaging 30.2 starts per season over the past five years just makes it that much more impressive.

A pitcher who avoids major injuries and has progressively improved the deeper he gets into his career? Sounds like my hypothetical team has an ace to pair with its star shortstop.

Matt Loede

When you look around the league at the star players and their ages, it's comforting to know that there are so many great stars and for the most part they are very young and have a long way to go.

With that, I can't see any reason not to nab Mike Trout to start a franchise with.

Trout is 28, which means he should have no less than a decade of very good baseball left in him.

He's got power (285 HR's in nine years), and what also gives him an edge is his patience at the plate, as he's always up there in the league leaders in walks.

Plus his attitude is excellent and he keeps getting better, so that to me is an easy one.

Choice two is much harder, but for this experiment I think you have to stay on the offensive side of the ball.

That means for me I am going with 22-year-old Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr.

The impact he's made in just two seasons in the bigs is incredible, putting up 41 homers a year ago with 101 RBI and a National League high 37 steals.

The Braves awarded Acuna with a massive $100 million dollar deal, and he deserved it based already on the crazy stats he's amassed in just two years.

It's crazy to not go with a pitcher like Gerrit Cole, or an infielder like Francisco Lindor, but to me Trout and Acuna is one very good way to start a franchise.

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