White Sox: The Mount Rushmore of Sox first basemen

With two positional Mount Rushmores in the books, we keep our attention on the right side of the diamond by looking at the Chicago White Sox candidates to be the faces for the mountain sculpture of first basemen.

This is a position that needs an important disclaimer. The late Dick Allen won the American League Most Valuable Player award for the White Sox in 1972 and led the AL in home runs in 1974. But mostly due to the broken leg that cost him more than half of the 1973 season, Allen fell 78 plate appearances short of the 1,500 required for inclusion here.

Besides the plate appearances, a player needs to have played at least half the time at the position. The White Sox have had 16 first basemen fit that description.

• Jose Abreu (2014-20)
• Zeke Bonura (1934-37)
• Bud Clancy (1924-30)
• Jiggs Donahue (1904-09)
• Jack Fournier (1912-17)
• Chick Gandil (1917-19)
• Frank Isbell (1901-09)
• Lamar Johnson (1974-81)
• Paul Konerko (1999-2014)
• Joe Kuhel (1938-43, 1946-47)
• Tommy McCraw (1963-70)
• Eddie Robinson (1950-52)
• Earl Sheely (1921-27)
• Mike Squires (1975, 1977-85)
• Frank Thomas (1990-2005)
• Greg Walker (1982-90)

Mount Rushmore of White Sox first basemen: Jose Abreu

The first current member of the White Sox to earn some face time on a Mount Rushmore, Jose Abreu hit like crazy for 10 seasons in Cuba’s National Series and hasn’t stopped hitting since arriving in Chicago for the 2014 season.

Abreu signed with the White Sox in October 2013 after defecting from Cuba two months earlier.

He was named Rookie of the Year in 2014, finishing fourth in the MVP voting, while also earning All-Star and Silver Slugger honors. He led the American League with a .581 slugging percentage en route to hitting .317 with a .964 OPS. He was tops in the majors with a 173 OPS+ and finished with 35 doubles, 36 homers and 107 RBI in 145 games and 622 plate appearances.

He’s made two more All-Star appearances since then (2018-19) to go with two additional Silver Sluggers (2018, 2020).

In 2017, Abreu led the AL with 343 total bases and has won consecutive RBI titles in 2019 (123) and 2020 (60 in the shortened 60-game season). He also led the AL with 76 hits, a .617 slugging percentage and 148 total bases last season en route to winning MVP honors.

That was the first season of a three-year contract Abreu signed in November 2019 to remain with the White Sox after becoming a free agent. He is signed through the 2022 season.

In seven years, Abreu has hit .294 with an .870 OPS, 198 home runs and 671 RBI over 961 games and 4,618 plate appearances. He is already fifth on the franchise’s all-time home run list.

Mount Rushmore of White Sox first basemen: Zeke Bonura

It took a bit longer for Zeke Bonura to climb out of the minor leagues, but he made sure he made an impact once he got to the bigs.

Bonura graduated from high school in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, in 1927 having set an American record in the javelin two years earlier at the National AAU championships, according to the Society for American Baseball Research, and studied business for two years at Loyola University of New Orleans before signing with the local professional baseball team in 1929.

Bonura played two years for the New Orleans Pelicans before his rights were acquired by the Cleveland Indians in November 1930. He remained on the farm for another three seasons, playing in New Orleans, Indianapolis and Dallas before the White Sox purchased his contract in August 1933.

He made his debut for Chicago at first base on Opening Day in 1934, powering a career-high 27 homers while hitting .302 with a .925 OPS in 127 games and 576 plate appearances. He added 35 doubles and 110 RBI.

In 1936, Bonura drove in a career-best 138 runs and scored a career-high 120 in 148 games, hitting 39 doubles, seven triples and 12 homers while batting .330 with a .908 OPS.

The following season, his .345 average and .984 OPS were career-highs and he drove in 100 runs despite being limited to 116 games due to a groin injury incurred while stealing home — one of just 19 stolen bases in his career.

During spring training in 1938, the White Sox traded Bonura to the Washington Senators for Joe Kuhel in a straight-up swap of first basemen. Bonura later played for the New York Giants, did a second tour with the Senators and spent part of the 1940 season with the Chicago Cubs before fading back to the minors at age 31.

He played a season in the minors in 1941 before serving four years in the Army during World War II. Upon his return, he was a player and manager for several minor league clubs until 1954.

A life-long bachelor, Bonura later got into the New Orleans real estate market and died in March 1987 at the age of 78.

In his four years for the White Sox, Bonura hit .317 with a .914 OPS in 529 games and 2,378 plate appearances, notching 79 homers and 440 RBI.

Mount Rushmore of White Sox first basemen: Paul Konerko

There were other Chicago White Sox first basemen with flashier numbers. But there’s never been another Chicago White Sox first baseman who was so good for so long as Paul Konerko.

Konerko spent 16 years in the black-and-white pinstripes after being acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in November 1998 for outfielder Mike Cameron. Three times, Konerko hit free agency and three times — in November 2005, December 2010 and December 2013 — he opted to stay right where he was.

He was a six-time All-Star, making three of those appearances in his age-34 through age-36 seasons. He only placed in the top five of the MVP voting once, finishing fifth in 2010. The only category he ever led the American League in was when he grounded into 28 double plays in 2003.

But if you wanted steady performance? Paul Konerko was the guy. He hit at least 20 homers in 13 of 14 seasons from 1999-2012. He had six 100-plus RBI seasons and 12 years in which he posted an OPS of .800 or better, including four where he was over .900.

His career-high of 41 homers came in 2004 and his only other 40-homer season came during the World Series championship season of 2005. Konerko finished his White Sox career with 432 home runs and 1,383 RBI, second in franchise history in both categories. Konerko is the franchise’s all-time leader with 4,010 total bases.

He retired Sept. 28, 2014, and has settled in Arizona, where he coaches his son’s youth baseball team along with former White Sox reliever J.J. Putz, who also has a son on the team.