As Hall of Fame ceremonies commence in Cooperstown this weekend, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on five superstar players (most of them Hall of Famers) who were lost by the Dodgers during their careers.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers drafted Tom Seaver<\/a> in the 10th round of the 1965 draft, after being scouted by the one and only Tommy Lasorda<\/a>. Seaver wanted a $50,000 signing bonus. Los Angeles, through Lasorda, countered with $2,000. Seaver chose to go back to the University of Southern California. The future Hall of Famer went back into the draft pool the following January and eventually signed with the New York Mets after the Commissioner voided the Atlanta Braves’ pick of Seaver on a technicality.<\/p>\n Dave Stewart<\/a> was selected in the 16th round of the 1975 MLB Draft by Los Angeles. Upon the advice of Sandy Koufax<\/a>, Stewart converted from a catcher to a pitcher. Stewart made the 1981 Opening Day roster for the Dodgers and did not allow a run in his two World Series appearances against the New York Yankees. The Dodgers bested the Yankees in six games to win the title.<\/p>\n In August of 1983, the Dodgers traded Stewart to the Texas Rangers for Rick Honeycutt<\/a> and a player to be named later. However, when he signed with Oakland Athletics in 1986, Stewart found his overpowering stuff. \u00a0From 1987 to 1990, he had four 20-win seasons, the highlight of which was Stewart being selected as World Series Most Valuable Player in 1989 against the San Francisco Giants. He went 2-0 with an ERA of 1.69.<\/p>\n The Dodgers signed Adri\u00e1n Beltr\u00e9<\/a> in 1994 at the age of fifteen. \u00a0Coming from the Dominican Republic, it took time to tame Beltr\u00e9’s talent. But in 1998, when Tommy Lasorda vouched for him, Beltr\u00e9 made his major league debut. The eventual five-time Gold Glover finally broke out in 2004, An ankle injury, ironically, forced Beltr\u00e9 to refine his swing. As a result, he would hit 48 home runs, drive in 121, and have the best season of any position player in Dodger history, with a Wins Above Replacement<\/a> rating of 9.7, ahead of Jackie Robinson<\/a>‘s WAR of 9.6 in 1949. In spite of this, Frank McCourt’s management fumbled negotiations, and Beltr\u00e9 signed with the Seattle Mariners. Beltr\u00e9 would eventually amass over 3,000 hits in his Hall of Fame career. He is one of the new inductees in Cooperstown this weekend.<\/p>\n A career that started in LA and ends in Cooperstown. Congratulations Adri\u00e1n Beltr\u00e9 on being inducted into the 2024 Hall of Fame! pic.twitter.com\/NRMHkhSj6N<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nDave Stewart<\/h3>\n
Adri\u00e1n Beltr\u00e9<\/h3>\n
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