Duke Snider Marquee Hall of Fame 1980

Snider was the center fielder in Brooklyn while Willie Mays played in one New York ballpark and Mickey Mantle in another, and the argument over which of the three was best ran all decade. He hit 40 or more home runs in five straight seasons, 1953 through 1957, the last five years the Dodgers played in Brooklyn.

No one hit more home runs in the 1950s, 326, or drove in more runs, 1,031. He led the National League in runs three years running, 1953 through 1955, in runs batted in with 136 in 1955, and in home runs with 43 in 1956. He was an All-Star in eight seasons.

The move west cost him. Los Angeles played its first four seasons in a football stadium with a short screen in left field and a vast right field, and Snider, a left-handed pull hitter, fell from 40 home runs in 1957 to 15 in 1958 and never again reached 25. He ended with 407. The Hall of Fame elected him in 1980.