MLB Reveals 'Franchise Four,' Top Players in Every Team's History

Some of the best to ever play the game joined the festivities for the 86th Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. 

Before the game, MLB revealed its "Franchise Four," naming the four greatest players in each organization's history as well as the league's best.

The four players below were honored as the greatest living players to take the field: 

Player	Team	Years Active
Hank Aaron	Atlanta Braves	1954-1976
Johnny Bench	Cincinnati Reds	1967-1983
Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers	1955-1966
Willie Mays	San Francisco Giants	1951-1952, 1954-1973

Fox Sports showed their introduction to the capacity crowd before the All-Star Game:

MLB.com also provided a list of each franchise's Franchise Four.

Johnny Bench headlined the legends as the hometown favorite adorned the Cincinnati field one more time. One of the greatest catchers in the history of the game, Bench was a 14-time All-Star, recording 389 home runs. 

Sandy Koufax's early retirement had the baseball world wondering, "What if?" From 1963 to 1966, he was the definition of dominant with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that four-year span, he thrice won 25 games or more and also posted an ERA of 1.88 or lower three times. 

One of the greatest all-around players the game has ever seen, Willie Mays recorded 3,283 hits and 660 home runs with the New York and San Francisco Giants and New York Mets. Patrolling center field better than most, Mays was the perfect combination of power, speed and skill. 

Lastly, former home run king Hank Aaron rounded out the group as one of the greatest living players. His record of 755 career home runs stood until Barry Bonds hit No. 756 in 2007. While known for his home run prowess, Aaron was also a hitting machine, notching 3,771 knocks during a career in which he made 21 consecutive All-Star appearances. 

There was also a Negro Leagues category, which included Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Buck O'Neil and Satchel Paige, to go along with a pioneers category highlighting some of the game's earliest stars, like Walter Johnson, Nap Lajoie, Christy Mathewson and Cy Young. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.