The Class of 1968

No, that is not the year I graduated from high school. I was already in the Army in June of 1968. Just turning 20 years old and recently returned from a trip to Virginia and North Carolina testing new Hawk Missile systems equipment by doing load tests on trains, planes, and ships.

No, this is about the Dodgers draft class in June of 1968. Some say it is the best draft class the Dodgers ever had. They made 101 picks. Of those 101 picks, 16 spent time in the major leagues. Granted, not all with the Dodgers, but MLB time all the same. Some just had a short stint, some became stars, others simply solid players. For the sake of keeping it manageable, we will stick with the guys who made it to the show.

The Dodgers had the 5th choice in the first round. That happens when your team basically stinks in 1967. With that first pick, they chose a high school SS-OF from Connecticut. Bobby Valentine. Valentine would get some time with the Dodgers, eventually traded to the Angels in a huge trade in the winter of 1972 with 4 others for Ken McMullen and Andy Messersmith. He suffered a serious knee injury in 1973 and never was the same player. He went on to manage the Rangers, Mets, and Red Sox.

Their 2nd pick was a HS 1B-OF from Napa Calif, Bill Buckner. Buckner would spend part of 8 seasons with the Dodgers. He was an integral part of the 1974 pennant-winning team. IN 1975 he suffered a serious ankle injury which sapped some of his speed and mobility. He was traded after the 1976 season with two other players to the Chicago Cubs for Rick Monday and Mike Garman. Buckner would win a batting title with the Cubs in 1980. He was traded to the Red Sox in 1984. One of the players the Cubs received was Dennis Eckersley who would later be a big part of Dodger lore. Buck played in the 86 World Series against the Mets, getting the tag of goat when he missed a ground ball in the 9th that allowed the Mets the win. They would clinch the title the next day. Buck would play 20 years in the majors, he also played for the Angels, Royals, and returned to the Sox for his final season. Buck finished with a .289 career average and over 2700 hits. He died in May of 2019.

The 5th round pick was Tom Paciorek. A 22-year-old OF-1B from Houston college. Paciorek would make it to the majors in 1970. Over the next couple of years he had cups of coffee with the big club. But in 1973 he got into 96 games hitting .262 with 5 HR’s and 18 driven in. 74 was not so kind, a .240 avg and 1 homer with 24 driven in. He played 85 games that season. He was injured early in 1975 and struggled to a .193 average. That winter he was packaged with several players, including Jimmy Wynn and sent to the Braves for Dusty Baker and Ed Goodson. He had a resurgent season with the Braves and for the rest of his career, which lasted 18 seasons, he was a very serviceable player. He also played for the Mariners, White Sox, Rangers, and Mets. He played all three outfield positions, DH, and 1st and 3rd base in his career.

In the 8th round they picked Joe Ferguson from Pacific College in San Francisco. He was a 22 year old C-OF. Ferguson joined the big club in 1970 for a short time. He had two more short stints before sticking in 1973. He made an immediate impact hitting 25 long balls and driving in 88. He shared the catching duties with Steve Yeager until the summer of 1976 when he was traded to the Cardinals for Reggie Smith. Fergie only played 71 games for the Cardinals and then was shipped to the Astros in the winter of 76 for DaVanon and Larry Dierker. He spent a year and a half with the Astros, then was traded back to the Dodgers in July of 1978 for Rafael Landestoy and Jeff Leonard. In the latter part of 1981 he was released by the Dodgers and immediately signed by the Angels. He played parts of three seasons with the Angels before being released in 1983. He had a very good year at age 32 with the Dodgers in 1979 when he crushed 20 homers in pretty much a backup role, playing catcher and the outfield. But after that his stats kept declining.

With their next pick the Dodgers chose Doyle Alexander. Alexander was an 18 year old high school pitcher from Woodlawn HS in Cordova Alabama. Alexander would make it to the big club in 1971. He went 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA and started 12 games. Many assumed he would be a large part of the Dodger rotation going forward, but a huge trade with the Orioles that winter sent him east. The Dodgers got Frank Robinson and Pete Reichert and sent Alexander, Sergio Robles, Royal Stillman and Bob O’Brien to the O’s. Only Alexander would have an extended MLB career. Alexander would pitch for eight teams over a 19 year career. He would win 194 games and lose 174 and finish with a 3.76 career ERA. Not bad, but his other claim to fame is the trades he was part of. The O’s sent him to the Yankees in 1976 in a 10 player swap. Key names were Ken Holtzman, Elrod Hendricks, and Grant Jackson to the Yanks with Dempsey, Tippy Martinez, Scott McGregor and Rudy May going to Baltimore. But the last trade he was involved in helped forge a NL powerhouse. In 1987 he was traded by the Braves to the Tigers for John Smoltz.

In the 17th round they drafted outfielder Bob Gallagher from Stanford University. Gallagher was in turn taken by the Red Sox in the 1971 rule 5 draft. He had a short four year career in the majors with the Red Sox, Astros and Mets playing a total of 217 games. That was the end of the players they drafted who signed and made it to the majors in the regular phase of the draft. Notably they drafted catcher Ed Ott, who did not sign, but went in the first round in 1970 to the Pirates and had a good career with them. The first player they drafted in the secondary phase would be a huge part of their success going forward.

With their first pick in the secondary round they chose infielder Steve Garvey from Michigan State. Garvey had Dodger ties as his dad used to drive the teams bus in spring training. Drafted as a third baseman, it was soon clear that he would have to be moved to a new position. His throws were to say the least erratic. He broke in with the team in 1969, playing in three games. Over the next 3 years he played occasionally and hit well enough for the team to remain interested. In 1973 he moved to first base and got his first extended action, he responded with a .304 BA and from that point on was rarely out of the lineup. He won the MVP award in 1974 and from 74-81 was an All Star. He earned 4 straight gold gloves from 74-77, starred in the playoffs and was about the most consistent hitter in the Dodger lineup. He ended up playing over 1000 consecutive games. He left LA as a free agent for San Diego after the 1982 season and played in the 84 World Series with the Padres. He spent 14 years with the Dodgers and 5 with the Padres. He is still connected to the Dodger family.

With the 2nd pick they selected RH pitcher Sandy Vance out of Stanford University. Vance would make the team in 1970 going 7-7. He was voted Dodger Rookie of the Year. But arm injuries shortened his 1971 season and cut short a very promising career. Vance is a Colorado boy, born in Lamar. He currently lives in San Francisco and works as a landscape architect.

With the third selection, they chose Ron Cey, a third baseman from Washington State. Ron, who was nicknamed ” The Penguin ” for his unusual gait when rounding the bases, would make his debut in 1971. And like Garvey, he became a regular in the infield at 3rd for the next several years. He would have a stellar career as a Dodger slugging 228 HR’s in blue. He played in LA for 12 years, was traded to the Cubs where he played 4 seasons and then finished with the A’s. He is a member of the Dodgers speakers bureau. Ron was a 6 time All Star.

In the second round of the secondary phase they picked Davey Lopes from Washburn University in Rhode Island. Lopes would make it to the majors in 1972 and became the regular second baseman in 1973. He brought speed and surprising power to the team. His career high in homers was 28 in 1979. He was a 4 time All Star and he led the NL in steals twice. After his retirement, Lopes entered the coaching ranks. He managed the Milwaukee Brewers for parts of three seasons. He retired from coaching in 2020.

In the 5th round of the secondary phase they chose Geoff Zahn, a LH pitcher from Michigan. Zahn had been drafted three other times and had not signed with the White Sox, Red Sox or Tigers. Zahn made his debut in 1973. He would only pitch in 29 games as a Dodger before he was packaged with Eddie Solomon to bring Burt Hooton to LA. Zahn would pitch in the majors for 13 years. Spending time with the Dodgers, Cubs, Twins and Angels. He had most of his success in the AL. He finished with a 111-109 3.74 career numbers.

It should be noted that the Dodgers drafted some players who did not sign with them and later made the bigs. Ed Crosby and Bob Randall in the secondary phase, Ed Ott, and Bob Sheldon in the primary phase. But the number of players who made it to the majors is pretty amazing.

Lopes, Garvey and Cey, teamed up with Bill Russell, who was drafted in the 1966 draft to form the longest tenured infield, 8 years, in baseball history. Yep, the class of 1968 was definitely the Dodgers best ever.