RIP Duke

One of the players in the famous triumvirate of New York City center fielders during the 1950s has passed away today.

Edwin Donald Snider, better known to baseball fans as "Duke," was one of the famed "Boys of Summer" on the famous Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1940s and 1950s. He spent 16 of his 18 seasons in a Dodger uniform, hitting .295 with 407 home runs and 1,333 RBIs while playing on a whopping seven pennant winners, including winning it all in 1955 and 1959. Just the name of "Duke" seemed to infer a sort of regal elegance, and that's exactly what Snider had while roaming center field in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. In his prime, he had five consecutive 40-home run seasons, peaking at 43 in 1956, all while being a great all-around hitter, as he hit .330 or better in two of those five seasons.

Along with Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese, Snider was one of the most recognizable figures from those great teams of the 1950s, and he remained a living patriarch and link to the "Golden Age of Baseball" long into retirement. While he never received a MVP award during his career, he was bestowed with baseball's highest honor in 1980 by getting elected to the Hall of Fame. Even though he's not with us anymore, the memories and tales of his on-field exploits with one of the best teams in baseball history will live on forever.