Dodgers: Remembering franchise’s all-time most versatile players

The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 2021 defense of their World Series title has them in the thick of a pennant race and they remain among the best teams in baseball. One of the key contributors on the team is Chris Taylor.

Taylor can find himself in the top five of almost every offensive category for the team, and not only is he helping at the plate, but he’s acting as a Swiss Army knife on defense, filling positions both in the infield and outfield.

Taylor’s success is enough to warrant some All-Star consideration this year, and he is proving to be considered among the most versatile players in Dodgers history.

In honor of Taylor’s season to remember, it’s worth looking at some of the most versatile players in Dodgers baseball history, players who gave their managers a chance to put them all over the diamond.

These Dodgers are the team’s most versatile players of all time.

Jackie Robinson: 1947-1956 (1B, 2B, 3B, LF)

Not only was Jackie Robinson a great pioneer as the first African American to integrate baseball, but he was a great athlete who lettered at UCLA in four varsity sports, something no one has duplicated at his alma mater.

His great athleticism translated to the baseball diamond once he became a Brooklyn Dodger. In 1947, his rookie season, Robinson learned a new position playing first base for the first time in his life to keep Eddie Stanky at second base. Robinson took to the position and led the league in double plays turned on his way to being named Rookie of the Year and helping the Dodgers win the NL pennant.

The next year, Robinson would move to his natural position at second base, where he would lead the league in fielding percentage in 1948 1950 and 1951. Starting in 1953, Robinson would play multiple positions until the end of his career, seeing significant time at third base and left field, once placing fifth in the league with nine outfield assists.

In 1956, Robinson at the age of 37 started games at first, second, third base, and in left field showing his versatility in his last year of baseball.

Jim Gilliam: 1953-1966 (2B, 3B, OF)

Switch-hitting Jim Gilliam is the only Dodger player to have his number retired despite not making the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is a testament to his career-long commitment to the team he played and coached for in nine World Series until his life ended tragically during the 1978 NLCS with the Dodgers.

Gilliam, the 1953 NL Rookie of the Year, was so good on the field he pushed Jackie Robinson to third base, taking over at second base his rookie year. At second, Gilliam led the league in fielding percentage in 1957 (.986) and placed in the top five four other times.

Starting in 1958, Gilliam split his time between left field, third and second base. That year, he was in the top five in putouts and assists from left field. The following season, he moved to third base permanently and would place in the top five in fielding percentage, putouts, and assists in 1959-1960.

From 1962 to 1966, Gilliam would fill in wherever he was needed, playing second, third, and in the outfield thanks to his ability to hit from both sides of the plate. Thanks to Gilliam’s versatility at the plate and on the field, the Dodgers won three NL pennants and two World Series.

Mickey Hatcher: (1979-80, 1987-90 1B, 3B, OF)

This may be a reflection of one postseason, but Mickey Hatcher belongs on this list because his spirited “do or die” attitude epitomized how versatile a player he proved to be.

Hatcher was a Dodgers prospect who played briefly from 1979-80 before he was sent to the Minnesota Twins in a trade. As a rookie, he showed his versatility playing third base and in the outfield.

By the time he returned Hatcher was a utility player who would pinch hit or run when called upon and became the de facto leader of the bench players known as the “Stunt Men.” During their, Cinderella run to a World Series in 1988, Hatcher filled in at both corner spots in the infield and outfield and was a useful right-handed pinch hitter.

During the 1988 postseason, Hatcher really shined, hitting .300 hitting with two home runs (compared to just one during the regular season), and driving in eight runs while scoring nine. Hatcher started all but one of the Dodgers’ 12 postseason games and he had a hit in 10 out of 11 games. Hatcher played first base and in the outfield.

Hatcher provided the offensive punch for the Dodgers in the 1988 World Series when Kirk Gibson was lost to injury, leading the team with two home runs and five RBI, adding flawless defense handling all his chances in the outfield over 39 innings.

Chris Taylor: (2016-21 2B, SS, CF, LF)

Brought to the Dodgers in 2016 via a trade with the Seattle Mariners, Chris Taylor has been a huge asset, filling in wherever he is needed on the field.

Taylor has started at least 20 games at second, shortstop, center, and left field in his career, and has also given the Dodgers 50 games at shortstop, center, and left field. At the plate, Taylor has driven in 50 runs three times and hit over 10 home runs three times as well (he is likely to reach 10 home runs in 2021, too).

In the playoffs, Taylor has been just as clutch with both his bat and his glove. In 2017, Taylor was named Co-MVP of the NLCS, hitting .316, scoring five runs and hitting two home runs in a five-game win that led to the Dodgers to their first NL pennant in 29 years.

In 2018 ,Taylor made the play of the game in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers. Up 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth with a runner on second base, Julio Urias gave up a fly ball that looked like it would tie the game — only to watch Taylor run down the ball and dive to make the catch, ending the inning and keep the Dodgers ahead. The next inning, the Dodgers padded their lead and the Brewers were never in it again as the Dodgers clinched the pennant.

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