This is a follow up to the best that have ever played in my estimation. Some I never saw. Others I saw many times. It will consist of the starting 8, a pitching staff of 12 and the bench players. Not an easy thing to do.
Starters
1st Base
Easiest pick for me. Gil Hodges. 370 lifetime homers as a Dodger First to win the Gold Glove when they were awarded and did that 3 consecutive seasons. Member of 7 pennant winners and 2 World Series champs. He drove in both the runs in the deciding game 7 win over the Yanks in 1955. Not in the hall, but he should be.
2nd Base
The easy choice is Jackie Robinson based on what he had to endure and what he meant to his race. But I also have to give some thought to how good Davey Lopes was in his tenure in LA. But based on the fact that they both played 10 years with the team, Jackie’s stats over that same period of time are superior to Lopes. Davey had more steals of course and led the league twice. Jackie led the league twice also, but with nowhere near the number of steals Lopes had. It is Jackie. The pioneer and Hall of Famer who is my choice.
3rd Base
Another tough choice. Since Brooklyn never had anyone who played the position for more than 7 years, the choice has to come from Los Angeles.
And it boils down to Cey and Beltre. Again, the overall numbers are in Beltre’s favor. But he did the majority of his work elsewhere. And his 7 years in Los Angeles do not add up to the contributions of the player everyone called The Penguin. 12 years, 228 homers, and 842 RBI’s Not a great glove man but more than adequate. 6 time all-star and WS champ in 1981. Cey was a popular and solid player for his team. He was also a pretty good post season player.
Shortstop
Ahh. To those who saw him play, Wills is the choice. Dynamic base stealer and run scorer. Twice went over 100 runs scored. Amazingly, the Dodgers did not go to the World Series in either of those seasons. The seasons the Dodgers went to and won the series he was not as prolific although he did steal 94 bases in 1965. 5 all-star selections and 2 gold gloves. A very gifted and talented player…but not my choice. Pee Wee was simply a more complete player. He did it for 16 seasons, losing 2 to WWII. He averaged close to 100 runs scored a year, with 17 steals a .269 average with 9 HR’s and 66 RBI’s. Those would be his averages. A very good defender and consistently at the top of his league in assists and DP’s. His high error total could be attributed to how rough the fields were back in those days. Not the manicured parks like they play on today. 10 time all-star, consistently mentioned in the MVP awards for 13 seasons and in the top 10 eight of those he was the Captain, and an integral part of one of the best stretches of baseball in Dodger history. A member of 7 World Series teams. Pee Wee gets the nod as the starter. He also put up a WAR almost 30 points higher than Wills who totaled 14 years in the majors. Pee Wee was also very good in the postseason.
Left Fielder
No contest. Zack Wheat. Hall of Famer. .317 career batting average, leader in most major offensive categories lifetime as a Dodger. Also an excellent fielder and one of the better power hitters of his day until guys like Ruth started flexing their muscles and totally changed the game. A 18 year Dodger who was their best player most of that time. Zack was just the best LF in Dodger history. Later guys like Baker, Sheffield, and Tommy Davis would be more power type guys. But Zack could do it all. He also was pretty good stealing bases.
Center Fielder
Again, no contest. Duke Snider’s stats far and away are better than any other player who patrolled the outfield for the Dodgers. Had Pete Reiser not been injured so severely, he might well have been the guy. Willie Davis was a speedster and an excellent fielder, but his bat was always a disappointment. All-time home run leader, and the last Dodger until Beltre did it in 2004, to win a HR title, Duke was as smooth as they came fielding the ball. He had a very good arm. He was a solid hitter in the postseason, and still despite Turner passing him in overall postseason homers this year, is the all-time World Series leader in HR’s for the Dodgers with 11 World Series homers. And he hit 4 in a series twice. 52 and 55.
Right Fielder
It gets a little tougher with this choice. Herman was probably the best hitter to ever play the position. He was a .339 hitter in his 7 years in Brooklyn. And they were pretty bad in those days. Not a great fielder either. He did manage to steal 94 bases in his career. A popular choice among many of you was Reggie Smith. But Reggie only had two good seasons as a Dodger and only played more than 100 games twice. As with some others, he did most of his damage elsewhere. Ethier was the starter for 10 seasons. But again, I am going to go with a guy who was a big part of a winning team, Carl Furillo. Furillo’s full body of work as a Dodger exceeds all the other players. He was part of 7 pennant winners and 2 World Championship teams. Consistently at the top of the NL outfield assist leaders and he played the RF wall at Ebbets better than anyone.
Catcher
Not a hard choice. Campanella set the standard for all Dodger catchers. No Dodger catcher in history comes close to his caught stealing numbers. 3 time MVP, 242 career HR’s. All in a career cut short by a tragic accident. Campy was as clutch as they come. And such an inspiration to so many after his accident. The game the Dodgers and Yankees played to honor Roy drew one of the largest crowds ever. And the tribute paid to a man who never played a game in LA for the Dodgers was something to see.
Starting Pitchers
There are many great candidates. I will go with a 5 man starting staff and 7 relievers. So here we go. I know there will be some who do not agree.
Sandy Koufax:
His stats speak for themselves. He was the Left Hand of God. A blazing fastball and quite frankly, the best curveball I ever saw. 3 Cy Youngs, 4 no hitters including a perfect game. 5 consecutive ERA titles, led the league in K’s four times and struck out 300 3 times including a leagues record 382 at the time, since passed by Nolan Ryan. Member of 4 Championship teams and the winner of the clinching games in the 63 and 65 Series.
Clayton Kershaw:
Kersh has also won 5 ERA titles and 3 strikeout titles. Struck out 301 in 2015. Threw a no hitter against the Rockies. Most likely a first ballot hall of famer. Kersh has been the backbone of the rotation for 11 years. He continues to be very effective. Has not been as good in the playoffs, but more than made up for it this season. He has his ring finally. And he has been instrumental in the 8 seasons as Western Division Champions.
Dazzy Vance:
The only Brooklyn Dodger starter on the list. 3 on the list of all time win leaders with the Dodgers. Dazzy won his 190 games with Brooklyn over a 12 year career with the team. He was 31 when he broke in. And 44 when he retired. 3.17 career ERA, 1918 strikeouts, Dazzy was the ace of those staffs. Would have easily been a 200 game winner had he started a little earlier. HOF member elected in 1955. Not much of a hitter, but he did hit 7 homers during his career.
Don Sutton:
The all time Dodger wins leader. 233 wins as a Dodger. 3.09 ERA in blue. He only won 20 games once, in 1976. But Sutton’s game was consistency, and at that he was very good. 15 consecutive seasons in double figure wins as a Dodger. No other pitcher has even come close to doing that. If you are wondering, Kershaw had 8. His 2696 K’s are still the standard for Dodger pitchers. Kershaw needs 171 K’s to pass him. Never threw a no hitter nor won a Cy Young. Sutton made the All Star team 4 times.
Don Drysdale:
Second on the all time wins list. Cy Young winner in 1962 when they only gave out one award. 20 game winner twice. Led the league in games started 4 times, K’s 3 times, innings pitched twice and hit batsmen, 5 times with a high of 20 in 1961, OUCH! Big D was as intimidating as they come. He never backed down. And throwing sidearm, that fastball boring in on hitters could not have been fun.
Bullpen:
Clem Labine:
The first guy on the list was one of the best when they were in Brooklyn, and he could start on occasion too. He did that in the 1956 World Series and won a game where he went all 9 and gave up 1 run. Clem Labine was a member of 2 Championship teams with the Dodgers and the 1960 Champion Pirates. He was an all-star twice. His most saves in a season in an era where that stat was not kept nor official was 19 in 1955. He also was their spot starter. Clem spent 11 years as a Dodger and finished with a 70-52 record and a 3.79 ERA. Joe Black gets honorable mention here. He won the ROY in 1952. But never matched those numbers again. He pitched a little over 3 years for Brooklyn and is mentioned because he was so good as a rookie.
Ron Perranoski:
Picked up in the trade that sent Don Zimmer to the Cubs, Perry was a valuable piece out of the pen in the early 60’s. He saved 100 games in his 8 years with the team. Was a member of 2 Championship teams and the only reliever to throw an inning in the 1963 sweep of the Yankees. His best season was 1963. He had 16 wins and 21 saves and led the league in games. A solid reliever he was one of Alston’s go to’s in close games.
Eric Gagne:
Converted from a starting role in 2002, over the next 3 seasons he saved 152 games. including a team record 55 in 2003. He at one point saved 84 games in a row, still a major league record. It was game over when he came into a game. He was an all star 3 times and the Cy Young winner in 2003. His legacy is somewhat tinted by his being tied to PED use. And he was injured most of 2005 and 2006. He may have had a short tenure, but he was the best in the NL while he was there.
Jim Brewer:
Another pick up from the Cubs, Brewer spent 12 years as a Dodger. He had a 63-51 record for LA and 126 saves. As reliable a reliever as any manager could ask for, Brewer just went out and got the job done. A lefty, his best pitch was his devastating screwball. He was just one of those players who you loved to have on your staff. He went to high school in Bill Russell’s hometown of Broken Arrow Oklahoma. Jim Died in 1987 at the age of 50 of injuries suffered in a car crash in Tyler Texas.
Kenley Jansen:
Kenley is the team leader in career saves with 312. Far more than any other reliever. He has been their stopper for 9 years. He also has 16 saves in the post season and a decent post season ERA of 2.40. He has had some epic fails, and some really good outings sprinkled over his time in LA. On the last year of his contract, most think Kenley is on a down slide. He has not been as effective the last 3 seasons. But no one can take away the fact that #74 has been nails for most of his career.
Charlie Hough:
I can hear it now, HUH??? Yep, ol’ Charlie, the knuckle baller made my top 25. He pitched in LA for 11 years. And many do not remember how effective Charlie was. He had a 47-46 W-L record and 60 saves. His ERA in blue was 3.50. But Hough was a workhorse. He pitched 401 games for the Dodgers and logged almost 800 innings. 799.2. He finished 222 of his 240 games finished in LA. And just think how much fun he was to watch. Especially with the catchers trying to catch that dancing knuckler. He did not do as well in the post season. Charlie was a member of 3 World Series teams. 74-77-78.
Jeff Shaw:
Jeff Shaw only pitched 4 years in LA. But in that time he managed to get enough saves to be 3rd on the all-time list. Most Dodger fans remember him as what they got when they traded Paul Konerko and Dennys Reyes to the Reds. The only trade Tommy Lasorda made in his short stint as GM. Shaw posted a 9-17 W-L record with a 3.37 ERA in 235 games with the Dodgers. He totaled 129 saves over those 4 seasons with a high of 43 in 2001.
That completes the bullpen. Honorable mention for one of the better single season performances goes to two players. One is Mike Marshall. Marshall’s 1974 season will never be duplicated. 104 games, a15-12 record with 21 saves. a 2.42 ERA, 208.1 innings pitched, and 83 games finished. The other, Phil Regan. In 1966 pennant winning year, Regan went 14-1 with 21 saves and a ERA 1.62 in 65 games. 48 of which he finished.
The Bench
Bench players have gained in importance over the years. Some, like Kike, are defensive specialists who bring superior glove work to the game. Others have been power guys, or veterans on their way down who bring experience and the ability to perform in the clutch. The last few seasons the Dodgers have had two guys who were on Championship teams who brought leadership and savvy to the team, David Freese and Chase Utley. They were not with the team long enough to be considered for the all-time team, but they deserve to be mentioned.
Jim Gilliam:
Jim Gilliam, 1953 ROY. Jr. was the ultimate Jack of all trades. He played almost every position except catcher and pitcher. A switch hitter, he was the consummate team player. He usually batted second in Alston’s lineup once Maury Wills arrived. And he would do whatever it took to get Maury into scoring position. And sometimes a Dodger rally consisted of a hit by Wills, a stolen base, Gilliam sacrificing Wills to 3rd either by a bunt or hitting the ball to the right side of the infield and then a sac fly or some other kind of scoring play by the next hitter. Jr. was a valuable piece of 4 Championship teams and he twice came out of retirement 65&66 to help the team. After his playing days were over he became a coach. He remained a coach until his death in October of 1978. The Dodgers dedicated that World Series to him. He is the ONLY non Hall of Famer with his number retired by the Dodgers.
Manny Mota:
13 years a Dodger. Their career leader in pinch hits. Manny is still 3rd on the all-time list with 150, he hit .315 as a Dodger and his pinch hitting career average is .300. Manny was primarily an outfielder. He came to the Dodgers in the deal that brought Maury Wills back to LA and sent Ron Fairly and Paul Popovich to Montreal. After his playing days were over, he remained a coach with the team for many years.
Maury Wills:
I know he was not a bench player, but I want his speed and defense on my bench. He could get on base . He was a spark plug. He could help you win a game in so many ways He brought a lot of excitement to Dodger games and when the fans would be on their feet chanting go go go, it was contagious. Maury played all but 2 of his 14 MLB seasons as a Dodger.
Reggie Smith:
If I needed a clutch player, Reggie would be that guy. He was a switch hitter with pop from both sides. A solid defender and an intense competitor. He just wanted to win. Reggie was a career .287 hitter with over 2000 hits and 314 HR’s. A member of 3 Dodger pennant winners. He became a batting coach later and was credited with the improvement of many players on the Dodgers.
Mike Scioscia:
You need a back up catcher with defensive skills and some capability with a bat. Mike fills that role nicely. He was a career Dodger, spending 13 years with the team. A member of both the 81 and 88 Championship teams, one of his biggest moments came in game 4 of the playoffs against the Mets in 1988. With no one out in the 9th inning, the Dodgers down 4-2 and a runner on, he hit a game tying HR off of Doc Gooden to tie the game. The Dodgers, down 2-1 in the series at the time won the game on a Kirk Gibson HR in the 12th…sound familiar? Mike was a rock behind the plate and was known for his tenacious blocking abilities. One of the most violent home plate collisions I ever saw involved Mike and Dave Parker.
Well there you have them. The 25 all time in my eyes anyway. I know I have left off some fan favorites and there will be many who disagree with more than a few of these picks. But that is what it is all about. After all, being a fan means arguing about who you feel is the best. I did not go into the way back machine. Some players like Dolph Camilli, Jake Daubert, Wee Willie Keeler, Joe McGinnity, and many others were not mentioned. If they were, this post would be 3 times longer. Also, Mookie is not on the list simply because he has only played one season. No doubt in my mind that down the road he replaces Furillo in RF. Apologies to 2D2, I just could not find room for Demeter. And I am not naming a manager. Simply because I want to leave that to the experts.
Discussion (93)
Disagree, not disagreeable
This kind of thing always amazes me especially this long after they have died. They recently identified the remains of 4 sailors killed at Pearl Harbor. 3 were from the Oklahoma and 1 from the West Virginia. All had been buried in Hawaii at what is called The Punch-bowl. It is where most of the unidentified remains from the attack are buried.
Josh Byrnes has decided to stay with the Dodgers and pull his name from consideration from the Phillies.
I totally realize and accept the fact that people are not going to agree with all of my choices. That is their right. We all have favorites. I know for a fact that Badger’s favorite player was Mickey Mantle. My favorite is Duke Snider, and if someone came along who was better all around and in the post season as Duke was, well I would readily acknowledge.them. The best player I ever saw, well to me, it was Willie Mays. A pure 5 tool player. Pete Rose was a hit machine and one of the grittiest players I ever saw. He hustled all the time. There have been so many since I started watching the game and the Dodgers. I try not to be biased by what I feel for Dodger players. It is hard to have favorites these days. The two longest tenured Dodgers are both pitchers. Kershaw and Jansen. The longest tenured position players are Joc Pederson and Justin Turner, who both have been with the team 7 years. When you have guys like Bill Russell who spent his entire 18 year career as a Dodger, Zack Wheat at 18 years, Snider 16 years, Reese 16 years and he lost 2 to the war. Hodges for 16..it is just hard to compare some to others. So many players who have been on the team over the years have been very good. Garvey, Willie D, Ethier, Monday, Smith, all sorts of good players. But only 9 who spent a bulk of thier careers as Dodgers are in the hall. And four of them are pitchers. Many had very good careers that have fallen short of Hall worthy and some of them have been discussed on this site before. Garvey, who’s power numbers for a first baseman are lacking. Fernando and Hershiser, who despite having some excellent seasons, over all fall short because injury probably robbed them of a few full seasons. You can look at others who have had some very good seasons who have not come close to election either. Tommy John 288 career wins, and in 15 years on the ballot he never got more than 31 % of the vote, and he got that his last year of eligibility. Look at Bert Blyleven who won 1 game less and lost 19 more than TJ. It took him 14 years on the ballot to finally win. They are about as close as 2 pitchers can be. Neither ever won a major pitching award. Blyleven was on 2 World Series champs, the 79 Pirates, and the 87 Twins. It looks like Kersh is a lock. He has a chance to get to 200 wins in the next couple of seasons. It looks like that number will be the new 300 which was for years the number where most pitchers went in automatically. Another example would be Mike Mussina who won 270 games and is in the Hall. Mussina and Blyleven have WAR’s that dwarf Johns. I have long said that Hodges belongs in the Hall, and hopefully some day the Veteran’s committee will get it right. They have considered Orel, Maury and Garvey over the last few years and none of them have come close to election. I just enjoy the research and writing for this site. Am I always right? No, I do not expect to be. I try to be objective. I am not here to please everyone. If I make a mistake, I take responsibility for it. But I am not responsible if your favorite guy just falls short.
Giants sign Wisler and Tromp to one year deals.
Come on Kenny Landreaux was the greatest CF, not just Dodger history but world history, geez!T
Willie Davis bat was “ALWAYS” a disappointment ? (Your words ?) are you F….. ing Crazy ? The only LA Dodger to reach 2000 hits ? In the early part of his career his Consistency was a question mark but 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966 were EXCELLENT seasons – but his last 5 Seasons with the Dodgers (1969-1973) he averaged .300 (always a disappointment ???) set a franchise mark 31 game hit streak that still stands today in 1969 – had more hits in a 5 year period (69-73) (883) an average of 177 hits a year and is more than any other Dodger outfielder since 1930 ! (Always a disappointment ???)
He was easily the greatest Defensive Centerfielder in franchise history – even Duke Snider thought so (read Duke’s book) – so since his bat was ALWAYS a disappointment while being the premier Position 8 man in the NL – but over those 5 last seasons hitting .300 with 883 hits and leading the majors in triples during that time (50) being the Dodgers biggest run scorer & producer also and add in 1960, 1962, 1964 & 1966 you have a player who in his 13 full seasons as a Dodger had 9 Excellent seasons with the BAT (Always a disappointment ???) and 13 great seasons with the glove –
Then not only do you dis him making ABSOLUTE BS COMMENTS About his bat always being a disappointment but then you go on to not even mention him for the bench ??? Are you F….ing crazy ?
Look – stop making your little lists before researching a player – saying nonsense comments to add to the DISSING – “Always a disappointment” – I don’t know who you are but I can tell your one of those experts (Yeah right) who make alltime lists and throw in a few famous Brooklyn Dodgers so you think it adds credo to your stupidity.
Your list is absolute DUNG – not so much the players placement as I would’ve placed most of those players starters too even Duke Snider in CF – but to add your putrid “Insider Expertise” comments for why you didn’t choose a certain player – all I had to do is read what you had to say about Willie Davis to know you were completely FULL OF S… –
I’ll stop ranting how much of a fool you are but the thing that really irritates me about someone like you who has been given the privilege to post a top 25 Dodgers list – the Dodgers the 2nd most successful team in MLB history – Hs this – you check out the scientific stats like WAR / OPS & Launch angles but you only look at the guys who came in 1st – WILLIE DAVIS IS THE #1 POSITION PLAYER by WAR OF any LOS ANGELES DODGER POSITION PLAYER – yes #1 – and he’s the #4 position player in FRANCHISE HISTORY – and # 7 including Pitchers.
How in LASORDA’s NAME could you not even find a place for the # 1 WAR (LA) #4 FPP) and #7 (ALL PLAYERS FRANCHISE HISTORY) on the frigging BENCH ???
You sir – Are Always a disappointment … FAIL –
Any of you posters out there who have a topic you might want to read about, just let us know. We are always open to suggestion. Especially me.
Jim Brewer was a great reliever but was a great person as well. In business with him in Broken Arrow and have many memories of hunting and fishing that is until Mark accidentally shot my dog. Great family. RIP Jim.
Dodgers announced that scout Jairo Castillo passed away at age 31 from complications of Covid-19. RIP and condolences to his family. Another Scout, Lon Joyce died last week at 71 years old.
One last point on Gen. Yeager who passed away yesterday at the age of 97. Yeager became an ace during WWII and he did it on a single mission. Very rare and not easy to do downing 5 planes. And he knocked down two of them without firing a shot. One of the German pilots flying a Messerschmidt -109, panicked when he saw Yeager and banked right into his wingman, knocking them both from the sky. So Chuck literally scared them to death. Rangers are getting a lefty, Weems along with Dunning in the Lynn trade which was just made official.
Royals are signing Carlos Santana, the first baseman, not the guitar virtuoso, to a 2 year 17.5 million dollar deal.
In the previous post: any idea why DJ Peters is listed as a catcher and not outfielder?
White Sox stay active at the meetings signing Adam Eaton to a one year deal. They traded him to the Nats exactly 4 years ago today.
Great article again Michael.
Did you consider Ramón Martínez for your Rotation?
He won a WS, tossed a No Hitter,
In eleven seasons with the Dodgers he had a 123-77 record, with a 3.45 ERA.
Opening Day Pitcher 5 times, and an All Star in 1990, when he finished 2nd in the CY Young voting. Not bad.
And then there’s Orel…
1st Vaccines being injected today in the Uk.
Most vulnerable first, followed by Hospital staff and then backwards from the over 80s.
Looking at after Easter for my shot as I’m 54, and quite a way down the list.
Still, we are moving in the right direction.
BulldogsandPenguins brings up a point about Mike Marshall. That guy was rather unique, to say the least. He bounced around the league a lot, wasn’t here long enough to qualify for this list, but he did make the All Star team in 2 of his 3 years here. He did something in LA that will never be done again. In 1974 at age 31 he pitched in 106 games, finished 83 games, saved 21, which led the league, threw 208.1 innings, all in relief, and had a 2.42 ERA. At age 36 in Minnesota he threw 142 innings (1 start) pitched in 90 games, finished 84 of them and led the league with 32 saves. He threw over 99 innings in relief 8 times. Career ERA of 3.14. He finished 549 games. Who does that? Nobody. Just him.
I did not have time to look this up yesterday, but I found it today:
https://blogredmachine.com/2019/10/04/cincinnati-reds-grading-deceptive-season-raisel-iglesias/
While having some good stats, Raisel Iglesias has a knack of melting down in clutch situations. The rumor is he wilts in big games. He makes Kenley look awesome! I am not a fan of Raisel Iglesias.
How many years will it take until your right fielder choice will be a guy named Mookie? And hopefully the shortstop choice will be Seager. Cmon Corey sign on the dotted line!
It’s just my personal opinion, any of you know more than I do about the Dodgers, but I think it would be more fair to separate the team by times, that is, starting from before 1960, and then from 1961 to 1980, from 1981 to 2000, from 2001 to 2020, and next season will start a new cycle, so it would be easier to tell who has been the best player position by position.
If every 10 years is called a decade, how do you say every 20 years?
Jeff Shaw and his three fly balls to the warning track saves. But, he technically got the job done. I would have Mike Marshall somewhere in that pen.
Bench: Lenny Harris & Dave Hansen.
Jim Brewer pitched for the Dodgers for 12 years and put up a 2.62 ERA , won 61 games and had 126 saves. To me, he takes Jeff Shaw’s place.
What Adrian Beltre should have been and actually was as a Dodger are two different things. He should have been the best 3B ever. In reality he was probably the best defensive third baseman who was good not great offensively for the Dodgers with the exception of one phenomenal season. The truth is Justin Turner has been significantly better offensively over the seven year periods both played for the Dodgers.