The Mount Rushmore of every MLB team

How much discussion went into deciding George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson should be the faces immortalized on Mount Rushmore? How close were Woodrow Wilson or James Monroe to making the cut?

Newsday sidestepped those presidential questions but did examine each of the 30 MLB franchises, coming up with our own Mount Rushmore for each team, starting with some debate for the Yankees and Mets.

YANKEES

The Yankees’ history and lineage of Hall of Famers provide both clear decisions and great debate when selecting an organizational Mount Rushmore.

Multiple generations of Yankees fans have been versed in the mythic greatness of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, both of whom died way too young, the classy perfection of Joe DiMaggio, who led Simon and Garfunkel to sing about the loss of innocence, and the demons that plagued Mickey Mantle despite his absolute brilliance on the diamond.

Who else but those four?

Well, Yogi Berra won 10 – holy cow, 10! – World Series as a player. Whitey Ford is one of the game’s greatest lefties. Derek Jeter, The Captain, defined the Yankees for this generation with clutch consistency and a club-record 3,465 hits. Mariano Rivera perfected one pitch to become the greatest closer of all time and the backbone of a new Yankees dynasty.

Surely, other candidates could be argued as well.

And yes, with the expanded playoffs, winning four World Series from 1996-2000 was a harder feat than winning five in a row from 1949-53 or four in a row from 1936-39. So why shouldn’t the Core Four’s Jeter or Rivera be part of the Big Four?

First, the visceral answer: In relaying the storied history of the Yankees, no four tell the story better than Ruth and Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle.

Secondly, the numbers don’t lie, even in advanced analytics. Those four have the highest WAR (wins above replacement) in franchise history.

Ruth, already one of the American League’s best pitchers when he came to the Yankees in 1920, hit a record 60 homers in 1927 and smacked all but 55 of his then-record 714 homers as a Yankee. He hit .349 in 15 seasons with the team.

Gehrig was no mere compiler as he played in a then-record 2,130 straight games. He had four – four! – seasons of at least166 RBIs and finished with 493 home runs and a .340 batting average.

The Great Joe D hit in 56 straight games in 1941. He batted .325, hit 361 home runs and struck out only 369 times in 13 seasons, losing three prime years to World War II.

Mantle was the epitome of a five-tool player before injuries took their toll. He hit 536 homers and won three AL MVP awards, same as DiMaggio.

Picking a top manager, too, brings great debate. A case could be made for Casey Stengel, Joe McCarthy, Joe Torre or Miller Huggins.

McCarthy has the most wins (1,460). He has the better winning percentage (.632), finished 593 games above .500 -- 140 ahead of the second-place Stengel – and won the same record seven World Series as Stengel.

MANTLE: No. 7, the switch-hitting slugger and speedster – before his knees went – had 536 homers, 1,509 RBIs and a .298 batting average. With the burden of succeeding DiMaggio in centerfield and New York comparisons to Willie Mays and Duke Snider, he was a 16-time All-Star who won three MVPs. He had a WAR of 110.2.

RUTH: “The Bambino’’ and “Sultan of Swat,’’ No. 3, had an outsized personality and talent that reinvented how baseball was played and perceived as he ushered in the long-ball era. The lefty pitcher-turned-rightfielder had 714 home runs, 2,214 RBIs and a .342 batting average. His WAR of 183.1 is the highest in baseball history.

GEHRIG: The lefthanded-hitting “Iron Horse,” No. 4, played 2,130 consecutive games at first base before ALS forced him from the game and took his life. He batted .340 with 493 homers and 1,995 RBIs, won two MVPs and compiled a WAR of 113.7.

DiMAGGIO: “The Yankee Clipper,” No. 5, a 13-time All-Star, roamed centerfield with elegance and ease and was one of the greatest righthanded hitters in baseball history, winning three MVPs with 361 homers, 1,537 RBIs and a .325 batting average. His WAR of 79.2 is fourth best in franchise history.

METS

Pitching has always been the Flushing foundation, from Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman to Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez to Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Bartolo Colon to today’s anticipated super-tandem of deGrom and Max Scherzer.

So in selecting the Mets’ Mount Rushmore, it wasn’t about whether a pitcher would make the final four but how many hurlers would stock the pantheon. Perhaps the surprise is it was not a clean sweep.

Seaver and deGrom, with five Cy Young Awards between them, were no-brainers.

But the contributions of Mike Piazza and David Wright could not be overlooked, even against the impact that drafting Darryl Strawberry and Gooden and trading for Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter had in creating the dominant 1986 squad.

But it all starts with Seaver, aptly nicknamed “The Franchise” and forever considered the quintessential Met, even though the organization ineptly fumbled him away twice.

His winning attitude and dogged determination, not to mention a fastball that highlighted his vast repertoire of pitches, turned Casey Stengel’s 1962 “Lovable Losers” into the 1969 World Series champion “Miracle Mets.”

And had manager Yogi Berra held Seaver back for Game 7 of the 1973 World Series instead of starting him on short rest in Game 6, the Mets might have won that year, too.

By the 1990s, the Mets again were a laughingstock. But signing Piazza to a seven-year, $91 million contract in 1998 after acquiring him from the Marlins changed that perception and led to an NL pennant in 2000. His dramatic home run in the first post-9/11 sporting event in New York helped the healing process of a wounded city.

Wright was the face of the franchise and an All-Star third baseman for the bulk of his career until his body gave out, topping 100 RBIs in five of six seasons from 2005-10 and finishing as the franchise’s all-time hit leader with 1,777.

As for deGrom, he, like Seaver, has been considered the best pitcher of his generation. The only thing lower than his ERA often has been the run support the Mets have given him. Still, he won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019.

In the dugout, Davey Johnson, Bobby Valentine and Terry Collins all managed the Mets for seven mostly successful seasons, the former winning the World Series in 1986 and the latter two winning NL pennants in 2000 and 2015, respectively. But Gil Hodges, like Seaver, changed the culture of the franchise after taking over in 1968, winning a World Series before a heart attack killed him in spring training in 1972.

DeGROM: The lanky righty has a franchise-best 2.50 career ERA, including 1.70 in 2018 as he won the first of successive Cy Young Awards and 1.08 in an injury-shortened 2021. His 1.011 WHIP and 10.736 strikeouts per nine innings also are Mets bests. A 77-53 career mark is a testament to a lack of run support.

PIAZZA: The slugging catcher already was an established star when the Mets acquired him in 1998 and he hit 220 homers, drove in 655 runs and batted .296 in eight seasons for the club. His slugging percentage of .542 is tied for the franchise lead and his batting average is tied with David Wright’s for third in Mets history.

SEAVER: “Tom Terrific,” a hard-throwing righty, was a three-time Cy Young Award winner (1969, 1973, 1975) and went 198-124 with a 2.57 ERA in 12 seasons with the Mets. He leads the franchise in several categories, including WAR (76.1), wins, strikeouts (2,541), games started (395) and complete games (171), and is second in career ERA.

WRIGHT: The righthanded-hitting third baseman spent all 14 seasons with the Mets, batting .296 with 242 homers and 970 RBIs. His 49.2 WAR is a franchise best for position players and he also leads the Mets in RBIs, hits (1,777), runs scored (949) and total bases (2,945). He’s second in homers and games played (1,585).

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns

Mount Rushmore: Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Cal Ripken Jr., Brooks Robinson

Top manager: Earl Weaver

Next four: Dave McNally, Boog Powell, Frank Robinson, George Sisler,

The argument: Frank Robinson was the 1967 AL MVP, winning the triple crown. But our Mount Rushmore, also Hall of Famers, were career-long Orioles. Eddie Murray played a great first base and leads the organization in several advanced analytics categories. Brooks Robinson is arguably the greatest defensive third baseman and finished with 2,848 career hits. Cal Ripken Jr. was the face of the franchise through his MLB-record streak of 2,632 consecutive games and also leads the franchise in hits (3,184) and runs (1,647). Jim Palmer won three Cy Young Awards and was one of four 20-game winners on the 1971 AL pennant winner.

Boston Red Sox

Mount Rushmore: David Ortiz, Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez, Ted Williams

Top manager: Terry Francona

Next four: Bobby Doerr, Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, Cy Young

The argument: Teddy Ballgame and Yaz are no-brainers. From Williams’ rookie season in 1939 through 1983, when Yastrzemski retired, the former then the latter was the Red Sox. Martinez and Ortiz earn the other nods for helping the Red Sox finally break their Curse to win the World Series in 2004, and then three more. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice are both almost criminally underrated players and brilliant outfielders while Big Papi was a full-time DH. But Ortiz’s slugging and presence was a big part of the Red Sox finally winning. Martinez was only the best pitcher in baseball with the Red Sox, winning two Cy Youngs, keeping the award’s namesake out of the top four.

Chicago White Sox

Mount Rushmore: Luke Appling, Nellie Fox, Paul Konerko, Frank Thomas

Top manager: Al Lopez

Next four: Luis Aparicio, Ted Lyons, Minnie Minoso, Wilbur Wood

The argument: The second team in the Second City has won just one World Series in more than 100 years and still has that 1919 Black Sox scandal that comes up from time to time. But they have had some graceful players, perhaps none so more than left-side infielder Appling and second baseman Fox, who overlapped for just the 1950 season. Appling is the franchise leader for position players with a 77.6 WAR (wins above replacement) while Fox is fourth at 47.4. Thomas and Konerko are 1-2 in team history in HR and RBIs and helped the Sox win the World Series in 2005

Cleveland Guardians

Mount Rushmore: Larry Doby, Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Jim Thome

Top manager: Lou Boudreau

Next four: Albert Belle, Mel Harder, Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker

The argument: The fireballing Feller and the crafty Lemon, a converted outfielder and utility infielder, anchored Cleveland’s rotation through their last World Series title in 1948 and an AL pennant in 1954, when the team won a then-record 111 games. Feller threw three no-hitters while Lemon had one. Doby, the first Black player in the American League, made his Cleveland debut in 1947, just three months after Jackie Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He spent 10 seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the franchise. Thome was a dominant hitter for strong squads in the 1990s, leading the franchise with 337 HR.

Detroit Tigers

Mount Rushmore: Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline

Top manager: Sparky Anderson

Next four: Miguel Cabrera, Charlie Gehringer, Hal Newhouser, Alan Trammell

The argument: We’ll admit, this one was incredibly difficult because Miguel Cabrera is one of the greatest modern ballplayers. He’s surpassed 500 HR and will top 3,000 hits this season. But even though this Mount Rushmore does not include contemporary players, none could be eliminated. Cobb (his documented character flaws aside), Greenberg and Kaline are the franchise leaders in almost all offensive categories as well as being Detroit icons. Crawford, meanwhile, was likely the AL’s most feared hitter while with the Tigers from 1903-17, a slugger in a dead-ball era who still leads MLB with 309 career triples.

Houston Astros

Mount Rushmore: Nolan Ryan, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, J.R. Richard

Top manager: A.J. Hinch

Next four: Jose Altuve, Cesar Cedeno, Jose Cruz, Mike Scott

The argument: Nolan Ryan is the only player who appears on the Mount Rushmore list for three franchises. He spent nine seasons with the Astros – the longest tenure of his 27-year career – and he threw one of his record seven no-hitters for Houston. Fellow flame-throwing righty J.R. Richard was equally as imposing, especially at 6-8, and struck out 313 in 1979. A stroke effectively prematurely ended his career the next season. Biggio and Bagwell, or vice versa, are 1-2 in many franchise categories, including games played, runs, hits, RBIs and total bases.

Kansas City Royals

Mount Rushmore: George Brett, Amos Otis, Hal McRae, Frank White

Top manager: Dick Howser

Next four: Dennis Leonard, Dan Quisenberry, Bret Saberhagen, Willie Wilson

The argument: A total nod – Saberhagen aside – to the great Royals’ teams of the mid-70s through mid-80s that always seemed to be facing the Yankees in the playoffs. Brett, who flirted with .400, Otis and McRae are three of the top four in offensive WAR while White, the slick-fielding second baseman, is the franchise’s leader in defensive WAR. The Mount Rushmore are also four of the top five in career hits for the Royals. Leonard led the rotation during his career peak from 1975-81 but the other four’s longevity keeps him off the Mount.

Los Angeles Angels

Mount Rushmore: Shohei Ohtani, Nolan Ryan, Tim Salmon, Mike Trout

Top manager: Mike Scioscia

Next four: Brian Downing, Jim Fregosi, Albert Pujols, Jered Weaver

The argument: Japanese dual threat sensation Shohei Ohtani is only starting his fifth season with the Angels but, simply put, he is must-see baseball. Will he lead off the game hitting a home run? Will he pitch a shutout? Will he do both? It’s a baseball phenomena not seen since Babe Ruth. Ryan, meanwhile, threw his first four no-hitters with the Angels after they fleeced the Mets in a trade for the aging Fregosi. Trout has been the AL’s best player for nearly 10 years and surpassed Salmon as the franchise’s all-time home run leader in 2020. Salmon led the Angels to their only World Series title in 2002.

Minnesota Twins/Washington Senators

Mount Rushmore: Rod Carew, Walter Johnson, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett

Top manager: Tom Kelly

Next four: Jim Kaat, Joe Mauer, Tony Oliva, Mickey Vernon

The argument: Kaat will finally get his due this summer as a Hall of Famer and he spent the peak first 15 seasons of his underrated 25-year career with the Senators and Twins. That said, this Mount Rushmore was a gimme. If not for Cy Young, it might be the Walter Johnson Award for the big righty who won 417 games with a 2.17 ERA. Carew was one of the smoothest lefty swingers, leading the AL in batting seven times with the Twins and in on-base percentage four. Killebrew is the organization’s greatest slugger as the all-time homer and RBI leader. And Puckett anchored World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.

Oakland Athletics

Mount Rushmore: Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson

Top manager: Connie Mack

Next four: Dennis Eckersley, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Eddie Plank, Al Simmons

The argument: The well-traveled franchise – its Philadelphia roots dominated by Mack’s 50-year hold as owner/manager – has had a slew of Hall of Famers and wild personalities. Henderson, the game’s greatest leadoff batter and base stealer, and Jackson, who was dubbed Mr. October with the Yankees but won his first three World Series in Oakland from 1972-74, certainly fit that bill. Foxx was considered nearly the equal of Babe Ruth as the game’s dominant slugger before the cash-strapped Mack sold him to the Red Sox in 1936. Grove, a true lefty, led the AL in strikeouts seven straight seasons from 1925-31 and was the ERA champ five times, winning the MVP in 1931 when he went 31-4.

Seattle Mariners

Mount Rushmore: Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez, Felix Hernandez

Top manager: Lou Piniella

Next four: Jay Buhner, Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer, Alex Rodriguez

The argument: A-Rod would have made the list had he spent his whole career in Seattle, Buhner could be on a Mount Rushmore for one-side trades (Ken Phelps, yikes Yankees) and Johnson became a dominant pitcher in Seattle. But Griffey, King Felix, Ichiro and Martinez (what is it about DH’s nicknamed “Papi?”) still form an ironclad quartet. Griffey, Martinez and Ichiro are the franchise’s top three in both WAR, offensive WAR, hits and games played. Ichiro’s combined 4,367 combined hits between Japan and MLB are a record. Hernandez threw the Mariners’ only perfect game in 2012 and leads the franchise in strikeouts, wins and ERA.

Tampa Bay Rays

Mount Rushmore: Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, David Price, James Shields

Top manager: Joe Maddon

Next four: Aubrey Huff, Fred McGriff, Blake Snell, Ben Zobrist,

The argument: The Rays, entering their 24th season, have already had an interesting history as they’ve become a model for small-market success. That also means many of their developing players eventually leave for cost-containment reasons. That was the case for this Mount Rushmore, though all four obviously left their mark on the franchise before departing. Longoria and Crawford are 1-2 in games played, runs and RBIs, while Crawford is the franchise’s hit leader with nine more than Longoria. Shields leads the franchise in wins (five more than Price), innings pitched (11 more than Price), strikeouts and shutouts while Price has the team’s best ERA and win percentage.

Texas Rangers/Washington Senators

Mount Rushmore: Juan Gonzalez, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Nolan Ryan, Michael Young

Top manager: Ron Washington

Next four: Adrian Beltre, Frank Howard, Ferguson Jenkins, Rafael Palmeiro

The argument: Props to Ferguson Jenkins, one of the finest pitchers of the 1960s and ‘70s who threw 17 shutouts in six seasons over two tenures with the franchise. But the final five seasons of Nolan Ryan’s remarkable career came with Texas, throwing his record sixth and seventh no-hitters at ages 43 and 44 before becoming a team executive. Steady infielder Michael Young was a .300 hitter over 13 seasons and leads the franchise in games played and hits. Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez was the game’s best catcher during his 12 seasons with the Rangers, winning the AL MVP in 1999. Gonzalez is the franchise’s home run and RBI leader.

Toronto Blue Jays

Mount Rushmore: Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado, Roy Halladay, Dave Stieb

Top manager: Cito Gaston

Next four: Roberto Alomar, Jose Bautista, George Bell, Jimmy Key

The argument: There’s no more iconic moment in franchise history than Joe Carter pumping his arms as he rounded the bases after his World Series-winning, three-run homer off the Phillies’ Mitch Williams in the bottom of the ninth of Game 6 in 1993, as the Blue Jays won their second straight title. Delgado is the franchise’s top slugger, leading in homers and RBIs. The Blue Jays were born in 1977 and Stieb joined the rotation in 1979, finishing as the team’s leader in WAR for pitchers wins and strikeouts. Halladay is second in both categories and won the first of his two Cy Youngs with the Blue Jays in 2003.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Arizona Diamondbacks

Mount Rushmore: Paul Goldschmidt, Luis Gonzalez, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling

Top manager: Bob Brenly

Next four: Steve Finley, Justin Upton, Brandon Webb, Matt Williams

The argument: Simply put, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling’s efforts in the 2001 World Series both starting and in relief – they were the co-MVPs – ranks as one of the best big-money performances. They were also pretty, pretty good for the franchise otherwise. Johnson won the NL Cy Young in each of his first four of eight seasons with the franchise. Schilling finished second in the voting in 2001 and 2002 and one or the other leads most of the franchise’s pitching categories. Luis Gonzalez’s World Series-winning bloop hit off Mariano Rivera is the franchise’s most iconic moment. Paul Goldschmidt is just behind Gonzalez on the team’s all-time list in games played, runs, hits and home runs.

Atlanta

Mount Rushmore: Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, Eddie Matthews, Warren Spahn

Top manager: Bobby Cox

Next four: Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Dale Murphy, John Smoltz

The argument: Dale Murphy should be in the Hall of Fame and Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz comprised one of the greatest rotations ever. That’s how good this Mount Rushmore is. Hank Aaron not only hit 755 HR with a record 2,297 RBIs but batted .305 and was one of the game’s top defensive outfielders. He and Eddie Mathews surpassed Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for the most combined homers by teammates, with 863 from 1954-66. The lefty Spahn won 356 games over 20 seasons with the team and Chipper Jones, well, he just repeatedly frustrated the Mets while winding up second on the team’s all-time list in games, hits, RBIs and runs and third in homers.

Chicago Cubs

Mount Rushmore: Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg, Billy Williams

Top manager: Frank Chance

Next four: Gabby Hartnett, Ron Santo, Sammy Sosa, Hack Wilson

The argument: Ernie Banks, dubbed “Mr. Cub,” not to mention “Mr. Sunshine,” for always wanting to play two, spent all 19 seasons with the team and won two MVPs. He was the first player in franchise history to have his number retired, followed by Billy Williams, his longtime teammate who followed Banks as third on the team’s all-time list for games, hits and homers. Jenkins, who played with Banks and Williams through the late 1960s and early 1970s, leads the franchise with a 52.9 WAR for pitchers in addition to strikeouts and games started. Sandberg was a nine-time Gold Glove second baseman who also led the NL with 40 HR in 1990.

Cincinnati Reds

Mount Rushmore: Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin, Joe Morgan

Top manager: Sparky Anderson

Next four: Ted Kluzewski, Tony Perez, Frank Robinson, Joey Votto,

The argument: Look, we feel terrible about this. Frank Robinson misses our cut for the Reds’ Mount Rushmore just as he did with the Orioles. No doubt, he deserves better. But both Pete Rose – the all-time hits leader regardless of his post-playing day troubles – and Barry Larkin are both natives of Cincinnati who either spent the bulk of their career (Rose) or the entire career (Larkin) with the franchise. Larkin and Robinson each won an NL MVP but Larkin spent nine more seasons with the Reds and played 700 more games. Rose, Johnny Bench – quite likely the greatest catcher ever – and Joe Morgan were all vital cogs on the 1970s Big Red Machine and Morgan won back-to-back MVPs in 1975-76 as the team won back-to-back World Series.

Colorado Rockies

Mount Rushmore: Nolan Arenado, Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzski, Larry Walker

Top manager: Don Baylor

Next four: Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday

The argument: The nice thing about doing a Rockies’ Mount Rushmore is it’s comparing apples to apples rather than trying to figure out mile-high statistics compared to the rest of MLB. Plus, no pitcher had to be considered. (To be fair, we considered putting the Denver school system on the team’s Mount Rushmore in deference to ex-Met hurler Mike Hampton). Either Todd Helton or Larry Walker leads the franchise in most hitting categories. Nolan Arenado may be one of the NL’s best dual-threat third basemen since Mike Schmidt and Troy Tulowitzski was one of the game’s top shortstops for most of his Colorado tenure.

Miami Marlins

Mount Rushmore: Luis Castillo, Jeff Conine, Jose Fernandez, Giancarlo Stanton

Top manager: Jack McKeon

Next four: Miguel Cabrera, Mike Lowell, Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla

The argument: Miguel Cabrera, like Frank Robinson, gets penalized with two franchises, perhaps unfairly, for not having a long enough tenure with a team. Cabrera spent five impactful seasons with the Marlins before being traded to Detroit. The Marlins, like the Rays, develop players only to watch them leave but Castillo, Conine and Stanton have played the most games for a transitory franchise. Castilla and Conine, dubbed “Mr. Marlin,” were key cogs for both the 1997 and 2003 World Series champions. Stanton was the MVP in 2017 before being dealt to the Yankees. The righty Fernandez could have been on a Hall of Fame track before his tragic death at age 24.

Milwaukee Brewers/Seattle Pilots

Mount Rushmore: Ryan Braun, Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor, Robin Yount

Top manager: George Bamberger

Next four: Mike Caldwell, Cecil Cooper, Prince Fielder, Gorman Thomas

The argument: The real shame is we couldn’t consider knuckleballer-turned-author-turned-baseball-pariah Jim Bouton for his autobiographically immortalized time with the Pilots. Also, reliever Rollie Fingers is not on the list because of his mustache, but because he won both the AL MVP and Cy Young Award in 1981 as the Brewers won the AL pennant, though he was injured for the World Series. Robin Yount reached 3,000 hits solely playing for the Brewers, Braun was the 2011 NL MVP and also spent his whole career with Milwaukee, and those two plus Molitor are the top three in many of the team’s all-time hitting categories.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Mount Rushmore: Don Drysdale, Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Duke Snider

Top manager: Walter Alston

Next four: Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Clayton Kershaw, Pee Wee Reese

The argument: Clayton Kershaw has a better career ERA than Don Drysdale and won three NL Cy Youngs (doubling up with the NL MVP in 2014) to Drysdale’s one. But Drysdale had to beat out Sandy Koufax – for six years quite possibly the greatest pitcher ever – to win that Cy Young. Drysdale and Koufax traveled with the franchise from Brooklyn and helped establish its overwhelming success in California. From 1961-66 Koufax won three Cy Youngs and pitched four no-hitters, including a perfect game. Duke Snider was part of one of the greatest New York arguments: Snider, Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle in centerfield? Jackie Robinson’s steely grace as the first modern Black ballplayer puts him on the all-time MLB Mount Rushmore.

Philadelphia Phillies

Mount Rushmore: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Steve Carlton, Ryan Howard, Mike Schmidt

Top manager: Charlie Manuel

Next four: Dick Allen, Chuck Klein, Robin Roberts, Jimmy Rollins

The argument: Robin Roberts was the first Phillie to have his uniform number retired and, in 1969, was voted the greatest Phillie. But we’ll take fellow righty Grover Cleveland Alexander, who won pitching’s triple crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts) in 1915 and 1916 before the cash-strapped Phillies were forced to sell him to the Cubs in 1917. Steve Carlton, the first lefty to reach 4,000 strikeouts, won four NL Cy Youngs and a remarkable 27 games in 1972 for a Phillies team that won only 59. Mike Schmidt, the great third baseman, leads the franchise in both offensive and defensive WAR, as well as homers and games played. Ryan Howard is second in homers and third in RBIs.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Mount Rushmore: Roberto Clemente, Ralph Kiner, Willie Stargell, Honus Wagner

Top manager: Fred Clarke

Next four: Bill Mazeroski, Andrew McCutchen, Pie Traynor, Paul Waner

The argument: A relatively easy list to assemble. Roberto Clemente notched his franchise-record 3,000th hit in his final at-bat and tied Honus Wagner’s team-record of 2,433 games before dying in a plane crash doing humanitarian work in 1972. His arm was one of the best ever in right field. Wagner won eight NL batting titles and four RBI titles from 1900-17 and is still considered by many the game’s greatest shortstop. Ralph Kiner was a feared slugger before he was a beloved Mets broadcaster, starting his career with seven straight NL homer titles from 1946-52. Willie “Pops” Stargell spent all 21 seasons with the Pirates from 1962-82, helping the franchise to World Series wins in 1971 and 1979.

San Diego Padres

Mount Rushmore: Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman, Randy Jones, Dave Winfield

Top manager: Bruce Bochy

Next four: Nate Colbert, Steve Garvey, Phil Nevin, Garry Templeton

The argument: Tony Gwynn defined the Padres for 20 seasons from 1982-2001 with his bubbly personality and sweet, left-handed hitting stroke, winning eight NL batting titles and flirting with .400 in the strike-shortened 1994 season before finishing at .394. He leads the franchise in most offensive categories – by a wide margin. Trevor Hoffman was MLB’s first closer to reach 500, then 600 saves with his wicked changeup and “Trevor Time” entrance to AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.” The left-handed Randy Jones won the NL Cy Young in 1976, with 16 wins by the All-Star break. Dave Winfield also starred for the Padres through 1980 as both a consistent All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder.

San Francisco Giants

Mount Rushmore: Barry Bonds, Christy Mathewson, Mel Ott, Willie Mays

Top manager: John McGraw

Next four: Carl Hubbell, Monte Irvin, Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey

The argument: Barry Bonds may not be in the Hall of Fame, but he is MLB’s all-time home run king with 762 and the first to have 500 HR and stolen bases. He won five NL MVPs with the Giants, including four in a row from 2001-04. Still, Willie Mays may have been better. He made “The Catch” in deep centerfield at the Polo Grounds and hit 646 of his 660 homers in 21 seasons with the Giants. The right-handed Juan Marichal and the lefty Carl Hubbell are both Hall of Famers, but Christy Mathewson is still acknowledged as one of the game’s great righties and leads the franchise in WAR for pitchers as well as wins (372), ERA and strikeouts. Ott is second to Mays in many team categories, including hits, total bases, runs scored and games played.

St. Louis Cardinals

Mount Rushmore: Ozzie Smith, Bob Gibson, Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby

Top manager: Tony LaRussa

Next four: Lou Brock, Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, Red Schoendienst

The argument: If there was a Mount Rushmore for intimidating players, Bob Gibson might be the first player chiseled (followed by Sal “The Barber” Maglie). The hard-throwing righty, a career-long Cardinal, leads the franchise in wins, strikeouts and complete games. Stan Musial, also a career-long Cardinal and one of the greatest left-handed hitters, won three MVPs and finished with a .331 career batting average. Rogers Hornsby is considered one of the greatest right-handed hitters and batted over .400 three times in 13 seasons as a Cardinal. Ozzie Smith’s defensive wizardry, backflips and walk-off home run in the 1985 NLCS defined that successful decade for the franchise.

Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos

Mount Rushmore: Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Ryan Zimmerman

Top manager: Dick Williams

Next four: Vladimir Guerrero, Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg

The argument: We’re not trying to throw shade at the 2010s Nationals, who won the World Series in 2019 thanks to Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, but, rather, we love us some 1970s and ’80s Expos. Gary Carter is still the franchise leader in WAR and defensive WAR, playing 12 of his 19 MLB seasons in Montreal while Tim Raines, a feared base runner, is the franchise’s offensive WAR leader. Andre Dawson and Raines were both dual-threat outfielders and rank second and third on the franchise’s runs and runs created list behind Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman, a big part of the World Series title, leads the franchise in hits and games played.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.