18. Roy Campanella

There is always one player on these top 50 lists that seems impossible to lock down.  For the Dodgers, that man is Roy Campanella, a three-time MVP, but had they been judged by current metrics, he likely would not have won any.

Roy Campanella joined Brooklyn in 1948 after playing in the Negro Leagues. He was a stocky catcher with a unique combination of agility and power. Although Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, Campanella joined him a year later to form a resilient and emotional pairing on the team, known as the "Boys of Summer.” By 1949, Campanella showed an impressive ability to control the running game, starting an incredible run of eight straight All-Star selections. He quickly became a key player, setting a high standard for catchers in baseball history.

During the early 1950s, Campanella won three National League MVP Awards in 1951, 1953, and 1955. His 1953 campaign remains a standout outlier for catchers; he belted a personal-best 41 home runs, led the league with 142 RBIs, and batted .312. He showcased total mastery of the "triple threat" for catchers: elite power, high average, and high-caliber defense. While modern metrics sometimes debate the value of those MVP votes, his specialized influence on the game’s best pitching staff was undeniable, as he led the league in caught-stealing percentage five times, once reaching a staggering 69.4% in 1951.

Campy anchored five different pennant-winning teams. In the 1955 World Series, he was a high-stakes contributor to the franchise's only title in Brooklyn, batting .318 during the regular season and outdueling teammate Duke Snider for his third MVP.  It was a phenomenal run in Brooklyn, but tragedy reared its ugly head.

Just as the team was getting ready to move to Los Angeles, a devastating accident involving a flipped rental car caused a broken neck and left him permanently paralyzed. This injury abruptly ended a distinguished career, denying West Coast fans the chance to see a legend in his final years. Campanella was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969, in his seventh year of eligibility.  His number 39 would also be retired by the team. Campanella compiled a .276 average, 242 home runs with the team.

Again, if this rank does seem a little low, remember that the Dodgers ahead of him have much longer tenures than Campanella, though not all of them were as important.  Seriously, the Dodgers are the hardest to rank!