Top 5 players to play for the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers

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Jul 2, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jake McGee (51) pitches in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

With the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers renewing their rivalry this weekend at Chavez Ravine, it’s a good time to take a look at the top 5 players who have put on both uniforms in their careers.

Here’s a quick overview of the Rockies-Dodgers connections.

Total number of shared players: 62

Exclusively Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers players:

Luke Allen

Chin-hui Tsao

Honorable Mentions:

Sandy Alomar

Steve Finely

Jon Garland

Charles Johnson

Matt Kemp

Here are the top 5 players to play for both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies

5. Jake McGee

Alright, I know this is controversial to start off with, but hear me out. Jake McGee was a great pitcher for the Rockies in 2017 (how do you think he earned that “superpen” contract?). He was good for that season … and not much else afterward. After two seasons of terribly expensive poor performances, fans breathed a sigh of relief when he was designated for assignment by the Rockies in 2019.

Colorado fans were excited to see McGee do as poorly with the Dodgers as he had with the Rockies for years. He proved those fans wrong, however, turning once again into the lights-out reliever he had been sporadically in Tampa Bay. McGee only took the mound once in LA’s World Series appearance and did not allow a run.

Seeing him get the ring may have been sore for Rockies fans but he was a part of some of the greatest seasons in both teams’ recent history, deserving number 5.

2 Apr 2001: Todd Hollandsworth #27 of the Colorado Rockies moves to swing at the ball during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Fiels in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Cardinals 8-0.Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport /

4. Todd Hollandsworth

Todd Hollandsworth makes this list as a what could have been for the Colorado Rockies. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the third round of the 1991 MLB Draft. Hollandsworth made his debut in 1995 for the Dodgers. However, his real chance came in 1996 and he ran with it.

Hollandsworth was the Rookie of the Year in 1996, recording a great 113 OPS+ during his rookie season. That year, Hollandsworth found himself in the midst of L.A.’s final postseason run until 2004, hitting .333 during the Dodgers’ NLDS Loss that year. The Dodgers traded him to the Colorado Rockies in the middle of the 2000 season. Hollandsworth was planned to be the starter for the Rockies in 2001, and he ran with that opportunity until a season-ending shin injury in May. At the time of the injury, when he was hitting .368 after 125 at-bats with six home runs.

Hollandsworth was traded by the Rockies to the Rangers the following season and fans were left wondering what could have been. Hollandsworth was on track to be an All-Star. Instead, he found himself traded twice in three seasons. He was a Rookie of the Year. If his career had gone just a little differently, he could have been much higher on this list.

3. Juan Uribe

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Juan Uribe was a critical part of the Dodgers’ mid-2010s postseason runs, ranking fourth in team position player WAR in both 2013 and 2014. Uribe was known primarily for his defensive prowess. In L.A., however, he showed off both his glove and bat, producing some of the highest WAR seasons of his career.

Uribe was great for L.A. in those seasons, but he had to start somewhere. That team was, of course, the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies originally signed Uribe out of the Dominican Republic in 1998. Uribe made his debut for the Rockies in 2001 and was a starter for the team the following season and then was traded to the White Sox in 2003.

While he was not great with the Rockies, he showed potential as a player. The Rockies helped him develop into the player that would play in the NLCS in a time when their own team was in some of its darkest times. He was an important player for both franchises and performed well, especially with his glove, certainly consistent enough to earn number 3 on this list.

DENVER – AUGUST 8: First baseman Todd Helton #17 of the Colorado Rockies congratulates center fielder Juan Pierre #9 after winning the MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on August 8, 2002 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies won 10-3. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

2. Juan Pierre

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Juan Pierre has topped two lists (Phillies and Marlins), and appeared on a third (the Cubs list from a couple of weeks ago). When all is said and done, Juan Pierre could do what he did wherever he played baseball, be that Colorado, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago, or even the Dodgers.

We have talked so much about him and his accomplishments on previous lists that we are going to focus primarily on his time with the Dodgers. Pierre signed with the Dodgers as a free agent for the 2007 season. This, however, is where Pierre saw his stamina end.

For five straight seasons, from 2003 to 2007, Pierre never missed a game of baseball. The final year of that stretch was with the Dodgers when he stole a fantastic 64 bases in his first year with the club and stole more than 30 in both of the other seasons he remained with the team. Pierre would actually end up playing more games in L.A. than he did for the Rockies. Pierre was a part of both of L.A.’s NLCS runs in the late 2000s, a run of postseason attempts that seemed to be a preview of the Dodgers’ recent success.

Pierre was a gem for the early 2000s Rockies and came in to help the Dodgers become the team that we know them today.

1. Eric Young Sr.

Yes, we end on another repeat appearance on our Top 5 series. This is his first appearance to top a list, this is the third list that Eric Young Sr. has appeared on. He is one of the ultimate Colorado Rockies journeyman and, the funny thing is, this might not be the last list on which he appears.

Young Sr. is the only All-Star to appear on this list and we have talked about his many accolades with the Rockies in the past. What I have glossed over before, though, is where he got his start. The Dodgers drafted Young Sr. in the 43rd round of the MLB Draft out of New Brunswick High School in New Jersey. After spending three seasons in the Dodgers’ farm system, Young Sr. made his debut in 1992. The promising prospect put up good numbers for the club until he was drafted again by the newly formed Rockies in the 1992 expansion draft.

He was a fundamental Rockies player, an important piece to the 1995 squad and, to this day, still leads the club in all-time stolen bases.

Young Sr. was traded back to the playoff-hopeful Dodgers for Pedro Astacio in the middle of the 1997 season and continued to put up consistent numbers. He stole more than 40 bases both full seasons he was in L.A. He was a skilled player and a great original Rockies player. Of course, he earned the top spot on this list.

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Note: Data for this article was found using Baseball Reference and Wikipedia

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