#Shortstops: Viva Fernando!

In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela set the city of Los Angeles and baseball ablaze with mania in his historic rookie campaign for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dubbed “Fernandomania”, Valenzuela’s dominance on the mound earned him both the National League Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the first player to win both honors in the same year. That wasn’t all of the hardware Valenzuela earned that year, as he helped the Dodgers hoist the World Series trophy when they defeated the New York Yankees in six games.

Off the field, Valenzuela’s impact on baseball helped usher other Latino ballplayers into the league, including Pedro Martínez and Adrian Beltré, both of whom got their starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers. To say that Valenzuela’s 11-year career with the Dodgers, and 17 big league seasons overall, was impactful would be an understatement.

Even after his retirement, Valenzuela’s name is still a draw – so much so that the Dodgers honored him with this bobblehead. On July 29, 2001, fans entering Dodger Stadium for the contest between Los Angeles and the Colorado Rockies could relive Fernandomania. As part of a promotional series honoring “Dodger Greats,” Valenzuela joined Hall of Fame skipper Tommy Lasorda and 1988 World Series icon Kirk Gibson as other notable franchise members being honored in the form of bobbleheads. Additionally, the bobblehead promotion also coincided with the 20th anniversary of the beginning of Fernandomania, adding a level of commemoration to Valenzuela’s impact on Los Angeles and the Dodgers.

This specific bobblehead is one of more than 900 bobbleheads that belonged to former Marlins owner Jeffrey H. Loria, who once displayed his collection in his very own bobblehead museum, housed in Marlins Park. Shortly after he sold the franchise in 2017, Loria donated his collection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Upon Valenzuela's passing on Oct. 22, 2024, he was honored throughout baseball for widening the game's appeal throughout the world.

Albert Lopez was the 2024 curatorial intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Developmen