LAD RF Seasonal OPS+/bWAR leaderboard

Phil Gurnee ♦ December 24, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a plethora of fantastic right fielders which ran the gamut from Ron Fairly – Yasiel Puig so cracking the leaderboards for LAD right fielders you hade to earn it.  The names roll off your tongue, some of the greatest LAD players have been their right fielders. Frank Howard, Reggie Smith, Raul Mondesi, Shawn Green, Gary Sheffield, Andre Ethier, and Yasiel Puig.  Willie Crawford should also be mentioned, possibly the most underrated player during the ’70s for the Dodgers.

Puig earned it. His debut season was one of the top five seasons for a LAD right fielder. His second season also made the top 20 cut. The criteria were 51% of games played in RF with at least 300 plate appearances.

Sheffield and Guerrero made the leaderboard but neither were full-time right fielders for the Dodgers, they just happened to play a lot of right field for one season.

Player              WAR/pos OPS+  PA Year Age   BA  OBP  SLG   OPS
Reggie Smith            6.1  168 603 1977  32 .307 .427 .576 1.003
Reggie Smith            4.5  162 531 1978  33 .295 .382 .559  .942
Gary Sheffield          3.4  162 383 1998  29 .316 .444 .535  .979
Yasiel Puig             4.7  159 432 2013  22 .319 .391 .534  .925
Pedro Guerrero          6.8  156 652 1982  26 .304 .378 .536  .914
Shawn Green             7.0  154 701 2001  28 .297 .372 .598  .970
Shawn Green             6.9  154 685 2002  29 .285 .385 .558  .944
Reggie Smith            4.3  151 362 1980  35 .322 .392 .508  .900
Frank Howard            4.1  150 459 1963  26 .273 .330 .518  .848
Frank Howard            3.4  146 538 1962  25 .296 .346 .560  .906
Ron Fairly              2.5  146 301 1961  22 .322 .434 .522  .956
Yasiel Puig             5.1  145 640 2014  23 .296 .382 .480  .863
J.D. Drew               3.2  145 311 2005  29 .286 .412 .520  .931
Ron Fairly              1.8  142 409 1966  27 .288 .380 .464  .844
Mike Marshall           3.5  141 564 1985  25 .293 .342 .515  .857
Raul Mondesi            5.7  140 670 1997  26 .310 .360 .541  .901
Willie Crawford         5.3  140 543 1973  26 .295 .396 .453  .849
Darryl Strawberry       3.7  140 588 1991  29 .265 .361 .491  .852
Al Ferrara              2.5  140 384 1967  27 .277 .345 .467  .812
Duke Snider             2.3  140 435 1959  32 .308 .400 .535  .935

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/24/2018.

As good as Andre Ethier was, he couldn’t crack this leaderboard when sorted by OPS+. Let’s see what the top 20 looks like sorted by bWAR:

Player              WAR/pos OPS+  PA Year   BA  OBP  SLG   OPS    Pos
Shawn Green             7.0  154 701 2001 .297 .372 .598  .970 *9/8H3
Shawn Green             6.9  154 685 2002 .285 .385 .558  .944  *9/HD
Pedro Guerrero          6.8  156 652 1982 .304 .378 .536  .914   *985
Reggie Smith            6.1  168 603 1977 .307 .427 .576 1.003  *9/8H
Raul Mondesi            5.7  140 670 1997 .310 .360 .541  .901   *9/H
Willie Crawford         5.3  140 543 1973 .295 .396 .453  .849 *9H7/8
Yasiel Puig             5.1  145 640 2014 .296 .382 .480  .863 *98/HD
Raul Mondesi            4.8  123 580 1995 .285 .328 .496  .824  *98/H
Yasiel Puig             4.7  159 432 2013 .319 .391 .534  .925 *98/H7
Raul Mondesi            4.7  123 673 1996 .297 .334 .495  .830     *9
Reggie Smith            4.5  162 531 1978 .295 .382 .559  .942  *9/H8
Reggie Smith            4.3  151 362 1980 .322 .392 .508  .900  *9/H8
Frank Howard            4.1  150 459 1963 .273 .330 .518  .848  *9H/7
J.D. Drew               4.0  126 594 2006 .283 .393 .498  .891  *9H/D
Darryl Strawberry       3.7  140 588 1991 .265 .361 .491  .852   *9/H
Willie Crawford         3.6  130 540 1974 .295 .376 .432  .808  *9H/8
Andre Ethier            3.5  123 618 2012 .284 .351 .460  .812 *9/HD8
Mike Marshall           3.5  141 564 1985 .293 .342 .515  .857 *9/3H7
Gary Sheffield          3.4  162 383 1998 .316 .444 .535  .979   *9/H
Frank Howard            3.4  146 538 1962 .296 .346 .560  .906  *9H/7

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/24/2018.

I’m always shocked to see Willie Crawford on this list whenever I do them. Not just once, but twice. Willie Crawford was better as a Los Angeles Dodger right fielder than Darryl Strawberry was.  Let that sink in.