Former Dodgers Paul Konerko, Rafael Furcal and More Hit the MLB Hall of Fame Ballot
The Dodgers have had a long list of amazing players and some have made it onto the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot, released today.
In total, the Dodgers have ten alumni on the ballot. The group is mostly composed of players who made quick pit stops in Los Angeles at the tail end of their careers.
The 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, as announced by @baseballhall moments ago. pic.twitter.com/yyTzUNyoMA
— Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs) November 18, 2019
Here is a breakdown of every former Dodger on the ballot and their tenure with the team:
Bobby Abreu
Abreu was picked up by the Dodgers in his age-38 season and managed just 92 games with the team. He went on to play just one more season at the big-league level. Abreu’s numbers appear to be pretty close to Hall-worthy, but his reputation will always be muddied by PED accusations.
Josh Beckett
Beckett came over from the Boston Red Sox in the deal that brought Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to Los Angeles and he actually retired as a Dodger in 2014. Beckett made 35 career starts for the Dodgers including a no-hitter and put up an excellent 3.39 ERA. He pitched a combined 14 seasons for the Dodgers, Red Sox, and Marlins.
Chone Figgins
Figgins played just 38 games for the Dodgers, spending the majority of his career in Anaheim and some time with the Seattle Mariners. He was not the best version of himself with the Dodgers, but was productive as a stolen base threat with the Angels, posting six consecutive seasons with 40 stolen bags.
Rafael Furcal
One of the longest-tenured Dodgers on this last, the shortstop Furcal played six seasons in Los Angeles. He posted a .283 batting average for the Dodgers and provided value as a leadoff hitter for most of his career.
Andruw Jones
Despite being pretty awful for the Dodgers in his 75 game tenure — .158/.256/.249 slash line — he had a pretty excellent career. Jones was one of the best defensive center fielders the game had ever seen when he was in his prime, winning ten consecutive Gold Gloves. He crushed 434 home runs and put up a respectable .823 career OPS.
Jeff Kent
Kent is easily one of the best offensive second basemen of all-time. He held a career .290 batting average and .855 on-base plus slugging percentage and won an MVP in 2000 with the Giants. From 1998 to 2007, Kent was not just one of the best players at his position, he was one of the best in the game. Across that span, he batted .301 with an excellent .902 OPS.
Paul Konerko
What could have been… Konerko was traded by the Dodgers before he really found his groove in the major leagues and it is certainly one of the franchise’s worst trades. Konerko has a legit chance of being inducted, with an .841 career OPS and 439 homers under his belt.
Brad Penny
Penny tossed five seasons for the Dodgers to the tune of a 4.07 ERA. He made two All-Star appearance for the club in 2007 and 2008. His first four seasons in Los Angeles were very productive as he combined for a 3.61 ERA. However, his fifth season was disastrous as he posted an ugly 6.27 ERA.
Manny Ramirez
Mannywood! Ramirez, despite his career being marked by his PED usage, was one of the most electric players in Dodgers history and he only played 223 games for Los Angeles. Ramirez posted a .322/.433/.580 slash line with the Dodgers and helped them make the playoffs when they acquired him from Boston with a second half for the ages.
Gary Sheffield
Another player accused of PED usage, Sheffield played four seasons for the Dodgers, posting an excellent .998 OPS in Los Angeles. His numbers are HOF-worthy, but the PEDs might prevent his induction.
Overall
With a ballot headlined by first timer Derek Jeter, some of these players with Dodger root undoubtedly face an uphill battle when it comes to getting voted in. From MLB.com, “Players must appear on 75% of ballots submitted by a 16-member voting body, and whoever is selected will join the BBWAA class on induction day next July.”
Players with less than 5% fall off the ballot for the following season.
