Los Angeles Dodgers All-Time Team

All-Time teams 2.0 will come to a close in California. Let's go to glamorous Los Angeles for a look at the Dodgers roster.

Dodger Stadium became the Dodgers' permanent home in 1962. This is their 62nd season at Chavez Ravine (2020 inclusive). Only Fenway Park has hosted more World Series games among still standing stadia.

From 1954 to 1996 the Dodgers had two managers: Tommy Lasorda and his predecessor Walter Alston, who managed the iconic 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers and earned three more titles in L.A.

Here's his all-time starting lineup.

If you're not familiar with #2 hitter Babe Herman, check out my 100 Greatest Non-Hall of Famers list. He played just six full seasons with the club but his averages were exceptional.

	Dodgers stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Babe Herman	23.3	0.339	0.396	0.557	0.953	144
	*Carl Furillo	34.6	0.299	0.355	0.458	0.813	112
	Dixie Walker	34.9	0.311	0.386	0.441	0.827	129

Dixie Walker would be a nice bat off the bench, if the Dodgers can fit him in.

No such luck. Furillo and Matt Kemp are essential Dodgers. Same for Steve Garvey.

Davey Lopes will have a much harder time keeping his spot.

	Dodgers stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Davey Lopes	32.3	0.262	0.349	0.380	0.729	105
	Dolph Camilli	29.7	0.270	0.392	0.497	0.889	143
	Justin Turner	33.8	0.296	0.375	0.490	0.865	133

Dolph Camilli's production over a half-dozen Dodger seasons is very impressive, but the first base roadblocks are a bit tougher than Herman had in right field. Current Red Sox DH Justin Turner makes the team over the speedy Lopes.

The Dodgers' calling card - especially in L.A. - has been their tremendous starting pitching.

Alston's rotation is unchanged. After several rosters with subpar starting pitching, it's nice to see a squad with a clear top-five. Nap Rucker, Orel Hershiser, and Fernando Valenzuela would headline the Dodgers' 'B' rotation. Don Newcombe won a Cy Young, an MVP award, and Rookie of the Year honors with the Dodgers and his career WAR total for the team ranks 20th among pitchers. 

Meanwhile, L.A.'s relief corps has one spot up for grabs. Can Clem Labine hold it down?

	Dodgers stats	SV	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP	games
	*Clem Labine	81	3.63	113	1.39	1.317	425
	Jay Howell	85	2.07	170	2.83	1.086	236
	Pedro Baez	3	3.03	132	3.08	1.096	355
	Tom Niedenfuer	64	2.76	128	2.41	1.181	310

He cannot. Pedro Baez earns the middle reliever role. As I've mentioned, it's tough for pre-expansion relievers to keep up with today's flamethrowers. Initially I graded guys like Labine on a curve(no pun intended) but I've been more strict with the stats in 2.0.

Looking ahead... Brusdar Graterol could certainly compete for a relief role on this roster. John Roseboro may have to watch out for Will Smith in a couple years. And there's always another high-ceiling starting pitcher in the pipeline.

TL; DR: Two changes from the original roster. Lopes and Labine out. Turner and Baez in.


Come back tomorrow for the penultimate All-Time team*, the San Diego Padres. 

*among existing franchises

Thanks for reading!



 

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All-Time Teams: Dodgers

Today we'll review a franchise that actually plays in Los Angeles. Here's the All-Time Team for the L.A. Dodgers:

Manager: Walter Alston

Home: Dodger Stadium

Leading off for the Dodgers.. the Second Baseman.. Jackie Robinson

This needs no explanation, but we'll give him one anyway. In just ten MLB seasons Jackie Robinson won Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, a batting title, and a World Series. The six-time All-Star is fifth in franchise history with a 61.4 WAR, a number that he might have doubled had he been allowed to start his career in the previously whites-only league. While his impact on the field gets overlooked at times, his impact on the game and the country will never be forgotten.






Batting second for Los Angeles.. the Right Fielder.. Babe Herman

The other lefty-swinging right fielder named Babe played seven years for the other New York team. Babe Herman slashed an astounding .339/.396/.557 for Brooklyn, but never led the league in any category. He finished eighth in MVP voting in 1929, posting a .381 average with 21 homers and 113 RBI. In 1930 Herman was even better, slamming 35 home runs, 48 doubles, and batting .393. The Dodgers - er, Robins - improved from 6th place to 4th that year. However there was no MVP awarded in 1930.





Batting third.. the Center Fielder.. Duke Snider

Part of the great trinity of New York City center fielders, Duke Snider belted 40 or more home runs in each of the Dodgers' last five seasons in Flatbush. The Hall of Fame slugger played in eight All-Star games and six World Series, and narrowly lost the 1955 NL MVP vote to the next player in this lineup. Snider is the Dodgers' career leader in offensive WAR, hone runs, and RBI. He led the league in runs scored three times, total bases three times, and slugging twice. Over his sixteen seasons with the team, Duke batted an even .300.





Batting fourth.. the Catcher.. Roy Campanella

Like Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella started his career in the Negro Leagues and played ten seasons with the Dodgers. The Hall of Fame catcher ranks fourth in franchise history with 242 career home runs and led the NL with 143 RBI in 1953. An eight-time All-Star, "Campy" batted over .310 in 1951, 1953, and 1955 - earning NL MVP honors in all three seasons. A core member of the "Boys of Summer", Campanella powered Brooklyn to the Fall Classic five times and caught all 32 World Series games. His career slugging percentage of .500 is second all-time among catchers.





Batting fifth.. the Designated Hitter.. Pedro Guerrero

I have to admit, I was expecting to put Gil Hodges here. However, Pedro Guererro's power numbers in the 1980s popped off the page. From 1981-1989 Guerrero batted .300 or better six times, finished top-4 in NL MVP voting four times and was named to the All-Star team five times. He won a Silver Slugger in 1982 and led the majors with a 182 OPS+ in 1985. Over his eleven seasons with L.A. Guerrero slashed .309/.381/.512 and his 149 OPS+ is fifth in team history. Let that be a lesson, kids: look at the numbers, then the names.





Batting sixth.. the Left Fielder.. Zack Wheat

In the storied history of the Dodgers franchise, no one played in more games or collected more hits than Zack Wheat. The Hall of Famer sits atop the team leader board in several other categories including doubles, triples, total bases, and runs created. A Veteran's Committee selection to the Hall of Fame in 1959, Wheat won a batting title in 1918, led the NL in slugging and total bases in 1916, and tied for third in MVP voting in 1924 after batting .375 at age 36. Only forty players in history have more career hits than Zack's 2,884.





Batting seventh.. the First Baseman.. Gil Hodges

Gil Hodges was an essential part of the Dodgers' lineup from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. An eight-time All-Star, Hodges posted seven straight seasons of 100+ RBI and eleven straight seasons of 20+ home runs. His career totals in both categories are second to Duke Snider in franchise history. Hodges played in seven World Series and won the first three Gold Gloves awarded to NL first basemen. A single Veteran's Committee vote - voided by Ted Williams - kept Hodges out of the Hall of Fame.





Batting eighth.. the Third Baseman.. Ron Cey

One of the top third basemen of the 1970s, Ron Cey represented the Dodgers in six consecutive All-Star games from 1974-1979. Only a strike-shortened 1981 season prevented the "Penguin" from posting an eleven-year streak of 20+ home runs. Cey shared World Series MVP honors that year with Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager, batting .350 with six RBI against the Yankees. Cey is fifth in Dodgers history with 228 home runs and sixth among position players with a 47.7 WAR.






Batting ninth.. the Shortstop.. Pee Wee Reese

A stalwart at shortstop for sixteen seasons, Harold Henry Reese missed three more while serving in the Navy during World War II. "Pee Wee" was named to ten All-Star teams and played in 44 World Series games over seven series, all against the Yankees. Elected to Cooperstown by the Veteran's Committee in 1984, Reese placed in the top ten of NL MVP voting eight times, finishing fifth in 1949. His career WAR total of 66.3 is higher than any position player in Dodgers history.






The Starting Pitcher for the Dodgers.. Clayton Kershaw

The highest WAR total of all players in Dodgers history belongs to Clayton Kershaw. The 8-time All-Star has accumulated 68 WAR in just twelve seasons as L.A.'s ace, and has plenty of time to add to that total. Kershaw won three Cy Young awards, finished top-3 in three other seasons, and earned NL MVP honors in 2014. The most dominant pitcher of the past decade, "The Claw" led the NL in strikeouts three times and ERA five times from 2011-2017. He's the active leader in career ERA, ERA+, fielding-independent ERA, shutouts, and WHIP. And he accomplished all of this before his 32nd birthday.

Now let's take a look at the Dodgers' bench and bullpen:

Catcher: John Roseboro
1st Base: Steve Garvey
Infield: Davey Lopes
Outfield: Matt Kemp
Outfield: Carl Furillo

Mike Scioscia can't manage the Angels and back up Campy, so Roseboro will take his spot here. Garvey made ten All-Star teams, won the NL MVP in 1974, and played in five World Series. Lopes was the best option among a handful of notable middle infielders. Justin Turner nearly made the team - after just six seasons in Dodger blue. Kemp won two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and nearly won the 2011 NL MVP award. Furillo won a batting title in 1953 and hit .299 over 15 seasons for the franchise. 



#2 Starter: Sandy Koufax
#3 Starter: Don Drysdale
#4 Starter: Dazzy Vance
#5 Starter: Don Sutton

It shocked me that Koufax was not the ace of this All-Time team. His six-year run from 1961-1966 is unparalleled but Kershaw's peak has lasted longer - look at the numbers, then the names. Drysdale won the 1962 Cy Young award and three World Series rings before retiring at age 33. Vance won an MVP award at age 33, and led the league in strikeouts seven straight seasons. Sutton is the Dodgers' all-time leader in wins, starts, whiffs, and innings pitched. All four of these hurlers are in the Hall of Fame.



LH Reliever: Ron Perranoski
RH Reliever: Clem Labine
RH Reliever: Jonathan Broxton
LH Reliever: Jim Brewer
RH Reliever: Eric Gagne
RH Reliever: Kenley Jansen

Perranoski led the league in appearances three times and finished 4th in NL MVP voting in 1963. Labine led the NL in saves and made the All-Star team in 1956 and 1957. Gagne saved 152 games in an astounding three-year run and won the Cy Young award in 2003. Jansen is the franchise leader in appearances, saves, ERA+, K/9, and WHIP. 




Our next All-Time Team is a slightly less historically significant franchise. Hope to see you back here for the Miami Marlins. 


Thanks for reading!


 
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Champs!

What a season. What a series. The Red Sox are world champions again, for the fourth time in fifteen years. 

This is the same franchise that sold Babe Ruth, that couldn't get Ted Williams a title. That iconic Carlton Fisk homer came in a series the Sox lost. And then there was Bucky bleeping Dent... Bill Buckner... Aaron Boone...

It's 4 to 1 Boston since 2000

This century is starting off a lot like the last one did. The Red Sox have now won four of the last fifteen World Series. Boston won five of the first fifteen World Series played from 1903 to 1918. Then they didn't win again for 86 years. 

So for those of you who are (understandably) sick of seeing the Sox win..there's always the chance that this '18 title will be the last of our lifetime. 

I doubt this is of any consolation to the Dodger fans out there... but this was the hardest one for me to enjoy. In 2004, it was all about breaking the curse. In 2007 it was about proving '04 was no fluke. I liked the Rockies and Todd Helton (former New Haven Raven) but I had no problem rooting against the still-new franchise. In 2013 Boston played the Cardinals (again) - a flagship franchise I had a lot of respect for - but one that had just celebrated two seasons prior. 

The Dodgers though..I like the Dodgers a lot. They were the first World Series champion of my baseball-loving life. They were my favorite aunt's favorite team. I was cheering for them last year. In that post I mentioned a picture I took at a photography studio in Cooperstown, posing as a 'lil Dodger. Here it is:

It's nice to see Dodger Stadium host two straight World Series, and it's great that Vin Scully and Tommy Lasorda and Sandy Koufax are still around and cheering for the boys in blue.

L.A. has always had great pitching, from Koufax and Drysdale to Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, Clayton Kershaw, and now Walker Buehler. And they've been finding hidden gems like Max Muncy and Chris Taylor to plug in around Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner. Nearly all of their starters can play multiple positions. Dave Roberts has been a wizard with that roster.

I felt this on a spiritual level... pic.twitter.com/GeIHP8xOtc

— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) October 25, 2018

Win or lose, the Red Sox-Dodgers series would have been memorable for that reunion alone.

Yes, Yasiel Piug is a weirdo and Manny Machado is kind of a jackass (Henry pointed out that Manny made the last out of the WS. Poetic justice I suppose.)

Which leads me to another reason I enjoyed this season less, despite the 108 regular season wins and the playoff wins over the hated Yankees and defending champion Astros...

The one guy who was injured all year..the one guy who didn't contribute..was my guy. 

Dustin Pedroia is my favorite Red Sox player and has been for a decade. Some Boston fans may be souring on him, but not me. I'll always admire his heart, his hustle, his max-effort swing and second base play. The guy's a grinder. He's the last link to the 2007 team, and one of the last two links to the 2013 team. (Then-rookie Xander Bogaerts is the other.)

Pedey and David Ortiz are the only Sox this century with three rings. Ortiz did it all in '13; he carried that team to the title and was pretty much the only player coming through in the clutch. Pedroia got one hit in '18. Total. All year.

This will be the crown jewel of a career for some potential Hall of Fame players. Mookie Betts. David Price. Craig Kimbrel. Chris Sale. Possibly Ian Kinsler and Xander Bogaerts. 

My latest COMC purchase. I also picked up a 1933 Goudey card...of a Dodger.

And now that they have the ring, it's time to get paid. Kimbrel and Kinsler are free agents, and Price can join them if he opts out. He's said he won't ..but that was before he did what the Sox paid him to do.

Sale, Bogaerts, and Rick Porcello are unsigned beyond next year. J.D. Martinez can opt out after the '19 season; he's as good as gone. Hope you enjoyed this group, Sox fans.

Kershaw can opt out of his Dodgers contract this winter. I hope he doesn't - or if he does, I hope it's only so he can sign a long-term deal to stay in L.A. 

Sky-high salaries are one thing. But these opt-out clauses are ridiculous. Basically, if you do what you're supposed to, you get to leave and/or make more money. If you suck, the opposite should be true...right?

Think this will work on David and J.D.? Yeah...neither do I.

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Spent

Well...that was exhausting. 

The Dodgers outlasted the Red Sox in an 18-inning marathon last night/this morning, winning 3-2 in the longest World Series game of all-time in the history of ..ever. 

If you stayed up to watch the whole thing, I tip my hat to you - especially if you're in the Eastern time zone. In yesterday's post I assumed that the game would end after 1 a.m. due to it being in Los Angeles. (Forgot about the east coast bias; the game started at 8 p.m. est)

Clearly I was wrong.

When it was 1-1 I thought Oh good, an old-fashioned pitcher's duel. This should be over in three hours. That was wishful thinking. Due to a very vivid and slightly odd dream about Anna Kendrick, I was awake at 4:30 a.m. on Friday. I didn't go back to bed (mistake #1) and I didn't nap yesterday afternoon despite having the day off (mistake #2.) 

As the game kept going and going, and both teams spent their reserves (Boston was playing Christian Vazquez at first base) I was running out of gas - as I'm sure both bullpens were about to. I couldn't make it through the 13th inning; I went to bed at 1 a.m.

The Dodgers had Scott Alexander pitching in the 12th, a guy I had never heard of until then (looking over the rest of the Dodgers' pen, it seems that he's the only guy I didn't know.) Boston brought out Nathan Eovaldi, who was scheduled to start today. He did give the Sox six innings, and he did get a decision on his scheduled start date. But...damn.

I'm not mad at Nate. I'm mad at the trend in baseball, of pulling starters in the 5th inning and spending reliever after reliever until you run out of reliable arms in the 10th inning. This was bound to happen to someone..Unfortunately it happened to "us."

I spent some money at Target yesterday. Pulled three Cody Bellinger cards ...and no Red Sox.

I'm a little mad at myself for not having the energy to watch the end of this classic game. Sure I would have been annoyed that I stayed up until 3:30 a.m. only to see my team lose. But it's a badge of honor for a sports fan. I can still remember watching a Flyers-Penguins 5-overtime playoff game that kept going and going, for about as long as last night's did. I had to see when this marathon would finally end. And I didn't care about either team.


Games like these take a lot out of a team - especially the losing team. Boston has to get up off the mat, find someone who can pitch, and try to piece together win #3 tonight. 

It would help if the bats would wake up.  

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Sports Card Tour 2018 - Los Angeles

May the Fourth be with you! The Collector's Sports Card Tour returns to the Golden State. Today we're in Los Angeles.

There are six pro sports teams in L.A. (eight if you count Major League Soccer - and they definitely do) which means I've got no choice but to split the city into two posts: Dodgers and not-Dodgers. 

The Dodgers are defending National League champions; the 2017 World Series was their first appearance in the fall classic since defeating Oakland for the title in 1988. I was cheering for them to beat Houston last year, but the Astros won in seven games. 

When did you become a baseball card collector? I'm sure if you asked a hundred people (Family Feud-style) the number one answer would be 1988. Topps singles from this set are the definition of overproduced "junk wax" but the affordability and availability (especially compared to today's products) made many of us collectors for life. Well played, Topps.

Kirk Gibson's heroic home run was the first memorable baseball moment I ever watched. As great a play-by-play man as Vin Scully was - and he was the greatest in my lifetime - dismissing Gibson's availability was what motivated him to grind it out for one magical at-bat.

The Dodgers won just one World Series in their 70+ years in Brooklyn (they weren't called 'Dem Bums fer nuthin') then added three more championships to their total within the first eight years of moving to L.A.

Clem Labine and Carl Furillo were among the many players who won rings in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. I bought both of these cards ungraded on COMC for less than $5, then submitted them to PSA.

Don Zimmer was part of that group, too. I kind of feel like he should be a Hall of Famer - not for his playing career, but for a lifelong contribution to the game of baseball.

Then again, he did go charging after Pedro Martinez. Don't forget that - he went after Pedro.

Zimmer apologized, of course. And I can't recall how Pedro addressed it at the time, but when he was elected to the Hall of Fame he told Bob Costas that the Zimmer incident was the biggest regret of his career.

I also bought this Jim Gilliam card on COMC, for about $1.15. It's too off-center to submit for grading, but I'm happy with it.

Gilliam was from the town next over from me. My father-in-law told me he passed by "Junior" 's house back in the day. Not sure if Pop ever met him.

The rest of my Brooklyn-to-L.A. legends. The Reese is a "Cards Your Mom Thew Out" insert, which is certainly possible for Pop. [edit: it's not a CYMTO, it's a 60 Years of Topps]

This Ron Fairly is one of my favorites from the stack of 1963 Topps cards P-Town Tom traded to me.

One of my favorite card-related stories concerns another '63 Dodger, Don Drysdale:

Growing up I used to frequent a few cards stores in town - one in particular called "Who's On First". Eventually I ended up working there, and the owner paid my salary in cards. Which was just perfect for me; I could clean offices for my mom if I needed cash - and I probably would have spent it on cards anyway.

After a while the owner lost his interest in the store and showed up less and less while trying to sell the business. I had been picking out cards on "payday" and showing him what I wanted, but after four or five times he told me that this was unnecessary. Bad idea.

The owner had a few random boxes behind the counter. One of these had a small stack of cards marked for grading. This was the first I had ever heard of PSA or any card appraisal services. I examined two of the cards - they looked immaculate. I had never seen any vintage cards that looked so pack-fresh.

I waited a week. My boss/dealer didn't submit them. And so I put them in a stack with some other cards I wanted to take home. I offered to show him the stack but he declined. And that's how I got a near-mint Don Drysdale (and a Warren Spahn that got a NM7 - stained) just for working in a card shop.

I trace my love of vintage and PSA-grading back to that day at my LCS. Thanks, Harvey!

I'll never be able to complete the 1968 Topps set - in any grade - but I do enjoy picking up high-grade singles whenever I can. This Claude Osteen was part of a COMC purchase that also included Gary Peters and Dennis Ribant. I think the threesome cost about $35 total.

Which is about what I paid for this Mike Piazza rookie card on 4 Sharp Corners. For some reason the Fleer Update XRC is the more "valuable" Piazza but I would prefer this card no matter the price.

It wouldn't shock me if Piazza did use PEDs at some point in his career - but he strongly denies using anything stronger than Andro, and his HOF acceptance speech was so powerful and passionate that I was convinced he respected the game too much to cheat. (Then again, I believed Ryan Braun, so...)

I was fifteen when Nomo-mania swept the nation. His tornado-like windup was fun to watch (and that splitter/forkball was nasty) I had a decent Nomo collection for a while. There was a blue #16 jersey hanging in my closet for a long time. If I still have it, I will find it this month when I do some Spring cleaning.

Which reminds me - COMC's Spring Cleaning sale starts Monday. Hope you all find some great deals. (If you're selling on the site, link your port in comments and I'll check it out.)

There wasn't a whole lot of cards that jumped out at me during their Fall/Black Friday preview sale, so I bought this triple relic for about $12. I offered it up as tradebait, but no one bit. Probably not the best time to trade or sell it right now.

Corey Seager is out for the year and will need Tommy John surgery. Julio Urias is slowly working his way back from shoulder surgery. He's still got potential, but the young lefty probably won't pitch again for at least a couple more months. 

Let that be a lesson, kids. Never invest in pitching prospects. Unless they share your birthday... or they're Clayton Kershaw.

I haven't checked the value of this Kershaw RC but it's been sitting in my Bowman Chrome set for years. His first-year cards are well out of my price range. 

Bowman Chrome might have more prestige as a RC/prospect brand, but I absolutely had to have this Upper Deck Rookie Edition card of "The Claw" which recreates the ground-breaking 1993 SP foil subset.

Two more of my favorite Kershaw cards. The Atomic Refractor was acquired in a trade with Henry (Cardboard Greats) while the Topps Heritage was pulled from my 5-box break. All of the Action Image variations in 2017 Heritage were parallel to short-printed singles - except this one.

The rest of my Kershaw singles. Someday I'll get an oversized version of the '91-style Archives card. Perhaps that day will be Monday. ;)

Fernando Valenzuela pitched Saturday. Not scheduled to pitch till Wednesday. 

Some Dodgers cards I saved from the eBay mystery box. I'm probably keeping about 200 cards and the rest of the 4,000 or so will be available for trade packages and/or contest prizes. 

This was the guaranteed relic in a Fairfield repack I bought a couple years ago. Sure could do worse than Shawn Green.

Refractor faves. I think I got the Nomar on COMC, though it might have come in a trade. The Starling Heredia was the only 'hit' in one of a handful of Bowman packs I bought from Target.

This Rick Rhoden also came from a pack I bought at Target; there was one original Topps card (not a stamped buyback) in packs of 2008 Topps I found in the discount bin a couple years later. Bill Bene was the one card missing from Pop's 1989 set build; he used to tell me how that card always eluded him until he found three copies at a nearby card shop. 

Raul Mondesi was my high school best friend's favorite player (he used to call Mike Piazza "Michael Pizza Paya") Paul LoDuca is the baseball representative of my 'Debtor Hall of Shame'. Glenn Burke invented the high-five..or so the legend goes. 

Dodgers card I'd like to own: This 2009 O-Pee-Chee checklist card depicting Dodger Stadium.

I've been to Fenway Park, old Yankee Stadium, new Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, the Skydome, and Wrigley Field. But the one ballpark on my 'bucket list' is Chavez Ravine.

Favorite Dodgers player (all-time) : Sandy Koufax and Duke Snider (Jackie Robinson never played in L.A.)

Favorite Dodgers player (current) : Clayton Kershaw

Next tour stop: The rest of L.A.'s sports teams


Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks for reading!

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