Dodgers: Ranking the Top 5 left fielders in franchise history

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.