The Trolley Dodger

On July 25, 2007, I attended an Inland Empire 66ers game versus the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, in San Bernardino. It was a rehab start for Randy Wolf, who was attempting to recover from shoulder issues at the time.

I came across a picture I took of the lineup board from that day (click to embiggen):

Out of curiosity, I decided to find out what has become of these players, not quite two years later, as a cross-section of Dodger minor-leaguers.

SS Shane Justis

Currently: 2B Huntsville Stars (AA Brewers). Selected by Brewers in 2008 Rule 5 draft. Hitting .313/.377/.462/.838 with 3 HR, 15 BB, and 19 SO in 182 AB.

CF Ryan Rogowski

Currently: OF New Jersey Jackals of the independent CanAm League. In 2008, he made it up to Jacksonville (AA Dodgers) then was sent back down to the 66ers. He was released in Spring Training 2009. Hitting .323/.355/.436/.791 with 0 HR, 3 BB, and 3 SO in 31 AB.

2B Travis Denker

Currently: 2B Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA Red Sox). Traded from Dodgers to Giants in August 2007 as PTBNL in the Mark Sweeney trade. Placed on waivers after 2008 season and selected by the Padres, who subsequently waived him in April 2009, and was claimed by the Red Sox. Hitting .247/.339/.351/.690 with 2 HR, 19 BB, and 30 SO in 154 AB at Pawtucket.

C Lucas May

Currently: C Chattanooga Lookouts (AA Dodgers). Hitting .298/.391/.468/.859 with 4 HR, 14 BB, and 23 SO in 94 AB.

RF Jamie Hoffmann

Currently: OF Los Angeles Dodgers. Started 2009 at Chattanooga, then went to Albuquerque. Called up after Xavier Paul (another 66ers alum) went down with an staph infection. Likely headed back to AAA soon. Hitting .190/.174/.429/.602 with 1 HR, 0 BB, and 5 SO in 21 AB.

3B Russell Mitchell

Currently: 1B Chattanooga Lookouts (AA Dodgers). Hitting .175/.234/.296/.530 with 5 HR, 14 BB, and 40 SO in 189 AB.

1B Drew Locke

AKA Andrew Locke, Andy Locke. Currently: OF Corpus Christi Hooks (AA Astros). Hitting .351/.395/.566/.961 with 10 HR, 18 BB, and 37 SO in 205 AB.

DH Bridger Hunt

Currently: recovering from off-season shoulder surgery in Glendale AZ. Listed as “inactive” on the 66ers roster.

LF Adam Godwin

Currently: CF Chattanooga Lookouts (AA Dodgers). Hitting .253/.304/.295/.599 with 0 HR, 6 BB, and 28 SO in 95 AB.

SP Randy Wolf

Currently: SP Los Angeles Dodgers.

Thanks to Matt Pedersen, 66ers Media Relations, for the assist on tracking down a couple of the guys.

As I’m observing my 40th birthday this week, I thought I’d have a look see at the 1969 Dodgers season. This was the 7th year in Dodger Stadium and 11th in California.

100th anniversary celebrations for MLB saw the addition of four expansion teams in 1969: the KC Royals and Seattle Pilots in the AL, and the Padres and Montreal Expos in the NL.

Not a great finish for the Dodgers in 1969: 4th place in the newly formed National League West division. The teams in the NL West from 1969-1992:

• Atlanta Braves
• Cincinnati Reds
• Houston Astros
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• San Diego Padres
• San Francisco Giants

(Colorado was added in 1993, while the Braves, Reds, and Astros moved away in 1994. Arizona came in 1998.)

The Dodgers finished 85-77, eight games back from the division-winning Braves. The opening day Dodger starters:

• CF Willie Crawford
• RF Len Gabrielson
• 3B Bill Sudakis
• 1B Ron Fairly
• LF Andy Kosco
• C Tom Haller
• 2B Jim Lefebvre
• SS Ted Sizemore
• P Don Drysdale

That was April 7, 1969, at Cincy. LA won, 3-2. Don Drysdale won, with Bill Singer getting the save — the first official save in baseball history.

While the 4th-place finish wasn’t great, it was a bit of an improvement over their awful 76-86 and 73-89 performances the previous two years. One step closer to the glory years of the mid-to-late 1970s.

Two highlights from 1969:

• On January 21st, Roy Campanella was elected to the Hall of Fame.
• On August 11th, Don Drysdale retired. He was the last active Dodger who had also played in Brooklyn.

Transactions that year (from Wikipedia):

• March 30: Acquired Jimmie Schaffer from the Cincinnati Reds for Ted Savage
• April 17: Acquired Al McBean from the San Diego Padres for Tommy Dean and Leon Everitt
• June 5: Bob Randall was drafted by the Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft (Secondary Phase).
• June 11: Acquired Maury Wills and Manny Mota from the Montreal Expos for Ron Fairly and Paul Popovich
• August 15: Acquired Jim Bunning from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ron Mitchell, Chuck Coggin and cash
• September 1: Acquired Jack Jenkins from the Washington Senators for cash

More info:

• 1969 Dodgers at Wikipedia
• 1969 Dodgers at Retrosheet
• 1969 Dodgers at Baseball Reference
• 1969 Dodgers at Baseball Almanac
• 1969 MLB season at Wikipedia