Matt Kemp and the 10 Most Ridiculous Athletes in Dodgers History

By now, you know that Matt Kemp is off to one of the best starts in baseball history. Instead of trying to predict whether or not he will continue this pace, let's reflect upon a group of players that can be considered the "Most Ridiculous Athletes" in Dodgers history.

These aren't the 10 greatest players in the franchise's history, but rather the players who had the best athletic appearance, ability, and in a few cases, potential.

Here is the list, in no particular order.

Maury Wills

Maury Wills doesn't have the intimidating physique that one might expect from a player on this list, but there's no mistaking his athletic ability.

Wills is the all-time Dodgers' stolen base leader with 490 swipes. The Hall of Fame shortstop consistently displayed flashes of brilliance in the field in addition to his exciting brand of offense.

The colorful story of Wills' career has been written time and time again, but from a pure athletic standpoint, he ranks in the top 10.

Jackie Robinson

Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson's life each and every year. What he did to pave the way for others goes beyond anything he did in the box score.

People forget how good of a player he actually was.

Robinson was a versatile player who was able to play a variety of positions in both the infield and outfield. He was an athletically gifted player who participated in basketball, football, and track while in college.

We've seen the video clip of Jackie stealing home against the Yankees many, many times. However, take a look at it once again with the great edit MLB Network provided.

Matt Kemp

At 6'4" and 225 lbs., Matt Kemp has the ideal athletic physique on this list.

If you only see Kemp during Quick Pitch on the MLB Network, then you are missing a lot of what makes him such a special player.

In addition to his home runs and high batting average, Kemp has great speed and defensive awareness. He may not have a cannon for an arm, but he usually puts himself in a great position so that he doesn't have to rely on making a great throw.

For one reason or another, Matt Kemp has toned down the stolen base attempts this year and that might lead some to overlook his speed.

Make no mistake about it, Kemp is as athletic as they come in baseball.

Raul Mondesi

Raul Mondesi may very well be my favorite player of the 1990s. He played like a bull in a china shop, and that is exactly what drew fans to him.

Mondesi displayed great athletic ability in the field, on the base paths, and at the plate. His best season was the 1997 campaign, in which he batted .310 with 30 home runs and 32 stolen bases.

Raul had a cannon for an arm. Few things were more exciting when he was in the game than a fly ball to right field with a runner getting ready to tag up from third. 

Unfortunately, Mondesi's career was complicated by personal matters and he never realized his full potential as a player. His MLB career ended with Atlanta after the 2005 season.

Mike Piazza

Mike Piazza, regardless of what he says, is always going to be a Dodger. True, he spent more time with the New York Mets, but he was born into the MLB as a Dodger.

Piazza was a physical specimen behind the plate. That also appeared to be his downfall. Widely regarded as the best hitting catcher of all time, he was one of the worst when it came to throwing out runners attempting to steal.

Piazza proved his athletic capabilities in 1997 when he put together a .362/40/124 season.

Trivia question: What team did Piazza end his career with? The answer is the Oakland Athletics. Even though it was only five years ago, I've already forgotten him donning the green and gold.

Rickey Henderson

Okay, you cringed when you saw Rickey Henderson on a Dodger list. I understand, and I don't blame you, but hear me out.

Even though Henderson only had 72 at-bats with the Dodgers, and he appears to be closing his eyes in the photo I selected, he deserves to be placed on this list.

Rickey was 44-years-old in 2003 when he played on the Dodgers. Even at that age, he was still stealing bases when he was able to get on base. Sure, his swing slowed quite a bit and he lost a step or three in the outfield, but he was a Dodger nonetheless.

When one looks at Rickey's career as a whole, how can he not be mentioned as one of the most athletic players in the history of the game? He had the power, speed, and competitive nature to make up the athletic build he was fortunate enough to have.

The end result was a great 25-year professional career.

Don Drysdale

When it comes to the definition of "athlete", Don Drysdale in his prime may be the quintessential image.

Drysdale was best known for his intimidating presence on the mound. At 6'6", he was never hesitant about throwing inside. Over the course of his 14-year Dodger career, he hit 154 batters.

Chances are, only one of those hit batsmen were from a pitch that got away and the other 153 were intentional.

All kidding aside, Drysdale was nothing short of phenomenal. In addition to earning a career ERA of 2.95 over the span of over 3,000 innings pitched, he could also handle himself at the plate.

Drysdale twice hit seven home runs in a season and finished his career with 29. He was a ridiculously talented athlete and there hasn't been anyone come along quite like him.

Gary Sheffield

Gary Sheffield spent four-and-a-half solid years with the Dodgers. He never hit below .300 during his tenure with the team and amassed 129 home runs.

Stats aside, "Sheff" was one of the strongest-looking players in the league each and every season. Somehow, he was always able to turn on the ball even though he waggled the bat back and forth and kicked his front leg up.

Sheffield was always a versatile player. Starting off his career in Milwaukee as a shortstop, he then transitioned into the outfield about seven years into his career.

It's no secret that his athletic appearance and impressive statistical numbers have been questioned due to his being named in the Mitchell report, and that could end up being what keeps him out of the Hall of Fame.

Darren Dreifort

Remember in the introduction that I said there might be a player making the list based on potential? Well, here he is.

As far as freak athletes are concerned, Dreifort was a no-brainer for this list. Granted, he signed one of the biggest bust contracts in franchise history (five years, $55 million), but that does not factor into his athletic talent.

This might be hard to believe, but Dreifort ranks 22nd on the Dodgers all-time strikeout list. Of all the numbers I came across in my research for this list, this was the one that somewhat floored me.

At one time, Dreifort was remarkable at the plate in addition to the mound. His athletic ability was supposed to lead him to greatness with Los Angeles. Injuries got the better of him, and it really is unfair for him to be labeled as a bust.

For a good read on precisely the type of injuries Darren dealt with during his career, as well as what he is up to nowadays (well, as recently as one year ago), here is a good read.

Dusty Baker

Before he was wearing the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds uniforms, Dusty Baker was a Los Angeles Dodger.

Baker, in his prime, looked pretty similar to how Matt Kemp appears today with regard to their physical appearance. Tall and lean with speed and power are characteristics synonymous with the Kemp of today and the Baker of 1982.

Always a sure-handed presence in the outfield, Baker was great from an offensive standpoint as well. His best season as a Dodger was in 1982, when he batted .300 with 23 home runs and 17 stolen bases.

After a successful playing career, Baker went on to win the Manager of the Year award three times with San Francisco (1993, 1997, 2000), and he is currently manning the helm for the Cincinnati Reds.

For additional information, follow Joe Chacon on Twitter (@JoeChacon).