San Francisco Giants: Who Should Win the Willie Mac Award?

The San Francisco Giants are approaching the end of the 2018 season, and that means we are getting closer to the announcement of the Willie Mac Award winner.

No matter what has happened each season since 1980, the San Francisco Giants have honored a player at the end of the season with an award every member of the team cares about.

Willie McCovey was one of the most beloved players in San Francisco history and with his retirement in 1980, the award was born.

Nick Hundley, who is finishing his second season with the club, won the award in 2017.

In a 98 loss season in 2017, there was not much to be excited about. However, Hundley brought a professionalism to the locker room and became an instant favorite among teammates.

Brandon Crawford (2016) Madison Bumgarner (2014) Hunter Pence (2013) and Buster Posey (2012) have also won the award among the current roster.

Mike Krukow (1985 and 1986) J.T. Snow (1997 and 2004) and Bengie Molina (2007 and 2008) are the only players to win the award twice.

The award was created to go to the most inspirational player.

2018 was a much improved season from last year, with many young Giants having breakout seasons. The entire pitching staff has performed well this season, especially since June 1.

There have also been several key injuries that could impact the results. Several players who were having strong seasons were lost for the season and ultimately might not win the award.

As we look back on the 2018 season over these last few weeks, here are the players with the best chances to win the Willie Mac Award

Pablo Sandoval

The Kung Fu Panda was an early favorite for the award as the season began. Pablo had returned to San Francisco last season after a brutal breakup and fans were reluctant to cheer for the former fan favorite.

As the 2018 season began, Sandoval quickly reminded all Giants fans what made him so fun to watch in the first place. Sandoval not only started hitting again, but he was playing well in the field as well.

And he was playing everywhere. He played third base and first base, which were positions Giants fans were used to from the Panda. He was used as a designated hitter in American League parks, which was not uncommon in past seasons as well.

But, with injuries all over the roster, manager Bruce Bochy had to start getting creative. Sandoval played second base for the first time as a Giant, starting there twice.

However, it was his time on the mound that became one of the most memorable moments of 2018. It was the end of April and the Giants were losing big to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers at home. Then, in the ninth inning, Sandoval came in and pitched a scoreless ninth.

His 0.00 earned run average led the team this season and “Let Pablo Pitch” T-Shirts became a popular item in San Francisco.

Then, in August, Sandoval injured his hamstring and was lost for the season. His versatility and productivity were as consistent as anything else in 2018, and he should be a favorite to win the Willie Mac Award.

Gorkys Hernandez

Gorkys had zero home runs in 2017. In a year Giants fans want to forget, Hernandez had a fairly forgettable 2017 as well. His production was better in the second half, but overall, he finished with disappointing numbers.

Heading into the week, Hernandez has 15 home runs on the season which has him tied for the team lead with Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen.

Longoria and McCutchen were brought in to be middle of the order hitters. Hernandez was doubtful to even make the team.

It truly is remarkable to see what Hernandez has been able to do when he has never really been given an everyday job. Much like Andres Torres and Gregor Blanco before him, Hernandez joined the Giants as a non roster invitee and had to earn his way onto the major league roster the hard way.

His numbers can be deceiving. Last year, Hernandez slashed .255/.377/.326 for an OPS of .652. This year, he has only slightly improved to .240/.290/.402 for an OPS of .692. While his OPS is still below .700, his WAR jumped from -0.6 last year to 0.6 this year.

By most metrics, Hernandez has not improved that much from last season to this year. However, his home runs and his defense have been a big reason why fans are much more excited to see Gorkys name in the lineup card each day.

What makes all of this more impressive is he has never really been named a starter.

Despite never really having an every day job, Hernandez and his added power was something special in 2018. It was also something special historically. It had been more than 30 years since a player had hit 15 home runs after hitting none the year before.

Alen Hanson

Hanson was a huge surprise in 2018, and his bat forced his way into the lineup throughout the season.

The middle infielder was called up in April to replace Joe Panik and while he wasn’t the defensive second baseman Panik was, his bat helped almost instantly.

Hanson being a switch hitter and being able to play in both the infield and outfield, became especially good as a pinch hitter.

Hanson, as a starter, has a .243/.259/.396 slashline on the season, but as a pinch hitter, he has a slashline of .360/.429/.680. That OPS of 1.109 made him a weapon at the end of games.

For Hanson’s flaws defensively and against left handed pitching, his strengths seemed to outweigh those struggles throughout the season.

The other skill Hanson has is his speed. Like the time he scored from first on a bad pick-off throw.

Hanson’s speed has electrified the AT&T crowd on several other occasions and his ability to go from first to third, or as in the case above, first to home, has made the Giants faster, younger and more athletic.

For an aging team, Hanson has been a breath of fresh air that should translate into a roster spot beyond 2018. Whether he starts somewhere next year or not will be determined by his ability to improve on defense and against left handed pitching.

Winning the Willie Mac Award might be a long shot for the former amateur free agent, but long shots seem to be something Hanson thrives on. When people have doubted him or the Giants in 2018, Hanson has found a way to come through in those big moments.

Will Smith

The Giants bullpen was strong this year, but a huge bonus for the team was the return of Will Smith. Smith had Tommy John surgery at the start of 2017 and his return to the roster in 2018 gave the team much needed depth and a reliable left hander they could count on in the late innings.

Smith pitched great to start the season, throwing ten scoreless appearances before allowing his first run. By mid-June his ERA was still below a run at 0.90 and he had become the closer.

Hunter Strickland, who had been the closer, broke his hand after blowing a save on June 18 and by June 22, Smith was given the role.

It was impressive enough that Smith’s numbers were so good, but the fact he was returning from a serious elbow injury makes it all the more incredible.

In 49 innings so far this season, Smith has a 1.84 ERA, with 66 strikeouts and only 13 walks.

Smith was a trade deadline deal in July of 2016 and it was risky even then because he had an extensive injury history at the time. The Giants gave up a popular catcher in Andrew Susac and a former first round pick in Phil Bickford.

It seemed like a steep price at the time, but Smith is finally making the trade look like a win for San Francisco.

His story is an easy one to root for and a great reason to give him consideration for the Willie Mac Award.

Derek Holland

The other Derek for the Giants has been one of the most underrated pitchers on the team for most of the season.

A non-roster invitee to start training camp, Holland was a veteran pitcher, but still a long shot to make the team.

Giants fans remember the name because Holland was a young pitcher for the Texas Rangers in the 2010 World Series. In 2017, Holland struggled with the Chicago White Sox and it was a pretty low-risk signing to see if Holland could pitch like he did in Texas.

However, Holland was everything and more for the Giants in 2018. He started through June and had an ERA of 4.36. While he was one of the better starters, the team asked him to move to the bullpen. His versatility became an asset. By the end of June, he was permanently back in the rotation and hasn’t looked back.

He currently has an ERA of 3.46, knocking off nearly a run a game off his ERA in just 10 starts.

He has also brought in an incredible charisma and laugh out loud humor to the locker room that is palpable.

From his graphic tee game in the post game interviews to his spot on impersonations of Kermit the Frog or Macho Man Randy Savage, he has been entertaining on and off the field.

The soon to be free agent has pitched well enough to return in 2019, but if he doesn’t, the Giants will certainly be less fun.

Hunter Pence

Pence won this award in 2013 after playing all 162 games, leading the team to the World Series the year prior and being the anchor of the team emotionally, in the locker room and on the field.

While his on the field performances have fallen off in the last few seasons, his leadership has grown. Every teammate has spoken about it throughout the season.

Despite limited playing time in 2018, Pence never complained about the inconsistency on the lineup card.

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And as the team brought players in to take away opportunities for him to play, nobody was more of a cheerleader than Pence.

He is already a Giants legend and his pending free agency has fans realizing that we are closing in on the end of an era.

San Francisco Chronicle reporter, Hank Schulman, has continued to point out during the season that nobody is given a louder ovation for his at-bats than Pence.

And you can see the love his teammates have for him. Every time he was able to come through in the clutch, his team reminded him how much they love him.

His walk-off single against the San Diego Padres in late June was the culmination of all of it. The raw emotion could be felt by every fan in the stands that day and it’s a passion that the Giants have seen since his arrival in 2012.

Much like Matt Cain last season, Game 162 could be emotional for Giants fans as they may watch the final game of Hunter Pence’s career.

The reverend, who is infamous for his pre-game and end of the year speeches, might be asked to give a couple more.  Pence certainly is the favorite to win the 2018 Willie Mac Award.