Before They Wore Dodger Blue
Last week, I was contracted by a gentleman named Eric Vickrey, who describes himself as an Author and Baseball Historia n. Well, I’ll just tell you what he said: “ I’m Eric Vickrey, a Washington state-based author and baseball historian. My third book, Before They Wore Dodger…
Last week, I was contracted by a gentleman named Eric Vickrey, who describes himself as an Author and Baseball Historian. Well, I’ll just tell you what he said:
“I’m Eric Vickrey, a Washington state-based author and baseball historian. My third book, Before They Wore Dodger Blue: Tommy Lasorda and the Greatest Draft Class in Baseball History, will be published by August Publications on December 7th.
— Eric Vickrey
In 1968, just three years after MLB adopted an amateur draft, the Dodgers pulled off what remains the best draft in baseball history. That year, they selected Davey Lopes, Bobby Valentine, Bill Buckner, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Doyle Alexander, Geoff Zahn, Joe Ferguson, and Tom Paciorek. These players came up through the minors under up-and-coming manager Tommy Lasorda and formed the nucleus of the Dodgers’ next great era.
Enhanced by interviews with 70 former players, executives, scouts, and other team personnel, Before They Wore Dodger Blue chronicles MLB’s transition from the Bonus Baby era to an amateur draft and details how the Dodgers front office pulled off their franchise-altering prospect haul. The book then follows the Dodgers prospects and Lasorda as they climb the minor-league ranks, including the Spokane Indians’ Pacific Coast League championship over Chuck Tanner’s Hawaii Islanders.
If you’re interested, I’d be happy to send you an advanced copy of the book as a PDF. All I ask is that if you like it that you consider a shout out on LA Dodger Talk. And if you prefer a hard copy, I can make that happen in December.“
That’s right up my alley, and he did send me the PDF. I’ve read a little of it and can tell you that I will certainly read the book when it’s released. Here’s an excerpt:
So how did the Dodgers pull off such an extraordinary draft? Was it the genius of Campanis and his venerable group of eagle-eyed scouts? Was it an astute minor-league development system that maximized prospects’ potential? Or was it pure luck? As with many things in life, there isn’t one clear answer. Naturally, there was a certain amount of luck involved. But in the words of Campanis’s mentor, Branch Rickey, “Luck is the residue of design.”
— Before They Wore Dodger Blue by Eric Vickrey
Here’s the Book Cover again:
BTW, my book, “The Mountainmover,” is due out in May 2026.
I thought this was an excellent video (sent to me by Jayne Cobb):
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Discussion (83)
Disagree, not disagreeable
OK – Forget Belli.
Trade Sheehan for Wilyer Abreu. I would try Knack and Miller, but the Red Sox would want Sheehan… plus Sheehan went to college at BC.
Abreu platoons in RF with Call. LH Abreu kills RH Pitchers. He has an .827 Career OPS against RHP. Alex Call has a .748 OPS against LHP.
Book it!
1. Ohtani DH
2. Freeman 1B
3. Smith C
4. Muncy 3B
5. Betts SS
6. Pages CF
7. Teoscar LF
8. Abreu/Call RF
9. Kim/Rojas 2B
Anyone ever try a Greenberg Smoked Turkey?
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