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Best San Francisco Giants of the 2010s: 42. Nate Schierholtz

Joel Reuter|
PHOENIX - SEPTEMBER 06: Nate Schierholtz #12 of the San Francisco Giants hits a 2 RBI triple against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eleventh inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 6, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX - SEPTEMBER 06: Nate Schierholtz #12 of the San Francisco Giants hits a 2 RBI triple against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eleventh inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on September 6, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Outfielder Nate Schierholtz was a solid performer for the San Francisco Giants before he was used as part of the trade package to acquire Hunter Pence.

The San Francisco Giants selected Nate Schierholtz in the second round of the 2003 MLB draft out of JUCO Chabot College in Hayward, California.

After hitting .333/.365/.560 with 54 extra-base hits in 109 games at Triple-A during the 2007 season, he then adding a .304 average and .718 OPS with eight extra-base knocks in 39 games in the majors.

Following that performance, he began the 2008 season as the No. 4 prospect in the San Francisco Giants system, according to Baseball America.

He spent the bulk of the 2008 campaign in the minors once again where he logged a .320/.363/.594 line with 22 doubles, 10 triples and 18 home runs in 377 plate appearances at Triple-A.

Over the next three seasons, he served as a semi-regular in the Giants outfield. His struggles against left-handed pitching limited him largely to a platoon role, but he still posted solid numbers across the board.

  • 2009: 308 PA, .267/.302/.400, 26 XBH, 0.5 WAR
  • 2010: 252 PA, .242/.311/.366, 19 XBH, 0.5 WAR
  • 2011: 362 PA, .278/.326/.430, 32 XBH, 1.1 WAR

He was also on the postseason roster in 2010, going 2-for-12 with an RBI and a run scored.

During his age-28 season in 2012, he was hitting .251/.321/.417 with 14 extra-base hits and 0.8 WAR in 77 games when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies with Tommy Joseph and Seth Rosin at the trade deadline in exchange for outfielder Hunter Pence.

The Phillies non-tendered him that offseason and he signed with the Chicago Cubs, posting the best season of his career in 2013 when he hit .251/.301/.470 for a 109 OPS+ with 32 doubles, 21 home runs and 68 RBI in 503 plate appearances.

He played one more season in the majors after that, then spent the 2015 season in Japan and the 2016 season with the Detroit Tigers Triple-A affiliate before calling it a career.

Check back here regularly as we count down the 50 best San Francisco Giants of the 2010s.

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