By Jon Weisman
Andre Ethier is the dean of Dodger position players, but Adrian Gonzalez is about to enter his fifth calendar year as the Dodger first baseman, and it’s showing on the franchise leaderboards for his position.
Gonzalez is essentially the fourth-most prolific first baseman in Dodger history, which isn’t breaking news, but is still impressive for someone who joined the Dodgers after his 30th birthday …
- Home runs: After hitting 28 homers in 2015, his highest total as a Dodger, Gonzalez is fourth all-time among Dodger first basemen in home runs with 80. That’s where he’ll stay, as he’s come to the Dodgers too late to catch Gil Hodges (326), Eric Karros (269) and Steve Garvey (195), but still, not bad for 3 1/2 seasons’ work.
- Doubles: Gonzalez is comfortably in sixth place with 114, and within two seasons he could pass Wes Parker (175) and James Loney (172). Garvey (301), Karros (299) and Hodges (274) are the top doubles threesome.
- RBI: It’s a favorite stat of Gonzalez, who has 323 as a Dodger first baseman, and it’s the same story. Get past Parker (438) and Loney (443) and settle in behind Hodges (1,147), Karros (967) and Garvey (922).
- Slugging percentage: This one’s worth a mention because, after crossing 2,000 plate appearances as a Dodger, Gonzalez (.476) is ahead of Garvey (.468) and Karros (.457), trailing only Hodges (.490). Gonzalez has slugged .481 over the past two seasons.
- OPS+: Deviating from the formula here to include games played at other positions (including pinch-hitter and designated hitter), Gonzalez is in fourth place all-time among Dodger first baseman with a 127 adjusted OPS, but he’s trailing a different trio: Jack Fournier (157), Dolph Camilli (143) and Tim Jordan (139) — all of whom played in Brooklyn. Gonzalez is tops in OPS+ for Los Angeles first basemen, a sliver ahead of Eddie Murray (126).
For information on Gonzalez’s rising place in MLB history, check out our Dodger Insider magazine feature from June.
oldbrooklynfan
It’s great to have AGon as our first baseman. He’s really holding down that position, We can use more like him. Another thing this article points out is that Gil Hodges ought to be honored in someway by the Dodgers.