Rangers Mt. Rushmore: Best 1st Baseman
By Jared Sandler | @sandlerJ
105.3 THE FAN — MLB.com created a cool "Mt. Rushmore" campaign that asks fans to identify the people who'd make up their favorite team's Mt. Rushmore. The results will be unveiled as part of the All-Star festivities in Cincinnati.
Going along with the theme, each week I'll introduce a new Rangers themed Mt. Rushmore prompt and unveil the four faces who best demonstrate that prompt. Feel free to play along yourself.
Week 1 — Texas-Born Players
Week 2 — Best First-Round Picks
Week 3 — Best Rookie Years
Week 4 — Drafted In 30th Round Or Later
Week 5 - Best Catchers
Here is the Mt. Rushmore of Rangers 1st Baseman:
Rafael Palmeiro: Fans view Raffy in different ways, but he edges Mark Teixeira as the franchise's best first baseman because he played nearly twice as many games with the organization. Palmeiro has more hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, and walks than any other first baseman in franchise history. He gave the fans a great moment when he delivered his 500th career HR down the right field line. Known for his smooth swing and mustache, Palmeiro, unlike Teixiera, was committed to being a Texas Ranger.
Mark Teixeira: He spent the first four and a half seasons of his career with the Rangers, though it was never clear how much he wanted to be here. Year number three was his best and easily the best season for a Rangers first baseman ever: .301 (.954 OPS), 43 HR, 144 RBI. But while people love to talk about Teixeira offense, he is one of the best defensive first baseman of his generation, winning two of his five Gold Gloves with Texas.
Will Clark: "The Sheriff," was cut from the same colleigate cloth as Raffy, both hailing from Mississippi State (also the alma mater of Mitch Moreland), a formidable duo known as "Thunder and Lightning." . Clark was a key member of the first two playoff teams in franchise history, spending five years with the Rangers, ending four of those years with a batting average over .300, including two years over .320.
Pete O'Brien: Only Palmeiro has spent more time at first base than O'Brien in the annals of Rangers baseball. With nearly 1,000 games as a Rangers first baseman, O'Brien is the clear-cut fourth on this list, but that's not to see he wasn't productive when he played from 1982-1988, including three straight seasons of more than 20 HR and 88 RBI.
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