Los Angeles Dodgers: Fifty greatest Dodgers of all-time (45-41)
By Jason Reed
44. 3B/2B George Pinkney (24.5 WAR)
Stats: 931 G, .271 AVG, 20 HR, 436 RBI
Never heard of George Pinkney before clicking on this slide? Don’t worry, neither did I until I started crafting this list and saw his name among the ranks. Granted, Pinkney did play in the 1800’s before the Dodgers were even the Dodgers, so that is a good enough excuse.
Pinkney played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1885-1891, when they were the Brooklyn Grays, Bridegrooms, and then just Grooms. For his time, Pinkney was a relatively good player for the Brooklyn squad that helped shape the Dodgers franchise. While he may not have played a pivotal role in baseball history, he did put up good numbers for the organization in his time.
During his time with Brooklyn Pinkney was a .271 hitter, slugging 20 home runs and bringing in 436 runs in seven seasons. While by today’s standards those numbers are horrible, back then bringing in over 80 runs in one year, which he did twice, is something special. For his time, Pinkney was a stud.
In fact, Pinkney also snagged stolen bases as well. Pinkney snagged 280 total stolen bases in his time with Brooklyn, stealing a modest 59 in 1887. In fact, Pinkney ranks sixth all-time in stolen bases as part of the Dodgers organization, behind notable guys such as Steve Sax and Maury Wills.