LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers announced Tuesday they will unveil a statue of Jackie Robinson at some point during the 2016 season, and hinted it could be the first of several such monuments to go up at 53-year-old Dodger Stadium in the coming years.
Robinson, a Hall of Famer, broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Dodgers president Stan Kasten said the team hasn't yet determined where the statue will be situated or when it will be completed, but he said he hopes to have a model and further details by next Jackie Robinson Day, April 15.
Kasten said it's conceivable the team will have an area reserved for such monuments at Dodger Stadium along the lines of Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. Sandy Koufax and Vin Scully come to mind as other potential statues in coming years.
"That's a nice idea, but I don't know yet," Kasten said.
The sculpture, which will be about 10 feet high, will be designed by sculptor Branly Cadet and designed around the theme, "Leveling the Playing Field," the team announced. Cadet designed the William Shakespeare medallion at the former Booth Theatre site and the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Memorial, both of which are in New York.
"We're thrilled that the Dodgers will honor Jack with the inaugural statue at Dodger Stadium," Robinson's widow, Rachel, said in a statement. "Branly Cadet's excitement for the project is heartening and I look forward to unveiling it with great enthusiasm."