What is the Best Father-Son Combination in MLB History?

by abournenesn

Jun 21, 2010

What is the Best Father-Son Combination in MLB History? How many American sons or daughters were able to enjoy a catch with their old man on Sunday afternoon? 

For those who did, cherish it. For those who didn't, there's always today.

While Father's Day comes fully equipped with the perfect weather to give your pops' car a couple shiny coats of soapy water and wax, it's also the middle of the Major League Baseball season — America's pastime in its prime.

Whether it's sharing a hearty breakfast with the entire fam, firing up the grill for a lunchtime barbecue, sipping that strong cup of coffee while puffing a smooth-burning cigar, or playing 18 holes, there are plenty of ways to repay that elder statesman in your life.

For a select few sons, they repaid their fathers by following in their footsteps in the MLB.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona falls under this category. His dad, Tito, spent 15 seasons in the bigs, finishing with a .272 career batting average, 125 homers and 656 RBIs for nine teams. Little Tito, of course, was plagued with knee injuries and played in just 707 games over his 10-year career in the '80s.

"I have, had, and still do have a great dad, I was lucky," Francona said prior to Saturday night's win over the Dodgers in front of tens of thousands of dads at Fenway. "He played the game that I loved, but he didn't put any pressure on me. He handled it about as good as you ever could so I was always grateful for that."

As for the game's best father-son duos, the options are as plentiful as the tie selection you browsed at Vineyard Vines last week.

Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. are arguably the top duo. Senior finished his 19-year career with a .296 batting average and 859 RBIs while Junior just retired earlier this season with 630 career homers and 1,836 RBIs over 22 years. The pair even got to play two seasons together with the Mariners in 1990 and 1991.

Had it not been for Barry Bonds' choice of supplement use, he and father Bobby would easily top this list. Bobby was a three-time All-Star in right field and a five-time member of the 30/30 club for home runs and steals. Barry was a 14-time All-Star in left and leads all MLB players in career home runs with 762. The Bonds boys combined for 1,094 taters.

Felipe and Moises Alou deserve plenty of recognition, especially due to the fact that Felipe was the first Dominican player to earn a regular job in the majors, opening a floodgate of talent into the MLB. But this father-son duo extended deep into the family tree, as Felipe's two brothers, Matty and Jesus, each played 15 seasons. Long after his playing career ended, Felipe became manager of Montreal in 1992 — the same year his son Moises made his MLB debut with Les Expos. In 17 seasons, Felipe hit .286 with 206 homers and 852 RBIs in over 2,000 games. Moises retired after the 2008 campaign with a .303 BA and 332 homers, 1,287 RBIs and six All-Star selections.

Two of the most intimidating hitters of their time, Cecil and Prince Fielder are easily this list's biggest tag team, weighing in at a combined 500 pounds (playing weight). Cecil smashed 319 career homers and made the old Tiger Stadium look like more like a walk-in closet. Prince, at just 26-years-old, already has 173 homers and is averaging 38 per season.

Other father-son ballers include:
The Berras Yogi and Dale
The Alomars Sandy and Sandy Jr., Robbie
The Stottlemyres Mel and Todd, Mel Jr.
The Perez's — Tony and Eduardo

How about the three-generation teams? The Boones (Ray, his son Bob, and Bob's sons Bret and Aaron) as well as the Bells (Gus, his son Buddy, and Buddy's sons David and Mike) deserve some serious recognition as no one can argue that baseball isn't boiling in their genes.

So which duo is the best father-son combo in the history of the MLB? Which family tree has the best baseball genes?

June 20: Will Manny Ramirez make it into the Hall of Fame?

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