The other side of baseball’s Mount Rushmore
Posted: July 16, 2015 Filed under: Baseball, MLB | Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Baseball's Mount Rushmore, Johnny Bench, MLB Franchise Four, Walter Johnson, Yogi Berra, Zack Wheat Leave a commentWhen Major League Baseball announced its Franchise Four results recently, if left a ton of talent on the other side of Mount Rushmore. Although it’s difficult to argue with many of the selections, leaving Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens off the 8-man lists of the teams they played for is unfathomable. If you want to argue steroids, then tell me how Barry Bonds made the Franchise Four for the Giants.
MLB also pulled together a Greatest Pioneer list, consisting of Walter Johnson, Nap Lajoie, Christy Mathewson and Cy Young. Perhaps that’s a CYA list, since these immortals weren’t voted in by fans of their respective teams. The Negro League quartet of Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Buck O’Neil and Satchel Paige sounds about right. Only old Satch ever made it to the majors.
There are also issues with the Greatest Living Player foursome. Henry Aaron and Willie Mays are no-brainers, and Sandy Koufax gets a pass, despite a brief but brilliant career. But choosing Johnny Bench over Yogi Berra is wrong. Berra has a higher lifetime batting average (.285 to .267), more rings (10 to 2), more RBIs and nearly as many home runs as Bench. Yogi also managed two teams, the Yankees and the Mets, to the seventh game of the World Series. Berra is an icon, Bench is merely a catcher. Since the results were announced during the All-Star Game festivities in Cincinnati, perhaps MLB wanted to put Bench on the list. Just sayin’.
There, now that we have that out of the way, here’s my list by position of top ballplayers on the other side of Mount Rushmore, legends who struck out on the Franchise Four’ Starters are listed first, followed by reserves ranked in order of selection
C – Yogi Berra, Yankees
Bill Dickey, Yankees
Carlton Fisk, Red Sox
Roy Campanella, Dodgers
1B – Albert Pujols, Cardinals
George Sisler, Browns
Bill Terry, Giants
Eddie Murray, Orioles
2B – Eddie Collins, A’s/White Sox
Charlie Gehringer, Tigers
Nap Lajoie, Naps (now Indians)
Tony Lazzeri, Yankees
SS – Derek Jeter, Yankees
Ozzie Smith, Cardinals
Dave Concepcion, Reds
Luis Aparicio, White Sox
3B – Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
Pie Traynor, Pirates
Eddie Matthews, Braves
Wade Boggs, Red Sox/Yankees
OF – Joe Jackson, Indians/White Sox
OF – Al Simmons, A’s
OF – Mel Ott, Giants
Harry Heilmann, Tigers
Jim Rice, Red Sox
Zack Wheat, Dodgers
Larry Doby, Indians
Chuck Klein, Phillies
Paul Waner, Pirates
Ralph Kiner, Pirates
Sam Crawford, Tigers
Goose Goslin, Senators
SP – Cy Young, Red Sox
SP – Walter Johnson, Senators
SP – Christy Mathewson, Giants
SP – Carl Hubbell, Giants
SP – Roger Clemens, Red Sox
Grover Alexander, Phillies/Cub/Cardinals
Juan Marichal, Giants
Whitey Ford, Yankees
Dizzy Dean, Cardinals
Ferguson Jenkins, Cubs
John Smoltz, Braves
Tommy Glavine, Braves
Ted Lyons, White Sox
Catfish Hunter, A’s/Yankees
Gaylord Perry, Giants/Indians
Red Ruffing, Red Sox/Yankees
John Clarkson, Braves (formerly Beaneaters)
Eddie Plank, A’s
Dazzy Vance, Dodgers
Addie Joss, Naps (formerly Indians)
RP – Mariano Rivera, Yankees
Goose Gossage, Yankees/White Sox
Bruce Sutter, Cardinals/Cubs
Hoyt Wilhelm, Giants/A’s