Remembering the Forgotten

                                     Over the years that they have been in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have had many players who spent a very short time with the team. Some were stars on their way down, others were getting a small taste of the majors and were not seen again. The stars are easily recognizable and remembered, like the players in the main photo. High draft choices and players who were not taken or thought of so highly, not so much. With the move from Brooklyn, the team had a need to get younger since most of the stars of those teams were aging, and not so gracefully.

                                   Elmer Valo had a 20-year career as a major leaguer. He was obtained by the Dodgers in 1957 at the age of 36. By this time in his career, he was nothing more than a spare part. He played 81 games for Brooklyn and hit .273. He had been obtained in a deal for SS, Chico Hernandez with the Phillies. Philadelphia sent 4 other players to the Dodgers in the deal, Tim Harkness, who would play for LA in the early 60’s before going to the Mets, Ron Negray, a pitcher who pitched in 4 games for the 58 Dodgers, and never pitched in the majors again, Ben Flowers, who never pitched for LA and 75,000 dollars and a minor leaguer, Melvin Geho. Fernandez, a defensive whiz with a so-so bat, had played in a handful of games for Brooklyn in 56. Valo made the move to LA with the team and got into 65 games in 58. He would play until 1961 with the Indians, Yankees, Senators-Twins, and then finished his career with the Phillies. Most fans today have no idea who Valo is. 

                                   Steve Bilko, a PCL star in the 50’s, had a 47-game stay with the Dodgers in 58. Bilko’s game was power, and he slugged 7 homers in those 47 games, but he was taken in the rule 5 draft that winter. Bob Lillis, a versatile infielder, spent parts of four seasons with the Dodgers playing in 117 games. Although he hit a very respectable .296 for LA, he was exposed to the expansion draft and taken by the Houston Colt-45s. He was their starting SS for 4 seasons. He was blocked in LA by Maury Wills. 

                                  Another player who saw time in LA in 58 and then moved on to become a star in Baltimore, was Jim Gentile, a first baseman. Gentile was blocked on the depth chart by Hodges and Larker, so he was traded to the Orioles for two players and 50,000 dollars. He hit 124 homers in his 4-year stay with the O’s. Bob Giallombardo, a highly regarded LHP who had won 21 games at Class-C Reno in 57, had a 6-game cup of coffee with LA in 58. He never made it back. The photo of him was taken from his 1959 Topps card. 

                                  Rip Repulski was another of those veterans on the way down pickups made back in those days. Repulski would play in 57 games over 59-60 before being traded to Boston for a minor leaguer. He was done after the 1960 season. Jim Baxes was a 3rd and 2nd baseman who was originally signed by the Dodgers in 1947 as an amateur free agent. He made it to the Dodgers in 1959 and played in 11 games at third base. He hit .303 with 2 homers and 5 driven in. He was traded to Cleveland for Fred Hatfield and 10,000 dollars. He hit 15 homers for the Indians and never played another game in the majors. 

                               Solly Drake, an outfielder, played in 9 games for the Dodgers in 59. He was sold to the Phillies, finished the season with them and was out of baseball. Gene Snyder, a left-handed pitcher who came to the Dodgers in the Rip Repulski trade along with Jim Golden, pitched in 11 games in 59 and never played in the majors again. That trade had sent SS Sparky Anderson to the Phillies. He would be heard from later as a manager. Chuck Churn came up at the end of the year and saw action in 14 games. He also pitched in the World Series with the White Sox. He too was gone after the season. 

                               Charlie Smith, a third baseman, played in 27 games for LA in 60 and 61. He was part of the trade that sent Demeter to the Phillies for Joe Koppe and Dick “Turk” Farrell. 12 days after the trade, Koppe was sent to the Cardinals for Duke Carmel, who never played a day in LA. Shortly after that deal, Koppe was traded to the Angels, where he played until 1969. Irv Noren, a reserve outfielder in his 11th season, played in 26 games for LA. He was a former member of three World Champion Yankee teams. 52-53 and 56. He retired after the 1960 season. Three pitchers spent part of 1960 with LA, Ed Palmquist, Ed Rakow and Jim Golden. None would be around by the end of 1961. All had very short stints with the team. Golden went to Houston in the expansion draft. Rakow was traded to the Royals after the 60 season, and Palmquist, photo above, was traded in May of 1961 along with future Giants, Orioles and Cubs manager, Joe Altobelli to the Twins for a minor leaguer and cash. Altobelli actually led the O’s to a World Series win in 1983. 

                             Daryl Spencer, the former Giant, spent parts of 3 seasons in LA.61-63. He had been the Giants starting third baseman, but he was nothing more than a spare part in LA. 1961 also saw players like Gordon Windhorn, Carl Warwick and Tim Harkness get short stints with the team. Windhorn bounced around. He had been signed by the Giants in 1952. Harkness played parts of 2 years for the Dodgers before being traded to the Mets. Warwick played 6 years in the majors, four of them with the Cardinals. 

                             1962 saw more veteran players at the back end of their careers coming to the Dodgers. 3rd baseman, Andy Carey, who had spent 9 years with the Yankees and earned four rings. Lee Walls, a bespeckled outfielder who was mainly a pinch hitter for Alston. Jack Smith, a right-handed pitcher who pitched in 11 games over 2 seasons in LA and Willard Hunter, a lefty who got into 1 game. 

                              Bill Skowron, “Moose”. Spent the 63 season with the Dodgers. He had an awful year, but made up for it in the World Series sweep over the Yankees hitting .363 with a homer. Marv Breeding, former Orioles second baseman appeared in 20 games, and was done at 29 after the season was over. And then there was Roy Gleason, photo above, a the highly ranked prospect who had a double in his only MLB at bat, and who would have his career cut short because of wounds he received in Viet Nam. The only MLB player to see combat during that conflict. Dick Scott, a 29-year-old pitcher in his first shot at the majors, pitched in 9 games for LA. His claim to fame, he gave up 17 hits in 12 innings pitched. 6 of them were homers. 

                             In 64, Nate Oliver took over at 2B. He would spend parts of 5 years in LA without great success. He hit 2 home runs in his big-league career, one of them with the Dodgers. Doug Camilli, Dolph’s son, spent parts of 9 years in the majors, but he only got into 313 games as a back-up catcher. 163 of those came during his 5-year stint with LA. 17-year-old local boy, Willie Crawford made his MLB debut and played in 10 games. 

                                In 1965, the Dodgers would win their third championship in LA. Largely on the backs of their pitching staff, especially Koufax and Big D. Tommy Davis went down early and journeyman, Lou Johnson took his place. Sweet Lou would endear himself to Dodger fans with his enthusiasm and his smile. Third baseman, Don LeJohn would appear in 35 games in his only taste of major league ball. Catcher, Hector Valle, photo above, would also make his MLB debut. He played 9 games and never returned to the majors. Another rookie who made his debut that season would stick around for a while. Bill Singer pitched in 2 games. 

                                66 was another pennant winning season, but we won’t discuss the World Series. Dr. Strangeglove; Dick Stuart, played in 38 games for the Dodgers as a back-up for Wes Parker. He had 3 homers, 9 driven in and a .269 BA in his last season in the majors. Jim Barbieri, an outfielder, played in 39 games in his only MLB stint. Another veteran, Wes Covington played in 37 games in his MLB swan song. C Jim Campanis, whose claim to fame is that his dad traded him, made his MLB debut and had one at bat. He would spend parts of six seasons in the majors and play in just 113 games. 

                               Fortunes changed drastically for the Dodgers in 67. Koufax had retired, Wills was traded, and the team fell to 8th place. Needless to say, the roster got shaken up a lot. Veteran SS, Dick Schofield was their back-up SS. Len Gabrielson was brought in to play the outfield. Jim Hickman, another veteran outfielder was also acquired. Luis Alcaraz, pictured, a second baseman made his debut. Tommy Dean, a SS made his debut and was gone the next season in the expansion draft. 30-year-old veteran pitcher, Dick Egan appeared in 20 games in his fourth and final big-league season. RHP John Duffie made 2 appearances, lost them both and never pitched in the majors again. 

                             Zoilo Versalles and Mudcat Grant came from the Twins in a trade and would spend just the 68 season in LA. Adding those two did not change the team’s performance much. They did climb one spot to 7th place. Paul Popvich came over from the Cubs in a trade for Lou Johnson. His only value to LA is that he was traded to the Expos in 69 in the trade that brought Wills back and also netted Manny Mota. Ted Savage, Cleo Jones and Rocky Colavito were outfielders brought in by the Dodgers. Jack Billingham, who had a lengthy MLB career, made his debut and was taken by Montreal in the expansion draft. Hank Aguirre, pictured, also pitched for LA. He had been a very good starting pitcher for the Tigers in the early 60’s. The lefty was used entirely in relief in 68. 

                            Fans did not know it yet, but homegrown help was on the way. The 1968 draft is still considered the best draft in Dodger history. Tom Haller, the former Giant, had taken over the catching duties in 68. He would spend four years in LA and did a decent job, but many fans forget he was ever a Dodger. Bill Sudakis, a third baseman, Bill Buckner, Garvey, Valentine and Von Joshua, all made their debuts. One of the best third basemen of his era, Ken Boyer, played his last two seasons, 68-69 with LA and got into 108 games. Jim Bunning, who would later become a congressman and then a senator, and also pitched a perfect game, pitched in 9 games winning 3 and losing 1. 

                          One of their additions in 1969 was outfielder, Andy Kosco. Kosco had a 10-year career in the majors but was average at best. In 69 though, Kosco hit his career high in homers with 19, he had his career high 74 driven in and had the best BA of his career, .248. It was all downhill after that. Maury Wills and Manny Mota came over in a trade. Rookie catcher, Bob Stimson got into four games and went 3-8. His claim to fame as a Dodger is he was part of the deal that brought Dick Allen to LA. Pete Mikkelson came over in a trade and would be part of the bullpen for 4 years. 

                          As the 70’s dawned in major league baseball, things would soon be changing. Free agency would come about in this decade and begin to change how teams were built. The Dodgers would begin to feel the effects of their draft in 1968. Some of those players would spend a lot of years as Dodgers. Others would be packaged in trades for established players. But there still was the occasional veteran on his way down who would play a short time in LA.

                         The 1970 edition of the Dodgers got the team back into contention. Drysdale, the last Brooklyn player on the roster, retired after 69 because of a torn rotator cuff. Don Sutton was now the staff ace. Manny Mota was not a bench player that season, he was the starting left fielder. He was also one of four Dodgers who hit .300 or better that season. The others, Sizemore, Willie Davis and Wes Parker. Tom Paciorek and Joe Ferguson made their MLB debuts. Another player, Gary Moore, photo above, a 28th round draft pick, made his debut also. It was his only time in the majors. Mike Strahler, Ray Lamb and Charlie Hough all made their debuts. Veterans Camilo Pasqual and Al McBean pitched in 10 and 1 games respectively. 

                     The 71 version of the Dodgers made a serious run at winning and getting into their first playoff series in their history. They fell one game short. On September 2nd, the Dodgers were 8.5 games back of the Giants. They finished 1 game back. They went 18-9 in September including a 8-game winning streak from the 5th to the 14th. Dick Allen hit .295 and led the team with 23 homers and 90 RBIs. He would be traded during the winter for Tommy John. Bill Buckner in his first full season was the leftfielder. Ron Cey played in two games in his first taste of the majors. Al Downing, in his first year with LA won 20 games. The only time in his career he reached that number. Doyle Alexander, who would pitch in the majors for 19 years, made his debut and won 6 games. He was traded to Baltimore than winter as part of the Frank Robinson trade. Another trade where LA got a player way past his prime.  Two kids, Bob O’Brien and Sandy Vance, pitched for a short time with the team. For Vance, who was part of the 68-draft class, it was his last taste of the majors.  For O’Brien, it was his only time in the majors. 

              The 72 team was pretty much the exact opposite of the 2025 Dodgers. They hit 98 homers all year. Willie Davis and Frank Robinson led the team with 19 apiece. Davis led the team in RBIs with 79. Davey Lopes made his MLB debut at age 27. Lee Lacy also made his MLB debut. Terry McDermott, a 21-year-old first baseman, played in 9 games. He never played in the majors again. Hall of Famer, Hoyt Wilhelm now 49, pitched in 16 games in 72. His last season in the majors. 

              By 1973, the class of 68 was beginning to make its mark on the team as regulars.  The team won 95 games and finished 3.5 back of Cincinatti. The infield was a year away from adding Garvey to Cey, Lopes and Russell. Buckner was the starting first baseman, but Garvey got into 114 games. Joe Ferguson, the #1 catcher, led the team with 25 homers. Lopes with 16 was second. They had a solid starting five with Sutton, Osteen, Messersmith, John and Downing. All won in double figures except Downing who won 9. Jim Brewer had 20 saves as the closer.  Geoff Zahn, Eddie Solomon, and Greg Heydeman all made their debuts that year. For Heydeman the one game he pitched in would be his only MLB appearance. His line? 2 innings, 2 hits, 1 ER, 1 walk, 1 K, 2 wild pitches, 1 hit by pitch. He faced 11 batters. 

            In 1974, the Dodgers won their division, beat the Pirates 3-1 in the LCS and went on to lose the World Series 4-1 to the Oakland A’s. They traded for Jimmy Wynn from Houston, moved Garvey to first base permanently, thus creating an infield that would play together for 8.5 years. They moved Buckner to the outfield. Steve Yeager, a better defensive catcher than Ferguson took over behind the plate with Fergie becoming a utility guy. John Hale, photo above, a 20-year-old outfielder, came up late in the year and went 4-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. On the pitching side, Rex Hudson and Rick Rhoden made their debuts. For Hudson, his one game experience in the majors was forgettable. 2 innings, 6 hits, 5 ER and 2 homers allowed for a 27.50 ERA. Rhoden would pitch in the majors for 16 years. 

          By 1975, grabbing the aging veteran to come off of the bench and pinch hit was not as common as it once was. For most of the rest of the decade, the Dodgers, other than when they made a trade, like they did for Rick Monday and the trade for Reggie Smith, they would usually use players from their farm system. They would still make the occasional deadline deal. Most of their wheeling and dealing came at the winter meetings. They lost their first player to free agency in March of 1976 when Andy Messersmith won his case. That was the year they traded for Smith at the deadline. 

        In April of 1977, they brought in former Orioles slugger, Boog Powell as a free agent.  Powell appeared in 50 games, and did not hit a single homer for LA. He retired after the season, done at age 35.  They would release him in August after they signed another aging player, Vic Davalillo out of the Mexican League. They also made their first late August trade in a while bringing in catcher, Jerry Grote from the Mets. Outfielder Jeffery Leonard and infielder, Ron Washington, made their debuts in the major leagues.  LA won the pennant but lost the World Series to the Yankees. 

        1978 would see another pennant, and another World Series loss. The team did not go out and get any veterans to aid in the pennant run. But a few youngsters got their first or second taste of the majors. Outfielder Rudy Law made his debut. He would later be traded to the White Sox for Cecil Espy. Rick Sutcliffe got his second stint in the majors. Like his first time, he pitched in just 2 games. He would win the ROY in 79. Dave Stewart made his debut. Bobby Castillo, after appearing in 6 games in 77, began to establish himself as a relief pitcher. Bob Welch made his debut in the starting rotation. A young outfielder, Myron White photo above, made his debut. He had 4 at bats and 2 hits. He scored a run and knocked one in. He never played in the majors again. 

           The team at this time had a very set lineup. In 1980, a young pitcher from Mexico would make his debut at age 19. The next season he would set MLB on its ear and thus began what was known as Fernandomania. Since that time, most of us are old enough to remember most of the players who came to the team either by trade, draft or free agency. Their names and their play are very familiar to Dodger fans. 

             I can look back at the rosters from the early days and see how much differently the business and the game of baseball were. Free agents, trades and the occasional home-grown talent are how a team is built today. But the one thing that seems to remain constant, is teams signing a veteran player to a one-year make good contract. This season, it is Conforto. Heyward was that guy in 23 along with JD Martinez. Players take less to play in LA these days because they want to win. And winning with this franchise has become a habit.