Many Dodger fans who did not grow up in Los Angeles become Dodger fans the day that Jackie Robinson took the field on opening day 1947. From that time on the Dodgers have had an excellent legacy of American born black baseball players. Even though the event happened long before I was born, I can't think of any single action that makes me prouder to be a Dodger fan.
A common debate among baseball fans is to debate which player they would like to have seen play the game if you could go back in time. It always comes down to two players for me. Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth. Jackie for the historic nature of what he was doing but also for his skill at his peak, and Babe simply because I wanted to witness how one player could so dominate his peers without the use of chemical enhancements.
On Martin Luther King day let us take a look at the cream of the crop of these excellent American born black ballplayers.
So we have a plethora of hitters but very few pitchers. He are the names of those who were not included in the table above:
Ken Landreaux, Marquis Grissom, Franklin Stubbs, Eric Young, Lenny Harris, John Shelby, Dave Roberts, Delino DeShields, Von Joshua, Derrel Thomas, Frank Robinson, Brian Jordan, Hubie Brooks, Willie Randolf, Ricky Ledee, Kenny Lofton, Chris Gwynn, Devon White, Terry Whitfield, Reggie Williams, Delwyn Young, Eric Davis, Roberto Kelly, RJ Reynolds, Billy North, Juan Pierre, Wayne Kirby, Mike Davis, Rudy Law, Charles Johnson, Tom Goodwin, Glenn Burke, Chad Fonville, Baldwin, Ken Howell, Edwin Jackson, and James McDonald
Amazing how close the stats are for Kemp and Loney. I'd like to spend more time reviewing each of these players but I've run out of time. The only players I haven't had the honor of watching were Jackie, Newcombe, Campy, Sweet Lou, and Joe Black.