5 Greatest Dodgers Hitters of All Time

If this were a list of the most important Dodgers hitters in history, Reese would rate higher. And, to be honest, part of the reason he’s here is because of his iconic status.

Reese served as Brooklyn’s primary shortstop from the early 1940s to the mid-1950s, playing alongside, for the biggest stretch, Jackie Robinson at second base. Like many of his generation, Reese also missed a number of years - 1943 to 1945 - because of military service in World War II.

When he returned to baseball, he was 27 and ultimately made 10 straight All-Star Games, including one in the year before he went off to war. And while his career slugging percentage is but a modest .377, he played 11 of his 16 seasons in the Bigs with a WAR at 4.0 or better and finished in the top 10 of Most Valuable Player voting eight times in his 16 years.

4. Zack Wheat, Outfielder

You’re pardoned if you don’t know Wheat’s name at first blush. The left fielder played for the Dodgers from 1909 to 1926, a heyday that predated Babe Ruth’s, even.

Wheat was a terror at the plate, finishing with a slash line of .317/.367/.460 in an era in which home runs weren’t exactly easy to come by. In fact, Wheat hit just 132 over the course of his career. But he blasted 476 doubles and 172 triples. Both numbers rank him first in franchise history, as do his 4,003 total bases. He also tops the Dodgers’ rankings in games, at-bats, plate appearances and hits.

Wheat was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1959 unanimously as the only player chosen that year.

3. Gil Hodges, First Base

Hodges’ election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 was a watershed moment and one of the biggest corrections in MLB history. Hodges remains the only player from the 1950s - maybe the greatest decade of players in baseball history - to make the Hall of Fame as a primary first baseman. The honor came, however, 50 years after his death.

In his playing days, Hodges and the man who ranks first on this list, combined to help the Dodgers to two World Series wins, in 1955 and 1959, which happened to be two years before the club left Brooklyn and then in their second year after arriving in Los Angeles.

Hodges was a powerful right-handed hitter who was good in the field, too, winning three Gold Gloves. He also clubbed 20-plus homers every year from 1949 to 1959, including six seasons of 30 or more. Hodges ranks in franchise history behind only a former teammate.

2. Jackie Robinson, First Base/Second Base

The most important player in baseball history, Robinson may also be the best hitter in Dodgers history. For now, he’s going second on the list.

Robinson carries a career slash line of .311/.409/.477 over 10 years with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He won National League Rookie of the Year in 1947 and finished fifth in MVP voting while facing horrors and slurs it’s hard to even comprehend. Two years later, he won his first and only MVP award upon leading all of Major League Baseball in WAR (9.3), stolen bases (37), and batting average (.342).

Defensively, Robinson was elite, too, as ranks 10th in franchise history with a 10.1 Defensive WAR despite playing three different positions primarily over his decade with the Dodgers. 

1. Duke Snider, Outfielder

The last of the great Brooklyn Dodgers, Snider served as the biggest crossover player from the team’s transition from New York to Los Angeles. And while he was a good player when he made it out to California, the native Angeleno was The Man in New York, even putting together one final All-Star season with the Mets in his penultimate year in the majors.

When it came to the 1950s, few could outdo Snider. Unfortunately, he played in the decade with perhaps the best centerfielders of all time in Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. And while Snider was never the absolute best player in baseball, he was consistent, making the All-Star team every year from 1950 to 1956. He also finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting in six of those eight seasons.

Snider is the franchise’s all-time leader in offensive WAR by more than 10 whole points and his 389 home runs lead the club, too. In all, Snider played 18 years in the big leagues, including his first 16 with the Dodgers and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980.