Los Angeles Dodgers Top Ten: ¡Fernandomania!
By Tab Bamford
The team with which Jackie Robinson transformed baseball underwent a radical makeover with the start of “Fernandomania” in the early 1980s. The success of the Mexican-born Fernando Valenzuela during his 1981 rookie season transformed the Dodgers fan base in Los Angeles. Many ethnic Mexicans had scorned the Dodgers for the forceful removal of Mexican residents of Chavez Ravine to build Dodger Stadium in the 1950s and early 1960s. Valenzuela changed the long-seated antipathy towards the Dodgers. Indeed, he became an ethnic hero for Mexicans and other Latinos as the first Latino to star with the Dodgers, a franchise that had featured a long list of African American stars dating back to Robinson.
So who were the Latinos who made an impact on the Dodgers? How many did so with their bats versus from the pitcher’s mound? To build our list of the Latino Top 10 for the Dodgers we kept it simple. We created the rankings based on WAR as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com.
Let’s take a look to see who else joined Valenzuela on the Dodgers Top 10 and where they all ranked? Surprised by the final rankings? Anyone you feel is missing? Let us know by adding your comments below.
Brooklyn/LA Dodgers Top Ten
1. Fernando Valenzuela
11 years with the Dodgers, 33.1 WAR, six-time All-Star, 1981 Cy Young Award and NL Rookie of the Year
Mexico
Fernando defined the Dodgers in the 1980s, bursting onto the scene in a transcendent 1981 campaign that saw him win Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young Award and the Dodgers win the World Series. Over his storied career he appeared in 331 games, completing 107 of them. He struck out 1,759 in 2,348.2 innings pitched and won 141 games with 29 shutouts.
2. Pedro Guerrero
11 years with the Dodgers, 32.7 WAR, four-time All-Star, 1981 World Series MVP
Dominican Republic
Guerrero’s best season came in 1985, when he hit a career-high 33 home runs. He posted a ridiculous 182 OPS+ that year with a .999 OPS and 99 runs scored. He was the hero of the 1981 World Series, driving in seven runs on seven hits – including two homers – in six games. The Dodgers traded him to St. Louis for John Tudor during the Dodgers’ 1988 run to the World Series.
3. Ramón Martínez
11 years with the Dodgers, 25.9 WAR, one All-Star Game
Dominican Republic
Pedro’s older brother arrived in Los Angeles four seasons before his brother and he became a force for the Dodgers by the time he was 22. He appeared in his only All-Star Game in 1990, a season in which he won a career-high 20 games and threw a league-leading 12 complete games. He struck out 1,314 in 1,895.2 innings with the Dodgers, winning 123 times.
4. Adrián Beltré
Seven years with the Dodgers, 23.4 WAR, one Silver Slugger Award
Dominican Republic
Still active with the Rangers, it’s amazing to think that Beltré made his debut with the Dodgers 20 years ago as a teenager. His best season in LA was his last, when he hit a league-leading and career-high 48 homers and drove in 121 runs with a 1.017 OPS in 2004. Beltré appeared in 966 games for the Dodgers, slashing .274/.332/.463 with 147 home runs, 456 runs scored and 510 runs drive in.
5. Raul Mondesi
Seven years with the Dodgers, 21.6 WAR, 1995 Rookie of the Year, one All-Star Game, one Gold Glove
Dominican Republic
Mondesi won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1995, part of a stretch where the award was won by a Dodgers player almost annually. He was both a power bat and a stolen base threat early in his career, becoming a 30-30 man in 1997 and again reaching the benchmarks in 1999. Over 916 games with the Dodgers, Mondesi hit 163 homers and stole 140 bases with 1,004 hits and a .838 OPS.
6. Andre Ethier
12 years with the Dodgers, 21.2 WAR, two-time All-Star, one Gold Glove Award
US / Mexico
Ethier, whose mother Priscilla is Mexican-American, played his entire career in Los Angeles. Over the span of 1,455 games through last year, Ethier hit 162 home runs and drove in 687 runs with 641 runs scored. His best season game in 2009 when he drove in a career-high 106 and hit a career-best 31 home runs.
7. Ismael Valdéz
Seven years with the Dodgers, 19.1 WAR,
Mexico
Valdéz, who followed Fernandomania into Chavez Ravine as a Mexican-born starter, won a career-high 15 games in 1996 as a 22-year-old. He was traded to the Cubs in December of 1999, and Chicago traded him back to Los Angeles eight months later. He finished the Dodgers portion of his career with 785 strikeouts in 1,065 innings pitched.
8. Yasiel Puig
Six years with the Dodgers, 16.7 WAR, one All-Star Game
Cuba
Puig joined the Dodgers in 2013 and was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year Award. Injuries have hurt his career; he’s played in more than 104 games in just two if his first five seasons wearing pantone 294. His best season was last year, when he established career-highs in home runs (28) and RBI (74).
9. Kenley Jansen
Nine years with the Dodgers, 16.1 WAR, three-time All-Star
Curaçao
The only closer to make our list, Jansen is the second current member of the Dodgers to appear on the top ten. He has been arguably the most dominant closer of the last five years and has been recognized as an All-Star in each of the last three seasons. He led the league with 41 saves last year, striking out 109 in 68.1 innings. Once a catcher, Jansen made the transition to pitcher and the move has paid off as he has become one of the best of his generation.
10. Pedro Astacio
Six years with the Dodgers, 15.6 WAR
Dominican Republic
Another impact Dominican on the Dodgers’ list, Astacio joined the team in 1992. His best season in LA came in 1993, when, at 24, he won 14 games and threw three complete games with two shutouts. He threw nine shutouts for the Dodgers before he was traded to Colorado for Eric Young in 1997.
WHO DID WE MISS? WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS!
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