Dodgers: Ranking the best second basemen in franchise history

We know Jackie Robinson is the best second baseman in Dodgers history, but who else ranks in the top five?

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a very special player who represents the second base position across all of baseball. Number 42 is retired in major league stadiums for reasons larger than the sport of baseball, which is why you can’t talk about Dodger second basemen without immediately thinking of Jackie Robinson.

In ranking the best second basemen in Dodgers history, I thought it was important to start with Jackie and then let the real debate begin in ranking the rest of the players on the list. You will find out why Robinson is worthy of the top ranking from a purely baseball standpoint. But perhaps most interesting is learning which players rank second through fifth. The list is comprised of players who built their careers with the Dodgers, as well as some who found themselves as significant contributors, but only for a few seasons.

You can read about the best catchers in franchise history, and the best first basemen in franchise history. Now, let’s get into the best middle infielders on the right side of the diamond.

Honorable Mentions

Charlie Neal played six seasons between Brooklyn and Los Angeles with the Dodgers. He appeared in three All-Star games and won the Gold Glove Award in 1959, his best season wearing Dodger blue.

Jim Lefebvre played both second base and third base for the Dodgers in the mid-to-late sixties and early seventies. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1965, and made an All-Star appearance the following season. Over eight years with the Dodgers, he hit .251/.323/.378 with 74 home runs and 404 RBIs.

Eddie Stanky was a walking machine for the Dodgers over four seasons in the mid-1940s. He led the league in walks in 1945 and 1946. His on-base-percentage in over 530 games with the Dodgers was .405. He made an All-Star team in his final season with Brooklyn.

4) Steve Sax

I might have a bit of bias toward Steve Sax because he was the second baseman that represented my earliest memories of the Dodgers in the eighties. Between 1982-1988, no other player was as constant of a presence in the Dodger lineup. Sax nearly played everyday over that stretch, his lowest game total coming in 1985 with 136.

The Sacramento native burst onto the scene in 1982 when he won the Rookie of the Year Award, batting .282 with a .335 on-base percentage. Never known for his power, Sax was an aggressive base stealer. He finished in the top-ten for stolen bases in five of his eight seasons in Los Angeles. He swiped at least 40 bases four times, and reached 56 in 1983.

Sax was a pest at the top of the lineup, playing an effective role in leading the Dodgers to the postseason three times (I won’t count his limited action in 1981). In the 1988 NLCS against the Mets, he went 8-30 at the plate, walked three times, stole five bases, and scored seven runs, an example of how he charged the offense.

The right-handed middle infielder went to three All-Star games as a Dodger, and won the Silver Slugger Award in 1986. He batted .332 that season with an eye-popping .390 on-base percentage, while stealing 40 bases.

3) Davey Lopes

No player has played more games at second base for the Dodgers than Davey Lopes. The Rhode Island native balanced his game with both speed and power from the middle of the infield. He played nine seasons with the Dodgers, appearing in four World Series, and winning a championship with the team in 1981.

What really stands out about Lopes’ game was his speed on the base paths. He led the league in stolen bases in both 1975 and 1976 with 77 and 63 steals, respectively. He ranks second all-time among Dodger players with 418 stolen bases. His career stolen base success rate ranks in the top 50 of base swipers in major league history.

More than just a speedy runner, Lopes found his power stroke late in his career with the Dodgers. He hit 28 home runs in 1979, earning an All-Star appearance, one of three such honors he would receive while playing in Los Angeles. In the previous season, he nearly carried the Dodgers to a World Series victory with three homers in the 1978 World Series. Over ten seasons with the Boys in Blue, he ended one short of 100 home runs.

Rounding out his speed and power, in 1978, he won the Gold Glove Award as the best defensive second baseman in baseball.

2) Jim Gilliam

It’s a bit ironic putting Jim Gilliam second on this list behind Jackie Robinson (spoiler alert!), as he was the player who had to replace Robinson at second, when Jackie finished out his career at third base and in left field. Filling in for big shoes, the former Negro Leagues star proved up for the task.

Gilliam’s rookie season in 1953 was one of the best of his career. He won the Rookie of the Year Award while hitting .278/.383/.416, leading the league in triples (17), and swiping 21 bases. He carried his superlative performance over to the World Series, in which he went 8-27 at the plate, with two home runs and three doubles in the team’s six-game loss to the Yankees.

The middle infielder ranks among several top-ten lists in Dodgers history, independent of position. He accumulated the 8th most WAR, while playing in the fifth most games in team history. He currently ranks fourth in runs scored, eighth in hits, seventh in triples, and second in walks, among Dodger greats.

The four-time World Series champ and two-time All-Star ranks only behind his predecessor as the best second baseman in franchise history.

1) Jackie Robinson

Sometimes these positional ranking lists are cause for great debate over who should finish at the top. There is no argument over who is the best second baseman in Dodger history. Hands down, it’s Jackie Robinson.

Even if we leave the historical significance of his time with the Dodgers aside, his play on the field still merits him to be number one in team history.

The Hall-of-Famer spent all ten seasons of his career with the Dodgers, retiring two seasons before the team moved to Los Angeles. An all-around player, he won a batting title with his steady hitting in 1949 (.342), used his speed to lead the league in stolen bases in 1947 (29) and 1949 (37), and flashed some power with double digit home run totals in nine of the ten seasons he played.

Robinson ranks third all-time in wins above replacement level among Dodger greats. His career average in batting (.311) ranks 12th and on-base percentage (.409) ranks fourth in team history. He has scored the seventh most runs, recorded the 12th most hits, and tallied the 18th most home runs of any Dodger player.

The 1949 National League MVP, who arguably could have won the MVP in two more seasons, was an elite athletic talent who passed every test placed in front of him.

Both for character and output, Jackie Robinson is a level ahead of his competition. He is the best second baseman in Dodger history.