Dodgers: The Top Five Right Fielders in LA Dodger History

The Dodgers have had no shortage of talent play for them over the course of their long and rich history.  In LA, they have had several great sluggers play right field for them.

When you think of the great franchises in Major League baseball history, you think of the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and of course the Dodgers.  The Dodgers have a rich tradition from the days of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Brooklyn to the rise of a winning organization under the bright lights of Hollywood.

Right field, in particular, has been a position where the Dodgers have had no shortage of talent throughout their history.  For this article, I considered players who played for the Dodgers when they were in Los Angeles only and I went off the best players, not the players who piled up the best stats over a longer Dodger tenure.  Here are the top five right fielders in LA Dodger history.

5. Yasiel Puig (2013-2018)

The fifth best right fielder in LA Dodger history is the one the club just sent to Cincinnati in an off-season deal.  Yasiel Puig or the “Wild Horse” as Dodger legend Vin Scully named him, provided plenty of flair and memorable moments during his time in Dodger blue.  Puig was an international signing in 2012 by Ned Colletti and while his seven-year deal seemed rich at the time, it ended up being a bargain for the Dodgers.

In his six years with the team, Puig hit 108 home runs while playing stellar defense and he provided Dodger fans with plenty of defensive web gems with most featuring his rocket arm.  Puig is the Dodgers’ all-time leader in postseason games played and this past postseason he hit a big home run that led the team to a series-clinching win in game seven of the NLCS.  Puig provided plenty of highlights, bat licks, and bat flips during his time in blue and goes down as the fifth best right fielder in LA Dodger history.

4. Andre Ethier (2006-2017)

Andre Ethier was acquired in the winter of 2005 in the best deal that Ned Colletti ever made.  The Dodgers sent Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez to the Oakland A’s in return for Ethier.  Ethier is tied with Shawn Green for third all-time in Dodger history with 162 home runs.  He won one NL silver slugger award, one gold glove award, and made two NL all-star teams in his twelve seasons with the Dodgers.

Ethier’s best season was in 2009 when he garnered NL MVP consideration and hit 31 home runs with 106 RBI’s.  He was known for being clutch and in the 2006 season he delivered six walk-off hits and became known as “Captain Clutch”.  While his career ended on a sour note in 2017, Ethier had a very solid career in LA and along with Matt Kemp, helped Dodger fans through the miserable Frank McCourt era.

3. Raul Mondesi (1993-1999)

Before Yasiel Puig, there was another toolsy right fielder with a cannon for an arm and that was Raul Mondesi.  Mondesi is second all-time in Dodger history for right fielders with 163 home runs and first in LA Dodger history.  Mondesi had two 30-30 seasons with the Dodgers in 1997 and 1999 and won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1994.  He was also won two gold glove awards with the Dodgers in 1995 and 1997.

Mondesi was an all-star in 1995 and his best season with the Dodgers was 1997 when he hit .310 with 30 home runs and 32 stolen bases.  Mondesi later went on to play for the handful of teams but his longest tenure was with the Dodgers where he spent seven seasons.  Mondesi was a very talented player and the third-best right fielder in LA Dodger history.

1. Gary Sheffield (1998-2001)

Although his time in Dodger blue was not the longest, it was prolific and earns him the title of being the best right fielder in LA Dodger history.  The Dodgers acquired Gary Sheffield on May 14, 1998, in a blockbuster trade that sent Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile to the Marlins in exchange for Manuel Barrios, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson, and Sheffield.

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Despite a shorter stint than the other right fielders on this list, Sheffield finished sixth all-time in home runs by a right fielder in Dodger history with 129 home runs.  He hit over .300 every season with the Dodgers topping out at a .325 average in 2000.  That was his best season with the blue as he mashed 43 home runs and drove in 109 RBI’s putting together one of the best offensive seasons in Dodger history.

Gary made two all-star teams with the Dodgers in 1999 and 2000 and surprisingly he did not win any awards during his Dodger tenure although he did receive MVP votes in 2000.  Sheffield finished his Dodger career after the 2001 season a .312 average, .998 OPS, and a .424 OBP.  He also drove in 367 runs while hitting 129 home runs as a member of the LA Dodgers.

If you grew up watching Gary Sheffield there is no doubt that at one point you imitated his swing with that notorious bat wiggle that he is known for.  The LA Dodgers have had many good right fielders play for them that did not make this list and a few of those are Mike Marshall, Reggie Smith, and Carl Furrillo who spent the majority of his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers but leads Dodger right fielders all-time with 193 home runs.