The Greatest San Francisco Giants in the Last 50 Years

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years for every MLB team. Today’s team is the San Francisco Giants

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 righthanded starting pitcher, 1 lefthanded starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

 Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Giants in the last 50 years (since the 1970 season).  

 First Base- Will Clark

Second Base- Jeff Kent

Shortstop- Brandon Crawford

Third Base- Matt Williams

Left Field- Barry Bonds

Centerfield-Chili Davis

Right Field- Bobby Bonds

Catcher- Buster Posey

Designated Hitter- Kevin Mitchell

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Tim Lincecum

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Madison Bumgarner

Relief pitcher- Rob Nenn

 A couple of notes. Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Willie McCovey didn’t play long enough in the 70s for the Giants to make the list. Mays got traded to the Mets in late 1972, and McCovey played for the Padres and A’s for 4 years in the mid-70s.  Most of this team was straight forward to pick. A couple of positions in question were right field and third base. I considered some recent players from the championship teams in the 2010s. At third base, I picked Williams over WS hero Pablo Sandoval. A tough decision since Sandoval won the WS MVP. But Williams was much more consistent, including finishing in the top 6 MVP voting 3 times. I picked Bobby Bonds in right field over Hunter Pence. Bonds had a couple of terrific years early in his career.

This is the last of all 30 teams. The first Covid 19 baseball project is complete. Stay tuned for my next list, which will consist of the greatest position players in the last 50 years).

The Greatest San Diego Padres Players in the Last 50 Years

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years for every MLB team. Today’s team is the San Diego Padres

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 righthanded starting pitcher, 1 lefthanded starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

 Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Padres in the last 50 years (since the 1970 season).  

First Base- Adrian Gonzalez

Second Base-Bip Roberts

Shortstop- Gary Templeton

Third Base- Phil Nevin

Left Field-Gene Richards

Centerfield-Mark Kotsay

Right Field- Tony Gwynn

Catcher- Terry Kennedy

Designated Hitter- Dave Winfield

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Jake Peavy

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Randy Jones

Relief pitcher- Trevor Hoffman

 A couple of notes. Padres have had a strange history with some all-time great players, and lots of average players. Gwynn, Winfield and Hoffman are hall of famers, but, when you look at some other positions on the list, it is remarkable that there are not better options. Many times, there were players who just did not last long enough to meet the 5 yr criteria. For example, Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith  played 4 years at shortstop before getting traded to the Cardinals. Ken Caminiti won the MVP while with the Padres, but only played for them for 4 years. Kevin McReynolds was a very good centerfielder during the 1984 NL pennant winning team. He only played 4 years with the Padres as well. Not many great options at those positions. Catcher was a tough call between Kennedy and Benito Santiago. I took Kennedy since he was more consistent.  

The Greatest Los Angeles Dodgers Players in the Last 50 Years

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years for every MLB team. Today’s team is the Los Angeles Dodgers

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 righthanded starting pitcher, 1 lefthanded starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

 Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Dodgers in the last 50 years (since the 1970 season).  

 

First Base- Steve Garvey

Second Base- Davey Lopes

Shortstop- Bill Russell

Third Base- Ron Cey

Left Field-Dusty Baker

Centerfield- Matt Kemp

Right Field- Pedro Guerrero

Catcher- Mike Piazza

Designated Hitter- Justin Turner

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Orel Hershiser

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Clayton Kershaw

Relief pitcher- Kenley Jansen

 

A couple of notes. The 1970s infield makes the list in its entirety. Garvey, Lopes, Russell, and Cey were All Stars who played the most consecutive seasons as a starting infield. Justin Turner deserved consideration at third base, so I added him as the DH. The outfield was a little more challenging to select. I considered playoff hero Rick Monday in centerfield, but Kemp was more consistent. Right field was between Guerrero, Reggie Smith and Yasiel Puig. All 3 were great players, but I took the under appreciated Guerrero, who had was a contender for MVP honors for a few seasons in the early 80s. For right-handed pitcher, I took Hershiser over Don Sutton. Although Sutton is a Hall of Fame pitcher, I had to go with Hershiser based on his incredible season leading the Dodgers to the World Championship.

The Greatest Colorado Rockies Players in their History

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years for every MLB team. Today’s team is the Colorado Rockies

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 righthanded starting pitcher, 1 lefthanded starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

 Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Rockies in their history (first season was 1993).  

First Base- Todd Helton

Second Base- DJ LeMahieu

Shortstop- Troy Tulowitzki

Third Base- Nolan Arenado

Left Field- Matt Holiday

Centerfield- Charlie Blackman

Right Field- Larry Walker

Catcher- Chris Ianetta

Designated Hitter- Carlos Gonzalez

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Ubaldo Jimenez

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Jorge DeLaRosa

Relief pitcher-  Brian Fuentes

 A couple of notes. Most of the position players were easy to determine. Lots of great hitters on the list. Only question for me was at second base. Original Rockie Eric Young was a consideration, but I took LeMahieu since he did win a batting title. The pitchers were a little more challenging. The Rockies were never known for any great pitchers in their history. Jimenez is probably the best pitcher the Rockies have had. Left-handed starter was the toughest one to pick. Not many great options. I picked DelaRosa over Jeff Francis and Jason Jennings since he had a few more wins than the other 2.

 

Next up is the Los Angeles Dodgers