The top 25 Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers of all time

Piazza practically changed the idea of hitting at the catcher position with the Dodgers. He hit 177 home runs in Los Angeles and made the All-Star Game in each of his five full seasons with the team. That’s the reason why he’s not higher on this list, though. Piazza spent only a portion of his career in L.A. He actually played almost 250 more games as a Met. Still, it was a great, if somewhat brief, run.

Relievers are weird, but for a spell Gagne was arguably the best closer in the game. Enough people thought that to give him a Cy Young in 2003. Sure, saves are overrated, but they can’t take the hardware away from you. He honestly really had only three years as an elite reliever, but in that time he made enough of an impact to make this list.

In truth, at first we planned to put Brickyard Kennedy here, but we couldn't find any pictures of him due to the fact that he retired in 1901. So with all due respect to Kennedy, Jansen has earned a spot as well. Does he have a Cy Young like Gagne? No, but he's arguably been better in his career. His 2.20 ERA is lowest in Dodgers history, and he also leads the team in saves, WHIP and strikeouts per nine innings.

OK, we’re moving to Brooklyn with Pfeffer, but at least he played his entire career in the 1900s. In his nine years with the Dodgers, the pitcher posted a 2.31 ERA, which is third best in franchise history. Of course, baseball was different then, but that’s still incredibly impressive, and it earned him 32.7 WAR in his time with Brooklyn.

After two decidedly ancient pitchers, it’s probably a relief to see a name you might recognize. Guerrero was with the Dodgers from 1978 until he was traded during the 1988 season. He made a few All-Star teams and led the majors in OPS (.999) and OPS+ (182) in 1985, when he finished third in the MVP voting. He was also the World Series MVP when the Dodgers won it all in 1981.

Welch’s Cy Young came in Oakland, but he was a great pitcher with Los Angeles as well. He’s one of those pitchers who was hurt recognition-wise by the adherence to win/loss records back in the day. Over 10 seasons he posted a 3.14 ERA and a 3.26 FIP, and he’s 10th in career strikeouts in Dodgers history.

Walker didn’t join the Dodgers until he was already 28, and he played with the team until he was 36. You’d think they had missed out on some of his best years, but you’d be wrong. Walker made four All-Star teams in Brooklyn, and he once led the league in RBI and in batting average as well. His .357 batting average in 1944 is a big reason why he had a .311 career batting average as a Dodger.

Furillo is the rare Dodger who played for both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, although by the time the team moved he was 36 and had only one more full season in him. Those Brooklyn years were great, though. He only made a couple of All-Star teams, but because he spent his entire 15-year career with the Dodgers he still has impressive numbers with the franchise.

Power was the name of the game for Campanella. He’s fourth all time in homers in Dodgers history, which is impressive given that he was a catcher. It’s also impressive because he played in only 10 seasons. In that time he made a whopping eight All-Star Games and was NL MVP three times. Had he played longer, he would have definitely moved up this list.

Of all the players with numbers retired by the Dodgers, Gilliam is arguably the least well-known. That does him a disservice, as he put in 14 seasons of strong play for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1953 and had a .360 OBP in his career. His offensive numbers were average, but he was an excellent defender at a few different positions. Plus, he played for four World Series winners.

When people think of Valenzuela, they usually think of Fernandomania and that rookie season when he was both Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young winner. His career was so much more than 1981, though. In fact, he had three seasons with the Dodgers where he had a higher WAR than he had that year. He was a great pitcher who made six All-Star teams, although, of course, he will forever be remembered for taking the nation by storm that first year.

Garvey was an iron man, as he played a full season for seven straight years with the Dodgers. And yet the season he was named MVP, he played in only 156 games. What a slacker! Obviously, his ability to stay on the field helped him amass numbers and also win four Gold Gloves. He never quite got enough votes for the Hall of Fame, but he got close, and he certainly is a Dodgers legend.

Davis spent 14 seasons with the Dodgers, picking up two All-Star appearances and two Gold Gloves. He also had a fun little claim to fame, in that he was great at hitting triples. The center fielder had 110 triples with the Dodgers, and two times led the National League in that stat. Naturally, he was also an impressive base stealer.

Hodges played one game in 1943, as a 19-year-old, joined the military for two years and then finally was able to begin his stellar career. He made eight All-Star teams and was around long enough to see the invention of the Gold Glove, which he won three of. Hodges played over 2,000 games with the Dodgers, and his 361 homers in the blue are second in franchise history.

The Bulldog is best remembered for his amazing 1988 season when he went 59 innings without giving up a run. That year he pitched 15 complete games and notched eight shutouts, both of which led the majors. Naturally, he won the Cy Young. Frankly, he should have been MVP, as he led the league in WAR. If that wasn’t enough, he was also the World Series MVP that year. You could argue that 1988 alone earned Hershiser his spot on this list, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable.

Cey is the model of symmetry, as he’s seventh in Dodgers history in both offensive and defensive WAR. The third basemen made six All-Star Games in a row, and he was named the MVP of the 1981 World Series as well. He spent 12 years in Dodger blue and left an indelible mark on the team.

Wheat may not be an instantly recognizable name for modern baseball fans, but he’s actually the man with the most games played in franchise history. Yes, it’s Wheat who leads the Dodgers in games played, and also at-bats, hits and a few more categories. That will happen when you play a whopping 18 seasons with one team. Wheat earned a spot in the Hall of Fame thanks to 2,884 career hits, almost all of which came in Brooklyn.

Vance led the National League in a lot of categories over the years. For example, for seven straight seasons he led the league in strikeouts. For three years in a row, he led the majors in FIP, including a year when he won the MVP. The Hall of Fame pitcher is actually second in career WAR among pitchers in Dodgers history. However, since he played the bulk of his time in Brooklyn in the ‘20s, he gets knocked down a notch.

Sutton played a whopping 23 years in the majors, including 16 with the Dodgers. That includes in his final season, when he returned to the team as a 43-year-old. He’s pitched the most innings in Dodgers history, and also in wins and strikeouts. Sutton was more of a really good pitcher who was active for a long time as opposed to having particularly high moments. But availability is the best ability, as they say.

Snider was such a great player that he got name-checked in that terrible “Talkin’ Baseball” song — but at least that gave us the “Talkin’ Softball” song from “The Simpsons.” The Duke was a tremendous hitter, as he had at least 40 homers in five straight seasons. He was great offensively, and he led the majors in offensive WAR three times. Snider led the majors in total WAR just once, though, because he wasn’t a great defender. In fact, his defensive issues are why he’s only second in career WAR in Dodgers history.

Unlike Duke, Pee Wee was great offensively and defensively. He’s second in franchise history in offensive WAR but first in defensive WAR. Reese would have definitely racked up some Gold Gloves if they had been around at the time. Instead, he had to settle for being a 10-time All-Star. This is despite the fact he missed three seasons to military service.

Robinson was a great player. He won Rookie of the Year and MVP. His career OBP was .409, and he stole 197 bases in 10 seasons. Had he played longer, he would have put up even better numbers. Of course, Robinson’s legacy goes way beyond his numbers. He was the first African-American player in the majors. He changed history. Robinson is one of the most important people in the history of baseball. Jackie didn’t make his debut until he was 28, for reasons beyond his control. Otherwise, his numbers would have been even better. Some things are bigger than numbers, though.

Drysdale is third in pitching WAR in Dodgers history but first in overall WAR. Chalk it up to him being a pretty good hitter for a pitcher. He was a great pitcher for a pitcher, to be fair, winning one Cy Young and making the Hall of Fame. Drysdale led the majors in strikeouts three times, and he’s 35th in career strikeouts in MLB history. All of those Ks came with the Dodgers as well.

For six seasons, nobody could touch Koufax as a pitcher. He led the majors in FIP in all six of those seasons and led the league in strikeouts four times. He won three Cy Youngs and one MVP. However, before those six seasons he was a good, not great, pitcher. Then he retired at 30. Koufax had a higher ceiling than any Dodger, and most pitchers, but his career was relatively brief, which is why he’s “only” second.

Call it heresy if you want, but Kershaw has had a better overall career than Koufax, and it's still going. Kershaw has spent his entire career in Dodger blue, and it’s been a great 11 seasons. He’s posted an FIP below 2.00 three times, won three Cy Youngs and one MVP. Kershaw is 30, but unlike Koufax, he isn’t retiring. He’s already the best player in Dodgers history, and he’s only going to add to that in the upcoming years.