“The Giants made it a little easier on themselves,” Behrends said, noting that the franchise left New York in the 1950s. Hall of Fame as a San Francisco giant, and there’s only been five, so that’s how they chose. But with the Yankees, where would they start?
The Chicago White Sox – with an equally long history but far fewer years of glory – have several statues inside the park and recognized the winners of the 2005 World Series with a monument outside, depicting coins essential on photos and sculptures. In Cleveland, the late 1990s juggernaut is personified in a statue of the great home run Jim Thome, who holds the franchise home run record with 337 – but hit his 400th for the Phillies, his 500th for the White Sox and his 600th for the Minnesota Twins.
“It’s so much more: all those great players we had in the ’90s, all those great playoffs,” said Thome, who now works for MLB Network and the White Sox. “It was a championship type team for a long time. We unfortunately didn’t win a World Series, but it represents all these guys: Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Sandy Alomar, Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield.
Winfield, who had his best seasons with the Padres and Yankees, finished his career with Cleveland in 1995. He won his only championship for the Toronto Blue Jays, who have a statue of former owner Ted Rogers on the outside their stadium, as well as a collection of gargoyles representing fans – but no player statues.
