Rangers Mt. Rushmore: Best 2nd 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
Week 6 - Best 1st Baseman
Here is the Mt. Rushmore of Rangers second baseman.
Ian Kinsler: No one's played more games at 2B for the Rangers than Kinsler (1029)...as a matter of fact, it isn't even close as Bump Wills' 697 games is the next highest total. Kinsler leads the franchise's second basemen in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, and walks among other categories. There's no question that he's on this list.
Julio Franco: A three-time Rangers All-Star, Franco's .319 batting average as a second baseman is easily the best in the franchise's history, including his 1991 campaign in which he won the American League batting title with a .341 average.
Michael Young: A few position changes ago, Young was a second baseman. That's the position he played when he first joined the Rangers. While he played more games at shortstop (792) than any other position, he played three seasons at second and over 446 games in his career, fifth most in franchise history. It was as a second baseman that Young logged his first of what would become five straight years of 200 or more hits. Young changed to shortstop in 2004 with the acquisition of Alfonso Soriano.
Mark McLemore: The final stop was tough. Toby Harrah simply didn't play enough at second base to warrant consideration over some of the other candidates. Alfonso Soriano spent just two seasons with the Rangers--though, statistically, they were great--so it came down to the "Dr. of Defense" and Bump Wills. Why did Mac get the nod? He was a part of the team's first three playoff campaigns and division championships. Their numbers are very similar. Neither guy had noteworthy power and both were solid hitters.
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