The Greatest All-Time Giants Lineup

greatest all time giants team

The San Francisco and New York Giants’ history is rich, maybe the richest in MLB. The only teams that can really even begin to compare are the Yankees and Red Sox. Therefore, it is very difficult to create an All-Time team without there be snubs. However, we are going to attempt to build the greatest Giants team using the all-time greatest giants.

Starters

SP Christy Mathewson
SP Juan Marichal
SP Gaylord Perry
SP Carl Hubbell
SP Tim Lincecum

When building the greatest Giants lineup of all time, there are two places on the field that make it almost impossible to narrow down. One of those is starting pitching. You have to start off with the ace, Christy Mathewson. With 373 career wins and an ERA of 2.13, he was only second to CY Young during his time. Then comes the duo of Gaylord Perry and Juan Marichal, two pitchers who were just flat-out dominant during the 1960s. Both Perry and Marichal are Giants legends as well as clear-cut fist-ballot hall of farmers. Next is Carl Hubbell. Someone who is not talked about as much is Giants fandom, but he could arguably be the greatest Giants pitcher of all time. He won two MVPs during the 30s and ended his career with a ridiculous 130 ERA+, 1.166 WHIp, and 3.55 FIP. Lastly, Lincecum. No other Giants pitcher has won two Cy Young awards, and while his dominance came to an end quickly, his time with the Giants and his place during the 2010 World Series run will never be forgotten.

Bullpen

CP Robb Nen
SU Rod Beck
SU Brian Wilson
RP Sergio Romo
RP Greg Minton
RP Gary Lavelle
LRP Madison Bumgarner
LRP Matt Cain

The bullpen was not easy to make up. However, choosing two long relievers to give shout-outs to was rather straightforward. First is Madison Bumgarner, the greatest World Series and Post-Season pitcher of all time. Next is Matt Cain, a man who may not be a Hall of Famer but was incredible and played his entire career out as a Giants ace.

Choosing a closer between the three dominant ones the Giants have had in Nen, Beck, and Wilson was not easy. I gave the nod to Robb Nen as I just do not think the other two can really reach the peak that Nenn did. In 2000 Nenn came in 4th for the Cy Young award and 12th for MVP. That is how dominant he was. Then, I would argue his next two seasons were even better.

Next, we have to discuss three relievers who need credit for their place in Giants history. These are magnificent arms in the pen, Romo, Minto, and Lavelle. All three had periods where they seemed unhittable and simply are exactly what this team need in the late innings.

Lineup

1. Willie Mays (CF)
2. Mel Ott (RF)
3. Barry Bonds (LF)
4. Willie McCovey (1B)
5. Orlando Cepeda (DH)
6. Jeff Kent (2B)
7. Matt Williams (3B)
8. Buster Posey (C)
9. Travis Jackson (SS)

Bench

Bob Brenly (C)
Will Clark (1B)
Larry Doyle (2B)
Kevin Mitchell (OF)
Bobby Thomson (OF)
Bobby Bonds (OF)

I truly believe that no other team could even come close to touching the top-5 of the Giants’ batting order when it comes to all-time greats. You have the greatest player of all-time leading off in Willie Mays. He not only was the best batter of his era, but he is the greatest defensive center fielder of all time. Next is Mel Ott. He recorded 511 home runs and a .304 batting average during a similar time frame as Gehrig and Ruth. Batting third is the second greatest baseball player of all time and the only member of the 500-500 club, Barry Bonds. Whether you get young Barry, who could hit 30 HRs and steal 30 bags, or older Barry, who was the most dominant hitter ever, he is just flat-out scary to face. 4th and 5th are McCovey and Cepeda, two massive power-hitting 1st basemen that were only second to Mays during their time. Both are Hall of Fame bats that are up there with the best of the best.

The bottom of the order is not half bad as well. Jeff Kent is one of the few guys that could actually give Bonds protection during his historic runs in the 2000s. Kent is probably the greatest hitting second baseman of all time. You then have a seriously underrated power threat in Matt Williams. Then, a guy who can simply hit the ball and drive in anyone left is Buster Posey, the greatest Giants catcher of all time. Travis Jackson rounds out the lineup and the middle of the infield.

The bench is also solid, with several MVPs earned. Bob Brenly will be the backup catcher, one of the smartest and well-balanced catchers of his time. Will Clark would be starting if it were not for two hall of farmers in front of him at 1B. Larry Doyle is not a household name, but he’s one of the greatest Giants of all time; he was a versatile fielder and could hit with the best of his time. Kevin Mitchell is one of the most underrated players in baseball. He would supply an MVP-worthy bat and Gold-Glove on the field. While Bobby Tomson is known for the shot heard around the world, he was one of the best hitters in the league. He was a large reason that the Giants were even able to come back during the season and had that playoff against the Dodgers. Lastly, Bobby Bonds, another perennially underrated player who hit for power, average, and had a great glove.

Best Number 1 Overall MLB Picks of All Time

The odds of cracking a Major League roster are already very slim, let alone having just an average career. Being drafted number one overall is a major accomplishment, but the track record of number one picks succeeding in the Majors is not great. We still have to wait on some of the more recent draft picks, but we have seen enough of names like Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburgh, and Gerrit Cole have enough success to chalk them up as strong first overall picks. The Draft begins in 1965, so many names before are not eligible to make this list.

Harold Baines – 1977

Harold Baines was drafted out of high school back in 1977. He went onto have 2,866 hits and 384 home runs. He also had an .820 OPS. Baines ended up being inducted into the Hall of Fame and spent 14 years with the White Sox. He also played for Baltimore, Oakland, Texas, and Cleveland.

Daryl Strawberry – 1980

While Daryl Strawberry had his off the field issues batting substance abuse, he was one of the top bats when on the field. He went to eight straight All_Star games and won the 1986 World Series with the Mets. He would also later on go to the Yankees and earn another three titles. Strawberry won rookie of the year with 26 home runs and would continue to hit above 25 home runs in a season until 1992.

Ken Griffey Jr. – 1987

Ken Griffey Jr. is arguably the best number one overall pick, although you can make a case for a few others. However, for me, he is the best. Griffey would become a ten-time Gold Glover and was a Silver Slugger seven times. He hit over 600 home runs in his career and had a .907 OPS. Griffey began to suffer injuries later in his career, otherwise, we’d be looking at numbers far higher. Griffey hit for power and contact, but also played an amazing center field and had the speed to go with all of that.

Chipper Jones – 1990

Chipper Jones is one of those you could argue as the best, finishing his career with a WAR of 85.2. He had 2,700+ hits, 468 home runs, and a .401 lifetime OBP. Jones was a part of some historic Braves teams, leading them to a World Series in 1995. Jones was a switch-hitting machine, and of course, just named to the Hall of Fame back in 2018. The Braves lucked out as Todd Van Poppel didn’t want to play with Atlanta, therefore leading Jones to be picked.

Alex Rodriguez – 1993

There is going to always be controversy when looking at this era due to the performance-enhancing drugs that came with it. However, Alex Rodriguez is still one of the best players ever and one of the best first overall picks. He is one of the three players with over 3,000 hits and 600 home runs. He had a career .930 OPS and was a two-time Gold Glover. Rodriguez won a World Series in 2009 and was a three-time MVP.

Joe Mauer – 2001

The lifespan of a catcher is rough, but Joe Mauer had a long 15-year career where he had over 2,000 hits and brought home three batting titles, three gold gloves, and an MVP award. In his first full MLB season, he had a .369 OBP and then hit .347 in his next season. Mauer would have his best year in 2009 where he had a .365 average and hit 28 home runs.

Honorable Mentions: David Price, Justin Upton, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Gerrit Cole

Top 5 Baseball Players of All Time

Ranking the greatest baseball players of all time is no easy feat. There will always be snubs, and there will always be arguments as you can never really compare players across generations. On top of this, baseball is made even more complex to compare when you consider pitchers and hitters. Pitching used to be more comparable in the early 20th century when pitchers pitched 40 games a year, but that is simply not how it works anymore.

Keep in mind that this list is all opinion. Of course, keeping into context the time period in which the player played is an important balancing act. Players are stronger and faster now, but that is due to technological advancements in nutrition, strength, conditioning, etc.

#5 Lou Gehrig

Number 5 on my list may lift a few eyebrows. Many argue that Ty Cobb or Hank Aaron should be in this spot, but I have to give it to the original iron man Lou Gehrig. Not only did Gehrig never miss a game until ALS stopped his body from physically being able to, but unlike Cal Ripkin Jr., he was always one of the best players in the entire league every season of his record. This is an MVP-worthy bat that was penciled-in the lineup for every game of every year for around 14 years.

Lou Gehrig took home two MVPs, and it could have easily been several more. Over the course of his career, he won 6 World Series titles and a triple crown. Gehrig ended his career with 493 home runs and 2,721 base hits. He would have easily crushed the 3,000 hit and 500 home run marks if his illness did not progress the way it did. He also ranks 4th in OPS+ for his career, absolutely dominating both Hank Aaron and Ty Cobb in this category.

However, the most damning stat to me is his batting average and on-base percentage. Through a 17-year career, he hit .340 and held an on-base percentage of .447. Basically, half the time Lou Gehrig came up to the plate, he ended up on-base. This stat, combined with the fact that he played 2,130 straight games, makes his talents both unbelievable and worthy of a top 5 spot.

#4 Ted Williams

In the number four slot is the best player ever to play the game when it came to getting on base. Ted Williams holds the MLB record with a .482 on-base percentage. Ted Williams had four seasons in which he reached base more times than he did not, sporting over a .500 on-base stat and several seasons just under that mark ranging between .497-.500. Simply put, no one has ever been, in the history of baseball, nearly as good as Ted Williams when it came to getting on base.

Ted Williams also collected 2 MVPs, 19 All-Star appearances, and 2 triple crowns. He sits second ever in OPS+, only behind Babe Ruth. When it came to volume stats, Williams tallied 521 home runs, 1,839 RBIs, and he collected 2,654 base hits. Williams was an incredible all-around hitter with above-average defensive skills.

#3 Babe Ruth

Maybe the most controversial slotting on this list, I am placing Babe Ruth at #3. He is the all-time slugging and On Base+Slugging leader, sitting with a .690 slugging percentage and a 1.164 OPS. While the Babe, simply put, was the most outstanding offensive player when looking at era-adjusted stats like OPS+, you also need to take into consideration that this is not the perfect measure.

Some things that make me rank Babe Ruth at #3 instead of #1 is first the fact that he had 123 stolen bags in his lifetime and was caught stealing 117 times. Obviously, a poor percentage. He also was not the greatest fielder, having several seasons with a ton of errors and a sub-par fielding percentage. When looking at Ruth as a position player, he was not the greatest of all time.

Now, what puts him over the top for many, but not this list, is the fact that he also had five seasons of dominant starting pitching performances. Between 1915 and 1919, he started 140 games and boasted an ERA of 2.16, good enough for an ERA+ of 127. He also has a FIP of 2.74. Clearly put, Ruth also dominated as a starter and had a fantastic mini-career as a pitcher. However, during that time, he was a good hitter, not a great one. When looking at complete performances, I rate two players above him.

#2 Barry Bonds

I get it; Barry Bonds played during the Steroid Era. However, Bonds had two Hall of Fame careers. The first is before his supposed roiding days. Between 1986 and 1999, Bonds hit 445 home runs and had 460 steals, only being caught stolen 132 times. On top of this, Bonds had an OPS+ of 162. However, during this time, it was not only his offense that was superb. He also received 8 Golden Gloves as an outfielder during those years as well.

While these stats would be good enough to add him to most top-10 lists in terms of positional players, it is then the controversial stage of his career that pushes him over the top. Between 2000 and 2004, Bonds recorded 5 silver sluggers, 4 MVPs, had an OPS+ of 241, hit 53 HRs/year, and walked 872 times. He had the greatest five-year stretch as a hitter that anyone will ever and has ever put together.

When you combine these two aspects of Barry Bonds, the 8 Gold Gloves, 7 MVPs, 14 All-star appearances, and 12 Silver Sluggers, there is little arguing that Bonds was the best hitter of all-time and the second-best player to ever play in the Majors. He now carries the all-time homerun lead at 762 and walk lead at 2558.

#1 Willie Mays

The greatest baseball player of all time is Willie Mays. No player has ever demonstrated top-5 all-time ability at all five facets of the game: hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding, and throwing, except for Willie Mays. First, the volume stats. Willie Mays was a 24x All-Star, 12x Gold Glover, 2x MVP winner, and Rookie of the Year recipient. Note that he could and should have won two to six more MVPs. Mays hit 660 home runs and finished his career with 338 steals, only being caught 103 times. This stat looks even better when you consider that oftentimes Mays had no reason to steal with who was batting behind him, Orlando Cepeda, or Willie McCovey.

First off, the hitting, Willie Mays finished his career with only a 156 OPS+ and ended his career with 3,283 hits. When speaking to pitchers of that era, no one was feared like Mays because he had power and contact like few had ever seen before. However, it is safe to say that Mays was not the best pure hitter of all time. He would rank top-10 at the very worst.

Then, you look at the fielding, and while there are little in the way of advanced metrics to support how good he was, you do have the 12 Gold Gloves to look at, “the catch”, or the testimonies of every all-time great to ever see him play. Nobody could run as fast or throw as far as Willie Mays. We cannot say for sure that he was the greatest outfielder of all time, but many people in baseball would put their money on Mays over anyone in history.

On top of all this, Mays played in an era where the best players were playing. According to ESPN.com, Mays tallied over 10% of his plate appearances in his career against Hall of Fame pitchers, a ridiculous amount. He had an OPS of .962 against Koufax and .955 against Spahn. Ty Cobb, Lou Gerig, Babe Ruth, and some of William’s career was in a game that did not have black atheltes. Some of the best talent in America was not in the majors due to segregation. Mays played against the best and was the best. He is the greatest player ever to play the game.

All-2000 to Present San Diego Padres Lineup

It’s always fun to generate and debate lists. We’ll continue with the All-2000 to Present Padres Lineup.

C – Nick Hundley
1B – Adrian Gonzalez
2B – Mark Loretta
3B – Chase Headley
SS – Everth Cabrera
RF – Will Venable
LF – Brian Giles
CF – Mark Kotsay
SP – Jake Peavy
SP – Clayton Richard
SP – Adam Eaton
SP – Chris Young
SP – Mat Latos
Closer – Trevor Hoffman

Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland A’s
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals

All-2000 to Present Minnesota Twins Lineup

It’s always fun to generate and debate lists. We’ll continue with the All-2000 to Present Twins Lineup.

C – Joe Mauer
1B – Justin Morneau
2B – Brian Dozier
3B – Corey Koskie
SS – Cristian Guzman
RF – Michael Cuddyer
LF – Jacque Jones
CF – Torii Hunter
DH – Jason Kubel
SP – Johan Santana
SP – Brad Radke
SP – Francisco Liriano
SP – Ervin Santana
SP – Scott Baker
Closer – Joe Nathan

Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland A’s
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals

All-2000 to Present Detroit Tigers Lineup

It’s always fun to generate and debate lists. We’ll continue with the All-2000 to Present Tigers Lineup.

C – Ivan Rodriquez
1B – Prince Fielder
2B – Placido Polanco
3B – Miguel Cabrera
SS – Carlos Guillen
RF – Magglio Ordonez
LF – Curtis Granderson
CF – Austin Jackson
DH – Victor Martinez
SP – Justin Verlander
SP – Max Scherzer
SP – Rick Porcello
SP – Anibal Sanchez
SP – Doug Fister
Closer – Jose Valverde

Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland A’s
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals

All-2000 to Present Baltimore Orioles Lineup

It’s always fun to generate and debate lists. We’ll continue with the All-2000 to Present Orioles Lineup.

C – Matt Wieters
1B – Chris Davis
2B – Brian Roberts
3B – Manny Machado
SS – Miguel Tejada
RF – Nick Markakis
LF – Melvin Mora
CF – Adam Jones
DH – Rafael Palmeiro
SP – Chris Tillman
SP – Erik Bedard
SP – Wei-Yin Chen
SP – Jeremy Guthrie
SP – Rodrigo Lopez
Closer – Zach Britton (just edges Jim Johnson)

Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland A’s
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals

Randy Johnson Wins 300th Career Game

As if Randy Johnson needed any more ammunition to support his case for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Well, he got another notch on his belt tonight as he became the 24th pitcher in Major League history to join the 300 Win Club.  Ironically, the last member of the club (Tom Glavine) was released yesterday by the Atlanta Braves.

Just how good was Randy?  Let’s take a look at the numbers.

300-164 Record
.647 Winning Percentage
3.28 ERA
4845 Strikeouts
100 Complete Games
37 Shutouts
Three 20+ Win Seasons
Fourteen 200+ Strikeout Seasons
Six 300+ Strikeout Seasons
4097-1/3 IP
597 Starts
5 Cy Young Awards
10 All-Star Appearances

Hall of Fame Yardsticks

Black Ink Pitching – 96 (7), Average HOFer ≈ 40
Gray Ink Pitching – 277 (16), Average HOFer ≈ 185
Hall of Fame Monitor Pitching – 320 (4), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards Pitching – 64 (13), Average HOFer ≈ 50

As long as Randy Johnson’s name doesn’t come up in steroid talk, he is a first ballot Hall of Famer.  He is one of the best Lefthanded Pitchers in baseball history.

Here’s the list of 300 Game Winners:

Rank Player (age) Wins Throws
1. 511 R
2. Walter Johnson+ 417 R
3. Pete Alexander+ 373 R
Christy Mathewson+ 373 R
5. Pud Galvin+ 364 R
6. Warren Spahn+ 363 L
7. Kid Nichols+ 361 R
8. Greg Maddux 355 R
9. Roger Clemens 354 R
10. Tim Keefe+ 342 R
11. Steve Carlton+ 329 L
12. John Clarkson+ 328 R
13. Eddie Plank+ 326 L
14. Nolan Ryan+ 324 R
Don Sutton+ 324 R
16. Phil Niekro+ 318 R
17. Gaylord Perry+ 314 R
18. Tom Seaver+ 311 R
19. Charley Radbourn+ 309 R
20. Mickey Welch+ 307 R
21. Tom Glavine (43) 305 L
22. Lefty Grove+ 300 L
Early Wynn+ 300 R
24. Randy Johnson (45) 300 L

Congratulations Randy.  Cooperstown awaits.

All-2000 to Present Atlanta Braves Lineup

It’s always fun to generate and debate lists. We’ll continue with the All-2000 to Present Braves Lineup.

C – Brian McCann
1B – Freddie Freeman
2B – Martin Prado
3B – Chipper Jones
SS – Rafael Furcal
RF – Jason Heyward
LF – Jeff Francoeur
CF – Andruw Jones
SP – Greg Maddux
SP – John Smoltz
SP – Tom Glavine
SP – Tim Hudson
SP – Julio Teheran
Closer – Craig Kimbrel

Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland A’s
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals

All-2000 to Present Texas Rangers Lineup

It’s always fun to generate and debate lists. We’ll continue with the All-2000 to Present Rangers Lineup.

C – Ivan Rodriguez
1B – Rafael Palmeiro
2B – Michael Young
3B – Adrian Beltre
SS – Elvis Andrus
RF – Nelson Cruz
LF – David Murphy
CF – Josh Hamilton
DH – Alex Rodriguez
SP – Yu Darvish
SP – C.J. Wilson
SP – Derek Holland
SP – Matt Harrison
SP – Colby Lewis
Closer – Neftali Feliz

Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland A’s
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals