The 50 greatest Dodgers of all time

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Who are the Dodgers’ all-time 50 greatest players? It was no easy task to determine, but for this ESPNLosAngeles.com photo gallery, I made my best effort, in honor of Dodger Stadium’s 50th anniversary.

A few other quick links:

  • Dodger Stadium’s top-50 moments also got some ESPNLosAngeles.com play, presented in reverse chronological order by former Times sportswriter Mike Downey.
  • Vin Scully shared some Dodger Stadium thoughts with Dylan Hernandez of the Times.
  • Similarly, Frank Howard talked to Lance Pugmire of the Times about the early days of Dodger Stadium.
  • Anonymous

    Reading Vin’s snippets about Dodger Stadium made me want to go out to my New Hampshire back yard and sit in my Dodger Stadium seats but, it is a chilly night with a strong breeze–maybe tomorrow. 

  • Anonymous

    I was terribly disappointed when the Dodgers traded Frank Howard, even though Osteen was a fine pitcher.

  • http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

    Cue the “How could you leave out ____?” (or the “How could you put _____ in?”) comments any second now.

    No love for Doug Rau? ;) And I’d forgotten that Big D retired at 33, only a year older than Sandy was when he left. Imagine how those guys might have done with today’s sports medicine available to them (on the other hand, with today’s theories about pitch counts, maybe they wouldn’t have been as great as they were).

  • Anonymous

    The Takashi Saito marching and chowder society formally protests the inscrutable absence of Jonathan Broxton, whom you yourself have called one of the greatest relief pitchers in Dodger history. 

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

       Not sure who deserved to be taken off to make room for Broxton – or Saito, for that matter.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

    WHAT!!! No Juan Uribe Juan Pierre, Bill Mueller, Luis Gonzales, Nomar, Danny Baez, Marcus Thames, Jason Schmidt, Navarro, Posednick, Belliard,  Dotel, Andrew Jones, Tomko, Furcal, Blame, Loazia, Padilla or Manny??

    • http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

       You forgot Lima! How could you forget Lima?

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

         No kidding. I don’t get to go to many games that often, but easily the best game I ever went to was the Lima playoff game when he shut down the cards and Green his a few bombs. It was my first dodger playoff game since going to a few as a real young kid

  • Anonymous

    Absolutely a clip and save. What memories you brought back. You never fail to amaze me, a true Picasso. Thanks

    Someone is impersonating Willie Davis in his photo

    • Anonymous

      I believe that’s Frank Robinson playing the role of Willie Davis.

      • Anonymous

        Thanks, I had no idea.

  • Sam Peterson

    I wish Shawn Green made it. As I am only in my twenties, he is my favorite Dodger of my lifetime.

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

       Shawn Green is there.

      • Sam Peterson

        That’s my bad. I just took a glance and was looking for apicture of him playing outfield or hitting. I can’t even remember him playing 1st.

        • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

           That was an odd picture choice by them.

  • Anonymous

    Were the shots of Reggie Smith and Dusty Baker taken from the same game? The 2 pictures look very similar.

  • Anonymous

    I wonder how people would rank the Dodgers by positional greatness.
    It seems fairly clear that starting pitching has defined the Dodgers (especially in Los Angeles), but catching (Campy, Scioscia, Piazza, etc) and relief pitching (Gagne, Saito, Perranoski) have been historically significant as well.
    So, yeah, how would others rank the positions in terms of greatness?

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

       You can put the left side of the infield at the bottom, I’m pretty sure.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-Monson/1419281480 Eric Monson

    Nice job, but only two gripes: Sutton before Drysdale? Never. Little D wasn’t half the pitcher that was Big D. And to include Jeff Kent and not Bill Buckner? I will accept your apology. :-)

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    Buckner had a .319 OBP and 38 HR in eight years. I don’t think he needed to be included.
    Drysdale over Sutton I can definitely see.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-Monson/1419281480 Eric Monson

    I appreciate your logic, but HRs aren’t everything. Buckner played with a style that you had to see to appreciate, not unlike Pete Rose. Finished with 2715 hits. A HOFer if he doesn’t have those ankle problems early in his career that took a lot of his speed away. His OF career was virtually over and 1B was populated by someone named Garvey, so I understood why they traded him away. Just made me sad for “what could have been”. He was a special player.

    • Anonymous

      It’s interesting how Billy Buck continues to hold a sentimental place with fans of our generation, you and me both.  I wonder if it simply the fact that he wept when told he had been traded.  It’s hard to imagine Jeff Kent shedding a tear.

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

       It’s about what each player did as a Dodger.  I could have put Frank Robinson on the list if it was about what someone did for their whole career.

  • http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

    Off topic but Matt Kemp is on Conan tonight; if you’re on PST the show just started. (Will be available on demand, too, I’m sure.)

    • http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

      Weird, guess it was on in LA already? Don’t quite get why it’s on at 10 there and 11 in SF, since it’s TBS in both cases… but anyhoo, check it out online or on demand later. 

  • Anonymous

    Odd to see Garvey, Lopes, and Cey without Russell, but I can’t argue that he should be there.  Unless you consider them as the four-headed beast Garveylopesrussellcey.

    • Anonymous

      Russell was the weak link in that infield.

  • http://twitter.com/nachobeingnacho Nacho

    No list is perfect. Go Dodgers! Need a ride to the game.
    http://youtu.be/zFcxeCdaug4

  • http://profiles.google.com/michaelgreen327 Michael Green

    I could make a case for Russell, but this is inevitably a barstool debate.  Also, let’s consider the definition:  “greatest Dodgers.”  Could an argument be made that non-players could have been included?  If they wore the Dodger uniform …. Anyway, Jon, you clearly gave it a lot of thought, and it’s a magnificent list.

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

      I asked, and I was told to keep it to players.

    • Anonymous

      Alston, Lasorda and of course, O’Malley (no uniform).

  • Anonymous

    Not trying to be picky, but when I saw that Matt Kemp and Kershaw would be left off I thought that was fair, until I saw Jeff Kent on there with only 4 years with Dodgers to make top 50? Don’t see it. It’s not like he was even that good, although I know the argument will probably be made that there is not much else at 2B for the Dodgers. Anyway, my two cents. After a few years, Kemp and Kershaw will be on there and can move Kent down where he belongs! :)

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

      Kent was the Dodgers’ best-hitting second baseman since Jackie Robinson. He was that good.

      • Anonymous

        Don’t disagree with the hitting, just more of a commentary on 2B in Dodgers history than Kent being that good. 10.7 WAR in 4 years is nothing to get jazzed about since Kemp almost did that last year in one year. Again just my two cents, he could hit but couldn’t field, but I true I guess he was the 3rd best 2B Dodgers have had. Hopefully that will change at some point!

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    Vin Scully is resting at home with a bad cold and will miss Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers announce.

    • http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

      {Sniff} Just saw that. Bummer. It’s being televised on MLB Network, too, so I was looking forward to hearing him (presuming they’d be using the Dodgers’ feed).  Oh well. Every game he does is precious at this point.

      • Anonymous

        I doubt that the MLB Network would have made people watch the Pirates feed and listen to the stylings of Bob Walk.

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    NPUT