Every MLB Franchise's Mount Rushmore of Outfielders Since 1990
Who have been the four best outfielders for each Major League Baseball franchise over the past 35 years?
To be eligible for Mount Rushmore consideration, the player must have at least 400 games played in the outfield with that franchise. That's a low enough threshold that we were able to include current young stars like Corbin Carroll and Julio Rodríguez, but a high enough threshold that we don't need to talk about the 300ish games that Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera each spent in the outfield early on in their Hall of Fame careers.
That said, games in which the player did not appear in the outfield do count. In other words, the full-tenure statistics count for guys like Ben Zobrist and Cody Bellinger who bounce(d) around between outfield and infield, provided they reached that 400 games mark in the outfield with that team.
One other note: As we explicitly have "since 1990" in the headline, only statistics accrued since the beginning of 1990 count. That made for some tough decisions on guys like Andy Van Slyke who peaked right around that cutline. Had to draw a line somewhere, though.
With that out of the way, please enjoy this 'guys naming dudes' journey through relatively recent baseball history, in alphabetical order by team.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Corbin Carroll (2022-Present), Steve Finley (1999-2004), Luis Gonzalez (1999-2006) and AJ Pollock (2012-18)
Brightest Star: Luis Gonzalez
.298/.391/.529, 224 HR, 774 RBI, 32 SB, 30.0 bWAR, five-time All-Star
Though he had no hope of winning NL MVP while Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa combined for 137 home runs, Gonzo's 2001 campaign (.325 AVG, 1.117 OPS, 57 HR) was one of the greatest in MLB history—when factoring October into the equation. His World Series-winning walk-off flare to center against Mariano Rivera is one of the most iconic moments of the past quarter century.
Rounding It Out
Though Corbin Carroll has only been in the majors for a little over three years, the 2023 NL ROY and two-time All-Star has certainly made his mark with three consecutive seasons of at least 22 HR, 22 doubles, 22 stolen bases (assuming he steals at least two more this year) and 10 triples. AJ Pollock was maybe the best defensive outfielder in franchise history. And for a guy who was already 34 when he landed in Arizona, Steve Finley sure was impressive with three Gold Gloves and a .500 slugging percentage.
Toughest Omission: Justin Upton (2007-12)
Right off the bat, this was probably the toughest Rushmore to carve. Of the 10 most valuable position players in D-Backs history, seven have been outfielders, adding both David Peralta and Chris Young to the mix. And the gap between third-best and seventh-best is almost nonexistent. "Jupton" is the painful one to leave out, though, as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft was a two-time All-Star in Arizona, including receiving a first-place vote for NL MVP in 2011.
Athletics
2 of 30
Mount Rushmore: José Canseco (1985-92, 1997), CoCo Crisp (2010-16), Rickey Henderson (1979-84, 1989-95, 1998), Josh Reddick (2012-16)
Brightest Star: Rickey Henderson
.284/.415/.451, 107 HR, 342 RBI, 612 R, 322 SB, 33.3 bWAR, 1990 AL MVP
Henderson actually stole 867 bases in the A's portion of his career, but only the stats accumulated from 1990 onward count for our purposes today. Even so, not a remotely close call here, both because Henderson was so darn valuable in the early 1990s and because the A's have the most underwhelming "aside from the brightest star" Rushmore of them all.
Rounding It Out
As with much of Henderson's stats, José Canseco's AL ROY in 1986 and AL MVP in 1988 occurred prior to the cutoff and didn't count for us, but the 81 HR, 223 RBI and 45 SB between 1990-91 certainly did. Beyond that, Coco Crisp had a ton of stolen bases to go along with his unforgettable name, while Josh Reddick was a respectable slugger who also won a Gold Glove in 2012.
Toughest Omission: Ben Grieve (1997-2000)
The AL Rookie of the Year in 1998, Grieve had a solid-but-brief run with the A's, winding up with a triple-slash of .280/.370/.475. But his value "added" on defense was Nick Castellanos-like, tanking his WAR to the point where it wasn't actually a tough call at all to leave him out.
Atlanta Braves
3 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018-Present), Jason Heyward (2010-14), Andruw Jones (1996-2007) and David Justice (1989-96)
Brightest Star: Andruw Jones
.263/.342/.497, 368 HR, 1,117 RBI, 138 SB, 61.0 bWAR, five-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove
Save for Barry Bonds with the Giants and Mike Trout with the Angels, this was the most open and shut case of all. Jones was one of the greatest defenders—quite possibly the greatest defensive center fielder—to ever play the game, who also averaged 34.5 home runs and 103.4 RBI over his final 10 seasons in Atlanta.
Rounding It Out
Jason Heyward was also one heck of an asset on defense, but he only spent his first five seasons with Atlanta and was never anything close to the offensive machine that Jones was. Ronald Acuña Jr., though, has an OPS north of .900 in a career already featuring the 2018 NL ROY, the 2023 NL MVP and five All-Star Games. Had he been healthier over these past eight seasons, it's surely a closer call for brightest star. 1990 NL ROY David Justice had some kind of run with Atlanta, too, posting an OPS north of .800 in each of his final seven seasons there.
Toughest Omission: Ryan Klesko (1992-99)
Like Justice, Klesko had an OPS of at least .800 in each of his final seven seasons with Atlanta, but his peak was never quite as high, his lone All-Star Game appearance coming in 2001 while with San Diego.
Baltimore Orioles
4 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Brady Anderson (1988-2001), Adam Jones (2008-18), Nick Markakis (2006-14) and B.J. Surhoff (1996-2000, 2003-05)
Brightest Star: Adam Jones
.279/.319/.459, 263 HR, 866 RBI, 90 SB, 32.3 bWAR, five-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove
Though it was Brady Anderson who had that 50-HR campaign out of nowhere in 1996, it was Jones who racked up more home runs, more RBI and more Gold Gloves than any other Orioles outfielder in the past 35 years. Jones was nothing if not consistent from 2011-17, with between 25 and 33 home runs and a batting average ranging from .265-.287 in each season, garnering some votes for AL MVP in each of 2012-14.
Rounding It Out
Four primary outfielders appeared in at least 1,000 games for the Orioles since 1990 and, well, it just makes sense to go with them. Already mentioned Anderson, who also had a 53 SB campaign in 1992. Shohei Ohtani went 50/50 in 2024, but Anderson and Barry Bonds were the only players with both a 50 HR and 50 SB campaign prior to that. Nick Markakis was a two-time Gold Glove winner who hit .290 with the O's. B.J. Surhoff was nowhere near that valuable in left field, but he did hit .291.
Toughest Omission: Cedric Mullins (2018-25)
Were we constructing a Mount Rushmore of the greatest single seasons by an outfielder in franchise history, Mullins going 30/30 with a .291 batting average in 2021 surely lands in the top four for Baltimore. Aside from that year, though, he never reached 20 home runs, an OPS greater than .738 or any sort of league-wide honors like All-Star or Silver Slugger.
Boston Red Sox
5 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Mookie Betts (2014-19), Jacoby Ellsbury (2007-13), Trot Nixon (1996-2006) and Manny Ramírez (2001-08)
Brightest Star: Mookie Betts
.301/.374/.519, 139 HR, 470 RBI, 126 SB, 42.5 bWAR, 2018 AL MVP, four-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove
If OPS is your be-all end-all stat, you probably prefer Manny Ramírez here, considering he hit nearly twice as many home runs with Boston (274) as Betts did. But while Man-Ram was taking bathroom breaks in the Green Monster, Betts was playing elite defense and securing an MVP honor that eluded Ramírez's grasp throughout his career. And of the two stars eventually traded to the Dodgers, Betts is the one that fans still haven't really gotten over.
Rounding It Out
Though he didn't win one, Ramírez placed top 10 in the AL MVP vote in each of his first five seasons with Boston. Jacoby Ellsbury had a few dynamite years in Boston, almost winning AL MVP in 2011 and almost batting .300 (.297) in his seven seasons with the Red Sox. And though Trot Nixon never had much of a peak or an All-Star Game appearance, he was a productive staple in right field for the better part of a decade.
Toughest Omission: Johnny Damon (2002-05)
Signing with the Yankees during the 2005-06 offseason turned Damon into a real Benedict Arnold as far as Red Sox fans were concerned. Prior to that betrayal, though, he was a .295 hitter, a two-time All-Star and a huge part of that curse-breaking 2004 squad with two home runs in Game 7 of the ALCS against New York.
Chicago Cubs
6 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Ian Happ (2017-Present), Alfonso Soriano (2007-13), Sammy Sosa (1992-2004) and Seiya Suzuki (2022-Present)
Brightest Star: Sammy Sosa
.284/.358/.569, 545 HR, 1,414 RBI, 181 SB, 58.8 bWAR, 1998 NL MVP, seven-time All-Star
Of all the players implicated at the peak of MLB's steroids era, Slammin' Sammy's legacy might be the most complicated, becoming an all-time slugger after hitting 35 home runs in 449 games played in the minors and then just not setting foot in Wrigley Stadium for more than two decades after his final game there. But his four-year peak (1998-2001) of averaging better than 60 home runs and nearly 150 RBI per year was quite the unforgettable ride.
Rounding It Out
With all due respect to Ian Happ, Alfonso Soriano and Seiya Suzuki, you could combine all three of them together and they still wouldn't hold a candle to what Sosa accomplished. Happ has won a Gold Glove in each of the past three seasons, though, and Soriano gave the Cubs better than 25 home runs per year for his seven seasons with the organization.
Toughest Omission: Pete Crow-Armstrong (2023-Present)
PCA is almost a full season away from playing in enough games to reach our 400 threshold for consideration, but he has had such an excellent 2025 campaign and has already established himself as arguably the best defensive outfielder in the business. Combine that with the fact that Suzuki is predominantly a DH at this point and it was tempting to make an exception to put Crow-Armstrong on here ahead of schedule.
Chicago White Sox
7 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Lance Johnson (1988-1995), Carlos Lee (1999-2004), Magglio Ordóñez (1997-2004) and Luis Robert Jr. (2020-Present)
Brightest Star: Magglio Ordóñez
.307/.364/.525, 187 HR, 703 RBI, 82 SB, 25.3 bWAR, four-time All-Star
Chicago winning its first World Series in nearly nine decades the year after letting Ordóñez walk in free agency was quite the unexpected plot twist, as he and Frank Thomas were the co-stars of that offense for the eight years leading up to that run. Ordóñez had at least 30 home runs and 110 RBI in four consecutive years (1999-2002). Add in 2003 and he both batted at least .300 and slugged at least .500 in five straight seasons.
Rounding It Out
For whatever reason, Chicago hasn't had much in the way of long-term outfielders, Ordóñez, Carlos Lee and Lance Johnson the only primary outfielders with at least 750 games played with the White Sox since 1990. Both Lee and Johnson hit just a shade under .290, though, the former as more of a slugger and the latter as much more of a base-stealer. And despite injury woes that have kept his games total in check, Luis Robert Jr. is the only White Sox outfielder to win a Gold Glove (2020) since Ken Berry in 1970.
Toughest Omission: Tim Raines (1991-95)
Raines had a solid half-decade with the White Sox, but all seven of his All-Star Game honors came in the previous decade with the Expos. He was also a liability on defense, particularly in his latter couple of seasons in Chicago.
Cincinnati Reds
8 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Jay Bruce (2008-16), Adam Dunn (2001-08), Ken Griffey Jr. (2000-08) and Reggie Sanders (1991-98)
Brightest Star: Adam Dunn
.247/.380/.520, 270 HR, 646 RBI, 58 SB, 16.6 bWAR
To be sure, Big Donkey was never exactly an asset on defense. Had there been a DH in the NL back then, this king of the three true outcomes maybe never would have stepped foot in the outfield. But he played out there (mostly in left field) for nearly 1,000 games with the Reds, ending up in fifth place on Cincinnati's all-time HR leaderboard.
Rounding It Out
Ken Griffey Jr. was incessantly banged up during the Cincinnati portion of his career, but did you know his OPS with the Reds (.876) wasn't that far off from what he gave the Mariners (.927)? Or that he hit more than 200 home runs with the Reds? So did Jay Bruce, for that matter, named an All-Star in three of his nine seasons in Cincinnati. And Reggie Sanders had maybe the most impressive individual season of the bunch, batting .306/.397/.579 with 28 home runs and 36 stolen bases in the truncated 1995 campaign.
Toughest Omission: Billy Hamilton (2013-18)
With 277 stolen bases in his six seasons with the Reds, Hamilton was a fantasy baseball god, despite his sub-.300 OBP and his rate of 3.5 home runs per season. Because of his blazing speed, he was also almost unquestionably Cincinnati's best defensive outfielder in recent history. However, even Hamilton was unable to snap what is now a 35-year drought without a Reds outfielder winning a Gold Glove.
Cleveland Guardians
9 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Albert Belle (1989-96), Kenny Lofton (1992-96, 1998-2001, 2007), Manny Ramirez (1993-2000) and Grady Sizemore (2004-11)
Brightest Star: Kenny Lofton
.300/.375/.426, 87 HR, 518 RBI, 452 SB, 48.6 bWAR, five-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove
Of the 30 "brightest star" players on this list, Lofton hit the fewest home runs, by far. But this speedster led the league in stolen bases in each of his first five seasons with Cleveland, playing superb defense in center field while also batting .300 over the course of his 10 years there. It's a shame his magnum opus came in 1994. He was on pace for 231 hits and 87 stolen bases when the lockout abruptly ended things.
Rounding It Out
Those mid-1990s Cleveland teams were so preposterously loaded in the outfield, with Lofton flanked by Albert Belle and Manny Ramírez for four years. Ramírez was still just a fledgling at that point, but Belle was in the prime of life with 172 home runs and 504 RBI from 1993-96. They ended up with 236 and 235 home runs, respectively, for Cleveland. And yet, Grady Sizemore might have been the best of them all if his career hadn't been derailed by injuries by the age of 26.
Toughest Omission: Shin-Soo Choo (2006-12)
In both 2009 and 2010, Choo batted at least .300 with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Had he not missed nearly all of 2007 as well as most of 2008 and 2011 due to injury, he would have presented a more compelling case.
Colorado Rockies
10 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Charlie Blackmon (2011-24), Carlos González (2009-18), Matt Holliday (2004-08, 2018) and Larry Walker (1995-2004)
Brightest Star: Larry Walker
.334/.426/.618, 258 HR, 848 RBI, 126 SB, 48.3 bWAR, 1997 NL MVP, four-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove
Walker was already pretty good with Montreal before signing with Colorado, but his career really took off with the Rockies, peaking with that 49 HR, 130 RBI, 33 SB, .366 batting average masterclass in 1997. All told from 1997-99, he triple-slashed .369/.451/.689 while winning a Gold Glove in each of those seasons. He finally made it into the Hall of Fame in his final year of eligibility.
Rounding It Out
A rare lifer in today's game, Charlie Blackmon played all 14 of his MLB seasons (four as an All-Star) with the Rockies, batting .293 with 227 home runs and 148 stolen bases. Carlos González put up similar numbers (.290, 227 and 118, respectively) in his decade with the Rox, including three All-Stars and three Gold Gloves. And in what were Matt Holliday's first five seasons in the big leagues, he hit .319 with 128 home runs, falling just shy of NL MVP in 2007.
Toughest Omission: Dante Bichette (1993-99)
Few players benefitted from the pre-humidor days of baseball in Colorado quite like Bichette did. A replacement-level player for the first five seasons of his career, Bichette was an All-Star in four of his seven seasons with the Rockies, posting a 1.031 OPS at Mile High Stadium (1993-94) and then a 1.035 mark at Coors Field. He was a disaster on defense, though, and routinely ran into trouble on the base paths, which kept him a bit shy of top four.
Detroit Tigers
11 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Curtis Granderson (2004-09), Bobby Higginson (1995-2005), Austin Jackson (2010-14) and Tony Phillips (1990-94)
Brightest Star: Curtis Granderson
.272/.344/.484, 102 HR, 299 RBI, 67 SB, 21.2 bWAR, one-time All-Star
In 2007, the Grandy Man became the still-only member of the 4x23 club in MLB history, reaching at least 23 in each of doubles, triples, home runs and stolen bases—yet wasn't named an All-Star and placed 10th in the AL MVP vote. All told, he racked up 284 extra-base hits during his six seasons with the Tigers.
Rounding It Out
Tony Phillips is probably the best player to never be named an All-Star, and he was at his best in the early 1990s with Detroit, leading the majors in runs in 1992 and leading the majors in walks in 1993. Then there's Bobby Higginson who was a constant in either left or right for a full decade, logging 500 more games than any other Tigers outfielder since 1990. And Austin Jackson almost won AL ROY in 2010, accumulating 229 extra-base hits in his 4.5 seasons in Detroit.
Toughest Omission: J.D. Martinez (2014-17)
Martinez was barely in Detroit long enough to reach the games played threshold for consideration, but he had a better OPS for his three-plus years in Detroit (.912) than he did as a regular All-Star with Boston from 2018-22 (.889). And though a lot of his MLB-best .690 slugging in 2017 came after he was traded to Arizona, it was his third straight year batting at least .300 for Detroit.
Houston Astros
12 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Moisés Alou (1998-2001), Lance Berkman (1999-2010), George Springer (2014-20) and Kyle Tucker (2018-24)
Brightest Star: Lance Berkman
.296/.410/.549, 326 HR, 1,090 RBI, 48.1 bWAR, five-time All-Star
Berkman didn't come around until about a decade after Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio got their starts with Houston, but he quickly became an indispensable member of the Killer B's. He never won an MVP, but he placed top five in a vote five times from 2001-08, averaging 33 home runs and 110 RBI with a .980 OPS during that time. Among switch hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances, only Mickey Mantle (.557) had a higher career slugging percentage than Berkman (.537).
Rounding It Out
Moisés Alou only spent three seasons with Houston, missing all of 1999 with a torn ACL, but they were three of the best seasons of his career, batting .331/.403/.585 with 95 home runs. Both George Springer and Kyle Tucker were in Houston for much longer than that, and played major parts in this franchise becoming an AL West dynasty, seeking its eighth division title in nine years.
Toughest Omission: Yordan Alvarez (2019-Present)
From a production standpoint, Air Yordan has done enough since his arrival six years ago to rank well ahead of Alou in Astros lore. But if we count Alvarez as an outfielder with just 206 career games played in the field, we'd also kind of need to put Kris Bryant (235 OF games with Cubs), Miguel Cabrera (347 OF games with Marlins) and Albert Pujols (309 OF games with Cardinals) on those Rushmores. And we're not doing that.
Kansas City Royals
13 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Carlos Beltrán (1998-2004), Lorenzo Cain (2011-17), David DeJesus (2003-10) and Alex Gordon (2007-20)
Brightest Star: Alex Gordon
.257/.338/.410, 190 HR, 749 RBI, 113 SB, 34.9 bWAR, three-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove
It's wild that Gordon won eight Gold Gloves in the outfield after spending his first three seasons in the majors exclusively in the infield. And it may have been that change of scenery that unlocked that potential for greatness that followed him as a top draft pick and top prospect, because Gordon was a borderline top 10 player in all of baseball over the course of his first four seasons as a full-time outfielder (2011-14).
Rounding It Out
Carlos Beltrán bounced around the league enough to become a viable candidate for a bunch of teams, but it was with Kansas City that he won Rookie of the Year in 1999. Lorenzo Cain almost won AL MVP in 2015, and batted .289 for his seven seasons with the Royals. David DeJesus also hit .289 for his eight seasons with the team.
Toughest Omission: Whit Merrifield (2016-22)
Merrifield was a utilityman, but also an ironman who played in 553 consecutive games. Granted, most of those were at second base and he didn't actually qualify for consideration here with 258 games played in the outfield while with Kansas City. Let's give him a shout, though, for thrice leading the league in stolen bases, twice in hits and once each in doubles and triples. In fact, he twice had 40 doubles and 40 steals in the same season (2018 and 2021).
Los Angeles Angels
14 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Darin Erstad (1996-2006), Vladimir Guerrero (2004-09), Tim Salmon (1992-2006) and Mike Trout (2011-Present)
Brightest Star: Mike Trout
.295/.408/.572, 398 HR, 1,006 RBI, 214 SB, 87.2 bWAR, three-time AL MVP, AL ROY, 11-time All-Star, 9-time Silver Slugger
It has been almost exclusively retired players as the "brightest star" up until this point, but you could combine the "with Angels" WAR of the other three Halos on this Rushmore and still not match what Trout has done in his very much ongoing career. He got to 1,000 career RBI in late July, and it's a near certainty he'll reach 400 career home runs by the end of this season. Getting the injury prone label before even turning 30 has quelled the greatest of all-time talk from early in his career, but he is already top 50 in career bWAR.
Rounding It Out
Vladimir Guerrero won AL MVP in his first season with the Angels and hit .319 over the course of that six-year run. Darin Erstad won two Gold Gloves in the outfield and had that outrageous 240-hit campaign in 2000. And Tim Salmon was the 1993 AL Rookie of the Year who somehow was never named to an All-Star Game despite a career OPS of .884.
Toughest Omission: Garret Anderson (1994-2008)
A staple in the Angels outfield for a decade and a half, Anderson logged 1,755 games in either left, right or center with the Halos. He was a .296 hitter, a three-time All-Star and had the best season of his career in the year the Angels won the World Series (2002). Had we decided to make one exception in which a franchise was allowed a fifth player on its Rushmore, it would have been this one.
Los Angeles Dodgers
15 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Cody Bellinger (2017-22), Mookie Betts (2020-Present), Matt Kemp (2006-14, 2018) and Raúl Mondesi (1993-99)
Brightest Star: Matt Kemp
.292/.348/.494, 203 HR, 733 RBI, 170 SB, 23.0 bWAR, three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove
Watching Matt Kemp at his peak was a borderline religious experience. He would have become a member of the 40/40 club in 2011 if he hadn't been intentionally walked 24 times that season. Even so, he hit .324 with 39 home runs, 126 RBI and 40 stolen bases, while leading the NL in assists by a center fielder for the third time in four seasons, no less. That he returned to LA in 2018 for a renaissance type of season with an All-Star appearance was the icing on the cake here.
Rounding It Out
Cody Bellinger's fall from Dodgers grace was mighty steep, but the 2017 NL ROY and 2019 NL MVP was all sorts of special in his early 20s. Mookie Betts has become the full-time shortstop for the Dodgers, but he logged enough games, Gold Gloves and All-Stars as an outfielder in Los Angeles that he has to be included. And Mondesi won NL ROY in 1994, was an All-Star the following season and had a 30/30 campaign with a Gold Glove in 1997.
Toughest Omissions: Andre Ethier (2006-17) and Shawn Green (2000-04)
Ethier never had a season worth more than 3.5 bWAR or fWAR, but he was solid for a long time, playing more games in the Dodgers outfield than any other player in the past 35 years—doing so with an .822 OPS. Green had an even better OPS (.876) and quite the peak with 91 home runs between 2001-02. We really wanted to pick five players for the Angels, but six would've been swell here, too.
Miami Marlins
16 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Jeff Conine (1993-97, 2003-05), Gary Sheffield (1993-98), Giancarlo Stanton (2010-17) and Christian Yelich (2013-17)
Brightest Star: Giancarlo Stanton
.268/.360/.554, 267 HR, 672 RBI, 36 SB, 35.9 bWAR, 2017 NL MVP, four-time All-Star
The real ones will remember when this was Mike Stanton destroying baseballs for the Florida Marlins. But it was after both player and team rebranded their first name that Stanton's career flourished, named an All-Star in four of his final six seasons with the Marlins. Even without his MVP campaign in 2017, he probably makes the grade for brightest star. But it was after those 59 home runs and 132 RBI that the Yankees had to have him.
Rounding It Out
Gary Sheffield was the first legitimate star of this franchise, hitting 42 home runs in 1996 and posting a 1.061 OPS during their 16-game postseason run as 1997 World Series champs. Jeff Conine was part of both the 1997 and 2003 title teams, named an All-Star in both 1994 and 1995. And though Christian Yelich's career didn't really take off until he was traded out of Miami, he gave the Marlins an .800 OPS and one Gold Glove in his five seasons there.
Toughest Omissions: Cliff Floyd (1997-2002)
Floyd was a light-hitting first baseman through his first four seasons in the majors with the Expos, but he was a bona fide slugger of an outfielder by the time he left the Marlins. In his final full season with them (2001), Floyd hit .317 with 31 home runs and was named an All-Star for the only time in his career.
Milwaukee Brewers
17 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Ryan Braun (2007-20), Carlos Gómez (2010-15), Geoff Jenkins (1998-2007) and Christian Yelich (2018-Present)
Brightest Star: Ryan Braun
.296/.358/.532, 352 HR, 1,154 RBI, 216 SB, 47.2 bWAR, 2011 NL MVP, 2007 NL ROY, six-time All-Star
Braun was a third baseman when he won his ROY, but was a full-time left-fielder while earning All-Star, Silver Slugger and MVP votes in each of the next five years. But aggressively denying taking PEDs during his MVP year and then later admitting to it really tarnished his legacy from a league-wide perspective. He sure looked like a Hall of Famer through those first six seasons in the league, though.
Rounding It Out
Christian Yelich's first two seasons with the Brewers were legendary, winning NL MVP in 2018 and falling just shy of repeating thanks to that broken kneecap from which he never fully recovered. Geoff Jenkins hit over 200 home runs in his decade with Milwaukee, peaking with an All-Star Game in 2003. Carlos Gómez amassed 66 home runs and 111 stolen bases from 2012-14, but also won a Gold Glove in 2013, ending Milwaukee's 31-year drought without such an honor.
Toughest Omissions: Jeremy Burnitz (1996-2001)
In his five full seasons with the Brewers, Burnitz averaged 32.6 home runs and 102.2 RBI, twice receiving MVP votes and once named an All-Star. He wasn't a great outfielder with 34 errors committed, but he did have a cannon that resulted in 57 outfield assists.
Minnesota Twins
18 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Byron Buxton (2015-Present), Torii Hunter (1997-2007), Max Kepler (2015-24), Kirby Puckett (1984-95)
Brightest Star: Byron Buxton
.247/.308/.482, 158 HR, 415 RBI, 112 SB, 28.7 bWAR, two-time All-Star, 2017 Gold Glove
We've spent a ton of Buxton's injury-plagued career wondering what could have been, averaging 14.4 home runs and 10.2 stolen bases per season, but 29.4 and 20.8, respectively, per 162 games played. And if he plays in a few more games this season and receives at least one vote for AL MVP—good chance both come true—he'll be 3-for-3 in the "receives MVP votes when appearing in at least 65 percent of team games" department for his career.
Rounding It Out
Of Torii Hunter's nine consecutive Gold Gloves in center field, seven (and two All-Star Games) came while with the Twins. More than half of Kirby Puckett's time with the Twins was prior to 1990, but this list would be woefully incomplete without him. And while Max Kepler was never an All-Star, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger, he was a consistently above-average player who appeared in more than 1,000 games with the Twins.
Toughest Omission: Shane Mack (1990-94)
Mack hit .309 and averaged roughly 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases in his five seasons with the Twins. The 1994 lockout derailed his career, though, spending 1995 and 1996 in Japan before an underwhelming attempt to return to the big leagues. As a result, his overall impact doesn't quite stack up with the above players who were each with the Twins for at least a decade.
New York Mets
19 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Carlos Beltrán (2005-11), Michael Conforto (2015-21), Curtis Granderson (2014-17) and Brandon Nimmo (2016-Present)
Brightest Star: Carlos Beltrán
.280/.369/.500, 149 HR, 559 RBI, 100 SB, 31.1 bWAR, five-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove
By 2030, we almost have to assume that Juan Soto will not only be on this Rushmore but as it's brightest star. For now, though, props to Beltrán, who had a three-year peak (2006-08) averaging 33.7 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 113.3 RBI while earning a Gold Glove in center each year. He almost propelled the Mets to the 2006 World Series with three home runs in that NLCS loss to the Cardinals.
Rounding It Out
Truth be told, it was slim pickens here. Jeff McNeil hasn't played enough games in the outfield. Yoenis Cespedes wasn't on the team long enough. And Darryl Strawberry's incredible run with the Mets ended in 1990. That leaves us with Michael Conforto, Curtis Granderson and Brandon Nimmo, the lone All-Star Game appearance of the bunch coming via Conforto in 2017.
Toughest Omission: Juan Lagares (2013-20)
A light-hitting center fielder with a .659 OPS in his eight seasons with the Mets, at least Lagares was a superb center fielder early in his career, earning a Gold Glove in 2014. It's the only one this franchise can claim at any position dating back to 2009.
New York Yankees
20 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Brett Gardner (2008-21), Aaron Judge (2016-Present), Paul O'Neill (1993-2001) and Bernie Williams (1991-2006)
Brightest Star: Aaron Judge
.292/.410/.611, 355 HR, 809 RBI, 61 SB, 59.4 bWAR, two-time AL MVP, 2017 AL ROY, seven-time All-Star
Only a couple of active players ended up being the brightest star on their respective Rushmore, but this one wasn't exactly a tough decision with Judge bearing down on what could be his third MVP in the past four years. During that stretch, he has a 1.106 OPS, averaging 59 home runs and 132 RBI per 162 games played. The OPS is nowhere near as ludicrous as what Barry Bonds managed during his run of four straight MVPs (1.368 from 2001-04), but the home run rate is identical (59) and the RBI rate slightly better than Bonds (124).
Rounding It Out
A total of 31 seasons passed from 1991-2021, but the only one with neither Bernie Williams nor Brett Gardner on the Yankees roster was 2007; two lifers who each amounted to a bit less than 50 bWAR for the Yankees. Paul O'Neill's run with New York was nowhere near as long, but he did bat .303 and was a four-time All-Star in his nine seasons in the Bronx.
Toughest Omission: Hideki Matsui
Godzilla did play more than enough games in left field to qualify for consideration and had one more home run (140) in his 916 games with the Yankees than Brett Gardner (139) hit in his 1,688-game career. But while Gardner provided real value with his glove, Yankees fans of a certain age might still be having nightmares about balls hit in Matsui's direction.
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Bobby Abreu (1998-2006), Lenny Dykstra (1989-96), Bryce Harper (2019-Present) and Shane Victorino (2005-12)
Brightest Star: Bobby Abreu
.303/.416/.513, 195 HR, 814 RBI, 254 SB, 47.2 bWAR, two-time All-Star, Gold Glove
Abreu was one of the most "underappreciated even in his own time" players in MLB history. In his first eight seasons with the Phillies, he amounted to 45.3 fWAR, good for fourth-most among position players during that time, behind only Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Andruw Jones. But he never finished top 10 for NL MVP and wasn't finally named an All-Star until what was his seventh consecutive season with a WAR of at least 5.0.
Rounding It Out
We're making an exception to include Bryce Harper with only 347 games played in the outfield with the Phillies, because he would have gotten to 400 had 2020 been a normal year. And once deemed eligible for the list, his 2021 NL MVP and 173 HR (and counting) made him a strong candidate for brightest star. "Nails" and "The Flyin' Hawaiian" round out the list for their several-time All-Star work in center field.
Toughest Omission: Pat Burrell (2000-08)
He struck out a ton and was often a liability in left field, but Burrell had eight consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs, ending the Phillies portion of his career with 251. He's nowhere close to Michael Jack Schmidt atop the list at 548, but 251 was good enough for fourth-most home runs in franchise history.
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Barry Bonds (1986-92), Brian Giles (1999-2003), Starling Marte (2012-19) and Andrew McCutchen (2009-17, 2023-Present)
Brightest Star: Andrew McCutchen
.281/.373/.469, 247 HR, 865 RBI, 186 SB, 42.8 bWAR, 2013 NL MVP, five-time All-Star, 2012 Gold Glove
For the vast majority of the past three decades, the Pirates have not mattered as anything more than a talent farm for the other MLB franchises. But for a hot minute there in the mid-2010s, they were a real contender, led by this MVP whose case for the Hall of Fame could be a regular debate for the next decade or more. During his four-year apex (2012-15), McCutchen triple-slashed .313/.404/.523, averaging 25 home runs, 90 RBI and 19 stolen bases per year.
Rounding It Out
Barry Bonds won NL MVP in both 1990 and 1992 with the Pirates and just barely missed it the year in between, but "Cutch" had quite the peak, too, and way more seasons with the team. Brian Giles hit at least 35 home runs in each of his first four years with Pittsburgh, generating MVP votes in each year. Starling Marte won two Gold Gloves and stole 239 bases for the Pirates.
Toughest Omission: Andy Van Slyke (1987-94)
From 1987-92, the Bonds and Van Slyke show was some kind of awesome, carrying Pittsburgh to three consecutive heartbreaking losses in the 1990-92 NLCS. Two of Van Slyke's three best seasons came in the pre-1990 portion of that window, though, so Marte edged him out for the last spot.
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Brian Giles (2003-09), Tony Gwynn (1982-2001), Ryan Klesko (2000-06) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (2019-Present)
Brightest Star: Tony Gwynn
.343/.388/.475, 90 HR, 722 RBI, 98 SB, 33.6 bWAR, 10-time All-Star, four-time batting champ, two-time Gold Glove (stats from 1990 onward)
Gwynn's most productive years came in the 1984-87 timeframe, but even excluding his pre-1990 stats wasn't enough to make this a close call in the slightest. Before his age-30 season, he was a .332 hitter who averaged one strikeout for every 19.4 trips to the plate. From 1990-2001, though, he hit .343 and struck out once for every 28.4 plate appearances. Mr. Padre aged like the finest of wines, and we lost him far too soon.
Rounding It Out
Originally a shortstop, Fernando Tatis Jr. is going to hit 400 games played in the outfield within the next couple of weeks and already has a Gold Glove (2023) to his name. Ryan Klesko had 85 home runs and 300 RBI within his first three seasons in San Diego, named an All-Star in 2001. And though Brian Giles' best work came with the Pirates, he gave the Padres a solid .815 OPS in his age-32 through age-38 campaigns.
Toughest Omission: Steve Finley (1995-98)
Finley only spent four seasons with the Padres, but he was an All-Star in one of them, a Gold Glover in two of the others and San Diego made it to the World Series in the fourth.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Barry Bonds (1993-2007), Hunter Pence (2012-18, 2020), Randy Winn (2005-09), Mike Yastrzemski (2019-25)
Brightest Star: Barry Bonds
.312/.477/.666, 586 HR, 1,440 RBI, 263 SB, 112.5 bWAR, five-time NL MVP, 12-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove
The fact that MLB's all-time leader in home runs, walks, bWAR and MVP trophies isn't in the Hall of Fame says all you need to know about Bonds' general-public perception in hindsight. But in the moment? Before all the steroids allegations? Holy cow was he fun to watch. Bonds got to 762 home runs, but he would've eclipsed 800 with plenty of room to spare if he hadn't been intentionally walked 688 times in his career.
Rounding It Out
Had we opted to rank these 30 Rushmores instead of just listing them in alphabetical order, I would've had no clue what to do with the Giants, who bring a whole lot of nothing to the table beyond the best-but-most-controversial outfielder of them all. Hunter Pence did have an All-Star season in 2014, Randy Winn did bat .290 and Mike Yastrzemski did have a legendary last name.
Toughest Omission: Andrés Torres (2009-11, 2013)
Technically, he fell just shy of eligibility with 396 games played in the outfield with the Giants. But Torres had quite the out-of-nowhere peak at 32 in 2010, hitting as many home runs that year (16) as he did in his other eight seasons combined, and racking up 16 postseason hits during San Francisco's run to winning the 2010 World Series.
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Jay Buhner (1988-2001), Ken Griffey Jr. (1989-99, 2009-10), Julio Rodríguez (2022-Present) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001-12, 2018-19)
Brightest Star: Ken Griffey Jr.
.292/.374/.553, 417 HR, 1,216 RBI, 167 SB, 70.6 bWAR, 1997 AL MVP, 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove
Kids these days have Fortnite and Minecraft, but if you grew up on a gaming diet of Ken Griffey Jr. presents Major League Baseball, you are officially my people. Make sure to stretch your lower back and drink plenty of water today as you reminisce about the sweetest swing in baseball history and the reason you possibly still wear your hat backwards to this day. Junior was an icon who was going to be the greatest of all-time until his body started to break down at 30.
Rounding It Out
Ichiro Suzuki was an All-Star and a Gold Glove recipient in each of his first 10 seasons with the Mariners. As legendary as Griffey was, there's a case to be made for Ichiro as the brightest star here. Jay Buhner was nowhere near the defensive asset that Griffey and Ichiro were, but he did club 307 home runs in his 14 seasons with Seattle. And time will tell if Julio Rodríguez can make a run to the top of this list, but he's definitely out to a nice start with four straight 20/20 campaigns.
Toughest Omission: Mike Cameron (2000-03)
Seattle was the longest and most noteworthy stop of Cameron's journeyman career, giving the Mariners 87 home runs, 106 stolen bases and standout defense in center right at the turn of the century. He was a massive part of that 116-win juggernaut in 2001.
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Jim Edmonds (2000-07), Matt Holliday (2009-16), Brian Jordan (1992-98) and Ray Lankford (1990-2001, 2004)
Brightest Star: Jim Edmonds
.285/.393/.555, 241 HR, 713 RBI, 37 SB, 37.9 bWAR, six-time Gold Glove, three-time All-Star
It's kind of hard to believe Edmonds was only in St. Louis for eight years, but he sure was something for the first six of those, averaging 35 home runs with a .989 OPS and securing a Gold Glove in all six years. He also played in 61 postseason games during the Cardinals portion of his career, swatting 13 home runs and contributing to a World Series title in 2006.
Rounding It Out
Quite a few legendary players have passed through the Cardinals clubhouse, but would you believe the only one with at least 150 HR and 150 SB while with the team is Ray Lankford, at 228 and 250, respectively? He was only an All-Star once (1997), but he had some run in St. Louis. Matt Holliday was a four-time All-Star in St. Louis with an .874 OPS. Brian Jordan had an .813 OPS in his seven seasons there.
Toughest Omission: J.D. Drew (1998-2003)
Drew was the No. 5 overall pick in the 1998 draft, making it to the big leagues three months later and hitting .417 with five home runs in his 14 games as a September call-up. He never quite lived up to that impossible hype after that, but he was solid for the Cardinals over the subsequent five seasons.
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Randy Arozarena (2020-24), Carl Crawford (2002-10), Kevin Kiermaier (2013-22) and Ben Zobrist (2006-14)
Brightest Star: Carl Crawford
.296/.337/.444, 104 HR, 592 RBI, 409 SB, 35.6 bWAR, four-time All-Star, 2010 Gold Glove
To the Red Sox and Dodgers, Crawford was a rather colossal waste of $142M. But in his age-21 through age-28 seasons with Tampa Bay, he was just about the most valuable player in baseball not named Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez, averaging 50 stolen bases and better than 50 extra-base hits per season.
Rounding It Out
For the most part, we focused on regular season accolades, but Randy Arozarena was close enough to top four to have that absurd, 10-HR run through the 2020 postseason boost him ahead of our forthcoming toughest omission. Kevin Kiermaier was never much of a hitter, but he did win three Gold Gloves in center. And though Ben Zobrist just barely qualifies with 404 games played in the outfield with Tampa Bay, the ultimate utilityman was maybe the biggest piece of this franchise's transformation from perpetual doormat to annual contender.
Toughest Omission: B.J. Upton (2004-12)
Upton had three 20/20 campaigns with Tampa Bay, averaging 18.8 home runs and 36.2 stolen bases over his final six years there. But he was never an All-Star, and save for delivering seven home runs during the 2018 postseason, never much lived up to the hype of being taken No. 2 overall in 2002 as a 17-year-old phenom.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Nelson Cruz (2006-13), Juan González (1989-99, 2002-03), Rusty Greer (1994-2002) and Josh Hamilton (2008-12, 2015)
Brightest Star: Juan González
.293/.342/.565, 372 HR, 1,180 RBI, 24 SB, 31.9 bWAR, two-time AL MVP, two-time All-Star.
From 1992-98, González hit at least 42 home runs in five out of seven seasons, driving in more total runs (826) than all players in baseball not named Albert Belle. Between his two MVP seasons (1996 and 1998), Juan Gone hit 92 home runs with 301 RBI, and that's not even including the five home runs he hit in the 1996 ALDS against the Yankees—which Texas still managed to lose in four games.
Rounding It Out
Rusty Greer only played nine seasons in the majors, batting .305 for the Rangers. Nelson Cruz was almost exclusively a DH for the latter decade of his career, but he was the regular right fielder for the Rangers when he first started to blossom into a professional slugger. Speaking of sluggers, Josh Hamilton's rise to stardom sure was something, winning AL MVP in 2010 and mashing 43 home runs in 2012.
Toughest Omission: Shin-Soo Choo (2014-20)
Choo was already 31, almost 32 by the time he played his first game with Texas, but he still had a good amount left in the tank, averaging 156 hits and 23 home runs per 162 games played in those final seven seasons. He was even named an All-Star in 2018.
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
Mount Rushmore: José Bautista (2008-17), Joe Carter (1991-97), Vernon Wells (1999-2010) and Devon White (1991-95)
Brightest Star: José Bautista
.253/.372/.506, 288 HR, 766 RBI, 56 SB, 38.4 bWAR, six-time All-Star
From 2004-08, Joey Bats was more like Joey Whiffs, amounting to a negative-2.9 bWAR while playing for five different teams, averaging 35.5 plate appearances per home run. From 2010-15, however, Bautista was the best slugger in the game, hitting a home run every 15.9 trips to the plate. Bonus points for helping normalize bat flips in MLB.
Rounding It Out
Wins Above Replacement never much cared for Joe Carter, but he was a five-time All-Star who hit 203 regular-season home runs for the Blue Jays, as well as one of the most iconic World Series moments ever. Got to have him on the list. Vernon Wells, too, with three Gold Gloves, three All-Star Games and an .804 OPS in 12 seasons with Toronto. And give us Devon White to round out the list, who averaged 14 home runs and 25 stolen bases while earning a Gold Glove in each of his five seasons with the Blue Jays.
Toughest Omission: Álex Ríos (2004-09)
Ríos was an All-Star in both 2006 and 2007 and maybe should have been in 2008, too, amassing 56 home runs, 64 stolen bases and 200 extra base hits during that three-year stretch. And though he never won a Gold Glove, he was quite valuable in right field.
Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos
30 of 30
Mount Rushmore: Vladimir Guerrero (1996-2003), Bryce Harper (2012-18), Juan Soto (2018-22) and Larry Walker (1989-94)
Brightest Star: Vladimir Guerrero
.323/.390/.588, 234 HR, 702 RBI, 123 SB, 34.7 bWAR, four-time All-Star
Vladimir Guerrero never met a pitch he didn't like, nor a ballpark that could contain his absolute cannon of an arm in right field. He hit 38 home runs in his first full season in the big leagues, en route to 449 in his Hall of Fame career. He also went for 73 home runs and 77 stolen bases between the 2001 and 2002 seasons, just tantalizingly close to the 40/40 club without quite getting there.
Rounding It Out
What a who's who of players the Expos/Nationals couldn't keep beyond their initial years of team control. Both Bryce Harper and Larry Walker walked in free agency, becoming franchise cornerstones elsewhere, and the Nats decided to not even wait that long on Juan Soto, trading him away with 2.5 years of control remaining. The trio combined for 402 home runs with their original squads, though.
Toughest Omission: Jayson Werth (2011-17)
Werth was symbolically the beginning of this franchise being done with embracing the NL East basement, giving him a $126M contract. Only two of his seven seasons in the nation's capital were particularly productive, though, and it wasn't until two years after he left that they finally won a postseason series.
