Dodgers: Three current players who could become Hall-of-Famers

The Dodgers possess one of the most talented rosters in baseball. How many current players could we see in Cooperstown someday?

The Dodgers have a rich history of legendary players who have been honored in the Baseball Hall-of-Fame. However, most of them spent the majority of their careers somewhere else, or date back to the franchise’s days in Brooklyn.

Dodger fans can look away before I mention examples, such as Mike Piazza and Pedro Martinez, two all-time greats who were traded away too soon. Other players who have played a short time in Chavez Ravine and reached the Hall include Jim Thome, Greg Maddux, and Rickey Henderson.

The last long-term Dodger player to get the call to Cooperstown was pitcher Don Sutton in 1998. Before him, it was another pitcher named Don, that is, Don Drysdale, who was inducted in 1984.

Suffice to say, it’s been a long time since a Dodgers player of recent memory has received Baseball’s most prestigious honor, while also considering the five-year waiting period for players to be eligible on the ballot.

This current Dodgers roster offers some hope to future generations of fans who hope to see Dodger blue well-represented in the Hall-of-Fame. There are three candidates who I believe have a real chance of being recognized down the road. Of course, players change teams, injuries happen, and careers take sudden turns, but as of right now, there are three legit candidates: one that is obvious, one off to a great start, and one who just needs to stay in Los Angeles.

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Clayton Kershaw

This is an easy one. Clayton Kershaw has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since he broke into the Major Leagues and pitched his first full season in 2009. If Kershaw ended his career today, he would be a Hall-of-Famer. He has pitched twelve seasons for the Dodgers, the same number as Sandy Koufax, and the similarity between the two southpaws is striking.

Over nearly an identical number of innings, Kershaw matches up with Koufax in almost every major statistical category. While Kershaw’s resume is a bit stained from his postseason struggles, his regular season record is overwhelmingly in favor of him becoming a Hall-of-Famer. Anytime you can match up with the great Sandy Koufax, you have reached an elite stratosphere of pitching.

Baseball Reference uses a variety of models to project whether a player is a Hall-of-Famer. According to JAWS, which measures a variety of factors in evaluating a player’s worthiness to reach Cooperstown, Kershaw already ranks 37th as a starting pitcher, close in ranking to Hall-of-Famers such as Nolan Ryan, Al Spalding, and Jim Palmer.

Kershaw has won three Cy Young Awards, five ERA titles, a Gold Glove Award, and even accomplished the rare feat of winning National League MVP as a pitcher. It’s only a matter of time before Kershaw’s name is listed atop the Hall-of-Fame ballot.

Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger has played only three seasons in the Major Leagues, less than the five year post-career wait it takes to be considered for the Hall-of-Fame. However, the 24-year-old slugger is off to an amazing start to his career, perhaps taking the first few steps on a long path to Cooperstown.

Since breaking into the Big Leagues in 2017, Bellinger has filled his trophy case with just about every possible award. He won the Rookie of the Year Award, made his first All-Star appearance, and finished ninth in MVP voting by the time his first season was completed. Last year, he was completely dominant. He won the National League MVP Award, Silver Slugger Award, and to round it out, a Gold Glove Award.

His 47 home runs in 2019 are the second highest single-season total in Dodgers history. Bellinger increased his power while improving his approach at the plate, raising his batting average to a career-best .305 to go along with a .406 on-base percentage.

If Cody Bellinger continues to produce like he has over the past three seasons, he will surely be on his way to Cooperstown. Lucky for Dodgers fans, he has his entire career ahead of him, so instead of reflecting on what he has done in the past, they got to look forward to the production he promises in the future.