Every MLB Franchise’s Mt. Rushmore of Hitters Since 1980

The Mount Rushmore debate in sports is always a fun one, limiting a large field of players to the four best of the best based on some predetermined criteria to form a hypothetical mountainside monument.

While a general Mount Rushmore for each MLB team is a conversation that has been had countless times, we’re narrowing the parameters a bit here and focusing solely on hitters and on the time frame from the start of the 1980 season up to present day.

By “hitters” we simply mean non-pitchers, so a player’s offensive and defensive contributions were up for consideration. For example, Ozzie Smith would not appear on a list of the best offensive players in St. Louis Cardinals history, but his defensive wizardry earns him a spot in this discussion.

The only requirement for inclusion is that a player had to tally at least 2,000 plate appearances with a team to be considered for a spot on their Mt. Rushmore. Only stats from 1980 forward were considered, and only stats accrued with the team they are representing were considered.

Let’s get to it.

OF Steve Finley

1B Paul Goldschmidt

OF Luis Gonzalez

OF Justin Upton

With a history that only stretches back to the 1998 season, the D-backs are fairly short on viable options to be carved into their Mount Rushmore. Paul Goldschmidt and Luis Gonzalez are both no-brainers, leaving the final two spots up for grabs.

Steve Finley won three Gold Gloves and had a pair of 30-homer seasons during his six-year run in Arizona while playing a key role on the 2001 World Series winners, while Justin Upton made good on being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft by posting a 118 OPS with 108 home runs and 13.7 WAR in six seasons with the team.

Honorable Mentions: 2B/OF Ketel Marte, OF David Peralta

1B Freddie Freeman

OF Andruw Jones

3B Chipper Jones

OF Dale Murphy

It’s only a matter of time before Ronald Acuña Jr. crashes the party here, at which point it will be a tough decision as to who gets removed from the mountainside. Chipper Jones is an easy choice as the only Hall of Famer in the group, and Andruw Jones could soon join him in Cooperstown if recent voting trends continue.

Freddie Freeman built the foundation of a superstar career over his 12 seasons in Atlanta with a 138 OPS , 271 home runs, 941 RBI and 43.3 WAR, while Dale Murphy was a two-time MVP and one of the faces of baseball during the 1980s.

Honorable Mentions: OF Ronald Acuña Jr., OF David Justice, C Brian McCann, 1B Fred McGriff

OF Adam Jones

3B Manny Machado

1B Eddie Murray

SS Cal Ripken Jr.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray played 34 combined seasons in Baltimore and racked up 774 home runs and 152.4 WAR during their time with the team. They were teammates from 1981-88 and again briefly in 1996, helping to lead the O’s to a World Series title in 1983.

Manny Machado and Adam Jones were more consistent All-Star caliber performers than guys like Brady Anderson, Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts who had long, productive runs with the team in their own right.

How long before Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson enter the conversation?

Honorable Mentions: OF Brady Anderson, OF Nick Markakis, 1B Rafael Palmeiro, 2B Brian Roberts

OF Mookie Betts

3B Wade Boggs

DH David Ortiz

OF Manny Ramirez

David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were the driving force behind the Red Sox breaking the Curse of the Bambino, and they stand as one of the most productive one-two punches in baseball history.

Wade Boggs hit .338 and won five batting titles over 11 years in Boston, and Mookie Betts averaged 8.6 WAR per 162 games in six memorable seasons.

Dustin Pedroia was an extremely tough omission, while Hall of Famer Jim Rice was at his best during the 1970s when he hit 172 of his 382 career home runs and won 1978 AL MVP honors.

Honorable Mentions: SS Xander Bogaerts, OF Dwight Evans, SS Nomar Garciaparra, 2B Dustin Pedroia, OF Jim Rice, 1B Mo Vaughn

1B Mark Grace

1B Anthony Rizzo

2B Ryne Sandberg

OF Sammy Sosa

Prolific slugger Sammy Sosa was electrifying while chasing the single-season home run record in 1998, and he launched 545 home runs in a Cubs uniform.

Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg and title team cornerstone Anthony Rizzo were also easy choices for a spot on the hillside.

The big decision here was Mark Grace vs. Kris Bryant, with the 1990s hit leader and franchise staple getting the nod over the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year and 2016 NL MVP who exploded onto the scene before battling injuries later in his Cubs career.

Honorable Mentions: 3B Kris Bryant, OF Andre Dawson, 1B Derrek Lee, 3B Aramis Ramirez

1B José Abreu

1B Paul Konerko

OF Magglio Ordóñez

1B Frank Thomas

Frank Thomas is the greatest White Sox player of the modern era by a wide margin, while Paul Konerko somehow quietly hit 432 home runs in 16 seasons with the South Siders, so they are both easy choices.

Magglio Ordóñez was one of the best young players in the game when he burst onto the scene, hitting .312/.373/.546 while averaging 40 doubles, 32 home runs, 118 RBI during an impressive five-year peak with the White Sox.

The final spot was a toss-up between José Abreu, Robin Ventura and Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk who had his best seasons in Boston.

Honorable Mentions: DH Harold Baines, OF Jermaine Dye, C Carlton Fisk, 3B Robin Ventura

OF Eric Davis

SS Barry Larkin

2B Brandon Phillips

1B Joey Votto

Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin and on-base machine Joey Votto are the best players to wear a Reds uniform this side of the Big Red Machine era, making them easy choices to fill the first two spots.

Injuries kept Eric Davis from reaching his full potential, but his 27-homer, 80-steal season in 1986 speaks to just how dynamic he was when healthy.

Fan favorite Sean Casey and slugger Adam Dunn both received serious consideration for the final spot, which went to three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner Brandon Phillips.

Honorable Mentions: OF Jay Bruce, 1B Sean Casey, OF Adam Dunn, OF Ken Griffey Jr., OF Reggie Sanders

OF Kenny Lofton

3B José Ramírez

OF Manny Ramirez

1B Jim Thome

Leaving Albert Belle off this Mount Rushmore was one of the most difficult decisions of the entire exercise, and it was tempting to just go with four members of the vaunted 1995 Cleveland team that stands as one of the best offensive clubs in MLB history.

In the end, José Ramírez has clearly earned his place with 44.4 WAR in 11 seasons and a long-term deal that could allow him to continue adding to his Cleveland legacy through the 2028 season.

What could have been with Grady Sizemore…

Honorable Mentions: OF Albert Belle, OF Michael Brantley, DH Travis Hafner, SS Francisco Lindor, C Victor Martínez, OF Grady Sizemore

3B Nolan Arenado

1B Todd Helton

SS Troy Tulowitzki

OF Larry Walker

It feels wrong only having one player from the Blake Street Bombers on this Mount Rushmore, and there’s a case to be made for Andrés Galarraga getting the nod over the oft-injured Troy Tulowitzki thanks to his standing as the franchise’s first true star.

The first three spots are locks with Larry Walker in the Hall of Fame, Todd Helton on his way to joining him, and Nolan Arenado putting together a stellar eight-year run in Colorado before the front office’s ill-advised decision to trade him.

Honorable Mentions: OF Dante Bichette, OF Charlie Blackmon, OF Ellis Burks, 3B Vinny Castilla, 1B Andrés Galarraga, OF Carlos González, OF Matt Holliday, SS Trevor Story

1B Miguel Cabrera

1B Cecil Fielder

SS Alan Trammell

2B Lou Whitaker

The legendary double play combination of Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell is an obvious place to start in Detroit, and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera had the best seasons of his career in a Tigers uniform. That leaves one final spot up for grabs.

With a playoff drought that stretched from 1988 through 2005, there were some lean years for the Tigers, and slugger Cecil Fielder was one of the few bright spots as he had a 51-homer season in 1990 and tallied 245 long balls in seven seasons.

Honorable Mentions: 3B Travis Fryman, OF Kirk Gibson, OF Magglio Ordóñez, C Lance Parrish

2B Jose Altuve

1B Jeff Bagwell

1B/OF Lance Berkman

2B Craig Biggio

It feels strange only including Jose Altuve from the core of homegrown talent that helped the Astros climb from the worst team in baseball to perennial contenders, but it’s also extremely difficult to find a spot for anyone else.

Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio are Hall of Famers and franchise icons who spent their entire careers in Houston, while Lance Berkman is one of the most underrated players of his era. The switch-hitting slugger batted .296/.410/.549 for a 146 OPS with 326 home runs, 1,090 RBI and 48.1 WAR in 12 seasons in Houston.

Honorable Mentions: 3B Alex Bregman, SS Carlos Correa, OF George Springer

OF Carlos Beltrán

3B George Brett

OF Alex Gordon

C Salvador Perez

No franchise in baseball has a bigger gap between its best player in franchise history and everyone else than the Kansas City Royals, so George Brett might be the easiest choice of any player in this entire article.

Longtime catcher Salvador Perez and Gold Glove left fielder Alex Gordon are the most accomplished players from the 2015 World Series team in terms of their overall body of work.

The first seven seasons of Carlos Beltrán’s storied career are enough for him to earn the final spot over Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, who also starred for the 2015 title winner.

Honorable Mentions: OF Lorenzo Cain, 1B Eric Hosmer, 3B Mike Moustakas, 1B Mike Sweeney, OF Willie Wilson

OF Garret Anderson

DH Shohei Ohtani

OF Tim Salmon

OF Mike Trout

Is it too soon to include Shohei Ohtani on this list, especially considering we are only looking at the offensive side of his game in this exercise?

In 2,818 plate appearances and counting, the 29-year-old has a 147 OPS with 170 home runs and 19.1 WAR, and he is well on his way to a 50-homer season this year.

Mike Trout is a lay-up, leaving Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson as the final two selections, with their overall numbers trumping more impressive peak performances from 2004 AL MVP Vladimir Guerrero and slugger Troy Glaus.

Honorable Mentions: OF Brian Downing, 1B/OF Darin Erstad, 3B Troy Glaus, OF Vladimir Guerrero

IF/OF Pedro Guerrero

OF Matt Kemp

C Mike Piazza

3B Justin Turner

The Dodgers were the most difficult team in this entire exercise to whittle down to four players. Outside of Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza being locked into one of the spots, there are a number of different combinations of players with a legitimate case.

Pedro Guerrero hit .309/.381/.512 for a 149 OPS with 171 home runs and 32.7 WAR in 11 seasons and was the face of the franchise during the 1980s, Matt Kemp nearly had a 40-40 season in 2011 and racked up 22.9 WAR in 10 years in LA, and Justin Turner fills the final spot thanks to his steady production and stellar postseason track record.

Honorable Mentions: 3B Adrián Beltré, OF Andre Ethier, OF Shawn Green, 1B Eric Karros, OF Raúl Mondesi, SS Corey Seager

3B Miguel Cabrera

SS Hanley Ramirez

OF Gary Sheffield

OF Giancarlo Stanton

Gary Sheffield was the first true superstar to wear a Marlins uniform, Miguel Cabrera began his Hall of Fame career with some huge seasons in Miami, and Hanley Ramirez was a dynamic power-speed threat early in his MLB career with a 30-30 season in 2008 and an NL batting title in 2009.

It was tough to leave off “Mr. Marlin” Jeff Conine, but who gets bumped to make room for him on the mountain?

Honorable Mentions: 2B Luis Castillo, OF Jeff Conine, OF Cliff Floyd, 3B Mike Lowell

OF Ryan Braun

1B Prince Fielder

3B Paul Molitor

OF Robin Yount

Robin Yount and Paul Molitor were already established MLB stars when the 1980 season rolled around, but they had plenty of productive seasons in a Brewers uniform after our cut-off date.

Yount won AL MVP in 1982 and 1989, while Molitor hit .304 and tallied 1,951 hits from 1980 through 1992 when he departed in free agency.

The middle-of-the-order tandem of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun spent five seasons as teammates and 21 total seasons in a Brewers uniform. They combined for 582 home runs, nine All-Star selections and 63.9 WAR during their time in Milwaukee.

Honorable Mentions: OF Jeromy Burnitz, 3B Jeff Cirillo, 1B Cecil Cooper, OF Geoff Jenkins, OF Christian Yelich

1B Kent Hrbek

OF Torii Hunter

C Joe Mauer

OF Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett and Joe Mauer are both easy choices, while Torii Hunter won seven straight Gold Gloves in center field during his time in Minnesota while also serving as a consistent middle-of-the-order run producer.

The Kent Hrbek (128 OPS , 1,749 H, 293 HR, 1,086 RBI, 38.6 WAR) vs. Justin Morneau (121 OPS , 1,318 H, 221 HR, 860 RBI, 22.9 WAR) debate is a good one for the final spot.

Slightly better career numbers and two World Series rings were enough for Hrbek to get the nod over the 2006 AL MVP.

Honorable Mentions: 2B Brian Dozier, 3B Gary Gaetti, 1B Justin Morneau

OF Carlos Beltrán

C Mike Piazza

OF Darryl Strawberry

3B David Wright

Mike Piazza is the only offensive player in the Hall of Fame with a Mets logo on his plaque, while Darryl Strawberry and David Wright occupy the top two spots on the franchise’s leaderboard for both home runs and RBI.

Carlos Beltrán had 149 home runs, 100 steals and 31.1 WAR over the course of a successful seven-year, $119 million deal, and that was enough for him to secure the final spot over Keith Hernandez and underrated slugger Howard Johnson.

Honorable Mentions: IF Edgardo Alfonzo, 1B Pete Alonso, 1B Keith Hernandez, 3B Howard Johnson, SS José Reyes

SS Derek Jeter

OF Aaron Judge

1B Don Mattingly

OF Bernie Williams

Even narrowing the field of players to everyone since 1980, it’s still extremely difficult to choose just four Yankees to occupy this Mount Rushmore. Derek Jeter is a shoo-in for one of the spots, and Don Mattingly deserves a nod as well as one of the faces of baseball during the 1980s.

Despite his injury issues, Aaron Judge has still compiled 39.9 WAR in eight seasons while becoming the 16th captain in Yankees history and first since Jeter.

The final spot goes to Bernie Williams, who is baseball’s all-time leader in postseason RBI (80) and was a key member of four World Series winners while hitting .297/.381/.477 with 2,336 hits over 16 seasons.

Honorable Mentions: 2B Robinson Canó, C Jorge Posada, 1B Jason Giambi, 1B Tino Martinez, OF Hideki Matsui, OF Paul O’Neill, 2B Willie Randolph, 3B Alex Rodriguez, OF Dave Winfield

OF Jose Canseco

1B Jason Giambi

OF Rickey Henderson

1B Mark McGwire

The Bash Brothers might be controversial, but it’s hard to picture Oakland’s Mount Rushmore without them, and both Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire are still widely beloved by the Athletics’ fanbase.

Rickey Henderson is a no-brainer, as the greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history spent 14 seasons with the Athletics, including his 130-steal season in 1983 and his AL MVP campaign in 1990.

Three huge peak seasons and 2000 AL MVP honors are enough for Jason Giambi to secure the final spot over the longer-tenured Eric Chavez.

Honorable Mentions: 3B Eric Chavez, 3B Carney Lansford, SS Miguel Tejada

OF Bobby Abreu

SS Jimmy Rollins

3B Mike Schmidt

2B Chase Utley

Mike Schmidt made his MLB debut in 1972, but he was at his best during the 1980s, winning three NL MVP awards and leading all hitters with 313 home runs during the decade.

The homegrown double-play tandem of Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins helped the organization go from afterthought to bona fide title contenders, while Bobby Abreu is one of the most underrated players of his era and a perennial threat for 30 home runs and a .400 on-base percentage during his nine seasons in Philadelphia.

Honorable Mentions: C Darren Daulton, OF Lenny Dykstra, 1B Ryan Howard, 1B John Kruk, 3B Scott Rolen

OF Barry Bonds

OF Brian Giles

C Jason Kendall

OF Andrew McCutchen

Barry Bonds spent the first seven seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, winning a pair of NL MVP awards and piling up 176 home runs, 251 steals and 50.3 WAR before he departed in free agency.

Andrew McCutchen helped drive the team back to contention after a 20-year playoff drought as a young face of the franchise, while Brian Giles hit .309/.426/.604 and averaged 37 home runs, 109 RBI and 6.0 WAR in his four full seasons with the team.

Jason Kendall hit .306/.387/.418 with 1,409 hits and 140 steals as a rare leadoff-hitting catcher, earning three All-Star selections in nine seasons in Pittsburgh. He gets the final spot, though there are cases to be made for Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke and Jason Bay.

Honorable Mentions: OF Jason Bay, SS Jay Bell, 3B/OF Bobby Bonilla, OF Andy Van Slyke

1B Adrian Gonzalez

OF Tony Gwynn

3B Manny Machado

3B Phil Nevin

The Padres essentially only have three spots that need to be decided, as Tony Gwynn is as much of a lock for a spot as any player with any franchise.

Dave Winfield would also be a lock, but his time with the team was almost exclusively before the 1980 cut-off, as he played with the club from 1973 through the 1980 season.

Adrian Gonzalez (161 HR) and Phil Nevin (156 HR) rank second and third on the club’s all-time home run leaderboard, behind Nate Colbert who did the bulk of his damage in the 1970s prior to our cut line.

That leaves the final spot for Manny Machado, who already sits fourth among position players with 20.0 WAR in five seasons, and his new 11-year, $350 million extension will keep him in San Diego through 2033.

Honorable Mentions: 3B Ken Caminiti, OF Brian Giles, 3B Chase Headley, 1B/OF Ryan Klesko, C Benito Santiago

OF Barry Bonds

1B Will Clark

2B Jeff Kent

C Buster Posey

With 586 home runs, 112.5 WAR and five NL MVP awards in 15 seasons, it wouldn’t be the Giants’ Mount Rushmore without Barry Bonds.

Will Clark was the face of the franchise in the late-80s and early-90s before Bonds arrived, while Jeff Kent served as his co-star and won NL MVP honors himself in 2000.

The foursome is rounded out by Buster Posey, who filled up his resume with 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, 2012 NL MVP, three World Series rings, seven All-Star selections and five Silver Sluggers.

Kevin Mitchell won NL MVP in 1989, and Matt Williams was arguably the best third baseman of the 1990s, but the top four here is pretty tough to argue.

Honorable Mentions: SS Brandon Crawford, OF Kevin Mitchell, 3B Pablo Sandoval, 2B Robby Thompson, 3B Matt Williams

OF Ken Griffey Jr.

DH Edgar Martinez

SS Alex Rodriguez

OF Ichiro Suzuki

This might have been the easiest foursome to select.

Ken Griffey Jr. was the face of baseball throughout his career, Alex Rodriguez was a young phenom on a Hall of Fame trajectory during his time in Seattle, Edgar Martinez established himself as one of the best pure hitters of his era over an 18-year career spent entirely in Seattle, and Ichiro Suzuki is destined to join Griffey in the Hall of Fame.

Jay Buhner was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1990s, and Alvin Davis was the team’s first true star, but there’s simply no place for either player on this star-studded Mount Rushmore.

Honorable Mentions: OF Jay Buhner, 1B Alvin Davis, 3B Kyle Seager

1B Mark McGwire

C Yadier Molina

1B Albert Pujols

SS Ozzie Smith

Ozzie Smith and Albert Pujols are no-doubt selections here, while the impact that Yadier Molina had on the Cardinals organization in 19 seasons with the team stretches far beyond the numbers on the back of his baseball card.

That leaves one final spot, and Mark McGwire gets the nod for his memorable 1998 home run barrage, despite the four guys below all putting together more productive overall careers in a St. Louis uniform. There’s a convincing case to be made for each of them.

Honorable Mentions: OF Jim Edmonds, OF Matt Holliday, OF Ray Lankford, 3B Scott Rolen

OF Carl Crawford

OF Kevin Kiermaier

3B Evan Longoria

2B Ben Zobrist

Only 14 players in Rays history have met the 2,000-plate-appearance minimum requirement, so it was easy to navigate the list of eligible candidates.

Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist and Carl Crawford were all easy choices, leaving the final spot as a battle between offensive standout Kevin Kiermaier (31.7 WAR) and slugger Carlos Peña (18.1 WAR) who slugged 163 home runs in five seasons with the team. That sizable gap in WAR was enough to make it a fairly easy decision.

Honorable Mentions: 1B Fred McGriff, 1B Carlos Peña

3B Adrián Beltré

OF Juan González

C Iván Rodríguez

IF Michael Young

Catcher Iván Rodríguez is in the Hall of Fame wearing a Rangers hat, while Adrián Beltré is a lock to join him once he becomes eligible, so go ahead and pencil those two guys into spots on the mountain.

Slugger Juan González won AL MVP honors in 1996 and 1998 to earn his spot, while Michael Young is the franchise’s all-time leader in hits (2,230), doubles (415), triples (55), total bases (3,286), which helped him edge out 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton.

Honorable Mentions: SS Elvis Andrus, OF Nelson Cruz, OF Josh Hamilton, 2B Ian Kinsler, 1B Rafael Palmeiro

OF José Bautista

OF Joe Carter

1B Carlos Delgado

3B Josh Donaldson

Slugger Carlos Delgado is Toronto’s all-time leader in home runs (336) and RBI (1,058), and the easiest choice for a spot on the Blue Jays’ Mount Rushmore.

Late-bloomer José Bautista is also a no-brainer selection with 288 home runs and 38.3 WAR in his decade with the club.

Josh Donaldson gets a spot thanks to his 2015 AL MVP campaign, while it doesn’t seem right to snub the teams that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, so outfielder Joe Carter gets the nod as a perennial 30-homer slugger who delivered the biggest hit in franchise history.

Honorable Mentions: DH Edwin Encarnacion, SS Tony Fernandez, 1B Fred McGriff, OF Vernon Wells

OF Bryce Harper

3B Anthony Rendon

OF Juan Soto

1B/3B Ryan Zimmermann

We’re going exclusively with Nationals players here and ignoring the Montreal Expos ties to the organization for the sake of this exercise, which makes the choices pretty straight forward unless you prefer Trea Turner over Juan Soto.

For what it’s worth, the Expos’ Mount Rushmore would feature Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Vladimir Guerrero and Tim Raines, with honorable mentions for Tim Wallach and Larry Walker.

Honorable Mentions: SS Trea Turner