Los Angeles Dodgers All Time 25-Man Roster
By Matt Weyrich
First Baseman – Gil Hodges (1943, 1947-1961)
Stats*: 16 years, 2006 games played, 44.4 WAR, .274/.360/.488, 361 home runs, 295 doubles, 1254 RBIs, 1088 runs scored, 63 stolen bases, 943 walks and 1137 strikeouts.
Accolades: 8x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove
Things did not go as planned for young infielder Gil Hodges to kick off his career. After being called up to Brooklyn at 19 years old, Hodges had a messy debut in which he made two costly errors and went hitless at the plate. Less than two weeks later, he joined the Marine Corps and served the country overseas.
Hodges wouldn’t return to baseball until 1945, and the rust showed. He hit .237 through the next two seasons, but then was able to turn things around. Hodges made the All-Star Team in each of the next seven seasons, finishing inside the top-19 for the first six of them. He played a key role in each of the franchise’s first two World Series runs, posting a .761 career OPS in postseason play.
In addition to providing steady production at the plate, Hodges was a highly-regarded defender as well. He won three straight Gold Gloves from 1957 to 1959, the first three years it was awarded. Hodges spent the final two years of his career with the Mets before retiring at the age of 39. He still holds the records for most home runs, RBIs and runs scored by a first baseman in Dodgers history.
*All statistics and accolades listed are representative of the players’ time spent as a member of the Dodgers. Some of these players may have put together strong seasons for other ballclubs, but this is a list of the best Dodgers of all time, not the best players to ever play for them.