Open Mic: San Francisco Giants' All-Time Lineup

The San Francisco Giants, despite their lack of World Series titles—and current lack of winning at the moment—are one of the most talented teams in the history of baseball.

Considering it is the team’s 50th anniversary in San Francisco, it’s fitting that I can pick an all-time lineup for my favorite team. To keep things easy, I will limit things to only the post-1957 Giants, although some players also played in New York.

Some of these names you will know immediately, while some will take your favorite search engine to figure out who the hell they are.

Hall of Famers like Christy Matthewson, Mell Ott, and Carl Hubbell are ineligible because they only played at the Polo Grounds.

Catcher: Tom Haller

In his seven years in a Giants uniform, Haller was an offensive force behind the plate. And from what I’ve read, he wasn’t too shabby behind the plate either. So for a franchise that has had its share of mediocrity behind the dish, Haller takes the top spot over Bob Brenly.

Despite his .240 average, Haller smacked 27 homers 67 RBI in 1966. He was traded to the Dodgers two years later, the first trade between the two teams since they moved to the West Coast.

First Base: Willie McCovey

Although I would love to pick my all-time favorite Giant, Will Clark, there was no better than "Stretch". The six-time All-Star hit 469 (521 career) home runs and had 1,388 RBI in a Giant uniform. He also recorded a .377 OBP and a .524 SLG.

He was the 1969 National League MVP, hitting .320 with 45 HR and 126 RBI. He also walked 121 times, while he only struck out in 66 of his 491 at-bats. He also played in a San Francisco record 2,256 games.

Second Base: Jeff Kent

His porno-stache aside, the time he spent in San Francisco turned his average career into a ticket to the Hall of Fame. When he was traded to the Giants in 1997, he wasn’t even the main part of the deal that sent Matt Williams to the Cleveland Indians. That honor went to Julian Tavarez.

In his six seasons as a Giant, his offensive numbers were some of the best for a second baseman in the history of baseball. He hit .297 with 175 HR, 689 RBI, .368 OBP, and .535 SLG. His best season came in 2000 when he won the NL MVP, hitting .334 with 33 HR and 125 RBI.

Third Base: Matt Williams

The third-overall pick in the 1986 amateur draft certainly lived up the billing. If not for the strike in 1994, Williams would have most likely challenged Roger Maris’ single-season home run mark. He is fifth on the Giants' all-time home run leaderboard with 247. The four-time All-Star also recorded 732 RBI in his 11-year Giants career. Williams also won three Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in San Francisco.

Shortstop: Chris Speier

Like catcher, the Giants haven’t had a lot of legit shortstops during their time in San Francisco. Although his batting average would never be amongst the league leaders, Speier was steady both with the bat and the glove. His best season came in 1972, when he hit .269 with 15 HR and 71 RBI.

Outfield: Barry Bonds

Even though I am one of the five Giants fans who despise him, this was an easy pick. Put all the steroids and all that jazz aside, the numbers Bonds put up are scary.

We all know about the 762 career homers, the seven MVP awards, and the only member of the 500-500 Club, but his single-season record of .609 OBP and 232 walks in 2004 are ones that may never be broken.

He and Babe Ruth are the only two players in the history of the game to have a slugging percentage over .800, and Bonds did it twice. For his Giants career, he hit 586 HR, 1,440 RBI, and also walked 1.947 times.

Outfield: Bobby Bonds

Obviously, his son stole all the headlines in the family, but the elder Bonds wasn’t too bad himself. He had his best season in 1971, when he hit .288, 33 HR, 102 RBI, and stole 26 bases. He stole 40 or more bases in five of his seven seasons in a Giants uniform.

He was an All-Star in 1971 and 1973, and also finished in the top four of MVP voting both those years. He was also one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, winning three Gold Gloves during his time in San Francisco.

Outfield: Willie Mays

Undoubtedly, Mays is the greatest Giant of all-time and one of the best all-around players in the history of the game. Where to begin with his incredible résumé?

He was selected to 19 straight All-Star games (21 total) and won 12 Gold Gloves while wearing a Giants uniform. He is the Giants' all-time home-run leader with 647. His best year came in 1965, when he hit .317 with 52 home runs, winning his second MVP award (his other MVP award came in 1954).

He is considered by many, including yours truly, to be the greatest living ballplayer.

Starting Pitcher: Juan Marichal

For all of his achievements with the Giants, did you know he finished his career with the hated Dodgers? Ok, well it was six innings, but you get the point. The Dominican Dandy and his high leg kick recorded six 20-win seasons, 244 complete games, and 52 shutouts. Only four times in his 16-year career did he pitch less than 200 innings. Despite his dominance, he never won the Cy Young Award.

Relief Pitcher: Robb Nen

Not only did Nen have one of the best intro songs in the history of the Giants (“Smoke On the Water” by Deep Purple), he also had one of the nastiest sliders you will ever see. Pair that with a fastball in the upper 90s, and it was easy to call Nen one of the best during his time.

Despite only pitching five years with the Giants, Nen is the team’s all-time saves leader with 206. Unfortunately, he ruined his arm while trying to help the Giants win the 2002 World Series against the Angels.