The Mount Rushmore of the Los Angeles Dodgers

Jackie-Robinson
The Dodgers have operated continuously since their founding in 1884 as the Brooklyn Atlantics of the American Association. Brooklyn transferred to the National League in 1890, adopting the nickname Dodgers in 1911 and 1912, and returning to that moniker for good in 1932.

The Dodgers are the seventh of the original NL clubs in our Mount Rushmore series. Your task is to choose the four players who best represent this franchise. Have fun!

While the Dodger nickname has persisted since 1932, it was a long and circuitous route to get there, starting with the franchise’s second season when the Atlantics were rechristened as the Grays. Next came the Bridegrooms in 1888, shortened to just Grooms in 1891, back to Bridegrooms in 1896, then to Superbas in 1899, Dodgers in 1911, back to Superbas in 1913, then to Robins in 1914 and finally the Dodgers again in 1932.

Brooklyn’s first success came as AA champions in 1889, followed by an NL championship the next season. Ten years later came another pair of back-to-back championships, in 1899 and 1900, their first two seasons as the Superbas. Brooklyn remained competitive for a few more seasons after that, before an extended down period of 9 seasons (1905-13) below 70 wins. Notable  players of Brooklyn’s first 30 seasons include outfielders Mike GriffinJimmy Sheckard and Willie Keeler, infielders Tom DalyGeorge Pinkney and Bill Dahlen, and pitchers Nap RuckerBob Caruthers and Brickyard Kennedy.

Brooklyn’s switch to the Robins nickname in 1914 yielded immediate results with these red Birds moving swiftly up the standings to an NL pennant in 1916, and another four years after that. Brooklyn lost its first World Series 4 games to 1 but came close to leading that set 2-0 instead of trailing by that count. In the opener, the AL champion Red Sox took a 6-1 lead into the 9th, but the Robins loaded the bases with one out when Boston second baseman Hal Janvrin booted what could have been a game-ending double-play ball. Two runs scored and two more followed on two singles and a walk. Now with two out and the bases again loaded, the Robins’ star first baseman Jake Daubert, who had started the uprising with a lead-off walk, grounded to short to end the threat. In game 2, the teams were knotted at 1-1 early before Sherry Smith and Boston’s young southpaw George Ruth matched goose-eggs for 10 frames before a lead-off walk, sacrifice and RBI single by pinch-hitter Del Gainer sent the Red Sox home with a 14-inning walk-off win. The game might have ended sooner if not for Ruth working out of a 1st and 3rd one-out jamb in the 8th, and Brooklyn center-fielder Hi Myers throwing out Janvrin at the plate in the 9th. The Robins’ game 3 victory that could have provided a 3-0 series stranglehold was instead just a pause before Dutch Leonard and Ernie Shore quieted Robin bats in the last two games for Boston’s second consecutive world title and third in five years.

After losing the 1920 World Series by a 5-2 count to Tris Speaker‘s Indians, the Robins/Dodgers descended into eighteen mostly forgettable seasons, including a streak of seven 6th place finishes in eight years (1922-29). The lone season out of 6th place was a second-place finish in 1924 in a tight pennant duel with the Giants. Thirteen games back on August 9th, the Robins reeled off 13 straight wins (including 10 on the road) from August 25th to September 4th to tie the G-men. The teams were tied again on Sep 22nd with four games to play, but Brooklyn managed only a split of those contests against the Braves and Cubs, while New York took four of five from the Pirates and Phils. It was only the schedule-maker who didn’t cooperate as the two front-runners faced each other just twice in 28 September games (29 for New York). Principal players of the 1914-1938 period include outfielders Zack Wheat and Babe Herman, infielders Jack Fournier and Jake Daubert, catcher Babe Phelps and pitchers Dazzy VanceJeff PfefferBurleigh Grimes and Watty Clark.

Brooklyn’s return to respectability started with shortstop Leo Durocher also assuming the role of manager for the 1939 season. After six seasons finishing no higher than 5th, the Dodgers finished 3rd in 1939, 2nd in 1940 and claimed the NL pennant in 1941. After a tension-packed season (Brooklyn was never more than 3 games behind or 4 games ahead, for the entire season) the 1941 World Series, as in 1916, would prove to be a case of “what might have been” for the Dodgers. After splitting the first two games with the Yanks, the teams appeared to have done the same for the next two contests after Hugh Casey struck out Tommy Henrich to seemingly preserve a 4-3 Dodger win in what would have been the series’ fourth consecutive one-run victory. Instead, a passed ball by Dodger catcher Mickey Owen allowed Henrich to reach and gave the Bombers new life as they staged a furious two-out rally for four quick runs and a 3-1 series bulge. The next day, Tiny Bonham retired 13 of the last 14 Dodgers for a 3-1 win and New York’s fifth world title in six years.

Brooklyn posted 104 wins in 1942, then the franchise record, but it wasn’t enough to catch the high-flying Cardinals in their first of three successive pennants. But, aside from a 90-loss season in 1944 (with a severely depleted wartime roster that featured no fewer than eight teenagers and four forty-somethings), Brooklyn remained competitive, returning to the Fall Classic in 1947, again against the Yanks, and starting a golden decade in New York that would see the cross-town rivals meet in the Fall Classic on no fewer than six occasions (not to mention two post-season appearances for the Giants).

The Yankees took the ’47 series despite a walk-off loss in game 4 decided on a pinch-hit double by Cookie Lavagetto to break up Bill Bevens‘ no-hit bid, and a game 6 loss memorable for Al Gionfriddo‘s spectacular 6th inning catch in Yankee Stadium’s deep left-center field that robbed Joe DiMaggio of what could have been a game-tying 3-run homer. World Series losses to New York followed in 1949 (walk-off HR by Tommy Henrich in game 1, 9th-inning, tie-breaking 2-RBI pinch-hit by Johnny Mize in game 3), 1952 (alternating wins until 7th game loss on singleton runs by Yankees in four successive innings) and 1953 (105 wins, but walk-off series loss in game 6 after Dodgers scored twice to tie in top of the 9th). As disappointing as those post-season results were, failing to win pennants in 1950 and 1951 may have been even more painful.

In 1950, Brooklyn looked to be out of the running at 9 games back on Sep 18th, but a 12-3 run while the front-running Phillies went 3-9 brought the Dodgers to within one game as they hosted the Phils in the season finale. In the 9th inning of a 1-1 tie, the Dodgers got the first two men aboard with star center-fielder Duke Snider coming up. The Silver Fox delivered a line shot to center but Cal Abrams was thrown out at the plate trying to score. Jackie Robinson was then walked to load the bases with sluggers Carl Furillo and Gil Hodges following. But, Phillie ace Robin Roberts induced a pop up and a fly out, setting the stage for Dick Sisler‘s pennant-winning 3-run homer in the 10th. In 1951, the Dodgers were in the driver’s seat, but a 4-6 finish while the Giants ran the table 8-0 left the teams in a dead heat. A pennant playoff ensued, won by the Giants in the deciding 3rd game on Bobby Thomson‘s famous walk-off homer to complete the comeback from a 9th inning 4-1 deficit.

Fortune finally shone on Brooklyn in 1955, with home teams winning each game of the series until the Dodgers broke that pattern with a 2-0 game 7 shutout by Johnny Podres. The same two clubs met in the Fall Classic the next season, the last for legendary pioneer Jackie Robinson. As in 1955, home teams won the first 6 contests until the Yankees broke that trend with a 9-0 whitewash in game 7 behind Johnny Kucks‘ 3-hitter. That series is famous for Don Larsen‘s perfect game 5 that earned the right-hander the series MVP award (despite being pounded in his game 2 start in which he failed to last two innings). Principal Dodgers of the 1939 to 1957 period include Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese and pitchers Don Newcombe, Preacher Roe, Carl Erskine and Ralph Branca.

The Dodgers and cross-town rival Giants took the 1950s westward franchise migration to another level, moving from one coast to the other in 1958. The Dodger machine kept right on rolling in LA with 4 pennants in their first 9 seasons on the West Coast, including three World Series titles. Those Dodger teams were anchored by their pitching, led by the lefty-righty combo of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Those two dominated the NL over that period, placing 1st and 2nd in Wins, Strikeouts and Shutouts, 1st and 3rd in IP, and 2nd and 3rd in CGs. That period saw the last of the Yankee-Dodger World Series matchups of that era with the Dodgers holding the Bombers to just four runs in a four game sweep in 1963. The Dodgers, though, suffered that same fate in 1966, a series in which the new AL powerhouse Orioles scored more runs in the first inning of game 1 than LA would score in the series as Baltimore shut out the NL champs over the series’ last 33 innings.

After two decades of NL dominance, the Dodgers briefly skidded to the second division in 1967-69 on the heels of Koufax’s retirement and the sudden decline of Drysdale. But, four straight 2nd place finishes followed to start the 1970s before LA finally bested the big Red Machine in Cincinnati with pennants in 1974, 1977 and 1978 (but losses in all three of those World Series to the AL’s next two dynasties in Oakland and, once again, in the Bronx). The Dodgers broke that string of WS defeats by ousting the Yankees in 1981, a strike-shortened season in which LA qualified for the post-season by fortuitously standing a half-game ahead of the Reds as the strike began. After the second-half champion Astros posted walk-off wins in the first two games of the newly christened NLDS, LA rallied for three straight wins at home behind the pitching of Burt Hooton, Fernando Valenzuela and Jerry Reuss who collectively held the visitors to just two runs. More heroics in the NLCS as the Dodgers overcame a 2-1 series deficit to edge Montreal, winning the climax game on a 9th inning home run by Rick Monday. Principal Dodgers of the 1958 to 1981 period include Jim GilliamWillie DavisMaury WillsRon CeySteve GarveyDavey LopesBill Russell and pitchers Koufax, Drysdale, Johnny PodresDon Sutton and Claude Osteen.

LA remained competitive through most of the 1980s, taking NL West crowns in 1983 and 1985 before ousting the heavily favored As in the 1988 World Series. That series will forever be remembered for the lone appearance of Kirk Gibson, NL MVP in his first year in the senior circuit, but badly hobbled and ineffective in the Dodgers 7-game NLCS triumph over the Mets. Nevertheless, in the WS opener, with LA down by one with two outs in the home 9th, pinch-hitter Mike Davis worked a walk to bring up the pitcher’s spot and Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda, playing a hunch, sent Gibson to the plate. Playing on one good leg, Gibson barely fouled off a pitch to stay alive before going deep against the As dominant closer and CYA runner-up Dennis Eckersley.

That ’88 WS triumph would mark the Dodgers last playoff victory for 16 years. During the drought LA managed post-season appearances only in 1995 and 1996, both times being swept in the divisional round. It would not be until 2008 that LA finally made it past the first playoff round, losing the NLCS that year and the next under new manager Joe Torre (after 42 seasons with only two managers, Torre was LA’s 6th manager in 12 seasons). Most recently, Torre’s successor Don Mattingly has led LA to NL West titles the past two seasons, but the Dodgers have been unable to get past the Cardinals in the post-season. Principal Dodgers since 1982 include Mike PiazzaPedro GuerreroMike SciosciaAdrian BeltreMatt Kemp and pitchers Orel HershiserClayton Kershaw and Fernando Valenzuela.

Here are the top 15 Dodger positions players, by WAR.

Rk Player WAR From To G PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS Pos
1 Pee Wee Reese 66.3 1940 1958 2166 9470 1338 2170 330 80 126 885 1210 890 232 .269 .366 .377 .743 *65/H
2 Duke Snider 65.9 1947 1962 1923 7633 1199 1995 343 82 389 1271 893 1123 99 .300 .384 .553 .936 *89H/7
3 Jackie Robinson 61.5 1947 1956 1382 5804 947 1518 273 54 137 734 740 291 197 .311 .409 .474 .883 *4537/H69
4 Zack Wheat 59.7 1909 1926 2322 9725 1255 2804 464 171 131 1210 632 567 203 .317 .367 .452 .819 *7/H89
5 Willie Davis 54.4 1960 1973 1952 8035 1004 2091 321 110 154 849 350 815 335 .279 .312 .413 .725 *8/H9
6 Ron Cey 47.5 1971 1982 1481 6108 715 1378 223 18 228 842 765 838 20 .264 .359 .445 .804 *5/H
7 Gil Hodges 44.3 1943 1961 2007 7935 1088 1884 294 48 361 1254 925 1108 63 .274 .360 .488 .847 *3/H275984
8 Jim Gilliam 40.7 1953 1966 1956 8322 1163 1889 304 71 65 558 1036 416 203 .265 .360 .355 .715 *457H/983
9 Steve Garvey 36.4 1969 1982 1727 7027 852 1968 333 35 211 992 367 751 77 .301 .337 .459 .796 *35/H7694
10 Carl Furillo 35.1 1946 1960 1806 7022 895 1910 324 56 192 1058 514 436 48 .299 .355 .458 .813 *98H/7
11 Roy Campanella 34.2 1948 1957 1215 4815 627 1161 178 18 242 856 533 501 25 .276 .360 .500 .860 *2/H
12 Dixie Walker 33.5 1939 1947 1207 5093 666 1395 274 56 67 725 539 185 44 .311 .386 .441 .827 *987/H
13 Pedro Guerrero 32.6 1978 1988 1036 4089 561 1113 169 24 171 585 417 611 86 .309 .381 .512 .893 59783/H4
14 Davey Lopes 32.0 1972 1981 1207 5308 759 1204 165 39 99 384 603 629 418 .262 .349 .380 .729 *4/8H695
15 Mike Piazza 31.9 1992 1998 726 3017 443 896 115 3 177 563 283 440 10 .331 .394 .572 .966 *2/HD3
16 Maury Wills 31.9 1959 1972 1593 6745 876 1732 150 56 17 374 456 562 490 .281 .331 .332 .663 *6/5H
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 3/18/2015.

And, the top 15 pitchers.

Rk Player WAR From To G GS CG SHO W L W-L% IP BB SO ERA FIP ERA+
1 Dazzy Vance 61.6 1922 1935 378 328 213 29 190 131 .592 2757.2 764 1918 3.17 3.16 129
2 Don Drysdale 61.2 1956 1969 518 465 167 49 209 166 .557 3432.0 855 2486 2.95 3.02 121
3 Sandy Koufax 53.2 1955 1966 397 314 137 40 165 87 .655 2324.1 817 2396 2.76 2.69 131
4 Don Sutton 50.7 1966 1988 550 533 156 52 233 181 .563 3816.1 996 2696 3.09 3.05 110
5 Nap Rucker 47.9 1907 1916 336 274 186 38 134 134 .500 2375.1 701 1217 2.42 2.60 119
6 Orel Hershiser 39.9 1983 2000 353 309 65 24 135 107 .558 2180.2 667 1456 3.12 3.28 116
7 Clayton Kershaw 39.7 2008 2014 211 209 17 9 98 49 .667 1378.1 424 1445 2.48 2.73 151
8 Fernando Valenzuela 33.0 1980 1990 331 320 107 29 141 116 .549 2348.2 915 1759 3.31 3.28 107
9 Jeff Pfeffer 32.9 1913 1921 226 200 157 25 113 80 .585 1748.1 415 656 2.31 2.82 125
10 Bob Welch 32.6 1978 1987 292 267 47 23 115 86 .572 1820.2 565 1292 3.14 3.26 114
11 Brickyard Kennedy 31.7 1892 1901 382 333 280 11 177 149 .543 2866.0 1130 751 3.98 4.33 102
12 Burleigh Grimes 28.7 1918 1926 318 287 205 20 158 121 .566 2426.0 744 952 3.46 3.47 105
13 Watty Clark 27.9 1927 1937 322 199 90 14 106 88 .546 1659.0 353 620 3.55 3.65 117
14 Johnny Podres 27.7 1953 1966 366 310 74 23 136 104 .567 2029.1 670 1331 3.66 3.58 107
15 Van Mungo 26.9 1931 1941 284 215 114 16 102 99 .507 1739.1 697 1031 3.41 3.66 114
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 3/18/2015.

Now, it’s your turn. Please choose 4 players, or write in your own. Polls are open until midnight Pacific time on Wed, April 1st. You can check on results using the link at the bottom of the ballot. If the ballot does not display on your browser, you can also vote here.

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Hartvig
Hartvig
9 years ago

Still mulling this one over. I like to go by eras but that can be tough with this club. Uncle Robbie is probably the name most closely associated with the early years of the club. Wheat or Vance would both probably work their too but the reality is that only die hard fans are going to recognize any of those names much less their faces. There are a lot of well known names in the 50’s- Robinson, Snider, Reese, Hodges, Campanella- and they had a lot of success but only 1 WS title to show for the group (2 if… Read more »

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
9 years ago
Reply to  Hartvig

Hard to overlook Koufax given his Postseason numbers.
After all, it is ultimately about winning championships.

Here are some regular season comparisons between Koufax and Vance:

165 – 87, 2.76 (131)
187 – 129,3.15 (130)

Best WAR seasons:
10.7 .. 10.4
10.3 .. 10.0
8.1 … 7.8
7.4 … 7.1
5.7 … 6.1
4.4 … 5.1
2.1 … 4.6
1.5 … 3.7
1.3 … 3.5

Hartvig
Hartvig
9 years ago
Reply to  Hartvig

I wound up going with Wheat, Robinson, Koufax and… Piazza. I seem to recall reading that Wheat was pretty popular among the fans so I went with him altho I’m sure Vance was as well. I was really tempted to go with Babe Herman just to see what they would do about the ears. Jackie was easy even though it meant if I was going to stick with a timeline leaving off some of the best known and loved players in the franchises history. Koufax was the same. I went with Piazza partly because his best seasons were as a… Read more »

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
9 years ago

I voted for Wheat, Jackie, Koufax, and Kershaw.
_____

The vote leaders at this moment have 15 each, and it looks like Im the first to choose Zack Wheat.

He’s the franchise leader in Games, PA, hits, doubles, triples, and Total Bases.
And what spectacular slightly-above-average consistency!

5 separate season with exactly 2.7 WAR.
9 between 2.5 – 2.9

Batted exactly .375 in both his age 35 and 36 year.
And ended his career with exactly 10,000 PA.

MJ
MJ
9 years ago

Steve Garvey is listed twice.

Bryan O'Connor
Editor
9 years ago

Interesting that the career leaders in position player WAR and pitching WAR are outside the top four at the moment. I excluded them as well- went with Jackie, Sandy, Clayton, and the Duke.

David P
David P
9 years ago

The Dodgers are one of those odd franchises that’s arguably as famous – if not more famous – for it’s managers and executives than for it’s players. Managers: You have Lasorda, Alston, and Wilbert Robinson as long tenured managers who are in the HOF. Durocher was pretty evenly split between the Dodgers, Giants and Cubs. They were also the first team managed by Casey Stengel. Owners/Executives: You have the O’Malley’s (Walter and his son Peter), Buzzie Bavasi, Al Campanis. Going way back there’s Charles Ebbets. And of course Branch Rickey who perhaps made a bigger impact with the Cardinals but… Read more »

Dr. Doom
Dr. Doom
9 years ago
Reply to  David P

I was JUST going to make that point! It’s too bad they’re not listed. The “write-ins” never get enough love, so it would’ve been nice to see some (or even ALL) of the names you mention on the ballot.

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
9 years ago
Reply to  David P

@6, @8;

Agree entirely; I’m a little disappointed that none of the important Dodgers managers or owners/executives were listed on the ballot. I could easily justify a ballot solely of them, that was something like:
-Rickey
-Walter O’Malley
-Alston
-Lasorda

OR EVEN:
-Robbie (Wilbert Robinson)
and
– Buzzie Bavasi

as alternates to the four above.

bells
bells
9 years ago
Reply to  Doug

If only you could somehow carve a voice into Mount Rushmore…

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
9 years ago
Reply to  Doug

#30,

You could attach a battery-powered amplifier and speaker on the mountainside of Mt. Rushmore, and run a continuous loop of Vin Skully’s play-by-play of the ninth inning of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965. Pure poetry.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
9 years ago
Reply to  David P

I don’t think that many long-time Dodger fans would consider anybody named O’Malley as the face of the Dodgers. They might consider a different part of the human body.

:Lawrence Azrin
:Lawrence Azrin
9 years ago

@13,

RC – understood, but I’m guessing that most of us here are _not_ long-time Dodger fans.

:Lawrence Azrin
:Lawrence Azrin
9 years ago

@13,

RC – understood, but I’m guessing that most of us here are _not_ long-time Dodger fans.

David P
David P
9 years ago

Richard – I assume that’s because of the move to LA? Or is it something else?

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
9 years ago
Reply to  David P

It is because of the move to LA. Dodger fans protested loudly but to no avail.

David P
David P
9 years ago

As a fan of the Cleveland Browns, I can relate to how Brooklyn Dodger fans felt/feel. Of course, as a baseball fan, it’s hard to ignore O’Malley the elder’s impact on the game.

no statistician but
no statistician but
9 years ago

The Dodgers really are a peculiar franchise. Their truly dominant players have had short careers for various reasons—Vance, Robinson, Koufax—and while the dominant team they fielded in the forties and fifties—NL dominance, anyway—was noted for offense, not pitching, the WAR figures for Reese, Snider, Hodges, Gilliam, Furillo, and Campy, don’t bowl you over. It’s interesting that none of the pitchers from 1947-1956 era even make the charts above except for Podres, and he put up most of his WAR later. Erskine, Loes, Newcomb, Roe, Branca, et al, were secondary to the guys around them. The same could be said for… Read more »

David
David
9 years ago

Jeff Pfeffer? Can’t recall reading about him before. Interestingly, Edward Joseph “Jeff” Pfeffer is the brother of Francis Xavier “Big Jeff” Pfeffer.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pfeffje01.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pfeffbi01.shtml

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
9 years ago

Concerning Gionfriddo’s “…spectacular over-the fence catch…that robbed Joe DiMaggio of a 3-run homer…”, I don’t think that it has been definitely established that the ball would have been a HR. You can see the catch via youtube and it is clear that when Gionfriddo had the ball in his glove he was a few feet in front of the low bull-pen fence and his momentum carried him a couple of steps back to that fence. It is difficult to ascertain if the trajectory of the ball would have taken it over the fence on the fly. Also it wasn’t deepest… Read more »

mosc
mosc
9 years ago

If kershaw wins the cy young in 2015 and the dodgers win the world series (both of which are decent possibilities), I think he’d be near Jackie Robinson levels of voting this time next year. He’s still young but the ice cream truck would have to get hella lucky to deny Kershaw a spot IMHO.

Kershaw, Koufax, Robinson, Campanella (because I can’t see Reese or the Duke being any easier a choice than Campy)

Paul E
Paul E
9 years ago

Vance, Robinson, Snider, & Koufax.

I wanted to vote for Pedro Guerrero ever since I first heard the tape of the OJ Simpson 911 call made in Florida…..I wish I knew how to drop in the link

Dr. Doom
Dr. Doom
9 years ago
Reply to  Doug

My thinking exactly.

Also, your comment (jest?) above regarding Vin Scully – yeah! He’s probably more the face (voice?) of the Dodgers than anyone ever.

Gary Bateman
Gary Bateman
9 years ago

I voted for Koufax, Wheat, Robinson & Snider. I realize the list was based on WAR, but a shout out to Don Newcombe, who accumulated 22.8 bWAR in just eight seasons and missed two prime years due to military commitment. Despite his post-season problems, he was the best pitcher on the early/mid 50’s teams.

Steven
Steven
9 years ago

I voted Koufax, Reese, Robinson, Drysdale. All four spent their entire major league careers with the Dodgers, and played significant roles on championship teams.

john
john
9 years ago

If Jackie Robinson is left off, the whole thing lacks credibility. Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Curt Flood changed the game. Period. No discussion. Had a terrible time narrowing the list down to 3. Would been happier with the 2-headed monster of Sandy Don Koufax Drysdale. I finally chose both of them. Tough call. That left a shout out to my fellow Hoosier Gil Hodges. Not satisfied with my choices, but I’ll live with them.

paget
paget
9 years ago
Reply to  john

I hear you about Jackie and the Babe. But I have to be frank: it would never, not in a million years occur to me to list Curt Flood on my Cardinals Mt. Rushmore. For as much as I admire his moral courage (despite some other personality flaws), and for as much as he changed the game, would you ever list him over Musial Gibson Hornsby Pujols ? And I wouldn’t be much tempted to list him above Ozzie Medwick Dean Boyer Brock The great thing about Jackie is that you don’t have to wrestle with the question of history… Read more »

paget
paget
9 years ago
Reply to  paget

Actually, I’d be sorely tempted to even include Branch Rickey on my Cardinals Mt. Rushmore over Curt Flood.

I wonder, is there any other executive who could lay a convincing claim to Rushmore status for two separate organizations?

Hartvig
Hartvig
9 years ago
Reply to  paget

Casey as manager for the Mets & the Yankees maybe

Bob Howsam would be an interesting case:
a) instrumental in forcing baseball to expand
b) one of the founders of the AFL
c) helped create the 67-68 Cards
d) helped build the Big Red Machine

David P
David P
9 years ago
Reply to  paget

Paget – Probably the closest equivalent to Rickey would be Lee MacPhail who had a role in dynasties with the Yankees and the Orioles. There’s also Bill Veeck who was the owner of several franchises. All of his tenures were short but he made his mark on each franchise.

Hartvig in #31 mentions Stengel’s time with the Yankees and Mets. In both roles, his boss was George Weiss.

john
john
9 years ago
Reply to  paget

OK, Paget, you are right. I guess I didn’t explain myself as well as I should have. Would I put Flood on the Cardinals Rushmore? Not on a bet! I’d barely put him on over Don Kessinger! (Don’t forget my beloved Cubs traded Dandy Don to the Cardinals for a catcher’s mitt and car fare and he spent I think a year and a half with the Redbirds.)

bells
bells
9 years ago

Jackie Robinson is on MLB’s Rushmore, let alone the Dodgers. No question. Koufax also goes on without question; even if some of the marvel at his dominance was overhyped by the context of the pitchers’ era he was in, he’s still synonymous with mound dominance and changed what was possible for expectations about strikeouts. I think Duke Snider is a harder choice, but only slightly more so. I’m usually all for pushing guys from different eras, but the Dodgers of the 50s/60s were just where it’s at, it’s hard to deny. I’d consider Vance and Wheat for sure, Fernando-mania was… Read more »

Brent
Brent
9 years ago

I voted Reese, Robinson, Snider and Koufax b/c I think those are the best 4 Dodgers. I did consider Zack Wheat and Dazzy Vance as well. If I been given the choice, I would have seriously considered Uncle Robbie (when they rename the team after you, you should probably be considered an important part of the team’s history), Walt Alston and Branch Rickey. And I think they would have to have some sort of video tribute at the monument to the Gibson HR. No, he wasn’t a Dodger long enough to be on the monument, but that is the greatest… Read more »

bstar
9 years ago

Is anyone else having trouble seeing the comments on this thread? When I click on the article or on a specific comment in the Recent Comments thread, all it shows is Hartvig’s post #1 and nothing else.

David P
David P
9 years ago
Reply to  bstar

I see everything Bstar…though it sounds like you may not see my reply!

I still think it’s strange that Andy said he was going to change the theme and eliminate the ads. I haven’t noticed any changes. The theme looks the same and there are still ads.

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
9 years ago
Reply to  David P

The problems seem to have increased after the ‘fix.’
I’m using firefox, and the consistent issues are:

Recent Comments not updating,
My name and email address no longer being saved in the form,
Loading to a blank page after I comment.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
9 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

Voomo: I have problems similar to yours. To retrieve the latest comments I have to bring up a blog and scroll down to see the number of comments. If that number is greater than the previous time I accessed the blog, then I have to scroll down the entire list to find the new comments. Painstaking especially for the blogs with a large number of comments.

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
9 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

@40/VZ;

I’ve had the same three problems as you stated – practically speaking, most annoying is my name/email address no longer being saved in the form.

Comments I’ve posted recently do sometimes appear under ‘Recent Comments, though it seems rather random.

bstar
9 years ago
Reply to  David P

David — thanks, I can now get to these comments with a different web browser but am still experiencing the problems that Voomo and RC mentioned.

David P
David P
9 years ago
Reply to  bstar

I use firefox and my name and address are still saved. That sounds like a browser issue more than a HHS issue. The other issues I think are universal at this point. If Andy were to grant me admin access to the backend of the site, I could probably get things fixed in an hour or two. Just with the little bit of checking I can do without such access, I see that one of the plugins he’s using has been completely replaced by a new plugin. That’s likely a major source of the problems, though there could be others… Read more »

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
9 years ago
Reply to  David P

I’m thinking that the site either needs tommy john surgery, or else everything will simply be fine after opening day.

bluejaysstatsgeek
bluejaysstatsgeek
9 years ago

I can’t do it, I simply cannot choose only 4.

John Autin
Editor
9 years ago

Jackie Robinson, Dazzy Vance, Duke Snider and Sandy Koufax. I’m surprised that Koufax has a huge lead on Vance. Dazzy seems clearly better to me, particularly as a Dodger. E.g., 39.9 to 30.7 in WAA; 3.62 to 3.30 in WAA per 250 IP. Seems like Vance is close to Koufax on 5- to 7-year peak, but has several more good seasons. FWIW, Hall of Stats and JAWS — both with a big peak component — have Dazzy way ahead. And that’s on total career; his Dodger career has all his best seasons. Of course, folks may be voting on iconic… Read more »

John
John
9 years ago

I’d like to know who left Jackie off their Rushmore, and their reasoning. A complete, baffling mystery to me.

Bryan O'Connor
Editor
9 years ago
Reply to  John

Jackie was on my list- probably my first choice- but it’s not a travesty to leave him off. Reese and Snider accumulated more value with the team, while Vance, Drysdale, and Wheat were all in the same range. Koufax had arguably the highest peak and may define the Dodgers as well as, or better than, Jackie does. Any framework that takes historical import and/or peak value into account will include Robinson, but one that seeks to represent various eras with the player who contributed most to the team’s success in that era might take Vance or Wheat, Reese or Snider,… Read more »

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
9 years ago
Reply to  John

@48,

As has been demonstrated countless times in our COG voting, people here often vote strategically for “favorite sons”, sentimental favorites that they know are not the most qualified candidates, but that they wish to keep on the ballot and/or give some support.

I don’t think that this reasoning is baffling or any mystery in the leas;t it’s just human nature. Besides, this little exercise in picking our ‘real’ baseball HOF would be a lot less interesting if we followed the monolithical mentality you suggest.

John
John
9 years ago
Reply to  Lawrence Azrin

I’m sorry you feel I’m suggesting I’m following a “monolithical mentality.” As I said in @27, Jackie Robinson changed baseball. How different would MLB be today if Robinson had retaliated against the blatant racism he encountered? Not just that, he was a great great player. However, I agree with you. It is human nature, which by definition is mysterious and baffling. Why I find someone being left off a ballot and you do not is baffling. I find it baffling that Cy Young, whom we consider the greatest pitcher to ever throw a ball, was elected to the HOF in… Read more »

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
9 years ago
Reply to  John

Concerning Ruth I believe there were some voters who were traditionalists and resented the way Ruth had changed the game.