Creating an All-Time SF Giants World Series lineup that would be unstoppable

The World Series is going on right now and even though it feels like ages since the SF Giants made it to the World Series, it really hasn’t been all that long. The Giants have had some really great players take part in the World Series over the years so as a fun exercise I am going to create a sort of ultimate Giants World Series lineup comprised of players who appeared in the World Series in the San Francisco era.

This lineup features a lot of Hall of Fame players and some guys who belong in the Hall and it rivals just about any other franchise’s “ultimate” World Series lineup. Let’s dive right in.

Creating an “ultimate” SF Giants World Series lineup

CF Willie Mays

He’s the greatest player to ever live, so why not bat him leadoff? Willie Mays played in the 1962 World Series for the San Francisco Giants and even though they lost in heartbreaking fashion to the New York Yankees, Mays hit .250/.276/.321. 

2B Jeff Kent

Recently inducted into the Hall of Fame, second baseman Jeff Kent really did it all as a player. He hit for average and power and was a really solid defender. Kent hit .276/.290/.621 with three homers and seven RBI during the 2002 World Series against the Angels which also ended in heartbreak.

LF Barry Bonds

Just like they did in their careers when they were with the Giants, Kent preceding Bonds in the lineup makes a ton of sense. Bonds went off in the 2002 World Series, hitting .471 with four home runs, six runs batted in, and a whopping 13 walks in seven games.

RF Willie McCovey

While McCovey didn’t really turn into a truly great player until after the 1962 season, he was solid that year and also played corner outfield in his career so sticking him in right wouldn’t be a bad idea but maybe the Giants could have a platoon with him and Hunter Pence out there.

1B Will Clark

The star of the team in 1989 was Will Clark and while he didn’t do a ton in the World Series against the Oakland A’s which was disrupted by an earthquake, he absolutely went off in the NLCS and was the MVP against the Chicago Cubs to even get San Francisco to the Fall Classic.

DH Orlando Cepeda

Now, it feels a bit weird to put a DH in the lineup given the Giants have never played in a World Series where there was a DH for the National League, but for this exercise we’ll include one. Cepeda is in the Hall of Fame and while the Giants were foolish to trade him, he would be a perfect middle-of-the-order bat in this star-studded lineup.

C Buster Posey

Whenever Buster Posey is batting seventh in a lineup that’s how you know it’s pretty stacked. Posey hit .230/.288/.328 with two homers and seven RBI in his World Series career which is pretty impressive given the fact he also had to lead the pitching staff.

3B Pablo Sandoval

It’s tough to exclude a guy who hit three home runs in a World Series game from a lineup like this. The Panda was a hero in 2012 after not playing a huge role in the 2010 World Series and was also great in 2014.

SS Brandon Crawford

Brandon Crawford really developed offensively after 2014 as he was mainly known for his glove during the championship years outside of a very big grand slam in Pittsburgh, but he’s the best shortstop in franchise history and certainly deserves a spot in the lineup.

I’d take that lineup going up against whatever the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees could throw out there so maybe there’s some alternate universe or some corn field in Iowa where we could see all of these guys in the same lineup. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow