Freddie Freeman's Mount Rushmore of first basemen includes two very different former Mets

Freddie Freeman is his generation’s Chipper Jones and New York Mets fans couldn’t be happier to see him in the National League West. Completely unrelated to killing the Mets, Freeman was asked for his Mount Rushmore of first basemen.

The list spanned multiple generations. It happened to include one former Mets player with an honorable mention going to a fifth player who suited up for the ball club.

Etched on this Mount Rushmore is Albert Pujols, Don Mattingly, Miguel Cabrera, and Keith Hernandez. Hernandez came a little before Freeman’s time on this earth (same with Don Mattingly) but the respect is there. This wasn’t the end of the ex-Mets mentioned by Freeman. An honorable mention went out to Mo Vaughn.

Freddie Freeman isn’t trolling the NY Mets but it definitely feels like he could be

Born in California in 1989, Freeman probably remembers Vaughn best for his two years with the Los Angeles Angels. There may be a few earlier memories of Vaughn with the Boston Red Sox, but with the lack of nationwide coverage of baseball back in the 1990s, most of what Freeman got to see probably came from the two seasons Mo spent with the Angels prior to joining the Mets.

It’s a guilty pleasure pick for sure. The way Freeman almost gushes about Vaughn and even comes up with his name before Hernandez proves how much of a fan he was.

Mets fans would beg to different. As unique of a player as Vaughn was in many respects, his time in Queens didn’t earn him any fans.

The contrast between Hernandez and Vaughn couldn’t be much greater. The trade for Hernandez is easily the best the Mets have ever made for a first baseman. The one made with the Angels for Vaughn is the worst. That’s not to take away from all Vaugh accomplished prior to joining the Mets. As miserable as those two years were, he still managed to slash .293/.383/.523 in 12 MLB seasons with 328 home runs including number 300 with the Mets.

No, Freeman’s not trolling here. Ruining the lives of Mets fans isn’t even on his mind right now. It’s just an unfortunate coincidence that the best first baseman in Mets history gets onto the Mount Rushmore while one of the most frustrating is clearly a bigger favorite of his.