The Mount Rushmore of White Sox
Sep 28, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Fans hold up a sign as Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko comes up to bat in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Have you ever wondered how Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln Borglum came up with the idea to sculpt Mount Rushmore? Better yet, have you ever wondered how they decided on the four presidents they would immortalize into the granite mountain for good?
With today being the technical first day of spring training I thought it would be fun to undertake the same task the father-son duo faced back in the 1920s, but instead great presidents I focused on Chicago White Sox greats.
The White Sox have been around for a very long time as they are tied for the ninth oldest team in the Major Leagues behind the Dodgers (1884).
Since their conception in 1901 the Sox have won three World Championships and six Pennants for a combined nine playoff appearances. The team was initially called the “White Stockings,” but this changed after the local newspapers began shortening the name for the purpose of writing headlines.
Over the White Sox’ 113 years as a ballclub they have had some of the biggest names in baseball play for them. Names include “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Wilbur Wood, Minnie Minoso, Carlton Fisk, and now Paul Konerko. Believe me when I say attempting to pick top four players in White Sox history is no easy task and there really can be no correct answer.
Regardless, below is the list of faces (in order by year) that I would have chosen to carve into the Black Hills of South Dakota…
Next: Who is 1st player on Sox Mount Rushmore?
Ted Lyons, Pitcher – (1923-1942),(1946)
Graduate of Baylor University and Hall of Fame inductee in 1955, Ted Lyons was a special pitcher for an otherwise mediocre White Sox team. Lyons spent his entire career with the White Sox from 1923-1942 and then again after returning from the Marines for one last season in 1946.
The righty, who is most known for his fastball, led the American League in wins in 1925 and 1927. He would go on to win 20 games for the third time in 1930 finishing the year with a 22-15 record while leading the AL in complete games (29) and innings pitched (297.7).
“Lyons leads all White Sox pitchers with 260 wins over, another team leading, 4161.0 innings pitched.”
Between 1929 and 1931, Lyons went through a series of arm and back injuries causing the speed of his fastball to diminish significantly. During this time Lyons began to experiment with slow curves and knuckleballs in order to keep the strain off his arm and back. His ability to reinvent himself after an injury was one of his biggest assets as a major league pitcher and goes to show the type of athlete Lyons was.
Lyons leads all White Sox pitchers with 260 wins over, another team leading, 4161.0 innings pitched. Additionally Lyons leads the team all-time with 356 complete games pitched over 21 years of service.
His wins above replacement for pitchers (WAR) ranks second all-time for Sox pitchers with 67.2 games, meaning Lyons added 67.2 wins to the White Sox over his time with the team. For those reasons I choose Ted Lyons as my George Washington.
Next: Next on Sox Rushmore is ...
Luke Appling, Shortstop/Third Baseman – (1930-1950)
This White Sox legend is possibly the greatest shortstop to ever play for the franchise. Luke Appling was a consistent hitter throughout his 20 seasons with the Sox achieving more extra-base hits (587) than strikeouts (528) by the end of his career.
Luke Appling
Appling made his name known in 1936 when he received his first ever All-Star Game selection and was batting .388 which is still the top single-season record for any shortstop playing in the modern-era. That year he also drove in 128 runs while hitting only six long balls.
He was also said to have one of the best eyes at the plate drawing an average of 87 walks a season and only 35 strikeouts. This of course led him to a career OPS of .399 and the fourth all-time slot for the Sox. Appling gave the White Sox a tremendous amount of value during his 20 years of service with a team leading 74.5 WAR.
After serving one year in the military (1944) Appling came back to the game for five more years ultimately ending his career in 1950.
He ended up with a career stat line worth a trip to the Hall of Fame. Appling accomplished a .310 batting average over his career while earning himself two batting titles, seven All-Star Game selections and 2,749 hits.
In 1969 Appling was named the Sox’s greatest player ever by fans and continues to hold that title today. So does he deserve the honorary Thomas Jefferson of the White Sox? I think so.
Next: The 3rd member of Sox Rushmore will be ...
Nellie Fox was the youngest of my choices as he made his major league debut at age 19 for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1947. He was then traded to the Windy City in 1950 where he did little in his first year with the Sox hitting only .247.
However the following year Fox was on fire as he hit .313 and earned his very first, but certainly not last, All-Star election.
Nellie Fox
In fact, from 1951 thru 1961 Fox was elected every year to represent the Sox in the All-Star game. During this 11 year stretch Fox batted .299 while walking an astounding 561 times and driving in 614 runs.
This was all while playing in 798 consecutive games giving himself the 11th longest streak of its kind in major league history.
One of the many reasons Fox makes my list is because of his skills to get on base. Fox was considered one of the toughest outs in the Majors at the time due to the type of person he was and his ability to work the count.
The fact that Fox is second all-time behind Minnie Minoso with 125 HBP shows just the kind of player he could be at the plate.
Mighty Might, as he was referred to, had only 216 strike outs in 10351 plate appearances over a 19 year career.
It is because of his grind it out mentality that Fox has landed the Theodore Roosevelt spot on my Mount Rushmore of Sox.
Next: The final selection for Sox Rushmore will be ...
Frank Thomas, DH/ First Baseman (1990-2005)
For the last spot on my Mountain of Sox greats 2014 Hall of Fame inductee Frank Thomas will take the role of Abe Lincoln. This is the most personal pick as I had to pleasure of growing up during his reign as heavy hitting Sox DH and first baseman.
Jul 27, 2014; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Fame inductee Frank Thomas make his acceptance speech during the class of 2014 national baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
The 1990s, now known as the steroid era, was an exciting time in Major League Baseball with so many incredible power hitters (ahh it all makes sense now).
Even though the decade was tainted by cheaters like Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa and so on, Big Frank was never one of them and continues to be a great example of what you can achieve with a little hard work and dedication.
It all started with The Big Hurt’s first full season with the Sox in 1991. Thomas hit .318 with 35 homers, 104 runs scored, 109 RBIs and an AL leading 138 walks.
He would finish third in the voting for MVP but would receive the Silver Slugger Award for the DH position. His next year was even better. Thomas batted .323 hitting 46 home runs, driving in 115 runs, and walking 122 times not to mention giving White Sox fans a reason to watch.
From 1993-1997 Thomas earned himself a trip to the All-Star game hitting 194 homers and batting .334 in that time period. He would win two MVP awards in consecutive years (’93-’94) and then a batting title in 1997.
Thomas went on a streak of seven straight 100 RBI, 100 walk, 20 homers and .300 BA from 1991 until 1997.
However in 2000, The Big Hurt would go on to post one more of those incredible seasons giving him eight in his 19-year career and a place with baseball royalty. There are only two other players to have ever had more of these seasons than Thomas. One being Babe Ruth with 12 and the other Lou Gehrig with nine. Thomas is tied with Ted Williams and Barry Bonds who both had eight in their careers.
At the end of the day Big Frank was, for the most part, guaranteed a spot on this Mount of Sox greatness and man does he deserve it. So now the question has to be asked, who would be on your Mount Soxmore?