Every MLB Team's Mt. Rushmore of Incredible Individual Seasons Since 1990
The Mt. Rushmore prompt always sparks some great debate in the sports community.
Generally, the idea is to name a team's four greatest players or the ones who would belong on a hypothetical monument carved in the franchise's honor.
This time around, we're doing things a bit differently.
Starting with the 1990 season, we've selected the four best individual single-season performances for all 30 MLB teams. That window spans the early 1990s when small ball still reigned supreme, through the height of the Steroid Era, and up to the present day.
A few quick parameters before we get started:
- One spot per player: Each player could only appear on his team's Mt. Rushmore once. Otherwise, you'd have four Barry Bonds heads in San Francisco and four Albert Pujols heads in St. Louis, and that's no fun.
- At least one hitter and pitcher per team: For the sake of recognizing both sides of the game, each team had to have at least one position player and at least one pitcher. That was less than ideal for the Colorado Rockies, but we'll get to that later.
- Regular season only: We're strictly looking at regular-season performance here, so a strong playoff showing did not have any impact on who was chosen. Remember that, Red Sox fans.
All of that make sense? Off we go!
AL East
1 of 6
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Cal Ripken Jr. (1991): 162 OPS+, 85 XBH (34 HR), 114 RBI, 11.5 WAR
Mike Mussina (1992): 157 ERA+, 18-5, 2.54 ERA, 130 K, 241.0 IP, 8.2 WAR
Brady Anderson (1996): 156 OPS+, 92 XBH (50 HR), 110 RBI, 21 SB, 6.9 WAR
Chris Davis (2013): 168 OPS+, 96 XBH (53 HR), 138 RBI, 7.1 WAR
Notable Snubs: Chris Hoiles (1993), Rafael Palmeiro (1998), Miguel Tejada (2004), Brian Roberts (2005), Manny Machado (2015)
The 11.5-WAR season that Cal Ripken Jr. posted in 1991 was the highest single-season WAR total of the 1990s for a position player. It won him his second AL MVP award and makes him the only no-doubter in Baltimore, while the other three spots are up for grabs.
BOSTON RED SOX
Roger Clemens (1990): 211 ERA+, 21-6, 1.93 ERA, 209 K, 228.1 IP, 10.4 WAR
Nomar Garciaparra (2000): 156 OPS+, 75 XBH (21 HR), 96 RBI, 7.4 WAR
Pedro Martinez (2000): 291 ERA+, 18-6, 1.74 ERA, 284 K, 217.0 IP, 11.7 WAR
Mookie Betts (2018): 186 OPS+, 84 XBH (32 HR), 80 RBI, 30 SB, 10.7 WAR
Notable Snubs: Manny Ramirez (2002), David Ortiz (2006), Dustin Pedroia (2008), Jacoby Ellsbury (2011), Chris Sale (2017)
It feels wrong not having David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez chiseled into Boston's mountain, but it's also easy to forget just how dynamic Nomar Garciaparra was when he first broke into the league. The other three spots feel like locks, but that fourth is definitely up for debate.
NEW YORK YANKEES
Andy Pettitte (1997): 156 ERA+, 18-7, 2.88 ERA, 166 K, 240.1 IP, 8.4 WAR
Derek Jeter (1999): 153 OPS+, 70 XBH (24 HR), 102 RBI, 19 SB, 8.0 WAR
Alex Rodriguez (2007): 176 OPS+, 85 XBH (54 HR), 156 RBI, 24 SB, 9.4 WAR
Aaron Judge (2017): 171 OPS+, 79 XBH (52 HR), 114 RBI, 8.0 WAR
Notable Snubs: Mariano Rivera (1996), Bernie Williams (1998), Mike Mussina (2001), Jason Giambi (2002), Curtis Granderson (2011), Robinson Cano (2012)
The toughest omission for the Yankees was Mariano Rivera's breakout 1996 season setting up John Wetteland in the Yankees bullpen. He had eight wins, five saves, 26 holds and a 2.09 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 107.2 innings for a rare 5-WAR bullpen season.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Carlos Pena (2007): 172 OPS+, 76 XBH (46 HR), 121 RBI, 7.2 WAR
James Shields (2011): 134 ERA+, 16-12, 2.82 ERA, 225 K, 249.1 IP, 5.8 WAR
David Price (2012): 150 ERA+, 20-5, 2.56 ERA, 205 K, 211.0 IP, 6.6 WAR
Blake Snell (2018): 217 ERA+, 21-5, 1.89 ERA, 221 K, 180.2 IP, 7.1 WAR
Notable Snubs: Fred McGriff (1999), Scott Kazmir (2007), Ben Zobrist (2009), Evan Longoria (2010)
Not surprisingly, the Rays list of candidates skews heavily toward the pitching side of things. Cy Young winners David Price and Blake Snell were easy choices, while workhorse James Shields claimed the final spot on the strength of 11 complete games and four shutouts in 33 starts in 2011.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Roger Clemens (1997): 222 ERA+, 21-7, 2.05 ERA, 292 K, 264.0 IP, 11.9 WAR
Jose Bautista (2011): 182 OPS+, 69 XBH (43 HR), 103 RBI, 8.3 WAR
Josh Donaldson (2015): 151 OPS+, 84 XBH (41 HR), 123 RBI, 7.1 WAR
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2021): 169 OPS+, 78 XBH (48 HR), 111 RBI, 6.8 WAR
Notable Snubs: John Olerud (1993), Pat Hentgen (1996), Carlos Delgado (2000), Roy Halladay (2003), Marcus Semien (2021)
Leaving off Cy Young winners Pat Hentgen and Roy Halladay in favor of huge offensive seasons from Jose Bautista and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is debatable. However, it was John Olerud's 1993 season that was the toughest omission. He hit .363/.473/.599 for a 186 OPS+, helping lead the Blue Jays to a World Series title in the process.
AL Central
2 of 6
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Frank Thomas (1994): 212 OPS+, 73 XBH (38 HR), 101 RBI, 6.4 WAR
Albert Belle (1998): 172 OPS+, 99 XBH (49 HR), 152 RBI, 7.1 WAR
Jose Abreu (2014): 173 OPS+, 73 XBH (36 HR), 107 RBI, 5.8 WAR
Chris Sale (2015): 114 ERA+, 13-11, 3.41 ERA, 274 K, 208.2 IP, 3.4 WAR
Notable Snubs: Jack McDowell (1993), Esteban Loaiza (2003), Jermaine Dye (2006), Jim Thome (2006), Paul Konerko (2010)
Frank Thomas hit .353/.487/.729 with 38 home runs in 113 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season. That could have been an all-time great year with another month of production. Chris Sale's franchise record strikeout season gets the nod over 20-game winner Esteban Loaiza and Cy Young winner Jack McDowell.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Albert Belle (1995): 177 OPS+, 103 XBH (50 HR), 126 RBI, 7.0 WAR
Jim Thome (2002): 197 OPS+, 73 XBH (52 HR), 118 RBI, 7.4 WAR
Cliff Lee (2008): 167 ERA+, 22-3, 2.54 ERA, 170 K, 223.1 IP, 6.8 WAR
Corey Kluber (2017): 202 ERA+, 18-4, 2.25 ERA, 265 K, 203.2 IP, 7.9 WAR
Notable Snubs: Kenny Lofton (1993), Manny Ramirez (2000), Roberto Alomar (2001), Travis Hafner (2006), CC Sabathia (2007), Jose Ramirez (2018), Shane Bieber (2020)
Albert Belle finishing second to Mo Vaughn in 1995 AL MVP voting is one of the biggest award snubs in recent MLB history. The toughest decision here might have been which of Corey Kluber's Cy Young seasons should represent his spot on the monument.
DETROIT TIGERS
Cecil Fielder (1990): 167 OPS+, 77 XBH (51 HR), 132 RBI, 6.5 WAR
Justin Verlander (2011): 172 ERA+, 24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250 K, 251.0 IP, 8.6 WAR
Miguel Cabrera (2012): 164 OPS+, 84 XBH (44 HR), 139 RBI, 7.1 WAR
Max Scherzer (2013): 144 ERA+, 21-3, 2.90 ERA, 240 K, 214.1 IP, 6.5 WAR
Notable Snubs: Justin Thompson (1997), Curtis Granderson (2007), Magglio Ordonez (2007), Anibal Sanchez (2013)
The final spot for Detroit came down to Cecil Fielder's 51-homer breakout season in 1990 or Curtis Granderson's extra-base hit bonanza in 2007 when he had 38 doubles, 23 triples, 23 home runs and 26 steals. Fielder gets the nod for MLB's first 50-homer season since George Foster in 1977.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Kevin Appier (1993): 179 ERA+, 18-8, 2.56 ERA, 186 K, 238.2 IP, 9.3 WAR
Carlos Beltran (2001): 123 OPS+, 68 XBH (24 HR), 101 RBI, 31 SB, 6.5 WAR
Zack Greinke (2009): 205 ERA+, 16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 K, 229.1 IP, 10.4 WAR
Salvador Perez (2021): 126 OPS+, 72 XBH (48 HR), 121 RBI, 5.3 WAR
Notable Snubs: David Cone (1994), Johnny Damon (2000), Mike Sweeney (2002), Alex Gordon (2011), Lorenzo Cain (2015), Jorge Soler (2019)
Is there a more underrated 1990s player than Kevin Appier? He led the AL in ERA (2.56), ERA+ (179) and WAR (9.3) in 1993, and he had three other 5-WAR seasons during his time with the Royals. If only the Royals had the money to keep Carlos Beltran around for longer.
MINNESOTA TWINS
Kirby Puckett (1992): 139 OPS+, 61 XBH (19 HR), 110 RBI, 17 SB, 7.1 WAR
Chuck Knoblauch (1996): 143 OPS+, 62 XBH (13 HR), 72 RBI, 45 SB, 8.7 WAR
Johan Santana (2004): 182 ERA+, 20-6, 2.61 ERA, 265 K, 228.0 IP, 8.7 WAR
Joe Mauer (2009): 171 OPS+, 59 XBH (28 HR), 96 RBI, 7.8 WAR
Notable Snubs: Scott Erickson (1990), Brad Radke (1997), Justin Morneau (2006), Brian Dozier (2016), Nelson Cruz (2019)
Picking Kirby Puckett and Chuck Knoblauch over Justin Morneau's MVP-winning season is likely to ruffle some feathers. However, his 4.3 WAR that season is tied for 31st among Twins position players since 1990, making it difficult to slot that in as a monument-worthy performance.
AL West
3 of 6
HOUSTON ASTROS
Jeff Bagwell (1994): 213 OPS+, 73 XBH (39 HR), 116 RBI, 8.2 WAR
Roger Clemens (2005): 226 ERA+, 13-8, 1.87 ERA, 185 K, 211.1 IP, 7.8 WAR
Jose Altuve (2017): 160 OPS+, 67 XBH (24 HR), 81 RBI, 32 SB, 7.7 WAR
Justin Verlander (2019): 179 ERA+, 21-6, 2.58 ERA, 300 K, 223.0 IP, 7.4 WAR
Notable Snubs: Craig Biggio (1997), Mike Hampton (1999), Richard Hidalgo (2000), Roy Oswalt (2002), Andy Pettitte (2005), Lance Berkman (2006), Dallas Keuchel (2015), Alex Bregman (2019), Gerrit Cole (2019)
Another player who had a career year cut short by the '94 strike, Jeff Bagwell hit .368/.451/.750 with 32 doubles, 39 home runs and 116 RBI in 110 games to win NL MVP honors. There is a case to be made for Alex Bregman's 2019 season being more deserving than Jose Altuve's MVP-winning performance.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Darin Erstad (2000): 137 OPS+, 70 XBH (25 HR), 100 RBI, 28 SB, 8.3 WAR
Vladimir Guerrero (2004): 157 OPS+, 80 XBH (39 HR), 126 RBI, 5.6 WAR
Mike Trout (2016): 173 OPS+, 66 XBH (29 HR), 100 RBI, 30 SB, 10.5 WAR
Shohei Ohtani (2021): 158 OPS+, 46 HR, 141 ERA+, 130.1 IP, 9.1 WAR
Notable Snubs: Chuck Finley (1990), Jim Abbott (1991), Tim Salmon (1995), Troy Glaus (2000), Bartolo Colon (2005), John Lackey (2007)
Darin Erstad racked up 240 hits during the 2000 season, tied for the most since 1930 at the time, hitting .355/.409/.541 while also winning a Gold Glove in the outfield after spending the bulk of his career to that point playing first base. Yes, it was cheating a bit using Shohei Ohtani for our pitcher slot.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Bob Welch (1990): 125 ERA+, 27-6, 2.95 ERA, 127 K, 238.0 IP, 2.9 WAR
Rickey Henderson (1990): 189 OPS+, 64 XBH (28 HR), 119 R, 65 SB, 9.9 WAR
Mark McGwire (1996): 196 OPS+, 73 XBH (52 HR), 113 RBI, 6.4 WAR
Jason Giambi (2001): 199 OPS+, 87 XBH (38 HR), 120 RBI, 9.2 WAR
Notable Snubs: Dave Stewart (1990), Dennis Eckersley (1992), Eric Chavez (2001), Mark Mulder (2001), Miguel Tejada (2002), Barry Zito (2002), Tim Hudson (2003), Matt Chapman (2019), Marcus Semien (2019), Matt Olson (2021)
Say what you will about pitcher wins, but we'll likely never see another 27-win season like the one that Bob Welch had in 1990. Both Mark McGwire (116 BB, 112 K) and Jason Giambi (129 BB, 83 K) had more walks than strikeouts in their monument seasons, bucking the trend of the traditional swing-and-miss slugger.
SEATTLE MARINERS
Randy Johnson (1995): 193 ERA+, 18-2, 2.48 ERA, 294 K, 214.1 IP, 8.6 WAR
Alex Rodriguez (1996): 161 OPS+, 91 XBH (36 HR), 123 RBI, 36 SB, 9.4 WAR
Ken Griffey Jr. (1997): 165 OPS+, 93 XBH (56 HR), 147 RBI, 9.1 WAR
Ichiro Suzuki (2004): 130 OPS+, 37 XBH (8 HR), 262 H, 36 SB, 9.2 WAR
Notable Snubs: Edgar Martinez (1995), Bret Boone (2001), Felix Hernandez (2010), Robinson Cano (2016)
It was really never a question of which four players would be the picks for the Seattle Mariners, just a matter of nailing down which season was their best. The toughest omissions were Felix Hernandez's Cy Young campaign in 2010 and Edgar Martinez's .356/.479/.628 line and 185 OPS+ in 1995.
TEXAS RANGERS
Ivan Rodriguez (1999): 125 OPS+, 65 XBH (35 HR), 113 RBI, 25 SB, 6.4 WAR
Alex Rodriguez (2001): 160 OPS+, 87 XBH (52 HR), 135 RBI, 8.3 WAR
Josh Hamilton (2010): 170 OPS+, 75 XBH (32 HR), 100 RBI, 8.7 WAR
Yu Darvish (2013): 145 ERA+, 13-9, 2.83 ERA, 277 K, 209.2 IP, 5.6 WAR
Notable Snubs: Ken Hill (1996), Juan Gonzalez (1998), Rafael Palmeiro (1999), Mark Teixeira (2005), Adrian Beltre (2012)
The Rangers were one of the tougher teams to nail down, especially when it came to filling the pitcher slot, with Darvish getting the nod for his AL-leading 277 strikeouts in 2013. Alex Rodriguez won his MVP award in 2003, but his best overall season statistically was actually his Rangers debut in 2001.
.png?w=256)
NL East
4 of 6
ATLANTA BRAVES
Greg Maddux (1995): 260 ERA+, 19-2, 1.63 ERA, 181 K, 209.2 IP, 9.7 WAR
Chipper Jones (1999): 169 OPS+, 87 XBH (45 HR), 110 RBI, 25 SB, 6.9 WAR
Javy Lopez (2003): 169 OPS+, 75 XBH (43 HR), 109 RBI, 6.8 WAR
Ronald Acuna Jr. (2019): 121 OPS+, 65 XBH (41 HR), 101 RBI, 37 SB, 5.1 WAR
Notable Snubs: David Justice (1993), John Smoltz (1996), Denny Neagle (1997), Tom Glavine (1998), Gary Sheffield (2003), Andruw Jones (2005), Freddie Freeman (2020)
The excitement that a 21-year-old Ronald Acuna Jr. generated with his run at a 40-40 season in 2019 was enough to earn him the final spot over Cy Young-winning seasons from John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, as well as a 51-homer campaign from Andruw Jones.
MIAMI MARLINS
Kevin Brown (1996): 215 ERA+, 17-11, 1.89 ERA, 159 K, 7.9 WAR
Gary Sheffield (1996): 189 OPS+, 76 XBH (42 HR), 120 RBI, 5.9 WAR
Jose Fernandez (2013): 176 ERA+, 12-6, 2.19 ERA, 187 K, 172.2 IP, 6.7 WAR
Giancarlo Stanton (2017): 169 OPS+, 91 XBH (59 HR), 132 RBI, 7.9 WAR
Notable Snubs: Dontrelle Willis (2005), Hanley Ramirez (2009), Josh Johnson (2010), Sandy Alcantara (2021)
Kevin Brown was one of only four pitchers to post an ERA+ north of 200 during the 1990s, joining Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez, who did it twice each. His runner-up finish to John Smoltz in Cy Young balloting that year is one of the biggest award snubs of the decade.
NEW YORK METS
Carlos Beltran (2006): 150 OPS+, 80 XBH (41 HR), 116 RBI, 18 SB, 8.2 WAR
R.A. Dickey (2012): 139 ERA+, 20-6, 2.73 ERA, 230 K, 233.2 IP, 5.7 WAR
Jacob deGrom (2018): 218 ERA+, 10-9, 1.70 ERA, 269 K, 217.0 IP, 9.9 WAR
Pete Alonso (2019): 147 OPS+, 85 XBH (53 HR), 120 RBI, 5.5 WAR
Notable Snubs: Frank Viola (1990), Lance Johnson (1996), Al Leiter (1998), Mike Piazza (2000), David Wright (2007)
It seems strange not having Mike Piazza or David Wright on the Mets mountain, but the most difficult omission in terms of single-season performance might have been Lance Johnson. The speedy center fielder hit .333/.362/.479 with 227 hits, 31 doubles, 21 triples and 50 stolen bases in 1996 while striking out just 40 times in 724 plate appearances.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Ryan Howard (2006): 167 OPS+, 84 XBH (58 HR), 149 RBI, 5.2 WAR
Jimmy Rollins (2007): 119 OPS+, 88 XBH (30 HR), 94 RBI, 41 SB, 6.1 WAR
Roy Halladay (2010): 163 ERA+, 19-6, 2.35 ERA, 220 K, 233.2 IP, 8.8 WAR
Bryce Harper (2021): 179 OPS+, 78 XBH (35 HR), 84 RBI, 5.9 WAR
Notable Snubs: Darren Daulton (1992), Scott Rolen (1998), Jim Thome (2003), Bobby Abreu (2004), Chase Utley (2008), Aaron Nola (2018)
There were some tough omissions for the Phillies, with Aaron Nola's 10.2-WAR season in 2018 and several viable Chase Utley seasons atop the list of biggest snubs. That said, with Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Bryce Harper all winning MVP honors and Roy Halladay taking home Cy Young, it's hard to justify bumping anyone.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Pedro Martinez (1997): 219 ERA+, 17-8, 1.90 ERA, 305 K, 241.1 IP, 9.0 WAR
Vladimir Guerrero (2002): 160 OPS+, 78 XBH (39 HR), 111 RBI, 40 SB, 7.1 WAR
Bryce Harper (2015): 198 OPS+, 81 XBH (42 HR), 99 RBI, 9.7 WAR
Max Scherzer (2018): 168 ERA+, 18-7, 2.53 ERA, 300 K, 220.2 IP, 8.4 WAR
Notable Snubs: Dennis Martinez (1991), Alfonso Soriano (2006), Ryan Zimmerman (2009), Anthony Rendon (2019), Stephen Strasburg (2019), Juan Soto (2021)
It was difficult to leave off Alfonso Soriano's 46-homer, 41-steal season in his only year with the Nationals, but who do you bump? It also feels like a disservice leaving Mr. National Ryan Zimmerman out of the mix, though his impact on the franchise is more cumulative than a single-season peak.
NL Central
5 of 6
CHICAGO CUBS
Greg Maddux (1992): 166 ERA+, 20-11, 2.18 ERA, 199 K, 268.0 IP, 9.1 WAR
Sammy Sosa (2001): 203 OPS+, 105 XBH (64 HR), 160 RBI, 10.3 WAR
Derrek Lee (2005): 174 OPS+, 99 XBH (46 HR), 107 RBI, 7.7 WAR
Jake Arrieta (2015): 215 ERA+, 22-6, 1.77 ERA, 236 K, 229.0 IP, 8.3 WAR
Notable Snubs: Ryne Sandberg (1990), Rick Wilkins (1993), Kerry Wood (1998), Mark Prior (2003), Aramis Ramirez (2004), Kris Bryant (2016), Javier Baez (2018)
Derrek Lee had better numbers in 2005 than 2016 NL MVP winner Kris Bryant did across the board, and it's not particularly close. There's also no question it should be the 2001 season for Sammy Sosa, despite the national fanfare surrounding his 66-homer season in 1998.
CINCINNATI REDS
Jose Rijo (1993): 162 ERA+, 14-9, 2.48 ERA, 227 K, 257.1 IP, 9.2 WAR
Barry Larkin (1996): 155 OPS+, 69 XBH (33 HR), 89 RBI, 36 SB, 7.2 WAR
Johnny Cueto (2014): 163 ERA+, 20-9, 2.25 ERA, 242 K, 243.2 IP, 6.6 WAR
Joey Votto (2010): 171 OPS+, 75 XBH (37 HR), 113 RBI, 7.0 WAR
Notable Snubs: Reggie Sanders (1995), Sean Casey (1999), Ken Griffey Jr. (2000), Bronson Arroyo (2006), Aaron Harang (2007)
With career highs in WAR (7.2), OPS+ (155), home runs (33) and RBI (89), Larkin's best season came in 1996, despite the fact that he won NL MVP in 1995. Hard-throwing Jose Rijo led the National League in strikeouts (227) and WAR (9.2) in 1993 when he finished fifth in Cy Young balloting.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Prince Fielder (2009): 166 OPS+, 84 XBH (46 HR), 141 RBI, 6.3 WAR
Ryan Braun (2011): 166 OPS+, 77 XBH (33 HR), 111 RBI, 33 SB, 7.7 WAR
Christian Yelich (2019): 179 OPS+, 76 XBH (44 HR), 97 RBI, 30 SB, 7.0 WAR
Corbin Burnes (2021): 176 ERA+, 11-5, 2.43 ERA, 234 K, 167.0 IP, 5.6 WAR
Notable Snubs: Paul Molitor (1991), Richie Sexson (2003), Ben Sheets (2004), Carlos Gomez (2013), Brandon Woodruff (2021)
Leaving Ben Sheets off the Brewers monument is tough. He had a 2.70 ERA and 264 strikeouts in 237 innings for a 94-loss Brewers team in 2004, and despite his short peak he still stands as arguably the best homegrown pitcher in franchise history.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Doug Drabek (1990): 131 ERA+, 22-6, 2.76 ERA, 131 K, 231.1 IP, 4.2 WAR
Barry Bonds (1992): 204 OPS+, 75 XBH (34 HR), 103 RBI, 39 SB, 9.0 WAR
Brian Giles (2002): 177 OPS+, 80 XBH (38 HR), 103 RBI, 5.3 WAR
Andrew McCutchen (2013): 157 OPS+, 64 XBH (21 HR), 84 RBI, 27 SB, 7.8 WAR
Notable Snubs: Andy Van Slyke (1992), Oliver Perez (2004), Freddy Sanchez (2006), Bryan Reynolds (2021)
With two MVP winners (Barry Bonds and Andrew McCutchen) and one Cy Young winner (Doug Drabek), the Pirates' picks were as straightforward as any team. The biggest question was which of Bonds' seasons would get the nod, as he won NL MVP in a Pirates uniform in 1990 and 1992.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Mark McGwire (1998): 216 OPS+, 91 XBH (70 HR), 147 RBI, 7.5 WAR
Chris Carpenter (2005): 150 ERA+, 21-5, 2.83 ERA, 213 K, 241.2 IP, 5.8 WAR
Albert Pujols (2009): 189 OPS+, 93 XBH (47 HR), 135 RBI, 16 SB, 9.7 WAR
Adam Wainwright (2010): 160 ERA+, 20-11, 2.42 ERA, 213 K, 230.1 IP, 6.2 WAR
Notable Snubs: Bob Tewksbury (1992), Ray Lankford (1998), Jim Edmonds (2004), Scott Rolen (2004), Yadier Molina (2012), Matt Carpenter (2013)
Deciding which Adam Wainwright season to use between 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014 was difficult, as was whether or not he should even be occupying a spot ahead of Scott Rolen's 9.2-WAR season in 2008 and Yadier Molina's career year in 2012. How scary was that 2004 Cardinals lineup?
NL West
6 of 6
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Luis Gonzalez (2001): 174 OPS+, 100 XBH (57 HR), 142 RBI, 7.9 WAR
Randy Johnson (2001): 188 ERA+, 21-6, 2.49 ERA, 372 K, 249.2 IP, 10.1 WAR
Curt Schilling (2001): 157 ERA+, 22-6, 2.98 ERA, 293 K, 256.2 IP, 8.8 WAR
Paul Goldschmidt (2015): 168 OPS+, 73 XBH (33 HR), 110 RBI, 21 SB, 8.3 WAR
Notable Snubs: Brandon Webb (2006), Dan Haren (2009), Justin Upton (2011), Ketel Marte (2019)
It's only fitting that the 2001 D-backs team would be so well-represented on their Mt. Rushmore. Co-aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling finished 1-2 in Cy Young voting that year, while slugger Luis Gonzalez was third in NL MVP voting.
COLORADO ROCKIES
Larry Walker (1997): 178 OPS+, 99 XBH (49 HR), 130 RBI, 33 SB, 9.8 WAR
Todd Helton (2000): 163 OPS+, 103 XBH (42 HR), 147 RBI, 8.9 WAR
Matt Holliday (2007): 151 OPS+, 92 XBH (36 HR), 137 RBI, 6.0 WAR
Ubaldo Jimenez (2010): 161 ERA+, 19-8, 2.88 ERA, 214 K, 221.2 IP, 7.5 WAR
Notable Snubs: Dante Bichette (1995), Ellis Burks (1996), Andres Galarraga (1996), Vinny Castilla (1998), Carlos Gonzalez (2010), Troy Tulowitzki (2010), Kyle Freeland (2018), Trevor Story (2018), Nolan Arenado (2019)
This was really the only team where the self-imposed one pitcher rule really threw a wrench into things. All due respect to Ubaldo Jimenez, but there is a long list of prolific sluggers who have put up gaudy numbers at altitude over the years.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Mike Piazza (1997): 185 OPS+, 73 XBH (40 HR), 124 RBI, 8.7 WAR
Adrian Beltre (2004): 163 OPS+, 80 XBH (48 HR), 121 RBI, 9.6 WAR
Matt Kemp (2011): 172 OPS+, 76 XBH (39 HR), 126 RBI, 40 SB, 8.0 WAR
Clayton Kershaw (2014): 197 ERA+, 21-3, 1.77 ERA, 239 K, 198.1 IP, 7.7 WAR
Notable Snubs: Eddie Murray (1990), Hideo Nomo (1995), Kevin Brown (2000), Gary Sheffield (2000), Shawn Green (2001), Zack Greinke (2015), Cody Bellinger (2019), Hyun Jin Ryu (2019), Walker Buehler (2021)
Hot take: The season that Adrian Beltre put together in a contract year in 2004 was more impressive than the one that won Cody Bellinger NL MVP honors in 2019. That said, the best offensive season of the last 30 years for the Dodgers belongs to Mike Piazza, who hit .362/.431/.639 for an NL-leading 185 OPS+ in 1997.
SAN DIEGO PADRES
Ken Caminiti (1996): 174 OPS+, 79 XBH (40 HR), 130 RBI, 7.6 WAR
Kevin Brown (1998): 164 ERA+, 18-7, 2.38 ERA, 257 K, 257.0 IP, 8.6 WAR
Jake Peavy (2007): 158 ERA+, 19-6, 2.54 ERA, 240 K, 223.1 IP, 6.2 WAR
Fernando Tatis Jr. (2021): 166 OPS+, 73 XBH (42 HR), 97 RBI, 25 SB, 6.6 WAR
Notable Snubs: Ed Whitson (1990), Gary Sheffield (1992), Tony Gwynn (1994), Greg Vaughn (1998), Phil Nevin (2001), Adrian Gonzalez (2009), Chase Headley (2012)
Not finding a place for Greg Vaughn's 50-homer season in 1998 when he finished third to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in a captivating home run race feels wrong. However, his relatively one-dimensional game was bested by Fernando Tatis Jr.'s more well-rounded contributions in 2021.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Jeff Kent (2000): 162 OPS+, 81 XBH (33 HR), 125 RBI, 7.2 WAR
Barry Bonds (2001): 259 OPS+, 107 XBH (73 HR), 137 RBI, 11.9 WAR
Tim Lincecum (2008): 168 ERA+, 18-5, 2.62 ERA, 265 K, 227.0 IP, 7.8 WAR
Buster Posey (2012): 171 OPS+, 64 XBH (24 HR), 103 RBI, 7.6 WAR
Notable Snubs: Bill Swift (1993), Rich Aurilia (2001), Jason Schmidt (2004), Matt Cain (2009), Madison Bumgarner (2016), Brandon Crawford (2021)
Three NL MVP winners and an NL Cy Young winner made carving out the Giants mountain relatively easy. Not taking postseason performance into account made Madison Bumgarner far less of a threat to push his way into the top four, though he still warrants an honorable mention nod.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.
.png?w=480)
