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Top 50 Los Angeles Dodgers

One of the most celebrated franchises in all sports, the Los Angeles Dodgers were initially the Brooklyn Grays in 1883, but it was a long time before they found an identity.

The organization changed its name multiple times since its origin, the Atlantics (1884), back to the Grays (1885-87), then the Bridegrooms (1888-90), the Grooms (1991-95), the Bridegrooms again (1895-98, the Superbas (1899-1910), the Trolley Dodgers (1911-12), then the Dodgers (1913), the Robins (1914-1931), before settling on the Dodgers again in 1932.  

The Brooklyn Dodgers would sign Jackie Robinson to integrate baseball, and in 1955, on their eighth attempt, they finally won their first World Series.

The fans of Brooklyn were not rewarded for their loyalty and patience, and like the crosstown New York Giants, westward the Dodgers went in 1957, where they remain to this day.

In Los Angeles, the Dodgers won three World Series Titles in their first ten years in the new environment, capturing it all in 1959, 1963, and 1965.  The 1970s saw them competitive at the decade's end, and they won two more Championships in the 1980s (1981 and 1988).  

In recent years, the Dodgers have been a top team, with their last World Series win coming in 2020, giving them seven in total.

This list is up to the end of the 2023 regular season.

Note: Baseball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.

Dixie Walker was a bit of a late bloomer, having at one time been considered Babe Ruth’s heir with the Yankees in Leftfield to becoming a true baseball star in his late 20s, but nevertheless, he did become one. Walker was plucked off of waivers from Detroit during the 1939 campaign, and while he showed flashes of greatness with his second team, the White Sox, he was still relying more on potential than accomplishment.  Batting .308 with 171 Hits in his first full year as a Dodger, Walker again batted over .300 the year after, with both seasons earning him a…
From the Dominican Republic, Pedro Guerrero was signed by the Cleveland Indians as an Amateur Free Agent in 1973 but was traded to the Dodgers well before he ever made the Majors.  Guerrero first made it to the main roster in 1978, though it was not until 1981 that he was a regular, going to his first of four All-Star Games with Los Angeles.  Realistically, Guerrero's 1982 campaign was his real breakout, belting 32 Home Runs with 100 RBIs and batting .304.  Guerrero was third in MVP voting and was fourth the year after, showing similar statistics (32 HR, 103 RBI, .298).  Slipping…
You could easily state that Mike Piazza is a Met.  That is the team he entered the Baseball Hall of Fame as, but for our money, his best statistical accomplishments were in Los Angeles.   The story of Piazza is well known, with him only being drafted at all (62nd Round, 1,390th Overall) as a favor to his father, who was friends with Tommy Lasorda.  Piazza played at First Base but moved to Catcher to hope for an easier path.  Not only did that work out, but he is also considered one of the best-hitting Catchers in Baseball history. Piazza blossomed in the minors and was…
Don Newcombe was more than a great Pitcher; he was a trailblazer for African Americans in baseball. After a brief time with Newark in the Negro Leagues, he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  After a few seasons in their minor league system, Newcombe was called up for the 1949 season, making him the third black pitcher in the Majors.  Newcombe proved his worth instantly, winning the Rookie of the Year with a 17-8 record and an All-Star Game trip.  Newcombe was again an All-Star in 1950 and 1951 with a 19-11 and 20-9 season, respectively, but he was forced to leave…
Maury Wills might be known first in any baseball reference guide as the National League MVP award winner in 1962, but his real contribution was how he changed the perception of how runs could be scored.  Wills was not the first man to be a star on the base paths, but he did usher in its renaissance.  Wills was the first to steal over 100 bases, and it wasn't long before teams across the country looked for a Wills-type player to lead off their lineup.  Wills would go on to lead the NL in steals on six occasions. Maury Wills, however, was not…
A Dodger for the entirety of his career, Carl Furillo arrived in Brooklyn in 1946, and it did not take long before he became one of the Dodgers more popular figures. Beginning in Center, Furillo was moved to Rightfield, where he was regarded as the master of comprehending the bounces of Ebbets Field.  Furillo turned heads with arm strength, but he was an underappreciated hitter who won the 1953 Batting Title (.344), the second of two All-Star seasons.  Furillo, who helped the Dodgers win two World Series (1955 & 1959), showed decent power, with six 15-plus Home Run years and an overall…
Dolph Camilli began his Major League career with the Chicago Cubs, but it was his second team, the Philadelphia Phillies, where he proved that he was an everyday player.  The Dodgers took notice and traded for him, feeling that he had another level in him.  They were right. Becoming a Dodger in 1938, Camilli led the NL in Walks that year and did so again in 1939, his first All-Star Game season.  Camilli continued to smack Home Runs, belting at least 23 in his first two years in Brooklyn, with the latter two years seeing the First Baseman finish 12th in MVP voting, but…
Johnny Podres was one of the most successful southpaws in Dodgers history, especially when you look at the postseason. Debuting for Brooklyn in 1953, Podres came into his own in the 1955 World Series, winning the MVP of a 2-0 record and a 1.00 ERA over the Yankees.  Podres had arrived, but he had to take a year off for military service, though he picked up right where he left off upon his return. Podres led the NL in ERA (2.66), Shutouts (6), and WHIP (1.082) in what was arguably his finest season in baseball.  He was still an integral player for…
A member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the entirety of his Major League career, Bill Russell began his Major League career in the Outfield, but it was when he took over for Maury Wills at Shortstop in 1972 that his value became apparent. Russell remained L.A.’s starting Shortstop for well over a decade, and defensively he was in the upper class.  He led the NL in Defensive bWAR in 1973, and four other times was in the top ten.  Russell also led the NL in Assists in '73, with three additional years seeing him finish third. Russell had limited power with…
Davey Lopes made his Major League debut with Los Angeles in 1972 and won the starting job at Second Base the following year.   Lopes utilized his speed not only in the field but on the basepaths, where he led the National League in Stolen Bases in 1975 (77) and 1976 (63) and had a seven-year run where he swiped at least 20 bags (1973-79).  A natural leader in the clubhouse, Lopes developed a more complete game, developing a power game, peaking with an unexpected 28 Home Run year in 1979.  An All-Star annually from 1978 to 1981, Lopes helped the Dodgers win…
Can you imagine Justin Turner as anything other than a Los Angeles Dodger?  He was, and it can also be argued that he was lucky to ever play in L.A., as Turner seemed to have two steps away from the diamond. Turner first made the Majors in 2009 with Baltimore and would later spend time with the Mets, but he was not impressive for either team and was non-tendered in 2013, making him a Free Agent.  He was signed by the Dodgers for an opportunity while starring at a Cal-State Fullerton alumni Game, and he made the Los Angeles roster in 2014…
After a brief run in 1924 with the Cleveland Indians, it was back to the Minors for two years before the Brooklyn Robins signed Watty Clark.   In his second year with Brooklyn (1928), Clark proved he was there to stay, and he was a member of their starting rotation for the next four years as the top hurler on a mediocre team.  Clark led the NL in FIP in 1929 and 1932, with the latter year seeing him earn his lone 20-Win Season.   Traded to the Giants during the 1933 Season, Clark was re-acquired by Brooklyn a summer later, but he…

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Jake Daubert initially thought that his first crack at the Majors would be with Cleveland, who signed him in 1908, but he never played there and was released shortly after.  A second opportunity struck a year later with Brooklyn, and this time it stuck. Playing at First Base, Daubert had a pedestrian rookie year, batting .264 with 146 Hits, but he then went on a six-year streak where he batted over.300.  This included back-to-back Batting Titles in 1913 and 1914, with him winning the Chalmers Award, which was then the version of the MVP.  He also exhibited solid speed, swiping at least 20…
Van Mungo was one of the most eccentric figures in Baseball, or would volatile be a better word? Mungo did not have the luxury of playing for Brooklyn when they were a National League power, but that was no fault of Mungo, who went to four consecutive All-Star Games (1934-37).  Known for an erratic fastball, heavy drinking, and a volatile temper, Mungo was the stuff of fables, but he was also a very competent hurler.  His wildness was shown by leading the NL in Walks three times, but he also once led the league in Strikeouts and three times in SO/9. Mungo's…
Jeff Pfeffer was a very good Pitcher for Brooklyn in the 1910s, who, from 1913 to 1914, was one of the more competent players on the mound in the National League. Pfeffer had only played seven Major League Games before the 1914 Season (two were with the St. Louis Browns in 1911), and would have likely won the 1914 Rookie of the Year, had there been one.  This began a three-year run as a top Pitcher, where he went 66-37 with a 1.99 ERA and a WHIP of 1.081.  Pfeffer helped Brooklyn win the Pennant that year, and though they lost to…
Matt Kemp joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in late 2006 after three years in the Minors, but it was not for another two seasons that he established himself as an everyday Outfielder.  Breaking out in 2009 with a 26 HR/101 RBI/34 SB year where he won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove, Kemp was tenth in MVP voting, and Los Angeles thought they had a potential megastar.  After a decent 2010, Kemp had one of the best seasons of a player who didn't win the MVP.  Kemp's 2011 saw him finish one Home Run shy of a 40/40 year, but he still led…
Before Whit Wyatt joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had already played nine years in the American League (Detroit, Chicago & Cleveland), but he played the entirety of the 1938 Season in the Minors.  The Brooklyn Dodgers still thought there was life left in Wyatt’s career, and they purchased his contract from Cleveland.  As was often the case in this era, the Dodgers were proven right.   Wyatt, who had never been to an All-Star Game before (or anywhere close), went to Mid-Summer Classic in all his first four years in Brooklyn, the best of which was in 1941.  That season, he led the NL…
With all due respect to Eric Gagne, who won the Cy Young in 2003, we think that Kenley Jansen is the greatest closer in Dodgers history. Jansen came to Baseball via Curacao, converting from a Catcher to the Relief Pitcher in the Dodgers minor league system, and six years after he was signed, in 2010, he made his debut for Los Angeles.  A flamethrowing closer in the Minors, L.A. knew they would have their ninth-inning guy, and he became that in 2012. Jansen was solid in this role, seemingly improving every year, and by 2015, he was considered the elite reliever…
Bob Welch's best year was with his second team, Oakland, but his longest tenure was further south, in Los Angeles, where he served his first ten years of MLB service. Welch went to his only All-Star Game as a Dodger in 1980 and was an excellent near-the-top-of-the-rotation player for Los Angeles for the rest of his Dodgers tenure.  A First Round Pick in 1977 (20th Overall), Welch debuted for L.A. the following year, helping the Dodgers win the pennant.  They lost in the World Series, but he put himself on the map with a two-out ninth-inning K on Reggie Jackson. Welch helped L.A.…