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This past weekend the San Diego Padres tweeted that Jedd Gyorko broke the all-time career record for home runs by a Padres second baseman, when he hit his 31st. SBNation's Grant Brisbee lept right on this absurdly low number and searched for the lowest team records for home runs at every position. Fortunately, a search in that article for "Dodgers" yields nothing.
Thanks for Baseball Reference's Play Index feature, it's straightforward to compile the top-ten home run lists for every position for the Los Angeles Dodgers, so I did just that. And the tops of these lists are nothing to chuckle about. But a few interesting names do crop up here and there, past and present. Let's take a look, shall we?
Catcher
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Mike Piazza | as C | 1992 | 1998 | 690 | 176 |
2 | Steve Yeager | as C | 1972 | 1985 | 1088 | 98 |
3 | John Roseboro | as C | 1958 | 1967 | 1146 | 87 |
4 | Mike Scioscia | as C | 1980 | 1992 | 1335 | 68 |
4 | Joe Ferguson | as C | 1970 | 1980 | 467 | 68 |
6 | Russell Martin | as C | 2006 | 2010 | 631 | 53 |
7 | Paul Lo Duca | as C | 1998 | 2004 | 484 | 50 |
8 | Todd Hundley | as C | 1999 | 2003 | 194 | 48 |
9 | A. J. Ellis | as C | 2008 | 2014 | 370 | 26 |
10 | Rod Barajas | as C | 2010 | 2011 | 108 | 21 |
The pinnacle of power-hitting catchers for the Dodgers is no surprise, but the defense-first Yeager popped enough shots to place second here. At his current pace, Ellis will be hard pressed to improve his placement. And whodathunk the guy who rocked Dee Gordon would crack this group:
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First Base
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Eric Karros | as 1B | 1991 | 2002 | 1570 | 269 |
2 | Steve Garvey | as 1B | 1972 | 1982 | 1467 | 195 |
3 | Greg Brock | as 1B | 1982 | 1986 | 428 | 71 |
4 | James Loney | as 1B | 2006 | 2012 | 827 | 70 |
5 | Eddie Murray | as 1B | 1989 | 1991 | 458 | 63 |
6 | Wes Parker | as 1B | 1964 | 1972 | 1047 | 61 |
7 | Gil Hodges | as 1B | 1958 | 1961 | 342 | 57 |
8 | Adrian Gonzalez | as 1B | 2012 | 2014 | 304 | 42 |
9 | Ron Fairly | as 1B | 1961 | 1969 | 499 | 41 |
10 | Franklin Stubbs | as 1B | 1984 | 1989 | 231 | 29 |
The first two are no surprise, with Karros being the all-time Los Angeles Dodgers home run leader at 270, and the entire 1970s infield appears in these tables. Loney will hold onto fourth place for awhile while the current 1B climbs the chart.
Second Base
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Davey Lopes | as 2B | 1972 | 1981 | 1134 | 98 |
2 | Jeff Kent | as 2B | 2005 | 2008 | 494 | 73 |
3 | Charlie Neal | as 2B | 1958 | 1961 | 510 | 57 |
4 | Jim Lefebvre | as 2B | 1965 | 1972 | 543 | 49 |
5 | Steve Sax | as 2B | 1981 | 1988 | 1064 | 30 |
6 | Mark Grudzielanek | as 2B | 2000 | 2002 | 424 | 29 |
7 | Juan Samuel | as 2B | 1990 | 1992 | 289 | 24 |
8 | Alex Cora | as 2B | 1998 | 2004 | 297 | 15 |
9 | Delino DeShields | as 2B | 1994 | 1996 | 348 | 14 |
10 | Mark Ellis | as 2B | 2012 | 2013 | 219 | 13 |
10 | Eric Young | as 2B | 1992 | 1999 | 307 | 13 |
Lopes and Yeager hit exactly the same number of dingers at their respective primary positions. Huh. I know one tends not to expect much power from second basemen, but Ellis and Young are in 10th place? As for ninth place, [comment redacted].
Third Base
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Ron Cey | as 3B | 1972 | 1982 | 1460 | 228 |
2 | Adrian Beltre | as 3B | 1998 | 2004 | 937 | 146 |
3 | Pedro Guerrero | as 3B | 1979 | 1988 | 367 | 49 |
4 | Casey Blake | as 3B | 2008 | 2011 | 372 | 48 |
5 | Tim Wallach | as 3B | 1993 | 1996 | 374 | 47 |
6 | Todd Zeile | as 3B | 1997 | 1998 | 200 | 38 |
7 | Bill Sudakis | as 3B | 1968 | 1971 | 181 | 26 |
8 | Jeff Hamilton | as 3B | 1986 | 1991 | 337 | 24 |
9 | Juan Uribe | as 3B | 2011 | 2014 | 301 | 21 |
10 | Jim Gilliam | as 3B | 1958 | 1966 | 702 | 18 |
Again, no surprise in the top two. This is first of three appearances for Guerrero, who played all over the diamond as Tommy Lasorda was willing to play that bat no matter what the defensive cost. Converted catchers take the sixth and seventh slots. As for ninth place:
via i.imgur.com
Shortstop
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Rafael Furcal | as SS | 2006 | 2011 | 601 | 43 |
2 | Hanley Ramirez | as SS | 2012 | 2014 | 221 | 40 |
3 | Bill Russell | as SS | 1970 | 1986 | 1713 | 39 |
4 | Don Zimmer | as SS | 1958 | 1963 | 195 | 21 |
5 | Greg Gagne | as SS | 1996 | 1997 | 268 | 19 |
6 | Maury Wills | as SS | 1959 | 1972 | 1478 | 17 |
6 | Mariano Duncan | as SS | 1985 | 1989 | 302 | 17 |
8 | Kevin Elster | as SS | 2000 | 2000 | 54 | 11 |
8 | Alex Cora | as SS | 1998 | 2003 | 306 | 11 |
10 | Dave Anderson | as SS | 1983 | 1992 | 373 | 9 |
10 | Mark Grudzielanek | as SS | 1998 | 2000 | 171 | 9 |
The lowest leading total is not surprisingly at shortstop, though we could see Furcal displaced at the top this season, Hanley's health willing. I think no one would have guessed light-hitting Don Zimmer in fourth place. Grudzielanek makes his second appearance on a list. And Gagne's (that's GAG-knee, not gone-YEA !) 19 in only two years is a bit surprising.
Finally, Kevin Elster doesn't crack the top ten without christening Pac Bell Park in San Francisco with three blasts of his own in the first game in that stadium.
Left Field
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Dusty Baker | as LF | 1977 | 1983 | 978 | 139 |
2 | Gary Sheffield | as LF | 1999 | 2001 | 425 | 113 |
3 | Tommy Davis | as LF | 1960 | 1966 | 523 | 49 |
4 | Pedro Guerrero | as LF | 1979 | 1988 | 198 | 48 |
4 | Kal Daniels | as LF | 1989 | 1992 | 289 | 48 |
6 | Wally Moon | as LF | 1959 | 1965 | 429 | 43 |
7 | Manny Ramirez | as LF | 2008 | 2010 | 201 | 41 |
8 | Kirk Gibson | as LF | 1988 | 1990 | 216 | 35 |
9 | Lou Johnson | as LF | 1965 | 1967 | 288 | 31 |
10 | Willie Crawford | as LF | 1969 | 1975 | 221 | 27 |
Baker was popular in LF for a reason. Guerrero and Crawford are the only players to chart in both corner outfield spots. For a corner outfield position, the drop off after the top two is a little shocking.
Center Field
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Willie Davis | as CF | 1960 | 1973 | 1704 | 147 |
2 | Matt Kemp | as CF | 2006 | 2014 | 805 | 137 |
3 | Ken Landreaux | as CF | 1981 | 1987 | 614 | 57 |
4 | Jim Wynn | as CF | 1974 | 1975 | 250 | 50 |
5 | Duke Snider | as CF | 1958 | 1962 | 195 | 44 |
6 | Rick Monday | as CF | 1977 | 1980 | 226 | 37 |
7 | Raul Mondesi | as CF | 1993 | 1998 | 139 | 32 |
7 | John Shelby | as CF | 1987 | 1989 | 351 | 32 |
9 | Milton Bradley | as CF | 2004 | 2005 | 165 | 28 |
10 | Marquis Grissom | as CF | 2001 | 2002 | 148 | 27 |
10 | Don Demeter | as CF | 1958 | 1961 | 177 | 27 |
Once upon a time we may have thought Kemp would succeed Three-Dog on this list; Dave Stewart thinks he still will. Kemp is the leader among current Dodgers with 172 blasts in blue, trailing Piazza by five for fourth place on the Los Angeles list. The Duke had enough pop left at the end to get to the middle of this table. Monday's most famous Dodgers dinger came as a RF, at the expense of Steve Rogers and the Monteral Expos in the ninth inning of the fifth and final game of the 1981 NLCS.
Right Field
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Shawn Green | as RF | 2000 | 2004 | 685 | 140 |
2 | Raul Mondesi | as RF | 1993 | 1999 | 760 | 129 |
3 | Andre Ethier | as RF | 2007 | 2014 | 826 | 118 |
4 | Frank Howard | as RF | 1958 | 1964 | 499 | 106 |
5 | Mike Marshall | as RF | 1981 | 1989 | 629 | 101 |
6 | Reggie Smith | as RF | 1976 | 1980 | 457 | 94 |
7 | Pedro Guerrero | as RF | 1979 | 1988 | 223 | 41 |
8 | Willie Crawford | as RF | 1964 | 1975 | 489 | 38 |
9 | Darryl Strawberry | as RF | 1991 | 1993 | 201 | 37 |
10 | Ron Fairly | as RF | 1958 | 1969 | 424 | 35 |
This is the most top-heavy position, even if the total at number one isn't close to the highest. Dodger fans have enjoyed a fair amount of power from right field over the years. I tend to think of Howard primarily as a LF-1B, but that was actually only after the trade to the Washington Senators. Kemp is at 27 and counting, but has to pass Yasiel Puig's 30 before chasing after Fairley.
Pitcher
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Don Drysdale | as P | 1958 | 1969 | 394 | 26 |
2 | Fernando Valenzuela | as P | 1980 | 1990 | 318 | 8 |
3 | Claude Osteen | as P | 1965 | 1973 | 290 | 6 |
3 | Darren Dreifort | as P | 1994 | 2004 | 119 | 6 |
5 | Stan Williams | as P | 1958 | 1962 | 127 | 5 |
6 | Rick Rhoden | as P | 1974 | 1978 | 102 | 4 |
6 | Hideo Nomo | as P | 1995 | 2004 | 179 | 4 |
8 | Larry Sherry | as P | 1959 | 1963 | 76 | 3 |
8 | Burt Hooton | as P | 1975 | 1984 | 256 | 3 |
10 | Many | as P | are | tied | with | 2 |
Since 1958, Drysdale's 26 bombs are the second most in the majors for pitchers, trailing only Earl Wilson who clubbed 33 through 1970, primarly for the Red Sox and Tigers, tacking on one last homer with the Padres. If there's any one thing lacking in Clayton Kershaw's game, it's not making this list. Yet.
Pinch Hitter
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Dave Hansen | as PH | 1990 | 2002 | 497 | 13 |
2 | Olmedo Saenz | as PH | 2004 | 2007 | 228 | 8 |
2 | Lee Lacy | as PH | 1972 | 1978 | 126 | 8 |
4 | Billy Ashley | as PH | 1992 | 1997 | 98 | 7 |
5 | Ken McMullen | as PH | 1962 | 1975 | 103 | 6 |
5 | Chris Gwynn | as PH | 1987 | 1995 | 236 | 6 |
7 | Frank Howard | as PH | 1959 | 1964 | 70 | 5 |
8 | Jose Morales | as PH | 1982 | 1984 | 95 | 4 |
8 | Candy Maldonado | as PH | 1981 | 1985 | 84 | 4 |
8 | Mitch Webster | as PH | 1991 | 1995 | 199 | 4 |
8 | Rick Monday | as PH | 1977 | 1984 | 211 | 4 |
8 | Duke Snider | as PH | 1958 | 1962 | 138 | 4 |
Of course the most famous pinch-hit home run in Dodgers history would not appear in these tables:
In terms of frequency, "Big" Frank Howard and the nearly equally large Billy Ashley lead this group with one home run for every 14 plate appearances.
Perhaps the most famous Dodgers pinch-hitter is Manny Mota, who had exactly one HR in that capacity, his last longball in the majors, against none other than renowned Dodger killer J. R. Richard. Later that same inning, Baker hit his 30th homer of the season, giving the Dodgers their renowned 30-homer quarter of Smith, Cey, Garvey and Baker. Baker's high-five partner Glenn Burke immediately followed with his own blast, completing a three-homer inning versus the hard-throwing Richard.
Designated Hitter
Rank | Player | Split | From | To | G | HR |
1 | Matt Kemp | as DH | 2011 | 2014 | 4 | 2 |
2 | Mike Kinkade | as DH | 2003 | 2003 | 1 | 1 |
2 | Olmedo Saenz | as DH | 2004 | 2007 | 20 | 1 |
2 | Hanley Ramirez | as DH | 2013 | 2014 | 7 | 1 |
2 | Bobby Abreu | as DH | 2012 | 2012 | 4 | 1 |
2 | Ramon Hernandez | as DH | 2013 | 2013 | 2 | 1 |
2 | Luis Gonzalez | as DH | 2007 | 2007 | 1 | 1 |
2 | Manny Ramirez | as DH | 2010 | 2010 | 6 | 1 |
2 | Chad Kreuter | as DH | 2001 | 2001 | 1 | 1 |
This list is, of course, a bit of joke given the recency of interleague play, but with one roundtripper for every nine PA, maybe Matt Kemp's future is as a DH. Or not. I guess I just wanted to see Mike Kinkade on one of these lists.
Olmedo Saenz 20 games and 75 PA are by far the most for a Dodgers DH; only Dave Hansen with 12 and 44, respectively, is within 50% of the Killer Tomato's team marks.
One final note. The Baseball Rererence engine allows you to search for "other" as a position choice in these "splits" searches. Exactly one Dodger home run appeared in this category, and it was the first career homer for outfielder Von Joshua. In a 1970 game with the Montreal Expos, trailing 10-4, Joshua pinch-hit for the pitcher to lead off the bottom of the 7th and made out. However, the Dodgers batted around and when Joshua re-appeared, he walloped a solo homer to cap an eight-run inning and a 12-10 Dodgers win. Technically, in that second at-bat, Joshua was not pinch-hitting for anyone, having already entered the game earlier as a pinch-hitter, so his homer is recorded as hit without having a position. (He also did not enter the game defensively, though that would not change the position classification for these purposes.)
That's the home run jog through memory lane. Hope it triggered a few memories of your own.