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All-Century Roster: Giants
By Gary Brooks
SportsLine Baseball Editor
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With 20 playoff teams in 100 years, the Giants haven't had a lack of
talent on too many occasions. They rarely sink to the depths of the cellar.
And just like the Dodgers, if the Yankees weren't around, the Giants would
likely have more than five World Series title banners flying. Five
times, the Giants have lost the Series to the Yankees.
 | | | Barry Bonds has carried the torch for the Giants in the '90s.(Allsport) | |
There might be a lack of titles considering the number of opportunities,
but there hasn't been a lack of stardom in the Polo Grounds or Candlestick
Park over the past century.
The Giants were contenders early in the century with John McGraw
managing fiercely and outstanding pitching supporting a quality group of
now generally unrecognizable batsmen. In the second quarter of the century,
players like Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Travis Jackson and Fred Lindstrom turned
the Giants into a team known to be strong at the plate. And they also had
"King" Carl Hubbell on the mound.
Later came the Willies -- Mays and McCovey -- and offensive records were
erased and built again as the team moved to San Francisco. After some years
of mediocrity, the likes of Will Clark, Matt Williams and Barry Bonds had
made the Giants a team that couldn't be counted out once again.
Lineup
| Roger Bresnahan, Catcher, 1902-08 |
| Bresnahan shut out the Browns on three hits as a pitcher in his
major-league debut with the Washington Senators then became a hard-nosed
catcher known for being disruptive with umpires and team owners. In his
first full season with the Giants, he hit .350, five points behind Honus
Wagner for the NL lead. His other seasons were strong but unspectacular. He
made a significant contribution to the game though, helping batting helmets
advance as well as designing shin guards and enhancing the catcher's mask. |
| Willie McCovey, 1B, 1959-73, '77-80 |
| McCovey became one of the most feared sluggers in the game in the '60s when
he consistently launched long balls with his pull-hitting power. He led the
NL in homers and RBI in 1968 and '69 and was the NL MVP in '69. Nobody
wanted to pitch to him in 1969 and McCovey was intentionally walked a
record 45 times. He nearly won the Giants the 1962 World Series but his
Game 7, ninth-inning line drive with a 1-0 deficit and runners on second and
third, was snagged by Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson. Fifteen
years later he became the only player ever to homer twice in an inning two
times. He hit 469 of his 512 homers as a Giant. |
| Frankie Frisch, 2B, 1919-26 |
| Frisch, a four-sport star at Fordham University, didn't spend a day in the
minors as his excellent speed and fielding ability earned him a job with
the Giants and the awe of manager John McGraw. Soon, his batting skills
caught up with the rest of his game and Frisch became a star. Frisch played
1,000 games as a Giant, and from 1921-25 never hit below .327. He led the
NL with 223 hits in 1923 and 121 runs in 1924. After the Giants prominence
faded in 1925 and '26, Frisch was traded to the Cardinals. In 9,112 career
at-bats he struck out just 272 times. |
| Travis Jackson, SS, 1922-36 |
| "Stonewall" was a key figure of the Giants' pennant-winning teams in
1922-24, '31 and '36. Though he made a lot of errors by today's standards,
he had good range and a strong arm and led the NL in fielding percentage
twice. He hit over .300 six times with a best of .339 in 1930. Five times
he drove in 80 runs or more. His 1,768 hits are sixth most in Giants history. |
| Matt Williams, 3B, 1987-96 |
| If not for the 1994 lockout/strike, Williams might have had the greatest
single-season in Giants history. He'd played in 112 games through Aug. 11
when the season ended and had 43 home runs and 96 RBI. The same pace
through an entire season would have had him erasing Roger Maris' home run
mark four years before Mark McGwire. Williams, who came up as a shortstop,
was selected to four All-Star teams and won three Gold Gloves as a Giant.
His 247 homers are fifth most in team history. |
| Willie Mays, OF, 1951-52, '54-72 |
| A good indication of how good Willie Mays was going to be came with his
first major-league hit, a home run off of Warren Spahn. Mays would go on to
get the best of more Hall of Fame pitchers, turn certain extra-base hits
into outs and thrill a generation to garner recognition as one of the few
best players ever. His combination of power and speed, throwing arm and
intelligence, made him an All-Star every year. He officially became a
superstar in 1954. After missing most of two seasons serving in the Army,
Mays returned to win a batting title at .345. He added 41 homers and 110
RBI. Then in the World Series, he made his famous, running,
over-the-shoulder grab of Vic Wertz's shot to center. He finished his
career with 660 home runs, joining Ruth and Aaron as the only players
beyond 600. |
| Mel Ott, OF, 1926-47 |
| Ott and his left-handed swing took advantage of the right field fence in
the Polo Grounds being just 257 feet away. He became the first National
League player to reach 500 homers and led the Giants in home runs for 18
consecutive years, leading the NL six times. He's in the top 10 in history
in RBI (1,860) and runs (1,859). Ott's best year came as a 20-year-old in
1929 when he had career highs with 42 homers and 151 RBI. |
| Barry Bonds, OF, 1993-99 |
| Bonds followed in his father's footsteps, turning the 30-30 season into a
measuring stick for all-around greatness. They each have recorded five,
most ever. Bonds had one of three 40-40 seasons in history in 1996. In '93,
his first season in San Francisco after winning two MVPs in Pittsburgh,
Bonds was MVP again, becoming the eighth three-time selection. In seven
seasons in San Francisco, Bonds averaged 38 homers, 106 RBI and 30 steals.
That includes the 1994-95 seasons shortened by the strike and his
injury-interrupted 1999 season. |
Pitchers
| Christy Mathewson, SP, 1900-16 |
| Mathewson was in the first class inducted in Cooperstown and is arguably
the greatest slab artist ever. He went 372-187 with a 2.13 ERA and in 101
2/3 innings of World Series play had a 1.15 ERA. He pitched 83 shutouts and
434 complete games for the Giants. One of baseball's few college-educated
men in the early part of the century, from 1903 to 1914 Mathewson never won
fewer than 22 games. He had outstanding control, striking out 2,502 and
walking 844, and made the screwball a popular pitch of the time. |
| Joe McGinnity, SP, 1902-08 |
| McGinnity was often overshadowed by Mathewson but did edge Mathewson for
the league lead in wins in 1903, '04 and '06 and for the ERA title in 1904
when he was the best pitcher in baseball going 35-8 with nine shutouts and
a 1.61 ERA. His 151 wins are fifth most in Giants history. |
| Carl Hubbell, SP, 1928-43 |
| "King Carl" took Mathewson's screwball and used it as a left-hander,
providing an unusual look to batters who always had trouble as Hubbell went
253-154. Hubbell's two most lasting feats are his 24-game winning streak
and his 1934 All-Star Game performance in which he struck out Babe Ruth,
Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin -- all Hall of Famers --
consecutively. Hubbell won two MVPs. In 1933 he went 23-12 with 10 shutouts
and a career-best 1.66 ERA. He pitched an 18-inning shutout in the regular
season and an 11-inning shutout in the World Series. In 1936, he won a
career-best 26 games as the Giants returned to the World Series. |
| Juan Marichal, SP, 1960-73 |
| Marichal had among the best major-league debuts of any starting pitcher,
throwing a one-hitter at the Phillies in July of 1960 and rarely stopped
impressing. In eight All-Star Game appearances he had a 0.50 ERA in 18
innings. He no-hit Houston in 1963 and beat Warren Spahn in one of the
greatest games ever pitched, 1-0 in 16 innings as each pitcher went the
distance on July 2, 1963. Over a 10-year period from 1962-71, the Giants
were perennial contenders and much of the reason was Marichal who averaged
20 wins over the period. He led the NL in wins in '63 (25-8) and '68
(26-9). In 1965, he pitched a phenomenal 10 shutouts. His 238 wins are the
most in the San Francisco portion of Giants history. |
| Gaylord Perry, SP, 1962-71 |
| Perry won his two Cy Young awards and his 300th game with other teams but
he had his share of prominent moments in a Giants uniform as well. He led
the NL with 23 wins in 1970 and pitched a no-hitter in 1968. From 1966,
when he became a full-time starter, through the final six seasons of his
Giants career, he only once had an ERA over 3. His 134 wins are eighth most
in team history and his 1,606 strikeouts are fourth best. |
| Rod Beck, RP, 1991-97 |
| In 1993, when the Giants finished one game behind the Braves in the NL
West, Beck emerged as one of the best closers in the game, saving 48 games
with a 2.16 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings. He got better in '94,
saving all 28 opportunities before the lockout/strike wiped out the
season. His 199 saves are 72 more than anyone else in franchise history. |
| Bench |
| Bill Terry, Monte Irvin, Jack Clark, Orlando Cepeda, Will Clark,
Jeff Kent, Bobby Bonds, Jim Ray Hart, Chris Speier, Larry Doyle, Joe Moore,
Whitey Lockman, Kevin Mitchell, Tito Fuentes, Jim Davenport, Mike Donlin,
George Burns, Johnny Mize, Alvin Dark, Irish Meusel, Sid Gordon, Harry
Danning, George Kelly, Ross Youngs, Fred Lindstrom, Sam Mertes, Tom Haller,
Walker Cooper |
| Best season |
| There were no Mayses or McCoveys on the 1905 squad that hit 37
homers -- which still led the league. Instead, the roster included
Moonlight Graham -- of Field of Dreams fame -- Boileryard Clarke, Sam
Mertes, Mike Donlin and Roger Bresnahan. Donlin hit .356 and Mertes drove
in 108 runs but it was a truly awesome pitching staff that led the Giants
to 105 wins and a 4-1 defeat of the Athletics in the World Series. Christy
Mathewson went 31-9 and was one of three 20-game winners and five 15-game
winners, none of whom had an ERA over 2.87. Red Ames went 22-8, Joe
McGinnity 21-15, Luther Taylor 16-9 and Hooks Wiltse 15-6. The team ERA was
2.39, amazingly second to the Cubs' 2.04 but .60 better than the league
average. |
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| Worst season |
| It took the Giants, born in 1883, more than 100 years to have
a 100-loss season. The first came in 1985 when they finished 33 games back
of the Dodgers. Jeff Leonard led the team in RBI with just 62. Nobody hit
better than .260 and the staff's only 9-game winner was a reliever, Scott
Garrelts. |
| Best individual season, player |
| Of all of Mays' outstanding seasons, his
best came very early. In his second full season, 1955, Mays hit .319 with a
league-best 51 homers and 127 RBI. He scored 123 runs, stole 24 bases and
his 382 total bases were the most in his career. Quite remarkably, he hit
only 18 doubles in the Polo Grounds. The big gaps helped him lead the
league in triples instead with 13 but another 10 doubles and he could have
reached the outstanding 400 total base mark. |
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| Best individual season, pitcher |
| Only three pitchers have had more than the
11 shutouts Christy Mathewson twirled in 1908. On his way to 37 wins in 44
starts, 56 appearances, Mathewson allowed just a .155 batting average
against him and a 1.43 earned-run average. He led the league in saves with
five and pitched 3902/3 innings. The 37 wins are third most in a single
season in history. |
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