Mount Rushmore: NL WEST

National League West:

Arizona Diamondbacks

Randy Johnson

            He leads nearly every category for pitchers and is a slam dunk.  He won 4 straight Cy Young Awards in Arizona.  He was the co-MVP for the 2001 World Series.  He is the most intimidating left handed pitcher at least of the last 50 years.  The Big Unit was amazing.

Curt Schilling

            The other member of one of the best duos in baseball history.  He was the other co-MVP of the 2001 World Series.  He should be a Hall of Famer.

Paul Goldschmidt

            As Johnson dominates the pitchers, so Goldschmidt dominates the position players (and will only continue to add on).  He's had a remarkable career, twice the MVP runner-up, but yet he's still somehow underrated.  He's only 30, and so he should have a number of good seasons remaining.

Luis Gonzalez

            He was the leader of nearly every category before Goldschmidt.  He also had the most important hit in franchise history, one of the great World Series moments of all time.  While his 2001 season stands out (57 home runs, 142 RBI, .325/.429/.688), he had four or five other solid seasons out of his eight in Arizona.

Other notables:

            This one was actually pretty easy, though at one point I almost had Brandon Webb in there.  That's pretty much it, unless you want to say manager Bob Brenly.

Colorado Rockies

Todd Helton

            The franchise leader in nearly everything is a pretty easy pick.  The bigger question is his Hall of Fame chances.  He had a fantastic peak between 1999 and 2004 when he averaged 37 home runs, 121 RBI, 46 doubles, and .344/.441/.633.  The rest of his career was good, and his final numbers are solid.  That being said, people will always take Coors Field against him, and if Larry Walker doesn't make it, I don't see how Helton can.  He'll just have to settle as Mr. Rockie.

Larry Walker

            Speaking of Walker...if Helton doesn't lead it, Walker does.  He was a solid player in Montreal and became a monster in Colorado.  His 1997 season is one of the best I've seen.  Beyond his offensive prowess, he also had a cannon in right field, and he was sneaky fast.

Troy Tulowitzki

            The next big Rockie until he was traded to Toronto, Tulo put up some big numbers from the shortstop position.  After a brief appearance in 2006, he was key to the Rockies' trip to the World Series in 2007.  His numbers were only short-changed by injuries, which continue to plague him in Toronto.

Nolan Arenado

            A solid player, but at this point of his career, only five years in, he's already on a Mount Rushmore?  He has average 40 home runs over the last three years and is great defensively.  Let's just say, assuming he sticks around a few more years, this spot will be his fairly easily.

Other notables:

            I seriously thought about manager Clint Hurdle who was also a coach during their good years in the late 90s.  Other possibilities are Carlos Gonzalez and Matt Holliday, but really they'd be bottom-of-the-barrel for most franchises.  Pitching?  HA!

Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers

Jackie Robinson

            As probably the most significant player in baseball history, he would probably be on the MLB Rushmore.  Beyond his cultural significance, he also was a really good player, the first Rookie of the Year, MVP, and World Series winner.  He also brought speed to a game that at the time was mostly lacking it.

Branch Rickey

            The man who brought in Jackie Robinson, he's also probably the most important general manager of all time.  He began the farm system in St. Louis, and used it to perfection in Brooklyn.  He also began the first full-time Spring Training facility.  And here's a little nugget I just learned: he was way ahead of his time by hiring a statistician who argued that on-base percentage was more important than batting average.

Sandy Koufax

            I'm going to say it: Koufax is overrated.  Before you start stoning me, I am not saying he was bad, clearly he was great.  He had perhaps the most dominant stretch in baseball history between 1961 and 1966.  But that's the thing, his first six years were mediocre to bad.  You can't put him among the best left handed pitchers with only six great years, especially when guys like Randy Johnson and Lefty Grove were just as good, if not better, over much longer.  Still, he's a clear Hall of Famer and easily on this list.  End of rant.

Duke Snider

            This last spot was very tough with a number of good candidates.  Snider makes it because, while he was definitely third in the argument of Mays, Mantle, or Snider, the fact that he was in the discussion is pretty amazing.  He was very good, especially in the mid-50s, and he played a part in two World Series winning teams.

Other notables:

            Quite a few guys could take that fourth spot and I would not argue: Pee Wee Reese, Zack Wheat, Steve Garvey, Roy Campanella, Don Sutton, and Don Drysdale are the biggest names.  Currently Clayton Kershaw is making a pretty big push to get on the list.  Of course there's also managers Tommy Lasorda, Leo Durocher, and Walter Alston.

San Diego Padres

Tony Gwynn

            Mr. Padre is clearly the best and most important player in franchise history (more than twice the WAR of anyone else).  He helped them to both of their World Series appearances and was a great ambassador for the game.  He left us way too soon.

Dave Winfield

            He was the first major star for the Padres and had some very good seasons before unfortunately moving on to New York.  It's a pretty amazing line of right fielders in San Diego from Winfield to Gwynn, two clear Hall of Famers.

Trevor Hoffman

            One more Hall of Famer for this franchise, Hoffman is the best closer in National League history and the best pitcher in franchise history.  Yes, a closer leads many of the franchise pitching stats.

Bruce Bochy

            He managed the Padres during the best years of the franchise, from 1995 to 2006.  He got them to the post season four times over that span, including the World Series in 1998.  Unfortunately he had to move on to the Bay Area for his three rings.

Other notables:

            There are a few pitchers who were good but not great over a long period of time: Randy Jones, Jake Peavy, Andy Ashby, Andy Benes.  The only other position player that could be considered was Adrian Gonzalez.  Of course I also have to mention Ken Caminiti for his amazing 1996 MVP season and three other solid seasons, but unfortunately that's sullied by steroids.

New York/San Francisco Giants

Willie Mays

            Mays dominates the franchise leaderboard, fully 40 WAR over Bonds, and is one of the greats off all time, of course.  So many superlatives have been said about him I can't really add anything.  He was good.

Christy Mathewson

            There have been some really good pitchers in Giants' history, but he's clearly the best.  In fact, he's one of the few legitimate contenders for best pitcher ever.  Beyond that, he was the first baseball star who overthrew the stereotype of the uneducated bad example.  He was the "Christian Gentleman."  Oh yeah, and he also threw three complete game shutouts in six days in the 1905 World Series.

John McGraw

            "Little Napoleon" was a controversial figure but unquestionably a huge figure in baseball history.  He managed the Giants for 31 years, won three World Series, and holds the record for most wins in the National League with 2,669. 

Barry Bonds

            I really didn't want to have him on this list, but he was a huge figure in franchise history (even if he never helped translate that to a World Series title).  I think the less I say about this cheater the better.

Other notables:

            There are many that could be considered, including Mel Ott, Willie McCovey, Bill Terry, Carl Hubbell, Juan Marichal, and even Madison Bumgarner for his contributions in the recent championships.