San Francisco Giants: Top 10 Shortstops In Franchise History

By Daniel Sperry

Jan 20, 2017

Aug 15, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (35) dives for a ground ball single hit by Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman David Freese (not pictured) at AT&T Park the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Francisco Giants 8 to 5. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jun 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; View of AT&T Park from the south of the stadium before the game between the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Al Dark, 1950-1956, 26.8 WAR

Al Dark enjoyed a really good six years with the Giants. An average of 3.8 WAR per season, Dark was a three-time all-star in his seven years in a Giants uniform. Dark accumulated 1100+ hits in seven seasons with the Giants, and hit 98 home-runs over that time.

Dark was not an elite fielder by any stretch, with a .959 career fielding percentage. He was worth 12 in defensive WAR over 14 career seasons. His best power year was in 1953 where he posted a .488 slugging percentage and a .823 OPS. He totaled 23 home-runs that year, but ironically, didn’t receive a single MVP vote that season! Dark’s calling card was his bat. A career .289 average and a .744 OPS, his numbers never really were good enough to jump off the page at you overall though.

He came interestingly close to winning both the Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year. In his rookie year for the Boston Braves in 1948, he won Rookie of the Year and finished third in the MVP vote. Dark did win a World Series in a Giants uniform, when the Giants beat the Indians in the 1954 World Series.