San Francisco Giants Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was characterized

by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

More recently, there was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start

time though it is generally assumed that the time ran from the late

1980s until the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home

run records leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The San Francisco Giants have existed since 1885 but they were

the New York Giants from 1885-1957. The franchise has called San

Francisco home since 1958. The Giants have won eight World

Series titles (five in New York, three in San Francisco). Despite

having some of the best players (notably Willie McCovey, Willie

Mays and Barry Bonds) in Major League Baseball history, the

franchise had a 56-year drought between World Series titles (1954-

2010). The Giants won three World Series crowns in five seasons

(2010-2014). 

Today, I formed a Giants Dream Team in 26-man roster format but

with a twist -- the San Francisco era, which began in 1958. In an

earlier piece, I constructed an all-encompassing Giants Dream Team:

http://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2021/01/all-encompassing-giants-dream-team.html

For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Giant are

required. No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to

cheapen this roster with 1-3 year rentals. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For position

players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best regardless

of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with versatility

being heavily considered. Merit achievements such as Hall of Fame,

All Star appearances and Gold Gloves are considered but not

guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also

considered.

Generational reminders

If you played on a World Series champion and/or contender, there is

no guarantee of landing on this roster. If you played during a bad

season, that does not deter you from being on this roster. Off the field

baggage is not a deterrent to landing on this team, nor is any Steroid

Era affiliation. This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts. 

Starting rotation

Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner,

Mike McCormick

Marichal dominated the 1960s, winning 191 games. Perry spent the

first decade of his Hall of Fame career with the Giants. His Infamous

spit ball has since been outlawed. Lincecum and Bumgarner helped

usher in the modern era of success for the Giants, helping deliver

three World Championships in five seasons. Bumgarner has become

perhaps the best postseason pitcher in Major League Baseball history.

His performance was on full display during the 2014 World Series

victory in seven games over the Kansas City Royals. Lincecum's

legacy, in a sense, is “what could have been,” because hip injuries

that led to declining velocity sped up his decline. However, it's hard to

ignore how he was at his peak specifically with back-to-back Cy Young

Awards. McCormick was a four-time All-Star and 1967 Cy Young Award

winner, becoming the first Giants pitcher to accomplish such a feat. 

Bullpen

Closer -- Rob Nen. Rod Beck, Brian Wilson, Gary Lavelle, Jeremy

Affeldt, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo

The bullpen has a very turn of the century look because in the 2010s,

the Giants bullpen was perhaps the most defining quality of their

championship teams. Nen is a no-brainer as a closer because he is

the Giants all-time saves leader with 206. Beck, whose fu manchu

mustache and mullet made him look like he was from a motorcycle

gang, set the  Giants single-season save record in 1993. On this team,

he could easily translate into a setup man roll. Lavelle tends to be

forgotten because he pitched for a lot of bad Giants teams from

1974-1984, nonetheless he was very reliable. 

Affeldt and Lopez gave the Giants two strong southpaws in the 2010s.

Affeldt had an astonishing 0.69 ERA in the postseason. Lopez pitched

for five teams including his last seven with the Giants. During the

Giants 2010 run at winning the World Series, Wilson tied Beck's

franchise record for a single season with 48 saves. Romo spent his

first nine seasons with the Giants and was a vital cog in the franchise

winning three World Championships from 2010-2014. 

Infield

Catcher -- Buster Posey, First base -- Willie McCovey, Second base

-- Jeff Kent, Shortstop -- Brandon Crawford, Third base -- Matt

Williams

Posey was the face of the franchise for three World Series

Championships in the 2010s. Posey has had a borderline Hall of

Fame career and is one of only three players to catch three no-hitters

(joining Bill Carrigan and Yogi Berra). On the way to a Hall of Fame

career, McCovey was one of the most feared hitters in history and

remains a beloved figure among Giants fans.

Kent was a journeyman before he was traded to the Giants but his

351 career home runs as a second baseman is a Major League

record. Williams initially broke into the big leagues as a shortstop

and his 247 career home runs ranked fourth in San Francisco Giants

history. Crawford's resume includes three Gold Gloves and becoming

the first shortstop in Major League history to hit a grand slam in a

postseason game. Only Travis Jackson has played more games at

shortstop than Crawford in franchise history. 

Outfield

Leftfield -- Barry Bonds, Centerfield -- Willie Mays, Rightfield --

Bobby Bonds.

Bonds’ association with performance enhancing drugs has crippled

his Hall of Fame candidacy but he remains the Home Run king and

one of the most complete players in major league history. The only

player to record a 40-40 season (40 home runs, 40 stolen bases).

The elder Bonds also had a great combination of power and speed,

becoming one of only five players, including his son, to record five

30-30 seasons. Mays is considered by many to be the best player

in Major League Baseball history. The Hall of Famer’s career

overlapped both the New York and San Francisco eras. 

Bench

Will Clark, Jack Clark, Orlando Cepeda, Tom Haller, Rich Aurilia,

Kevin Mitchell

Cepeda, who was nicknamed “Baby Bull,” spent eight seasons of

his Hall of Fame career with the Giants, earning six All-Star bids.

Cepeda would bring power and versatility to this team. Will Clark

ushered in a new era of Giants baseball in the mid 1980s. The sweet

swinging left-hander helped transform the Giants from irrelevant to

interesting. Jack Clark, known as “Jack The Ripper,” played on mostly

subpar Giants teams but his 26-game hitting streak remains a

franchise record and was a two-time All Star. 

Aurilia is one of three San Francisco era players to record at least 200

hits in a season, along with Willie Mays and Bobby bonds. Aurilia also

leads all San Francisco era shortstops in career hits along with home

runs in a single season. Until Posey came along, Haller was the best

catcher in the San Francisco era. Haller was a two-time All-Star and

holds the San Francisco record for home runs in a single season by

a catcher. Mitchell and Will Clark formed a deadly combination that

was known as “The Pacific Sock Exchange.” Mitchell was a two-time

All-Star in his five seasons with the Giants, capturing MVP honors in

1989. He and Will Clark were the first teammates to finish first and

second in the MVP balloting since 1976 with Joe Morgan and George

Foster of the Cincinnati Reds. 

Manager

Bruce Bochy.

The Roger Craig and Dusty Baker eras were a success but Bochy

is a no-brainer. Bochy became the 11th manager in Major League

history to record at least 2,000 wins and the fifth to lead a franchise

to three World Series titles in five years. Joe Torre, Casey Stengel,

Connie Mack and Joe McCarthy were the others. Bochy, who

previously managed the San Diego Padres, was the Giants skipper

for 13 seasons with the Giants. In that span, the franchise had

seven winning seasons, three National League pennants and three

World Series Championships. 

Team

2012.

All three of the Giants teams that won the World Series in the

2010s were special, this one was definitely the best. That season,

the Giants won the National League West with a 94-68 record,

outdistancing the Dodgers by eight games. The Giants had four All

Stars that season (Melky Cabrera, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval,

Matt Cain). Cabrera, who was the All-Star game MVP, would later

get suspended for 50 games because of abnormal testosterone

levels. Two key acquisitions the giants made were acquiring Hunter

Pence and Marco Scutaro, both via trade. In the NLDS, the Giants

rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 and from

a 3-1 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 before sweeping

the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. The Giants became the first

team since the 1985 Royals to win six straight elimination games

in the playoffs.