Mount Rushmore: NL CENTRAL

National League Central:

St. Louis Cardinals

Stan Musial

            Stan the Man is still clearly the best player in franchise history (128.1 WAR, more than 30 over the next highest).  He is at the top of essentially every good offensive category, even triples.  He's also one of the all-time great guys, and one of the most underrated players of all time (before he passed, when talking about greatest living player, he was rarely mentioned).

Rogers Hornsby

            The best offensive second baseman of all time, the only player with a .400/40 HR season and he averaged .400 over three seasons!  He's the #2 for franchise WAR (91.4) and top 5 in nearly every category.

Bob Gibson

            It's amazing how few great pitchers the Cardinals have had, at least for an extended time.  He easily has the most pitching WAR (81.9, next highest is 38.6).  He also leads or is at the top of nearly every category.

Albert Pujols

            This one is really difficult because there are a lot of good choices, but Pujols is not only #3 in WAR and near the top of almost every category, but he represents one of the most consistent periods in franchise history.

Other notables:

            Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, Joe Medwick, and Dizzy Dean deserve some attention.  Significant beyond just playing, where he was quite good, is Curt Flood for his (failed) fight against the Reserve Clause.  Off the field, there's always Branch Rickey, who began the modern farm system, and Joe Buck, one of the great announcers of all time.

Chicago Cubs

Ernie Banks

            Mr. Cub was a great slugger and a fan favorite (don't call him a shortstop, he played more at first base).  Even with all of their history, when people say Cubs, he's the first person they think of.  "Let's play two."

Cap Anson

            Franchise leader in WAR, Hits, Doubles, and near the top of everything else.  He's one of the few 19th century players that will make any of these lists, but he was just that good and the face of baseball for some time.

Fergie Jenkins

            I would not have guessed that he was the franchise leader in pitching WAR, but then again they haven't had the best track record for pitchers (there have been some great ones, 3 Finger Brown, Grover Cleveland Alexander, but not for very long). 

Ron Santo

            A tough call for the final spot, but Santo takes it because he is #2 in all time WAR and his announcing career.  With all of that, he was definitely one of the favorite Cubs of all time.

Other notables:

            Definitely thought about 3 Finger Brown, a Hall of Fame pitcher from the deadball era with an all-time nickname.  Ryne Sandberg also was considered, but Santo won out with the inclusion of his announcing.  Billy Williams was great, but in the shadow of Banks.  Sammy Sosa of course has the numbers, but no way he gets on the list with his 'roids.

Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers

           

Robin Yount

            Franchise leader in most stats and an easy Hall of Famer from two premier defensive positions.  He's as close to a "Mr. Brewer" as there ever will be.  He also has one of the great mustaches of the 70s/80s.

Paul Molitor

            A major part of the best era in franchise history and #2 in franchise WAR.  He was that good while battling many injuries and leaving for some great seasons in Toronto and Minnesota.

Bob Uecker

            A native of Milwaukee, he's definitely not going to make any lists as a player.  Uecker is one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in baseball history.  More than any player, he's probably the first person many people think of then they think of the Brewers

Ryan Braun

            Rookie of the Year in 2007 and MVP in 2011, even if there is some controversy surrounding those.  He is also here to represent the renaissance of the Brewers in the late 2000s.  He's also #3 in franchise WAR.

Other notables:

            I nearly had Cecil Cooper on here, but decided it would be better to spread out the eras of the players.  There really aren't many other choices, except maybe manager Harvey Kuenn.  It's sad when the only pitchers that could be considered are Teddy Higuera, Ben Sheets, and Rollie Fingers (good seasons but end of his career).  No way in heck I'd ever consider that car salesman Bud Selig.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Roberto Clemente

            It's hard to think of the Pirates and not think of Clemente.  In some ways he was a Latin version of Jackie Robinson, proud of his heritage and fighting against prejudice.  He also happened to be a great offensive player with one of the strongest arms in history.  Oh, and he was a great man, dying to bring aid to others.

Honus Wagner

            A legitimate candidate for best player not named Ruth.  He played all over the field, though most a shortstop.  Either he or Clemente hold nearly every franchise leadership.

Willie Stargell

            "Pops" was the heartbeat of the great 70s Pirates teams.  He's another great leader who was a massive power hitter (tops in home runs with 475).

Andrew McCutchen

            Ok, so other players have better overall numbers, but McCutchen brought this franchise from the edge of the cliff to legitimate contender.  He made the Pirates fun and tried his hardest to make them winners.

Other notables:

            Paul Waner, Arky Vaughan, Max Carey, and Ralph Kiner are all great Hall of Famers.  Barry Bonds, of course, had some great years in Pittsburgh.  There really aren't any pitchers that could be considered.  Off the field, Danny Murtaugh, manager in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, with two World Series wins, could be close.

Cincinnati Reds

Pete Rose

            Look, I don't like him as a person, and I think he's massively overrated, but he's still probably the most iconic player in Reds history.  He does lead most offensive categories for the franchise, including WAR (77.7 to Bench's 75).  And, of course, he was a manager, for what it's worth.

Johnny Bench

            Some will argue that he's the best catcher of all time.  Regardless, he's definitely one of the best players in franchise history and a huge part of the Big Red Machine.  He is the franchise leader in Home Runs and near the top for many other stats.

Joe Morgan

            Yes, another member of the Big Red Machine, but that's just how good they were.  He's arguably the best second baseman of all time, certainly the best "5-tool" second baseman.  I'm not holding his abysmal announcing career against him, since that wasn't necessarily for the Reds.

Barry Larkin

            The best Reds player outside of the 70s.  He was a major leader for some good teams, including the 1990 World Series winners.

Other notables:

            This was actually one of the easiest franchises to pick.  Frank Robinson had some great seasons, but not nearly the impact as these guys.  Joey Votto, if he sticks around, might sneak into the top 4.  Continuing a trend in this division, there really aren't any pitchers to speak of (maybe Hall of Famer Eppa Rixey, but does anyone know him?).