Ranking the Greatest San Francisco Giants Hall of Famers

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Jul 23, 2016; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda and his wife during the MLB baseball hall of fame parade of legends at National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 23, 2016; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda and his wife during the MLB baseball hall of fame parade of legends at National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

20. Johnny Mize

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 1981
Primary team: St. Louis Cardinals
Primary position: First Baseman
Career WAR with Giants: 28.3

Mize went into the Hall of Fame as a Cardinal, but his years with the Giants were outstanding. They were also short, with three seasons spent overseas during World War II. In the five seasons he did play for the Giants, he slashed .299/.389/.549 for an OPS of .938. He also finished in the top 20 in the Most Valuable Player voting each of his first four years and as high as third in 1947. That year, he hit 51 home runs and drove in 138 runs.

19. Orlando Cepeda

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 1999
Primary team: San Francisco Giants
Primary position: First Baseman
Career WAR with Giants: 30.4

Cepeda played from 1958-1966 with the Giants. He maintained a slashline of .308/.352/.535 for an OPS of .887. He won Rookie of the Year honors in 1958 and finished second in the MVP voting in 1961. He finished that season with a slashline of .311/.362/.609 for an OPS of .970. He also hit 46 home runs and drove in 142 runs. He also went to six straight All-Star games from 1959-1964

18. Ross Youngs

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 1972
Primary team: New York Giants
Primary position: Right Fielder
Career WAR with Giants: 32.2

Youngs played from 1917-1926 with the Giants. He maintained a slashline of .322/.399/.441 for an OPS of .839. Just like “High Pockets” Kelly, Youngs helped lead the Giants to four consecutive pennants from 1921-1924, winning two rings in 1921 and 1922. A plaque was installed at the Polo Grounds in 1928 to honor him after he tragically died from kidney disease at the age of 30.

17. Buck Ewing

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 1939
Primary team: New York Giants
Primary position: Catcher
Career WAR with Giants: 33.2

Ewing played from 1883-1892 with the Giants. He maintained a slashline of.293/.403/.393 for an OPS of .795. The Giants original catcher  had his best season with the Giants in 1888, with a WAR of 4.8. For all nine seasons of his Giants career, he averaged over a 3 Win season, along with five seasons over 4.

16. Joe McGinnity

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 1946
Primary team: New York Giants
Primary position: Pitcher
Career WAR with Giants: 33.5

McGinnity pitched for the Giants from 1902-1908. He won 151 games while maintaining an ERA of 2.38 and a FIP of 2.69 with an ERA+ of 118. McGinnity didn’t begin pitching in the Major Leagues until he was 28 and was 31 when he began pitching for the Giants. With the Giants, McGinnity joined Christy Mathewson to form one of the most dominant 1-2 punches in baseball history. From 1903-1908, the pair dominated the National League. They combined for 320 wins over the six year run.