Every MLB team’s Mount Rushmore
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox have three current MLB Hall of Famers on their Mount Rushmore. And there’s a very good chance they will wind up with four. Two modern players have done just barely enough to demand inclusion on a very impressive monument.
Ted Williams remains in the premier spot on the Red Sox Mount Rushmore, even after all these years. One of the best hitters in baseball history, he’s the franchise’s leader in many categories, including bWAR, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs and RBIs. Williams is by a significant margin, the best player in history to never win a World Series.
Carl Yastrzemski ranks second to Teddy in most career categories. He’s also one of the last players to win the Triple Crown. Before Miguel Cabrera did so, Yastrzemski was the last. He’s one of the greatest outfielders in baseball history and spent his entire career with the Red Sox.
Pedro Martinez barely fell short of the eight-year rule, but he gets an exception for several reasons. First of all, being on the 2004 World Series Champion Red Sox gets you some leverage. Secondly, Martinez won two straight AL Cy Young Awards with Boston and probably should have won three consecutive. His dominance is quite impressive, as his 10.947 strikeouts per nine innings is the highest in franchise history and his 2.010 walks per nine innings is the sixth lowest.
David “Big Papi” Ortiz might have just been a designated hitter. But he’s still in the top 10 in career bWAR in Red Sox history. Ortiz is known for his countless clutch moments, leading the way to three World Series titles. He has standout moments in each of the trio. Ortiz might be the best designated hitter in baseball history. His Patriot Day speech given after the Boston bombings cements his legacy as one of the most significant Boston sports figures.
Honorable mentions: Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs aren’t overly popular in Beantown because each left to play for the New York Yankees. However, let’s not forget how awesome each of them was with the Red Sox. Cy Young and Tris Speaker each had some of his best years with the franchise. Carlton Fisk almost earned himself a spot.