Dodgers: Ranking the Top 5 left fielders in franchise history

Who are the best left fielders in Dodgers history? We rank the top five.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ left field job has been a bit of a revolving door, with the highest total of opening day starters of any position in franchise history, despite including the longest tenured Dodger of all-time. That being said, there have been plenty of great Dodgers to man left field. Let’s take a look at some of the best.

We begin with our honorable mentions: a pair of Mannys.

Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez’ time in LA was a bit of a rollercoaster. After coming to the Dodgers in a three-team blockbuster at the 2008 trade deadline, Ramirez went on an absolute rampage. He nearly single-handedly spearheaded the Dodgers’ playoff push, hitting a ludicrous .396 with 27 homers in just 53 games with the club. He continued his tear into the playoffs; however, the Dodgers were defeated by the Phillies in the NLDS. Unfortunately, Manny’s next two seasons in LA were marred by PED controversy and a questionable attitude, and the Mannywood era ultimately came to an abrupt end following a mid-season release in 2010.

Manny Mota

Unlike Manny Ramirez, Manny Mota is a beloved figure within the organization. The elder Manny came to the Dodgers in 1969 and all he did was hit. Unfortunately, since practically all he did was hit, Mota is excluded from this list. Manny Mota was a pinch-hitter extraordinaire, retiring with a then-record 150 career pinch hits. He only appeared in left field in 360 games in 13 seasons in LA, but provided many clutch hits off the bench and even was named to the All-Star team in 1973. Mota’s .315 average is second highest in LA Dodger history among qualifiers, and he finished his career with a .297 average off the bench. Mota has coached or been involved with the Dodgers in some way since 1969, and was famously name-checked in the legendary comedy Airplane!

Best Dodgers left fielders: 5) Kirk Gibson

Kirk Gibson’s Dodger tenure was brief, yet he remains a legend among the Dodger faithful.

After a bizarre collusion scandal amongst baseball owners, the former Michigan State Spartan was granted release and signed with the Dodgers after nine seasons in Detroit. Gibby immediately assumed a leadership role with his new club. He wasn’t shy about criticizing his teammates, and set an example with his hard-nosed style of play.

In his one full season in LA, Gibson hit .290 with an .860 OPS to go along with 25 homers and 31 steals (in only 35 tries) en route to the NL MVP award. His hitting and leadership propelled the Dodgers to the postseason after a fourth-place finish the year before, and the rest is history.

Gibson cemented himself in the Dodger annals with his legendary pinch-hit walk-off home run off Hall-of-Fame closer Dennis Eckersley in Game One of the 1988 World Series.

Gibby wasn’t even expected to play, as both of his legs were injured, but he hobbled to the plate and set the tone for the rest of the Series; the Dodgers beat the heavily favored Oakland A’s four games to one. Unfortunately, Gibson’s next two seasons were marred by injury and he signed with the Royals in 1991, but Dodger fans will always remember him triumphantly pumping his fist as he rounded the bases in ‘88.

Best Dodgers left fielders: 4) Gary Sheffield

Gary Sheffield is arguably the most talented and consistent hitter to ever play left field for the Dodgers.

Sheffield was already a star in Florida when he came to Los Angeles (along with defensive standout Charles Johnson and living meme Bobby Bonilla) in the blockbuster trade that sent Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile to the Marlins. Despite making the move from right to left field, Sheff had a monster finish to his first season in LA, hitting .316 with 16 bombs in just 90 games.

He remained an offensive force for his remaining three seasons with the team, hitting as many as 43 homers (a career high) all while walking considerably more than he struck out.

Sheffield was named to two consecutive All-Star games and finished top-10 in MVP voting in 2000, but was shipped to Atlanta in the Brian Jordan trade following another strong campaign in 2001.

There’s no denying that Sheffield was one of the most dominant hitters of the 90’s and early 2000’s, but his relatively short Dodger tenure, steroid allegations, and character concerns prevent him from being higher on this list.

Best Dodgers left fielders: 2) Dusty Baker

Although he is perhaps best known for managing the rival Giants in the 90’s, Dusty Baker had quite the career with the Dodgers as a player. In fact, Baker grew up a Dodger fan and idolized Tommy Davis.

After developing a reputation for being an RBI machine during his eight years in Atlanta, Dusty found himself as the regular center fielder for the Dodgers in 1976.

After a paltry season where he totaled a whopping four homers in 112 games, Baker slid over to left and rediscovered his power stroke in 1977, rebounding with 30 homers, 86 RBI, and an .876 OPS. His 30th homer was particularly significant for two reasons: firstly, the Dodgers became the first ever team to have four hitters hit 30 home runs in a season (Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Reggie Smith were the other members of the home run quartet). The notoriety of Dusty’s homer didn’t stop when he circled the bases either. Baker is also credited with co-inventing the high-five with Glenn Burke in commemorating his historic blast.

Historic and celebratory milestones aside, Dusty Baker remained a steady contributor until going off to San Francisco in 1984. He was an All-Star in 1981 and 1982, and won the World Series in ‘81.

Overall, Baker finished his Dodger career with a .281 average, 144 homers, 179 doubles, and 585 RBI, and was an integral part of several playoff teams.

Best Dodgers left fielders: 1) Zack Wheat

We have to go all the way back to the days of the Brooklyn Superbas for number one on our list. Zack Wheat was born 132 years ago, but don’t let that detract from his baseball prowess.

Widely considered by baseball historians to be one of the premier hitters of the Dead Ball Era, Wheat adopted the power-swinging style years ahead of the rest of the league and regularly finished among the league leaders in extra base hits.

Unfortunately for Wheat, the Live Ball Era began towards the end of his career, but he still managed to hit a whopping .375 two years in a row, his age 35 and 36 seasons. His best season arguably came in 1925, where he hit .359 with 42 doubles,14 triples, 14 homers, and drove in 103 runs in 150 games.

After 18 years of service with the team, Wheat was granted release and finished his career with one season with the Philadelphia A’s.

He still holds the Dodger records for hits (2,804), games played (2,322), doubles (464), triples (171), and total bases (4,003). Wheat was also considered a top-notch fielder and baserunner, although his size 5 feet led to ankle issues later in his career.

Zack Wheat is one of baseball’s underrated stars, very likely due to the fact that he hung up his tiny spikes during the Coolidge administration.

Luckily for Wheat, his greatness was recognized in his lifetime, as he was unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1959.