Mount Rushmore: AL WEST

American League West

Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels of Anaheim

Mike Trout

            Six and a half seasons in and he's already leading many franchise categories.  I will also put him in the slightly overrated category.  He's obviously very good, but the fact that he's been top two in the MVP race every year but last year, when some people still said he should win despite missing a big chunk of time and but objectively not as valuable as Altuve, is a bit much.

Gene Autry

            He was the owner of the franchise from its inception until 1997.  In a sense, he made this franchise happen.  He's also certainly one of the most famous owners of all time.

Tim Salmon

            He's about as close to a "Mr. Angel" as there's been (before maybe Trout).  He's the franchise leader in Home Runs and near the top of most everything else.  He was also pretty big in their 2002 World Series win.

Nolan Ryan

            He might be on a couple more lists in this division.  Chuck Finley actually holds many of the pitching records, but Ryan was the first huge name in franchise history.  Between 1972 and 1974 he averaged almost 21 wins and over 350 strikeouts, and the team averaged about 71 wins.

Other notables:

            Mike Scioscia has a strong case, but I didn't really want two non-players on the list.  Garret Anderson actually leads most of the counting categories, but his WAR is pretty low (7th).  There's also the aforementioned Chuck Finley, and the longtime closer Troy Percival.

Houston Astros

Craig Biggio

            He leads the franchise in most categories, and was the ultimate team player moving from catcher to outfield to second base to outfield to second base as they needed.  It was weird to see his uniform not dirty.  He's one of the best second baseman of all time.  This one is easy.

Jeff Bagwell

            Another easy choice, he's the franchise leader in Home Runs, RBIs, WAR, and second in just about everything else.  He was the unanimous MVP in 1994 (one of the few players helped by the strike since he broke his wrist a couple days before).  You can't think Astros and not think Biggio and Bagwell.

Jose Altuve

            Is it too early for him?  I say no, because he's already made a huge impact on the team, he's already had some of the best seasons in franchise history, and he was the MVP for the first World Series winning team.  He ascent up the franchise leaderboards will only continue.

Nolan Ryan

            He's on here for one simple reason: it was nearly impossible to grow up a baseball fan in Texas in the 80s and he not be your favorite player.  His stats should have been much better, but they stupidly had him on a strict pitch count.  He's a legend, and Houston is his home.

Other notables:

            Larry Dierker deserves special mention as the team's first ace, a decent announcer, and a pretty good manager.  Other pitchers of note are Roy Oswalt, Billy Wagner, Mike Scott, and J.R. Richard.  Unfortunately there's not enough room for Lance Berkman, Jose Cruz, or Cesar Cedeno.  I love this team.

Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics

Connie Mack

            He was only the manager, general manager and either owner or part owner for the first 50 years of the franchise.  He only has almost 1000 more wins than any other manager in history.  He only won five World Series with two major dynasties (1910-1913 and 1929-1930).

Lefty Grove

            Some experts have (successfully) argued that he was the left-handed equivalent of Walter Johnson, meaning the best of all time.  He won 195 games in 9 seasons with the A's, you do the math.  He also lead the league in ERA in all but three seasons.  His 1931 season is one of the best of all time (31-4, 2.06 ERA - yes in one of the biggest offensive eras in history, 1.077 WHIP, oh and 5 saves).

Jimmie Foxx

            One of my favorite quotes: "Foxx wasn't scouted, he was trapped."  If it weren't for Gehrig, he would be the best first baseman of all time.  The Beast was just that, an amazing player with unbelievable numbers.  He won back-to-back MVPs in 1932 and 1933, including 58 home runs in '32 and the Triple Crown in '33.

Rickey Henderson

            Oh yeah, this franchise played in Oakland, too.  I was actually surprised to find out he's the franchise leader in WAR, only because he moved around so much.  He's unquestionably the best leadoff hitter of all time, and most of his best seasons were in Oakland.  It's still amazing to see 130 stolen bases in 1982.

Other notables:

            If this was Oakland only, there would definitely be a spot for Tony LaRussa and Dennis Eckersley, who together (for better or worse) revolutionized the bullpen/closer usage.  The fourth Oaklander might be either Charlie Finley or Billy Beane, which is way too many non-players.  On-the-field A's of note include Eddie Collins, Al Simmons, Mark McGwire, Reggie Jackson (I suppose), Eddie Plank (franchise leader in Wins and pitching WAR), Rube Waddell, and Chief Bender among others.  This actually might be the deepest franchise of any, even over the Yankees.

Seattle Mariners

Ken Griffey Jr.

            What can be said about Junior?  He was instantly one biggest name in baseball and didn't disappoint (until he went to Cincinnati).  He instantly gave credibility to a franchise with none.  He had one of the sweetest swings in history.  He glided in the field.  He was amazing to watch.

Randy Johnson

            The Big Unit was the pitching equivalent to Griffey in Seattle.  Still one of my favorite moments was in the All Star Game when Larry Walker batted right handed against him.  Then there was the time when John Kruk wanted to have nothing to do with him so he threw it way over his head.  Oh yeah, then there was the bird he demolished in mid-flight (yes that was when he was in Arizona, but I had to mention it).  He also netted them Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen in the rental trade by the Astros in 1998.

Ichiro Suzuki

            Another instant sensation when he arrived in Seattle, though of course he was already an established star in Japan.  I'm going to say it: his numbers are kind of hollow (his OBP was only .381 when he hit .350 in his "rookie" season in 2001), but he was (is?) great and fun to watch.  And there's no denying his huge impact in Seattle.

Edgar Martinez

            He probably should be a Hall of Famer, even if he was primarily a designated hitter for the majority of his career.  Unlike Ichiro, his numbers were not hollow (.479 OBP when he hit .356 in 1995, plus a .628 slugging thanks to 52 doubles).  I'm not mad he's not in, I just think he should be.

Other notables:

            This was probably the easiest list I came up with (yes, if I didn't mention before, my initial lists were written down in class, gotta do something to stay awake), even after checking the numbers I didn't waver.  Sure, some people would put Felix Hernandez in there, but Martinez had a bigger playoff impact.  Alex Rodriguez didn't play long enough in Seattle.  The only other person I might consider is fiery manager Lou Piniella, still easily the franchise leader in wins.

Washington Senators (2)/Texas Rangers

Ivan Rodriguez

            Well, he is arguably the best all-around catcher of all time, and the only true Ranger Hall of Famer (zing Cody), so this was a pretty easy pick.  He was so good at stopping the running game that for six of his twelve season in Texas he had a better than 50% caught stealing percentage, and 48-49% in three others!  Smart teams simply didn't bother trying.

Nolan Ryan

            The "other" Ranger Hall of Famer (we all know he should have been an Astro), his five partial seasons at the end of his career were not great (at least wins-wise, his other numbers were still great the first three years) but they were impactful.  Of course after retiring he continued to serve the franchise off the field until he came home to Houston.

Adrian Beltre

            I underestimated how good he has been in Arlington before I checked the numbers.  He's had some really great season, even coming in his mid- to late-30s.  He's also been a mentor to the younger guys coming up over the last few years.  Even though, as a Ranger, I can't like him, his whole thing with his head is kind of funny.

Michael Young

            Here's something that I can't quite figure out: he leads most of the individual stat categories for the franchise, yet he's not in the top 10 in WAR (he's third in offensive WAR, he's defensive WAR is atrocious).  In a way he's a Biggio-lite, in that he did whatever the team needed, moving from second base to shortstop to third base.  For me, he was the face of the 2000s Rangers.

Other notables:

            Juan Gonzalez (yes he won two MVPs but he didn't really deserve them).  Rafael Palmeiro ('roids).  Buddy Bell.  Ian Kinsler.  Rusty Greer.  Charlie Hough.  Kenny Rogers.  Fergie Jenkins.  All guys who could be considered.  I actually initially had Johnny Oates on my list, but that was before I realized he's only third in franchise wins.  No Ron Washington would not sniff my list, since he essentially lost those two World Series since he didn't know how to use a bullpen.

Mount Rushmore: AL CENTRAL

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

Frank Thomas

            His first seven full seasons are absolutely amazing.  He averaged 34 doubles, 36 home runs, 118 RBI, 119 walks, and .330/.452/.604.  Oh yeah, and the rest of his career (when healthy) wasn't that bad either.  War Eagle.

Eddie Collins

            Perhaps the most underrated second baseman of all time, his 13 years on the Athletics and 12 years on the White Sox are equally great.  He was one of the few players on the "Black Sox" not part of the scandal.  He's all over the franchise leaderboards.

Luke Appling

            Surprisingly (to me) the franchise leader in WAR.  I guess it helps that he played 20 years, but also he was quite good.  He finished with 2749 hits, pretty good for an era when shortstop was not exactly an offensive position.

Red Faber

            This last spot is pretty difficult because there are three pitchers who are pretty much equal, but Faber just beats them out.  He and Ted Lyons are especially close, but Faber's teams were more successful so that pushes him just over.

Other notables:

            As I said Ted Lyons is close, as well as Ed Walsh.  You can also throw in Wilbur Wood and maybe Mark Buehrle, though he's clearly not as good as the others (all Hall of Famers).  Offensively there's Nellie Fox, Robin Ventura, Paul Konerko, Carlton Fisk, and Shoeless Joe Jackson all in the wings.  On my initial list I had Ozzie Guillen, because he was a decent player but mostly because of the World Series win in 2005.  But, he was a jerk, so no.

Cleveland Indians

Bob Feller

            Another great player who missed three+ prime years (ages 23-25) due to World War II.  It's amazing to hear how he came up as a 17 year old, blew people away, and then returned home to finish high school.  Also, he has one of the all-time leg kicks.

Nap Lajoie

            He was so good, and so popular, that from 1903-1914 the team was called the Cleveland Naps.  Can you imagine today the Houston Joses?  Anyway, his numbers are pretty staggering, you should look them up.

Lou Boudreau

            The best player on the last World Series winning team, 1948.  His numbers aren't overly impressive compared to today, outside of his doubles, but oh yeah, he also was the team manager.  In fact, he took over manager at the age of 24 (!) in only his third full season (!!!) in the Majors.  Somehow he was one of the few players that remained during the War (arthritis in the ankles apparently).

Tris Speaker

            The all time leader in doubles had most of them in Cleveland.  Speaker is right near the top of almost every franchise leaderboard.  Somehow he is rarely mentioned when speaking of the best center fielders in history.

Other notables:

            I very nearly chose Larry Doby as a good player whose significance also came as the first black player in American League history.  On the more modern side, there's either Kenny Lofton or Jim Thome (franchise leader in home runs).  Pitchers of note include Stan Coveleski, Addie Joss, Sudden Sam McDowell, Bob Lemon, and Early Wynn.  Special shout-out to Willis Hudlin, seventh in franchise wins and fourth in games started, who married into our family.

Detroit Tigers

Ty Cobb

            Yes, he was not a great person.  He was, however, easily the best player in franchise history, and there have been some good ones.  Outside of home runs and slugging percentage (though he's third there) he basically leads stat category.  Cobb was phenomenal.

Al Kaline

            The real "Mr. Tiger," Kaline is the franchise home run leader and near the top in most everything else.  He even got his World Series win, in 1968, though it wasn't his best season.  I feel he's underappreciated today, but in his day he was beloved.

Justin Verlander

            There's a shocking lack of great pitchers in franchise history, but Verlander stands out.  He really represents two things: the rebirth of a dying franchise and the rare workhorse dominant starter today.  While it's too bad he couldn't win his World Series in Detroit, I'm certainly happy he came to Houston to finish the deed.

Charlie Gehringer

            He was nicknamed "The Mechanical Man" because he just went out and did his job every day.  Apparently his job included smacking 574 doubles and .320/.404/.480 over 16 full seasons. 

Other notables:

            How about the greatest double play combination in history, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell?  There's always Hall of Famers Harry Heilmann, Sam Crawford, and Hank Greenberg.  More recently there's Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera.  Other pitchers, like Mickey Lolich, Dizzy Trout, and Tommy Bridges, were good, not great.  Hal Newhouser is the pitching WAR leader, and is famous for back-to-back MVPs in 1944 and 1945, but let's be honest, he wasn't exactly pitching against the greatest competition.  When the boys came back his numbers quickly fell.  I can't forget the great Sparky Anderson.

Kansas City Royals

George Brett

            Brett is another one of those guys who dominates the franchise leaderboard.  He's so much better than the rest that he had nearly twice the WAR (88.4 to 44.6) of the next highest position player.

Bret Saberhagen

            Two Cy Young awards cements your place on as the best franchise pitcher.  He doesn't really lead any franchise stats, but he is consistently near the top. 

Willie Wilson

            He was another big part of the franchise's heyday, and is high up on many of the leaderboards.  He was a great example of how teams in the 80s utilized the turf surfaces to make the most of speed.  His 162 average over his career includes 11 triples and 50 stolen bases.

Salvador Perez

            I figured there should be someone on here to represent the recent success, back-to-back World Series appearances with one win and another bad luck loss.  Who better than the on-the-field general.  His offense is very good for a catcher, but his real value comes in how he commands the game defensively.  Hopefully he will stick around longer to make this pick even more certain.

Other notables:

            There are a lot of good, but not necessarily great, players that could have made the last few slots.  There's Amos Otis, Frank White (speaking of knowing the turf, he played second base in shallow right field because the ball got there so quickly and he could cover more ground), Hal McRae, Alex Gordon, and Carlos Beltran in the position players.  Other pitchers of note are Kevin Appier (WAR leader), Mark Gubicza, and closers Dan Quisenberry (one of the great submarine pitchers) and Jeff Montgomery.  You could also make a case for managers Ned Yost and Dick Howser.

Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins

Walter Johnson

            Oh, I don't know, he's only the greatest pitcher in history.  Second all time with 417 wins, on a team that rarely amounted to much.  All time leader with 110 shutouts.  All time leader with 3509 strikeouts until some guy named Ryan.  Not much to see here.

Kirby Puckett

            What happened at the end of his career, and then after his career, is unfortunate.  That being said, when he played he was Minnesota baseball.  He was key in their two World Series wins.  He was remarkably a "5-tool" player in an unconventional body.

Rod Carew

            The franchise leader in position player WAR was a hitting machine in his 12 seasons in Minnesota.  From 1973 to 1977 he averaged well over 200 hits a season, spiking with 239 in 1977, his MVP season.  He didn't have a lot of power, but he had a fair amount of doubles and he rarely struck out.  Unfortunately I have to admit I tend to forget him, I didn't have him on my initial "top of my head" list.

Harmon Killebrew

            He's the only one on this list to play in both cities.  "Killer" did just that to baseballs, and he not surprisingly leads the franchise in Home Runs, Total Bases, and Slugging.

Other notables:

            There's some really good names who didn't make the top 4.  Sam Rice is the franchise leader in many categories.  Joe Mauer is the best of the recent bunch.  There's also some love for Goose Goslin and Tony Oliva.  On the pitching side, you can't forget Bert Blyleven, Johan Santana, Jim Kaat, and Frank Viola.  Too bad there's no room for managers Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire, both of whom knew to focus on the small things with a small market club.