Over the next few weeks, we here at TrueBlue LA are going to be finding out who is the “All-Time Favorite Dodger”.
Earlier in the week, the Dodgers tweeted out a 64-player bracket with some of the greatest players in team history. So, I thought it would be fun to turn to Twitter and this website, and have the fans vote in polls to truly determine a winner. A few days ago we kicked things off with the first region, and this was how the voting turned out.
The results
There was one upset, as the No. 11 seed Steve Yeager upset the No. 6 seed Bob Welch. Here at TBLA, Yeager received 66 percent of the vote. On Twitter, he received 74 percent of the vote.
The only matchups that saw different winners on different sites were the Ron Cey/Adrian Gonzalez and Pedro Guerrero/Kike Hernandez matchups.
We’ll start with the Cey/Gonzalez contest. On TrueBlueLA, it was pretty much a blowout. Cey received 82 percent of the vote. However, things were a lot different on Twitter. Over there, Gonzalez won, receiving 52 percent of the vote. When I combined the total votes of the two, Cey came out on top.
On to the next matchup. At TBLA, Guerrero received 70 percent of the vote. On Twitter, Hernandez won, receiving 68 percent of the vote.
If we weren’t combining results from both sites, these brackets would look a lot different.
Voting for next region
No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchup
Duke Snider
Getting the No. 1 seed, and rightfully so, is Duke Snider. He began his career with the team in Brooklyn back in 1947. He remained with the team as they moved to Los Angeles, and was with the Dodgers until 1962.
During his tenure, Snider was a seven-time All-Star, and won two World Series Championships with the Dodgers.
Snider finished his Dodgers career with 1,995 hits, 389 home runs and 1,271 runs batted in. He hit .300 right on the dot, and his OPS with the team was .936. The Dodgers retired his No. 4 on July 6, 1980.
Manny Ramirez
Looking to pull off the upset is Manny Ramirez. He only spent three seasons with the Dodgers, but man oh man did he leave an impact.
During his tenure with LA, Ramirez hit .322 with an OPS of 1.012. His best season was his first year with the club. After being acquired at the 2008 trade deadline, Ramirez went on a two-month run that could make the case for the best two-month stretch in baseball history. From the beginning of August until the end of the 2018 campaign, Ramirez hit .396 with an OPS of 1.232. He hit 17 home runs, drove in 53, added 14 doubles and scored 36 runs. He was so dominant, he finished fourth in the National League MVP voting... having played just two months.
Poll
No. 1 vs. No. 16
This poll is closed
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92%
Duke Snider
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7%
Manny Ramirez
No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup
Matt Kemp
For 10 years, Matt Kemp roamed the outfield for the Dodgers. First he did so from 2006 through 2014, and then he did so again in 2018. While with LA, Kemp was a three-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
He hit 203 home runs and drove in 733 runs. When you look at all-time leaders in offensive categories in LA Dodgers history, Kemp is in the top 10 in a good amount of them.
His best season with LA came in 2011, when he was robbed of the National League MVP. He finished second in the voting to a player who took steroids and cheated. Kemp that season hit 39 home runs and drove in 126, both of which led the league. He also led the league with 115 runs scored. Oh, he also stole 40 bases. To this date I’m still upset he couldn’t hit one more homer to join the 40/40 club.
Raul Mondesi
The NL Rookie of the Year in 1994, Raul Mondesi spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Dodgers. He had 1,004 hits with the Dodgers, including 163 home runs and 518 RBI.
While with LA, Mondesi won two Gold Glove Awards and was named an All-Star in 1995. His best season came in 1997, when he finished 15th in NL MVP voting. He hit 30 homers, driving in 87. He also had 191 hits, while stealing 32 bases.
Poll
No. 8 vs. No. 9
No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup
Davey Lopes
Not cracking the big-leagues until the age of 27, Davey Lopes spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Dodgers. From 1972 through 1981, Lopes was a four-time All-Star, a Gold Glove Award winner, and a World Series champion.
During his tenure with the Dodgers, Lopes hit 99 home runs while driving in 384. He scored 759 runs, had 1,204 hits, and walked (603) almost the same amount of times he struck out (629). What Lopes was most known for, though, was his speed. He stole 418 bases as a member of the Dodgers, the second most in team history. He led the league in 1975 with 77 stolen bases, and then led the league the following year with 63 stolen bases.
Russell Martin
Just like Kemp from earlier, Russell Martin had two stints with the Dodgers. His first was from 2006 through 2010, and then his final stint was this past year in 2019. Martin finished ninth in NL Rookie of the Year voting back in 2006. The following season he was an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger Award and won a Gold Glove Award.
In his six years with LA, Martin hit 60 home runs while driving in 320 runs. In addition to being a great catcher, Martin also was a dominant pitcher, as his career ERA sits at a major-league all-time best of 0.00.
Poll
No. 5 vs. No. 12
This poll is closed
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84%
Davey Lopes
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15%
Russell Martin
No. 4 vs. No. 13 matchup
Roy Campanella
The best catcher in Dodgers history, Roy Campanella spent all 10 of his big-league seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was an eight-time All-Star, a World Series champion, and a three-time MVP.
His first MVP campaign came in 1951. That season, the 29-year-old hit 33 home runs while driving in 108 runs. He hit .325 while posting an OPS of .983. Two years later, Campanella won his second MVP award. That season, he hit 41 home runs, and drove in a league-best 142 runs. He hit .312 and had an OPS of over 1.000. He would win his third and final MVP two years later in 1955, the year the Dodgers won their first World Series. Campy hit 32 homers while driving in 107, posting a .318 average and .978 OPS.
During his 10 seasons with Brooklyn, he hit 242 homers and drove in 856 runs.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969, and had his No. 39 retired by the Dodgers on June 4, 1972.
Jerry Reuss
Want to hear something crazy? Jerry Reuss was in the majors during four decades! He was in the show from 1969 through 1990, but was with the Dodgers from 1979 through 1987.
Reuss went 86-69 with a 3.11 ERA. He struck out 685 in 1,407 innings of work. Nearly one out of every four starts he made was a complete game, as he had 44 complete games in 201 starts with LA. His best season came in 1980, when he was an All-Star and finished second in NL Cy Young voting. He went 18-6, posting a 2.51 ERA, while throwing 10 complete games and a league-leading six shutouts.
Poll
No. 4 vs. No. 13
This poll is closed
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94%
Roy Campanella
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5%
Jerry Reuss
No. 6 vs. No. 11 matchup
Mike Piazza
In the last poll, I talked about the greatest catcher in Dodgers history. Now, we’ll talk about the second greatest catcher in Dodgers history, Mike Piazza.
Piazza spent the first seven seasons of his big-league career with the Dodgers. While in LA, he was a six-time All-Star and a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He finished top nine in MVP voting every year from 1993 through 1997, including finishing second in 1996 and 1997.
Piazza won the 1993 NL Rookie of the Year Award, in which he hit 35 home runs and drove in 112, while posting a .318 average and .932 OPS. His best season came in 1997, when he finished second in the MVP voting. Piazza hit 40 homers while driving in 124. He hit .362, had an OPS of 1.070, while posting a league-best 185 OPS+.
He finished his Dodgers career with 177 home runs and 563 RBI, along with a career .331 average and .966 OPS.
Zack Greinke
Though he only spent three seasons with the Dodgers, Zack Greinke put up nearly record-breaking numbers. During his brief tenure with LA, Greinke went 51-15, posting a 2.30 ERA, 2.97 FIP, 1.027 WHIP and an ERA+ of 156. He was named an All-Star twice, won two Gold Glove Awards and a Silver Slugger Award. He also finished in the top eight of Cy Young voting all three seasons.
His best year was in 2015, his last year with LA. Greinke finished second in Cy Young voting, going 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA in 32 starts. His ERA was the best in baseball, along with his 222 ERA+ and 0.84 WHIP. During 2015, Greinke had a scoreless innings streak of 45 2⁄3 innings, the fourth longest streak in the expansion era.
Poll
No. 6 vs. No. 11 matchup
This poll is closed
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88%
Mike Piazza
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11%
Zack Greinke
No. 3 vs. No. 14 matchup
Gil Hodges
After making his MLB debut in 1943, Gil Hodges didn’t get his first full season with Brooklyn until 1948. He was with the Dodgers through 1961. During his tenure with the Dodgers, Hodges was an eight-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a two-time World Series champion.
He’s one of the best hitters in Dodgers history. Hodges finished his Dodgers career with 361 home runs and 1,254 RBI. He had 1,884 hits, including 294 doubles, while scoring nearly 1,100 runs. Hodges played 2,006 total games with the Dodgers, which ranks fourth most in franchise history.
Hyun-Jin Ryu
One of the more familiar faces of the last decade, Hyun-Jin Ryu was a Dodger from 2013 until this past season. Though dominant when healthy, Ryu struggled to consistently see the field, as he battled numerous injuries through his Dodgers tenure. He averaged just under 18 starts per season.
In his career with LA, Ryu went 54-33 with a 2.98 ERA. His best season was in 2019, when he finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting. Ryu went 14-5 with a league-best 2.32 ERA. His ERA+ of 179 was the best in the league, along with his 1.2 BB/9.
Poll
No. 3 vs. No. 14
No. 7 vs. No. 10 matchup
Mike Scioscia
For 13 seasons, Mike Scioscia was the catcher for the Dodgers. He spent his entire career with LA, playing only one position. During his tenure, Scioscia was a two-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion.
He spent 11,233 innings behind the plate for the Dodgers. At the plate, he finished with 1,131 hits, 398 runs scored, 68 home runs and 446 RBI. He walked nearly double the amount of times he struck out, finishing his career with 567 walks and 307 strikeouts.
Reggie Smith
Acquired during the 1976 season, Reggie Smith was a Dodger through 1981. During his time in LA, he was a three-time All-Star and a World Series champion. In 1977 and 1978, Smith finished fourth in NL MVP voting.
During his six seasons, Smith hit 97 home runs while driving in 301. He hit .297 with an OPS of .915. His best season with the Dodgers came in 1977, when he finished fourth in the MVP voting. He hit a career-high 32 home runs while driving in 87. His OPS was over 1.000, and he led the league with a .427 on-base percentage.
Poll
No. 7 vs. No. 10
This poll is closed
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72%
Mike Scioscia
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27%
Reggie Smith
No. 2 vs. No. 15 matchup
Willie Davis
For 14 years, Willie Davis was the center fielder for the Dodgers. He was a two-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and a two-time World Series champion. Davis finished his Dodgers career with 2,091 hits and 1,004 runs scored. He also hit 154 home runs while driving in 849 runs. Additionally, he stole 335 bases too.
Joc Pederson
Currently with the team, Joc Pederson has been a Dodger since 2014. Since his debut, he’s been an All-Star and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. He’s coming off his best season, in which he finished with a career-high 36 home runs to go along with a career-high 74 RBI. He also had the highest average (.249) and OPS (.876) of his career.
Poll
No. 2 vs. No. 15 matchup
This poll is closed
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75%
Willie Davis
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24%
Joc Pederson
If you want a second vote, you can vote in my Twitter polls as well. If you don’t have a Twitter, you can look at the results to see how the results vary over there compared to over here.
No. 8 vs. No. 9
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) March 29, 2020
No. 4 vs. No. 13
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) March 29, 2020
No. 3 vs. No. 14
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) March 29, 2020
No. 2 vs. No. 15
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) March 29, 2020