MLB Mt. Rushmores

by Charlie Miller

The question was posed earlier this season whether Derek Jeter should be considered as part of the Yankees’ Mt. Rushmore. That certainly piqued my interest. Not really the Jeter-Yankees part, but the idea that all MLB teams should have their own Mt. Rushmores. Who are the four individuals that have risen above all others for each organization? The question sounds simple. But it isn't as easy as it sounds. Let the arguments begin.

Boston Red Sox Mt. Rushmore

The overplayed drought of championships from 1918 to 2004 and the Curse of the Bambino have overshadowed what has been a very successful franchise. By 1918 the team had won five World Series and another AL pennant in 1904, a year there was no Series. Dark days followed from 1922-33 when they finished in last place in nine of 12 seasons and next-to-last in another two. But Sox fans have had much to cheer for recently. Even going back to 1966, there have been just six losing seasons. They have finished worse than second place just twice since 1997. With a postseason berth almost assured in 2011, that would be the 13th postseason appearance in 26 seasons. However, the team has won 100 games in a season only three times, the last all the way back in 1946. The famous 1978 playoff game with the Yankees would have been the Sox 100th win had Bucky Dent not shattered Boston’s championship plans. The Red Sox pose the toughest test to date in selecting just four individuals. Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski are easy choices. The list of candidates for the last two spots is long, and filled with strong arguments.

Ted Williams
There is absolutely no doubt that Teddy Ballgame belongs here. The Splendid Splinter is also in the discussion for the MLB Hitters Mt. Rushmore. There may not have been a better hitter ever. His entire career was spent in Boston and was interrupted twice by stints in the U.S. Marine Corps — first in World War II then again during the Korean War. The 10 best on-base percentages in Boston history, ranging from .479-.553, all belong to Williams.

Carl Yastrzemski
It isn’t easy to step into a legend’s shoes, especially at the age of 21 and a legend the size of Williams. But that’s what was asked of Yastrzemski in 1961. But 3,308 games later, Yaz had cemented his place alongside Williams as the two greatest players in Red Sox history. Yastrzemski won three batting titles, a triple crown, made 18 All-Star teams and earned seven Gold Gloves. At ages 22 and 38 he finished 18th in MVP voting. In between, he had nine finishes that high or better, including winning the award in his triple crown season of 1967. Sadly, Yaz never won a World Series, but he batted .400 and hit three home runs in the 1967 Classic and hit .310 in the 1975 Series. Overall, he batted .369 in the postseason with 11 RBIs and 15 runs in 17 games.

David Ortiz
Ortiz doesn’t rank in the top 5 in any of the main offensive categories except slugging percentage. But Big Papi embodied the spirit of the Red Sox in the 2000s. Over his first five seasons with the team, he averaged .302 with 42 home runs, 128 RBIs, 105 runs and 41 doubles, and finished in the top 5 in MVP votes each year. And most importantly, the Sox won two World Series in that time. He has 12 postseason home runs and hit .321 with eight RBIs and seven runs in their two World Series sweeps.

Jim Rice
Rice is third on the Red Sox list in hits, total bases and RBIs. He and Hank Aaron (in 1959) are the only two hitters with as many as 400 total bases in a season between 1948 and 1997. From the mid-1970s to the mid-’80s, Rice was the most feared hitter in the American League.

Close Calls
You would think any player with a foul pole named for him would deserve a Mt. Rushmore honor. And Johnny Pesky remains a beloved player to fans of several generations.

The Game 6 home run in 1975 by Carlton Fisk certainly is on Boston’s Mt. Rushmore of moments, but the catcher had a tough breakup and spent too much time in white socks.

Third in career runs, fourth in hits and total bases, Dwight Evans was as good a rightfielder as we’ve seen since the 1970s.

Cy Young has an award named for him, but fewer than 200 wins in Boston.

Bobby Doerr made nine All-Star teams and drove in 100 runs six times. He missed a full season due to military service at age 27. He played only second base in his career and wore no other uniform.

From 1935 to 1947, Joe Cronin managed Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr, among others, to a pennant, four second-place finishes and 10 .500 seasons or better in 13 years.

Tris Speaker won the 1912 MVP in a Boston uniform. In seven full-time seasons from 1909-15, he averaged .342-6-76 with 99 runs, 34 doubles and 15 triples and a .909 OPS.

Jimmie Foxx made six All-Star teams and won an MVP with the Sox.
 

Follow Charlie Miller on Twitter @AthlonCharlie or email him Charlie.Miller@AthlonSports.com
 

Other teams' Mt. Rushmores:

MLB Mt. Rushmores

by Charlie Miller

I am continuing the series of MLB Mt. Rushmores. The question was posed earlier this season whether Derek Jeter should be considered as part of the Yankees’ Mt. Rushmore. That certainly piqued my interest. Not really the Jeter-Yankees part, but the idea that all MLB teams should have their own Mt. Rushmores. Who are the four individuals that have risen above all others for each organization? The question sounds simple. But it isn't as easy as it sounds. Let the arguments begin.

Oakland A's Mt. Rushmore

The Oakland portion of this franchise’s history is but a small part. The Athletics have won nine World Series titles, five in Philadelphia, four in Oakland. In between Philadelphia and Oakland, the organization spent 13 losing years in Kansas City before moving to the West Coast in 1968. For 50 seasons, Connie Mack led the team in his business suit from the dugout. There have been several short impressive stretches for the A’s. From 1910-14 the A’s won four AL pennants and three World Series, then finished in last place the next seven seasons. From 1925-33, the A’s were first, second or third with three consecutive pennants and a couple more World Series. From 1971-75, the A’s won five straight AL West crowns and three World Series in a row. From 1988-92 they won four of five division titles and went to the playoffs from 2000-03. Of their 10 100-win seasons, half of them came in Philadelphia, half in Oakland. Whether it was in Philadelphia or Oakland, the organization seems to have a knack for developing Hall of Famers who spend only parts of their careers with the franchise. That’s certainly the case for the four gentlemen selected for the mountain.

Al Simmons
Few, if any, fans living today remember watching Simmons for the Philadelphia A’s. From 1924-32 he was considered among the 10 best players in the American League. He still holds the franchise records for total bases, RBIs and batting average. He’s second in hits and fifth in runs.

Jimmie Foxx
Double X was a huge pain for opponents, winning back-to-back MVP awards in 1932-33 as a member of the Philadelphia A’s, and teamed with Al Simmons as a feared 1-2 punch in the lineup almost equal to Ruth-Gehrig. Simmons and Foxx hit 4-5 in the lineup for the 1929-30 World Champs. Foxx is second in average and RBIs, and third in total bases.

Rickey Henderson
The most prolific base stealer of all-time scored more runs than any other player in baseball. All of his stats weren’t accumulated with the A’s, but across his four stints with the club, the six-time A’s All-Star amassed 1,768 hits, 1,270 runs and 867 stolen bases over 14 seasons. He won an MVP award in 1990 and finished second in 1981.

Lefty Grove
The ace of the dominant Philadelphia teams from 1929-31, Grove spent just nine seasons with the A’s, but led the AL in wins four times, ERA five times, strikeouts seven times and even had what would have been nine saves had that been a statistic at the time to lead the league the same year he led in wins. He was 195-79 for Philadelphia, averaging 22 wins and six “saves” per season. He was named AL MVP in 1931.

Close Calls
Eddie Plank was the ace of the staff for its first 14 seasons. During that time he averaged 20 wins a season, totaling 284, most all-time for the franchise.

The franchise leader in games and hits, Bert Campaneris, must get some consideration. Besides, he once played all nine positions in one game.

Mr. October was a different player as No. 9 for the A’s before he became No. 44 in the Bronx. The athletic Reggie Jackson stole bases and was adept in right field with one of the strongest throwing arms in the game. His No. 9 is retired in Oakland.

A Hall of Famer and member of three World Series teams in Oakland, Catfish Hunter won 161 games and a Cy Young award in 10 seasons with the A’s.

One of the relief pitchers who defined the role of closer, Rollie Fingers appeared in more than 500 games and had 136 saves.

Dennis Eckersley redefined his career as a closer in Oakland under the tutelage of Dave Duncan. Eck notched 320 saves for the A’s, earning an MVP and Cy Young trophy along the way.

The Tall Tactician, Connie Mack, is most remembered for wearing a business suit in the dugout for 50 seasons. In many respects, Mack represents the face of the franchise — or at least he did for 50 years as owner/manager.

Sal Bando was the captain of five straight division winners in the 1970s, winning three World Series.

Follow Charlie Miller on Twitter @AthlonCharlie or email him Charlie.Miller@AthlonSports.com

Other teams' Mt. Rushmores: