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Dodgers: Five best positional players over the past decade

By Jeffrey Bellone

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting a three run home run during the sixth inning of game four of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox on October 27, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting a three run home run during the sixth inning of game four of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox on October 27, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 26: Matt Kemp #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on prior to Game Three of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

2) Matt Kemp

For a while, Matt Kemp looked like he might be a modern-day Willie Mays player for the Dodgers. It’s unfortunate how things ended with the super-talented outfielder after signing a massive contract extension in 2011, but you can’t overlook what he did in a Dodgers uniform during the 2010s.

Of course, Kemp’s best season came in the months leading up to his franchise-record eight-year, $160 million deal. He had a season for the ages in 2011, finishing a close second in MVP voting to Ryan Braun. Kemp did a little of everything that year, batting .324 while leading the National League in home runs (39), RBIs (126), and runs scored (115). He also swiped 40 bases, leaving him one home run short of becoming the first major leaguer since Alfonso Soriano in 2006 to join the 40-40 club. And did I mention Kemp won a Gold Glove Award that season too?

Kemp’s 2011 campaign is the best individual season among Dodger positional players in the 2010s. It is arguably one of the best seasons ever when you consider his dominance across multiple statistical areas that represent power, pure hitting, speed, and fielding.

The Oklahoma native never reached anything close to the peak of his 2011 performance again, his other top seasons coming before 2010; however, over the entirety of the past decade, he still put himself among the best Dodger players. He hit more home runs (142), drove in more RBIs (491), scored more runs (445), and stole the second most bases (85) of any Dodger player since 2010. He also played in the second most games (798).

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