If this list were based purely on iconic stature, Jackie Robinson would be number one, and it wouldn't be close. The same would be true if we looked at importance. Saying that this is the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the most successful teams in all of sports, and there are many Hall of Fame Dodgers who logged more playing time and compiled more stats than Robinson did while wearing the Dodger blue. This has to matter.
There is nothing we can write about Robinson that you have not heard before. Dodgers General Manager, Branch Rickey, wanted to break the color barrier and needed the right player to do it. He was a player who was not only great but could withstand the barrage of hatred coming his way. That man was Robinson.
After a year in the Minors to get him mentally ready, Robinson debuted for Brooklyn in 1947 at the age of 28. Robinson proved what Rickey already knew in that he was a five-tool player who could handle the mental stress of being the first black man in the Majors. Robinson won the Rookie of the Year and was entering his peak.
In 1949, Robinson again made history by becoming the first black player to win the MVP while also capturing the Batting Title. It was his only MVP, but he received MVP votes the next four years, and he never finished a year batting under .300 until 1955. Robinson had the power (137 HR) and the speed (197 SB), batted over .300 for his career, and was also one of the best defensive players of his day.
Robinson's age and injuries caught up with him in 1955, but his leadership skills were invaluable to a team that won the World Series that year. He retired after the 1956 season, which would essentially void a trade to the Giants, and his career ended as one of the most-known athletes of all time, a status still enjoyed today.
The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Robinson in his first year of eligibility in 1962. Major League Baseball would later league-wide retire his number 42, the number that he will own forever.
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