Dodger Stadium’s first statue will be of Jackie Robinson

The Dodgers are finally going the statue route at Dodger Stadium and on Tuesday announced the first would be of Jackie Robinson.

The Dodgers said the statue will be 9 to 10 feet tall and located at a stadium site to be determined during the 2016 season.

Statues of players have become fairly commonplace around the major leagues, and the Dodgers have a wealth of candidates – Sandy Koufax and Vin Scully quickly come to mind – but no one can complain with the choice of Robinson, the Hall of Fame infielder from Pasadena who broke baseball’s race barrier.

“The Dodgers have a rich history of breaking barriers, and it all began with Jackie Robinson in 1947,” Dodgers President Stan Kasten said in a statement. “Therefore, it is altogether fitting that our first statue at Dodger Stadium be of Jackie.

“The class that Jackie exhibited while still performing at the highest level made everything that has happened since not only in baseball, but in many respects throughout American society, possible.”

The Dodgers have selected Northern California-based sculptor Branly Cadet to create the statue. Cadet, who lived in Brooklyn, New York, before settling in Oakland, created the William Shakespeare medallion at the former Booth Theatre site in Manhattan, and the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Memorial in front of the Powell state office building in Harlem. He is currently working on a privately funded large-scale monument for the City of Philadelphia.

“We’re thrilled that the Dodgers will honor Jack with the inaugural statue at Dodger Stadium,” said Rachel Robinson, widow of Jackie Robinson and founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, said in a news release. “Branly Cadet’s excitement for the project is heartening, and I look forward to the unveiling with great enthusiasm.”