Classic Los Angeles Dodgers

Next up in the CLASSIC SET is the Dodgers! Based loosely around the '62 Dodgers, LA features some players that did not play much on that team (but were still ON the team!) who were stars in the 1950s, like Gil Hodges and Duke Snider. The main draw to this team are the two amazing aces: Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. They create the best 1-2 punch in the CLASSIC SET and I expect people will really enjoy using those cards!




Lineup: The Dodgers lineup is constructed as follows: speed at the top, power at the bottom, and star-power in the middle! Snider and Hodges are great 3-4 hitters, bringing tons of power to the lineup. Honestly, I had not heard of Duke Snider before putting together this collection and feel like his name gets unfairly lost when discussing fellow 50s stars Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, etc. Other great players in this lineup include stolen base savant Maury Wills, versatile stud Jim Gilliam, and the unibrow-sporting Wally Moon! Also, putting together this team taught me about catcher John Roseboro, who got into an INTENSE brawl with Giants pitching legend Juan Marichal. Turns out recent comments about Manny Machado regarding the dangers of using a bat in a brawl have been played out in the past, as Marichal used his bat to pummel Roseboro during a massive fight between the Giants and Dodgers.

Rotation: The Dodgers have an awesome rotation, starting with famous HOFers Koufax and Drysdale. Koufax is a tier 1 with top-notch Control. Drysdale is a stellar Tier 2 with great IP and chart. They're supported by fellow Dodgers legend Johnny Podres, who has a really interesting Tier 2 chart. Talk about a high-risk, high-reward pitcher with that Control 2, on at 20 card! The rotation is rounded out by solid but not spectacular Claude Osteen.

Bullpen: The bullpen is solid! My main surprise with this bullpen is how average former World Series MVP Larry Sherry turned out to be, but that's MLB Showdown for you!