The 20 greatest Dodgers of all time, No. 5: Duke Snider

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest Dodgers of all time, as selected by our readers.

No. 5: Duke Snider (101 first-place votes, 57,731 points)

Snider was a Dodger, both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, for 16 of his 18 years in the majors. A Hall of Fame member, the eight-time All-Star helped the Dodgers to six National League championships and Brooklyn’s only World Series title, in his first 11 seasons, providing power from the left side of the plate.

“He was an extremely gifted talent and his defensive abilities were often overlooked because of playing in a small ballpark, Ebbets Field,� Vin Scully said after Snider’s death in 2011. “When he had a chance to run and move defensively, he had the grace and the abilities of DiMaggio and Mays and of course, he was a World Series hero that will forever be remembered in the borough of Brooklyn. Although it’s ironic to say it, we have lost a giant.�

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Snider hit 40 or more homers in five consecutive seasons and finished his career with a lifetime batting average of .295 and 407 home runs, 389 of them as a Dodger, still the team record. He is the only player to have twice hit four homers in the World Series, matching his 1952 feat in ’55.

He hit the last home run in Ebbets Field and had the first hit in Dodger Stadium, a single on opening day in 1962, and was part of the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers team that beat the Chicago White Sox in the World Series.

Full List: See the top 20 greatest Dodgers of all time