5 Dodgers greats not in the Hall of Fame
Former Dodgers players are all over the Hall of Fame, and Adrián Beltré became the latest to join that list in Cooperstown, becoming a first-ballot inductee by receiving 95.1% of the votes in 2024.
Some Dodgers fixtures, like Steve Garvey, have already been bypassed by the Baseball Writers' Association of America¡¯s voting members and the various era committees formed to rectify such oversights. In 2021, the Hall of Fame's Golden Days Era Panel voted first baseman Gil Hodges into the Hall of Fame after appearing on a ballot 34 times.
Then there is a group of still-eligible players who spent relatively brief but impactful portions of their careers in Dodger Blue, such as Manny Ramirez and Chase Utley.
Those are a few former Dodgers with strong cases for Cooperstown, though the list for consideration could include Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones, Orel Hershiser, Tommy John, Adri¨¢n Gonz¨¢lez, Dick Allen and Kenny Lofton -- and that's not even getting into the Brooklyn days.
Here's a look at the Top 5 cases:
1) Steve Garvey
Garvey, a 10-time All-Star, was the biggest name of the record-setting infield of 8 1/2 seasons that included second baseman Davey Lopes, shortstop Bill Russell and third baseman Ron Cey. From 1974-80, Garvey was the epitome of consistency, with a batting average between .297 and .319 and an OPS between .808 and .852, never finishing lower than 14th in MVP voting. He was at his clutch best in the postseason, with a .910 OPS.
Garvey's NL record of 1,307 consecutive games played will probably never be broken. He was a hit machine, with at least 200 of them in six seasons. He peaked in Hall of Fame voting his first year of eligibility at 41.6 percent.
2) Gary Sheffield
Sheffield and Ramirez, despite their reputations, make this Top 5 list because their offensive impact is impossible to ignore. Sheffield was a nine-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger with a batting title and a World Series win.
If you're looking for simply the best three-plus offensive seasons from a Dodgers left fielder, that would be Sheffield from 1998-2001. He was twice an All-Star, with an average slash line of .312/.420/.581 in his three full Dodgers seasons. He wasn¡¯t fazed by the drama surrounding the trade that brought him to L.A. for Mike Piazza and might have ranked higher with better defense.
Even with all his success on the field, Sheffield fell short of being inducted into the Hall in his 10th and final year on the BBWAA ballot, receiving only 63.9% of the votes in 2024 -- leaving him shy of the 75% threshold needed for induction.
3) Maury Wills
Wills has always been an overlooked player because his best tool was baserunning. His best moment came in 1962 when he broke Ty Cobb's modern era single-season steals record with 104, a record that stood until 1974 when Lou Brock stole 118 bases. Wills' performance helped him edge out Willie Mays for MVP. He also changed the way the industry valued superb basestealers.
4) Manny Ramirez
Ramirez¡¯s time in L.A. was brief and tumultuous, but it also included an unthinkable three-month stint after his 2008 midseason acquisition in which he hit .396 in 53 games down the stretch and .520 in two rounds of the postseason.
In 19 Major League seasons, Ramirez went to 12 All-Star Games, won nine Silver Sluggers and a batting title and was a two-time World Series champion, receiving World Series MVP honors for the Red Sox in 2004. He hit 555 home runs with a slash line of .312/.411/.585 over the course of his career.
Ramirez remains on the ballot heading into 2025, but he has seemingly plateaued after receiving 32.5% of the votes in his eighth year on the ballot in 2024.
5) Andruw Jones
Jones¡¯ worst season of his career came with the Dodgers, and his tenure in Los Angeles didn¡¯t exactly leave him as a fan favorite. But it¡¯s hard to deny what Jones accomplished throughout his 17-year Major League career.
Jones is widely considered as one of the best defensive center fielders in MLB history and he was undoubtedly the best glove at the position in his era. Over his career, Jones won 10 Gold Glove Awards. He also wasn¡¯t too bad at the plate, hitting 434 career homers.
Jones¡¯ run from 1997-2006 was one of the most impressive during his time. The Curacao native received 61.6% of the vote in 2024 and he has three years left of eligibility remaining, putting him in good shape to eventually earn induction.