Dodgers: Ranking the best second basemen in franchise history

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.