No Dodgers? No Sandy Koufax? Not even Jackie Robinson?
While it might be surprising not to see the famous Dodger Blue represented anywhere on FOX Sports all-time NL Dream Team, it starts to make sense when you see the names that did make the cut. Here’s the full list:
Manager: Tony La Russa
The last two Cardinals’ championships came with La Russa in the dugout, where he resided from 1996-2011. Under La Russa, the Cardinals went a combined 1,408-1,182, winning three National League pennants and two championships. The 2011 World Series triumph was La Russa’s last season with the Cardinals, with whom his 1,408 managerial wins rank first in franchise history.
Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule/ALLSPORT (via Getty Images)
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3B: Pete Rose
When one sees the Reds logo, the all-time hits leader is the first face that comes to mind. Mr. 4,256 (Rose’s career hit total) was the prototypical gritty, contact hitter who got on base at will, legged out extra-base hits and was nearly impossible to strikeout. The switch-hitting and versatile Rose starred on Cincinnati’s 1975 and 1976 championship teams, while being a career .321 postseason hitter and winning the 1975 World Series MVP Award. In a Reds uniform (1963-78 and 1984-86), “Charlie Hustle” won three NL batting titles, totaled 200-plus hits in nine seasons — leading the NL in six of those seasons — and led the NL in doubles in four seasons. Rose, an overall 17-time All-Star who also managed the team from 1984-89, is first in Reds history with 3,358 hits, 1,741 runs scored, 4,645 total bases and a 78.1 WAR, fifth with 1,036 RBIs and tied for 10th with both a .307 batting average and a .379 on-base percentage.
(Photo by John Iacono /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Catcher: Johnny Bench
One of the best players to both put on a catcher’s mitt and swing a bat, Bench, a two-time NL MVP, 10-time Gold Glover and 14-time All-Star, spent his entire 17-year career in Cincinnati (1967-83). Bench was a force to be reckoned with, as the already reliable backstop had an impact bat, slugged at a high level and was one of the preeminent faces of Cincinnati’s 1975 and 1976 championship teams. In the 1976 postseason, he totaled three home runs and seven RBIs, while posting a .444/.464/.926 slash line and winning 1976 World Series MVP honors. Bench blasted 30-plus home runs four times and 40-plus home runs twice in the regular season, while totaling 100-plus RBI in six seasons; he led the NL in RBIs three times and home runs twice. Bench is first in Reds history with both 389 home runs and 1,376 RBIs, second with a 75.1 WAR, third with 3,644 total bases, fifth with both 891 walks and 1,091 runs scored and sixth with 2,048 hits.
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Reliever/closer: Trevor Hoffman
Trevor Hoffman is one of the few relievers in the Hall of Fame, and one of three Padres wearing their cap in Cooperstown. The Reds drafted him in 1989 as a shortstop, then the Marlins snagged him in the 1992 expansion draft after he’d converted to pitching— less than a year later, Hoffman had been shipped to San Diego for Gary Sheffield. Over 16 years with the Padres, he produced a 2.76 ERA and recorded 552 saves while striking out 9.7 batters per nine, all best among Padres pitchers. His 601 career saves are second-most in MLB history.
(Photo by San Diego Padres/Getty Images)
OF: Stan Musial
Few people hit a baseball more than Stan Musial. In fact, only three people have more hits than Musial, as he’s fourth in MLB history with 3,630 career hits. An All-Star in all but his first two seasons of a storybook 22-year career spent entirely in St. Louis (1941-44, 1946-63), Musial has an argument for being the best Cardinals player of all time. The outfielder was one of the most complete hitters the game has ever seen, hitting for both contact and power, rarely striking out and being part of three Cardinals’ World Series teams (1942, 1944 and 1946). He won seven batting titles, while winning three NL MVP awards, leading the NL in doubles eight times and hits six times. Musial is first in Cardinals history with 3,630 hits, 475 home runs, 1,951 RBIs, 1,949 runs scored, 6,134 total bases and a 128.6 WAR, sixth with a .331 batting average and is tied for sixth with a .559 slugging percentage.
(via Getty Images)
3B: Mike Schmidt
Schmidt is the best player to put on a Phillies uniform for a prolonged period of time. The third baseman spent his entire 18-year career in Philadelphia (1972-89), earning three NL MVP awards, six Silver Slugger honors, 10 Gold Gloves and 12 All-Star nods. Schmidt, who led the NL in home runs eight times, was an impact hitter who slugged at an elite rate his entire career; he’s one of the best players in MLB history. The third baseman was the face of the 1980 Phillies’ championship team, which saw Schmidt win the World Series MVP. Schmidt is first in Phillies history with 548 home runs, 1,595 RBIs, 1,506 runs scored and a 106.9 WAR, second with 2,234 hits, third with 408 doubles and tied for fourth with a .527 slugging percentage.
(Photo by: John Williamson/MLB via Getty Images)
Starting pitcher: Randy Johnson
The man was called “The Big Unit” for a reason: He was 6-foot-10 and threw gas. Arizona got Johnson for the 1999 season, and he certainly lived up to his superstar billing. In each of his first four seasons with the D-backs, Johnson won the NL Cy Young Award, while leading MLB in strikeouts in all four seasons and the NL in both ERA and complete games in three of those four seasons. In Arizona’s 2001 World Series run, Johnson posted a 1.52 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 47 strikeouts across 41.1 postseason innings pitched (six appearances/five starts). His first stint with the franchise ended after the 2004 season, but Johnson pitched two more seasons for the D-backs from 2007-08. Johnson is first in Diamondbacks history in, well, everything: ERA (2.83), strikeouts (2,077), wins (118), innings pitched (1,630.1), complete games (38), shutouts (14) and WAR among pitchers (52.6).
(Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
2B: Joe Morgan
Morgan landed in Cincinnati in 1972 and proceeded to be an All-Star in each of his eight seasons with the club. The middle infielder was a steady, contact hitter with a tremendous eye at the plate who inflicted pain on pitching staffs on the basepaths, while also being a lockdown second baseman. Morgan, who earned five Gold Gloves with the Reds, led the NL in both WAR and on-base percentage four times and walks twice with the franchise. Furthermore, the 5-foot-7 second baseman won both the 1975 and 1976 NL MVP awards. Morgan is first in Reds history with a .415 on-base percentage, second with 406 stolen bases and sixth with both 881 walks and a 57.9 WAR.
(via Getty Images)
SS: Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner was really good at baseball. After spending the first three seasons of his career with the Louisville Colonels, Wagner landed in Pittsburgh for the 1900 season and became one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Over the next 18 seasons, Wagner won eight batting titles, led the NL in WAR seven times, doubles seven times, RBIs four times and hits twice. Hitting the ball to all fields, producing extra-base hit after extra-base hit and slugging at a high level, Wagner was in an exclusive class among hitters. While a primary shortstop, he started at all four infield positions and posted a .333/.467/.500 slash line in the Pirates’ 1909 World Series triumph. Wagner is first in Pirates history with 232 triples, 1,521 runs scored and a 120.3 WAR, second with 1,474 RBIs, 2,967 hits and 639 stolen bases and fourth with a .328 batting average. Moreover, he’s eighth in MLB history with 3,420 career hits.
(via Getty Images)
OF: Willie Mays
Mays made the most famous catch in MLB history over his left shoulder in the 1954 World Series, a series which the Giants won, and was pound-for-pound as good as any player in the sport. Spending the bulk of his career with the Giants franchise (1951-52 and 1954-72), Mays was sensational in center field and an impact hitter from the right side. He drove in 100-plus runs in 10 seasons, led the NL in home runs four times and blasted 40-plus long balls in six seasons. Mays, a two-time NL MVP Award winner, 12-time Gold Glover and 24-time All-Star, is first in Giants history with 3,187 hits, 646 home runs, 2,011 runs scored, 5,907 total bases and a 154.7 WAR, second with both 1,859 RBIs and a .564 slugging percentage and third with 336 stolen bases.
(via Getty Images)
OF: Hank Aaron
Aaron was the greatest Brave of them all. With overwhelming power from the right side, Aaron totaled 30-plus home runs in 15 seasons, 100-plus RBIs in 11 seasons and 200-plus hits in three seasons with the Braves, with whom he played for from 1954-74. Part of the 1957 World Series team, Aaron totaled three runs and seven RBIs in the Fall Classic, while posting a .393/.414/.786 slash line and winning series MVP honors. Playing all but his last two MLB seasons with the Braves and an All-Star in every season but his 1954 rookie campaign for the Braves, Aaron is first in franchise history with 3,600 hits, 733 home runs, 2,202 RBIs, 2,107 runs scored, 600 doubles, a .567 slugging percentage and a 142.7 WAR. He’s also sixth with 240 stolen bases and 10th with a .310 batting average. The two-time batting champion and three-time Gold Glover is second in MLB history with 755 career home runs.
(via Getty Images)
OF: Barry Bonds
Not to take away from anybody’s power, but nobody in MLB history intimidated the opposition and possessed otherworldly power like Barry Bonds. Landing in San Francisco for the 1993 season, Bonds went from a great player to the most dangerous man on the planet with a bat in his hands. The superstar outfielder most notably hit an MLB single-season record 73 home runs in 2001 and became the all-time MLB home runs leader in 2007, with his 762 career long balls remaining the all-time record. The following year, Bonds totaled eight home runs and 16 RBIs and posted a .356/.581/.978 slash line in a 2002 postseason that saw the Giants reach the World Series. Bonds, who won four consecutive NL MVP awards from 2001-04 and five total in San Francisco, is first in Giants history with a .477 on-base percentage, a .666 slugging percentage, an 1.143 OPS and 1,947 walks, second with both 586 home runs and a 112.5 WAR, third with 1,440 RBIs, 1,555 runs scored and 4,172 total bases, fifth with 1,951 hits, tied for ninth with 263 stolen bases and is 10th with a .312 batting average.
(Jose Carlos Fajardo/Contra Costa Times/KRT) (Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)
Honorable Mentions:
- Sandy Koufax (starting pitcher)
- Warren Spahn (starting pitcher)
- Tom Seaver (starting pitcher)
- Greg Maddux (starting pitcher)
- Randy Johnson (starting pitcher)
- Albert Pujols (1B)
- Willie McCovey (1B)
- Rogers Hornsby (2B)
- Jackie Robinson (2B)
- Ernie Banks (SS)
- Ozzie Smith (SS)
- Tony Gwynn (DH/OF)
- Roberto Clemente (OF)
- Mel Ott (OF)
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