The baseball Mount Rushmore debate is a difficult one given the many remarkable players who have taken the field over the past 148 years. From Babe Ruth to Ted Williams and from Jackie Robinson to Hank Aaron, the possibilities are limitless. But Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper offered a very different take when asked about his personal Mt. Rushmore over the All-Star break.
Put on the spot and asked to add two first basemen and two outfielders to his personal Mt. Rushmore, Harper was quick to name Barry Bonds. That’s when things slowed down a bit and the gears started turning for Harper.
Ultimately, Harper provided a unique and never-before-heard answer.
Bryce Harper was asked to make a baseball Mount Rushmore:
“Barry Bonds on all four”
(via @See_Hendo) pic.twitter.com/LGXpcecBiP
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 19, 2024
“You put me on the spot. You got me,” Harper said. “Barry Bonds on all four, I guess.”
Harper grew up a New York Yankees fan, spent his first seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and has spent the past six seasons with the Phillies. But he clearly has an unyielding respect for Bonds.
Bonds is regarded by some as the greatest baseball player to ever live. He belted a record 762 home runs in his career and was named league MVP a staggering seven times. But he played during the steroid era and was a key figure during the BALCO scandal. As a result, during his 10 years of eligibility, he failed to receive the 75% of the vote needed to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
That clearly matters not to Bryce Harper, who reveres Bonds as the single greatest player of all time.
