by Rick Robinson

Created on: September 12, 2009   Last Updated: September 19, 2009

All teams have a "franchise player" that they rely on to sell tickets and merchandise. Major League Baseball has always had some pretty bad teams in terms of ownership and win/loss record. For example, the Pittsburgh Pirates just played their 17th consecutive losing season. This is a record for all major sports. Great players have stepped on the field at Three Rivers Stadium and never received the recognition they deserve. For example, Jason Kendall is one of the best catchers in MLB. Not many people have even heard of this guy because of the market he plays in. If he were to play in St. Louis or Boston, he would be a superstar. He batted .304 over the 9 seasons he played with Pittsburgh. This may have gotten him a great contract when he left, but he has nothing to show for it in terms of wins, playoffs, or championships. Will this hurt his Hall of Fame induction? Possibly, but one thing is for sure, he will never be a superstar in MLB.

Players will always be faced with the dilemma, "Do I stay loyal to the city I love and play here?", or "do I get traded to a team that I know has a good shot at the playoffs and a championship but treat me like a commodity"? Players have a hard time leaving a city they have built their careers and raised their families in just to get a shot at becoming a superstar. I believe many players stay on current teams for a few different reasons.

1. They become the franchise player

2. They have much invested in the city they play in

3. They are comfortable in the ballpark they play and they believe they will win at some point

I was speaking with a friend the other day. He was my pitching coach in college but played for the Chicago Cubs. I asked him about this exact issue and he responded by saying, "Ryne Sandberg knew he had a slim shot at winning a championship in Chicago. He always said he loved the city and fans more than his own success." Now, Sandberg is in the Hall of Fame, but he never won a World Series or even played in one for that matter. Sandberg could have been a much better player on another franchise team. He cold have won many World Series. Sometimes, it's better to believe that you can win instead of knowing you can win. But in many good players' cases, it could've made them great.

Learn more about this author, Rick Robinson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.