Position-by-position home run records of the Los Angeles Dodgers

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:

via usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com

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:

via 31.media.tumblr.com

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.