San Francisco Giants Madness: 13-16 Seeds Announced
16 Seeds:
Jeffrey “The Hackman” Leonard is a legendary Giant. His performance in the 1987 post season will live with Giants fans forever. Leonard was so good in the NLCS that season that he won MVP honors despite the Cardinals winning the series. His infamous one flap down home run trot has not only become the stuff of legends, but it even earned it’s own bobblehead. Leonard played eight seasons for the Giants, from 1981-1988, hitting 99 home runs and driving in 435 runs. As a Giant, he had a slashline of .275/.317/.439 with an OPS of .756.
Jose Uribe also played eight seasons for the Giants. He began his career in 1984 with the St. Louis Cardinals, before joining the Giants in 1985. He was part of the package that sent Jack Clark to the Cardinals. He also officially changed his name from Jose Gonzalez Uribe to just Jose Uribe. He said at the time that “there are too many Gonzálezes in baseball!” He earned the nickname “the player to be named later” because of the change. However, in 985 games, he became a steady defensive shortstop and great double play partner with Robby Thompson. His glove was a big part of the Giants resurgence from one of the worst teams in baseball in 1985 to National League Champions in 1989.
He won the Willie Mac Award in 1988 as the most inspirational player on the team. Uribe was killed in a car crash on December 8, 2006, near his hometown in the Dominican Republic. He was only 47. He is also a second cousin of former Giants infielder Juan Uribe. For all the fans chanting “UUUUU-Ribe!” at AT&T Park were doing the same thing for Jose at Candlestick Park.
Ellis Burks was 33 when he joined the Giants in 1998 at the trade deadline for Daryl Hamilton. He signed as a free agent that winter and only played two full seasons in San Francisco, but his production was unquestioned. He hit 60 home runs and drove in 214 runs in only 284 games. He maintained a remarkable slashline of .312/.404/.568 and OPS of .971 in his Giants career. He also played in right field at AT&T Park, which as many players in baseball has learned is not easy. Burks may have had a short stint as a Giant, but he made his impact known immediately and throughout his time.
Mike Krukow will always be better know for his work with the Giants after his playing career ended. Just this season, Krukow was nominated as a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award for the Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster. His time in the booth with former teammate Duane Kuiper has become even more valuable than his production on the mound. Yet, “Kruk” was a strong pitcher for the Giants when he was healthy.
Krukow was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Giants in 1982 for Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. The trade actually opened up playing time for future radio partner and best friend Kuiper at second base, as well as gave him an opportunity to start for the Giants. He pitched for seven seasons in orange and black. Over that time Krukow earned a 3.84 earned run average over 182 starts and 1154 innings pitched. While he will always be best known as half of Kruk and Kuip, he will always have a place as one of the better pitchers in San Francisco Giants history. As a 2 time Willie Mac Award winner, it was clear his contributions on the field and in the clubhouse were unquestioned.