Dodgers rewind: Chad Fonville

A 1990s LA speedster

By Eric Stephen and Jacob Burch Aug 10, 2022, 8:02am PDT

Chad Fonville hit .276 with 42 infield hits and 20 stolen bases for the 1995 Dodgers, filling in for extended periods of time at second base, left field, and shortstop.

On today’s Leading Off with True Blue LA podcast, we have another Dodgers rewind for you.

Chad Fonville never played above Class-A before 1995, when he was a Rule 5 Draft pick of the Expos, then claimed by the Dodgers in May. Fonville was a speedster with over half of his hits of the infield variety, and a man who knew exactly what his role was.

“My number one game is my speed. When I get up there, I look at the defense to see where they’re playing,” Fonville told the San Bernardino Sun in September of his first year with the Dodgers. “Most of the time they tend to get close up because they know I like to bunt. I just try to hit the ball on the ground, lay a perfect bunt or whatever and use my speed as much as I can.”

Fonville in 1995 filled in for a slumping Delino Deshields at second base, took over for an injured Roberto Kelly in left field, and played shortstop down the stretch after Jose Offerman struggled. Fonville settled in batting second in the batting order behind fellow speedster Brett Butler.

That lineup continued into the National League Division Series. The Dodgers were swept by the Reds in three games, but Fonville did his best, going 6-for-12 in the series, including in Game 2 becoming one of fourteen Dodgers with at least four hits in a postseason game.