3 Dodgers legends who deserve more Hall of Fame consideration

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have plenty of Baseball Hall of Fame representation, but it’s worth examining these three stars’ cases further.

The Dodgers are one of baseball’s premier franchises for a reason, sporting a legacy of greatness that extends far beyond their time in Hollywood to the Brooklyn days.

That explains their heightened representation in baseball’s hallowed halls — 55 players, executives and managers who spent their time in Dodger blue have been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Add in the team’s four honored broadcasters, and you’ve got what we like to call “domination” going on.

But is it possible that the franchise’s footprint at the Hall should actually be larger than it currently is? There are a few Dodgers legends who should probably have a plaque by now who are still languishing in history’s purgatory — or, at least, if they don’t merit induction, we should make the conversation louder.

These three Dodgers deserve to have their cases argued on a wider scale.

LOS ANGELES, CA – CIRCA 1978: First Baseman Steve Garvey #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats against the New York Mets during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Garvey played for the Dodgers from 1969-82. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

3. Steve Garvey

Dodgers icon Steve Garvey should’ve come closer to Hall of Fame induction.

Iconic Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey would be a Hall of Famer if the statistical revolution hadn’t retrospectively devalued the way he played the game.

But how was he supposed to know every point of emphasis would change in the late ’90s?

Back in Garvey’s day as the face of the multi-time National League champion Dodgers, he wasn’t told that a walk was “just as good as a hit” — rather, he came up to the plate intending to smack singles and hit often and with power, which is exactly what he did.

A career .294 average offset by a meager .329 OBP would be unimpressive for a modern first baseman, but Garvey wasn’t planning to retire to glory based on the strength of his eye. The league MVP in 1974 (.312/21/111), that season kicked off an eight-year stretch of nothing but All-Star appearances, replete with three NL championships. At the time, you could make the argument that Garvey was the game’s biggest star on its largest stage.

He even rejuvenated himself with the Padres at age 35 in 1984, leading an entirely different team to the World Series with his veteran guile and still-potent bat.

If the Hall was truly a shrine for the famous, Garvey would’ve skated in on the first ballot. Unfortunately, his credentials somehow became less impressive over time, and he fell off the ballot in 2007 after 15 full years, peaking at 42.6% in his third year but never rallying with any sort of momentum, eventually petering out at 21.1%. Generally, someone who debuts at 41.6% these days sees a precipitous rise; not so, in this case.

We understand Garvey’s limitations and the reason for his exclusion, but the trajectory of his numbers is a bit baffling, especially for such a consistent on-field performer.

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UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1978: Pitcher Tommy John #25 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978. John played for the Dodgers from 1972-74 and 1976-78. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

2. Tommy John

Dodgers pitcher Tommy John should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame for his career accolades — and his legacy.

A recent conversation centered around “baseball lives” pitched Tommy John as a shoo-in candidate for what the experimental surgery he underwent meant for the lives of every pitcher who followed him — and that argument is meritorious.

But he also deserves to be honored for his pitching accolades alone.

In some ways a compiler, John’s 288 victories against 231 losses stand tall — especially when you realize that the lion’s share of his honors came after he missed the entire 1975 season at the age of 32 rehabilitating his arm.

After that inflection point, John finished second in the Cy Young chase in 1977 (20-7, 2.78), then posted three consecutive All-Star appearances and three more top-10 Cy Young placements (eighth, second again, fourth), bouncing between New York and Los Angeles. Though he was largely ineffective in six seasons played after the age of 40 (despite going 13-6, 4.03 ERA in 1987 in New York at the age of 44!), that shouldn’t factor too heavily into this conversation.

On the merits of his remarkable comeback alone and the innovations in medical science his gutsy willingness to experiment ushered in, John deserves a keen second look. The careers he saved by pioneering a surgery that is now commonplace (and almost anticipated!) are too numerous to count.

But John was a pretty exceptional pitcher, too. The double whammy calls for a recount on baseball’s highest honor, without any sort of “pioneer” designation.

UNSPECIFIED – 1956:World Series game 2 heros, Brooklyn Dodgers Duke SnIder, Don Bessent and Gil Hodges. (Photo by William Greene/Sports Studio Photos/Getty Images) /

1. Gil Hodges

The case for Brooklyn Dodgers star Gil Hodges is an emotional one by now.

Sure, the desire to see Gil Hodges join Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella in the Hall of Fame is mostly rooted in our desire to celebrate the iconic figures in baseball’s rich history. But what’s so wrong with that?

Can you tell the story of baseball in the 1950s and 1960s without mentioning Gil Hodges? No. And why would you want to?

Hodges pounded a remarkable 370 home runs between 1947-1963, the vast majority of them (344) coming between ’48 and ’59. Blessed with a 297-foot right field wall at Ebbets Field, Hodges still navigated it better than almost anyone else in his era, emerging as a face of the franchise’s iconic Dem Bums 1955 World Series championship.

The widow Hodges, Joan Lombardi, is still alive and advocating for her husband to this day, whose career has become associated with the New York Mets thanks to his managerial efforts in the 1969 season, as well as his tragic death. For some inexplicable reason, the man has been eternally bypassed, including missing election in 1993 by one reported vote.

Hodges was (whew, here we go) a better player than Phil Rizzuto, who was enshrined the very next year for mostly sentimental reasons. Why can’t we do the same for Hodges now, especially when his counting numbers are vastly superior?

His comparables do him no favors (Rocky Colavito, Norm Cash, Mark Teixeira, George Foster), a laundry list of Hall of Very Good members. But nobody on that list had the managerial success Hodges did, and everyone on that list was afforded the opportunity to fervently argue their own case. Not Hodges, and it’s an annual shame.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 25: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is taken out of the game by manager Dave Roberts as Justin Turner #10 looks on during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game Five of the 2020 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field on October 25, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

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