San Francisco Giants: 10 best first basemen in franchise history

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SAN DIEGO – 1989: Will Clark #22 of the San Francisco Giants bats during a game in the 1989 season against the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

3. Will Clark (1986-1993), San Francisco Giants

Stats: 145 OPS+, .299/.373/.499, 1,278 H, 176 HR, 709 RBI, 687 R
WAR: 35.8 rWAR/33.6 fWAR
Accolades: 5x All-Star
WS Titles: 0

Will “The Thrill” Clark was the face of the Giants in the days before Barry Bonds came to town.

Clark was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1985 draft after a standout career at Mississippi State where he played alongside another future MLB star in Rafael Palmeiro.

He hit .420/.539/.853 with 20 doubles, 25 home runs and 77 RBI in 65 games during his junior season before starting his pro career.

Given those numbers, it’s not surprising that Clark didn’t need long in the minors, and he was the starting first baseman in San Francisco early in the 1986 season, finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

After a solid debut, Clark quickly settled in as one of the best players in the National League, making the All-Star team five years in a row from 1988 to 1992 while finishing in the top five in NL MVP voting three times during that span.

His best season came in 1989 when he hit .333/.407/.546 with 38 doubles, 23 home runs and 111 RBI, while also leading the NL with 104 runs scored en route to an impressive 8.6 WAR.

Alas, he finished runner-up to teammate Kevin Mitchell in NL MVP voting. Mitchell received 20 of 24 first-place votes, Clark received three, and Dodgers star Pedro Guerrero garnered the other.

Clark’s time with the Giants came to an end after the 1993 season when he signed a five-year, $30 million deal to replace none other than Palmeiro as the Texas Rangers first baseman.