Bobby Abreu Hoping Dodgers Will Punch His World Series Ticket

Outfielder Bobby Abreu signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 4 as a free agent. In nine games with the Dodgers, Abreu, a career .293 hitter, is batting .304. He may prove to be a valuable replacement for Matt Kemp should the Dodgers star miss more than a handful of games due to a hamstring injury.

Another reason Abreu has to feel good about his new team is that they are sitting with the best record in the National League. Abreu is hoping the Dodgers will find a way to the World Series, a post-season event he has not been a part of in his 18-year MLB career. In fact, Abreu leads all active players with the most regular season games played without an appearance in the World Series, 2,264.

Abreu, however, is more than 500 games away from the MLB record of most games played without playing in the Fall Classic. Consider the plight of Rafael Palmeiro. He is one of only four major league players in history to have more than 500 career home runs and 3,000 career hits. But Palmeiro's suspension after the 2005 season for steroid use has severely hampered his Hall of Fame quest. In fact, in his first year of eligibility he garnered only 11 percent of the vote.

But another disappointment in Palmeiro's career is that he tops the list of players who played the most games in the majors, 2,831, without an appearance in the World Series. His 20-year MLB career began with the Cubs and included two stints each with Texas and Baltimore. He did, however, play in the post-season three times, but his teams never advanced to the World Series.

Here's a look at the ten players who played the most career games without a World Series appearance.

Most games played without World Series appearance

Rafael Palmeiro 2,831

Ken Griffey, Jr. 2,671

Andre Dawson 2,627

Ernie Banks 2,528

Julio Franco 2,527

Billy Williams 2, 488

Rod Carew 2,469

Luke Appling 2,422

Mickey Vernon 2,409

Buddy Bell 2,405

Note: Palmeiro, Griffey, Dawson, Franco, Williams and Carew all played in post-season games but their teams lost before the World Series. Banks leads the list of players who never played in a post-season game. Following Banks are Appling, Vernon, Bell and another Cub, Ron Santo (2,243).

Looking at active players, Carlos Lee follows Abreu with 1,983 games played without a World Series appearance. He is followed by Torii Hunter with 1,840 and Carlos Beltran with 1,801. Adam Dunn tops the list of active players with the most games played who have never even played in a post season game with 1,605. Vernon Wells is second on that list with 1,556 games played and no post-season appearance.

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