Five Decades of San Francisco Giants - The Twenty Aughts And the All Time Best and Worst San Francisco Giants

You can get to the previous 4 decades by going here.

Worst Ever San Francisco Giants '58-99

C Barton '69
1B Cabell '81
2B Miller '75
SS Lemaster '82
3B Hayes '99
LF Gabrielson '66
CF Joshua '76
RF J Alou '66
P Mulholland '95
Cl Johnson '72
 
2000 (97-65)
C Estalella 3.2/2
1B Snow .8/.6
2B Kent 9.4/6.9
SS Aurilia 3.9/2.2
3B Mueller 1.1/1.1
LF Bonds 8.7/7.5
CF Benard 1.6/1.9
RF Burks 5.3/4.8
P Hernandez 5.3/3.6
Ortiz 1.8/0.4
Estes 3.3/2.2
Rueter 3.4/1.9
Gardner 2.6/1.2
Cl Nen 5.7/2.4

-The forgotten great season - our 97 win pythag makes 2000 the fourth best year in SFG history; so many good performances from the lineup - we have a change to the All Time SFG team right now as Kent's 2000 gives him the 2B spot - in fact, it's going to hold up as the 5th best all around year of the decade.  Burks and Nen will hold these positional spots throughout the remainder of the decade.  Just a really strong performance from the position players in 2000. 

2001 (86-76)
C Santiago 1.7/.2
1B Snow .1/.7
2B Kent 7.8/5
SS Aurilia 7.9/6.5
3B Martinez .8/0
Feliz -1.6/-1.5
LF Bonds 12.6/11.6
CF Murray 1/1.4
RF Rios 1.5/1.3
P Hernandez 1/-.1
Ortiz 5.8/4.2
Rueter 2.4/1.3
Estes 2.2/1.2
Rodriguez 3.6/3.1
Cl Nen 3.6/1.5

-Barry Bonds's 2001 - the greatest season in San Francisco Giant history.  Aurilia joins him in the All Time Team, bumping Speier after 30 years as our top SS performance.  Conversely, Pedro Feliz, who is an historically bad baseball player, takes his rightful spot as the worst SFG 3B ever with his 2001 season.  A real scrubs and stars year by the Bay.

2002 (98-63)
C Santiago 3.5/2.4
1B Snow .3/-.6
2B Kent 8.8/6.9
SS Aurilia 1/.7
3B Bell 3.2/2.9
LF Bonds 11.7/11.6
CF Shinjo 1.5/1.7
Lofton 1.3/1.7
RF Sanders 2.8/3.3
P Hernandez 1.8/.6
Ortiz 4.8/3.7
Rueter 4/2.8
Schmidt 3.1/2.1
Jensen .7/-.2
Cl Nen 5/2.4

-Okay, we had a 5 run lead with 8 outs to go - but instead, think about the decision to throw a replacement level Livan in Game 7.  Curiously - although this is our second best team of all time, just behind only that '62 team that also should have won the Series (tied for second, actually, with '93) not only did none of the seasons make the all time SFG team - none of them make the All-Decade team.

But Bonds's year is the second best SFG season of all time, so that's maybe a little misleading.  And Kent's not bad either; there are solid enough years from a couple of the arms - but this is two guys just smashing their way through the National League; the Bonds/Aurilia and the Bonds/Kent seasons in 01/02 have got to be on the short list of the greatest performances by teammates in NL history (no, I will not be doing that research.  Stop.  Just stop.)
 
2003 (93-68)
C Santiago 1.4/1.3
1B Snow 2.2/1.8
2B Durham 4.4/3
SS Aurilia 1.4/.5
3B Alfonzo 1.8/.1
LF Bonds 10.5/8.9
CF Grissom 1.6/2.2
RF Cruz 3.4/2.9
P Schmidt 6.6/5.7
Rueter 1/.3
Williams 2.1/1.9
Moss .8/.3
Foppert -.5/-.6
Nathan 2.7/1.6
Cl Worrell 1.1/.2

-A 3 way tie with '67 and the most comparable team '87 (at least in terms of the postseason RF misplay that led to an untimely playoff exit) as the fifth best SGF club of all time; just a great run here of 90+ pythag win teams; Schmidt gives us the arm for which we had been looking and Bonds gives us the 7th best season in SFG history.

2004 (88-74)
C Pierzynski 1.8/.1
1B Snow 3.3/3.2
2B Durham 3.6/2.4
SS Cruz 1.7/.4
3B Alfonzo 1.2/.3
Feliz 1/1.8
LF Bonds 11.4/10.4
CF Grissom 1.7/.4
RF Tucker 2.1/-.2
Mohr 2.3/.2
P Schmidt 6.4/6.7
Tomko 2.5/2.1
Rueter 1.5/1.6
Williams 1.6/1.2
Lowry 1.6/1.9
Cl Herges -1/-.9

-The 3rd best season in SFG history - Bonds, 2004.  Another strong year from Schmidt - and Snow's 2004, modest though it was, holds up as the best year for a 1B in the decade.  The Bizarro All Time Giants get a new closer - Herges takes the position with his 2004.

2005 (71-91)
C Matheny 1.9/-.5
1B Snow .5/.4
2B Durham 1.5/1.7
SS Vizquel 2.1/1.3
3B Alfonzo -.6/-1.1
LF Feliz .8/.6
CF Ellison 1.3/-.4
Winn 4.6/2.5
Grissom -1.1/-2.3
RF Tucker -.2/-.7
Alou 4.2/3.2
P Lowry 4.5/4.5
Tomko 2.2/1.6
Schmidt 1.7/1.3
Hennessey 1.5/1.2
Rueter -.4/-1
Cl Walker .8/.3

- There's an amusing coincidence, Winn's season holds up as the best for a SFG CF in the decade - while simultaneously, Grissom's season becomes the worst ever for a SFG CF.

2006 (76-85)
C Alfonzo 1.4/.6
1B Hillenbrand -.6/-.7
2B Durham 3.4/3
SS Vizquel 2.2/2.7
3B Feliz 1.3/1.6
LF Bonds 4.8/3.8
CF Finley 1.5/1
RF Winn 3/1.4
Alou 3.1/1.3
P Schmidt 4.1/3.8
Morris 1.9/.5
Cain 3.3/2.1
Lowry 1.8/1.1
Wright 1.2/.3
Cl Benitez 1.5/.7

-Like Mays in a previous generation, Bonds in his decline phase is still the best player on the club (and will be again in 2007, and then he'll never be given a job, even for the minimum salary, by a single club, ever again.).  There's nothing else to see in 2006. 

2007 (77-85)
C Molina 2.3/.9
1B Klesko .4/.2
2B Durham -1.3/-1.3
SS Vizquel .7/.5
3B Feliz .7/2
LF Bonds 4.8/3.2
CF Roberts 1.4/-1.1
RF Winn 2.5/2.4
P Cain 4.5/4.1
Zito 2.3/1.6
Lowry 2.6/1.7
Lincecum 2.2/2
Morris 1.3/.8
Cl Hennessey 2.4/1.6

-Not historically bad like 2005 (the fifth worst SFG team ever) or what's coming in 2008 (the 2nd worst SFG team ever) 2006 and 2007 are just depressing, slogging, mid 70s pythag seasons for which Bonds somehow gets blamed - the decision to surround him with Dave Roberts like veterans was an organizational choice that in literally no way was compelled by his presence.  The inability of SFG to turn the page and surround the man who, even in 2007, was still its best player, with young talent was an organizational failure.  But we do start to reshape the club around the pitching staff, and 3 years later - that's yielded results. 

2008 (68-94)
C Molina 3.9/1.7
1B Bowker -.3/-1.3
2B Durham .8/.7
SS Vizquel -1.8/-.6
3B Castillo -1.1/-.6
LF Lewis 2.3/1.5
CF Rowand 4.3/.4
RF Winn 6/3.8
P Lincecum 7.4/7.8
Cain 4.6/4.3
Zito .3/-.3
Sanchez 1.3/.6
Correia -.4/-1.2
Cl Wilson .9/.3

-Only '85 was a worse ballclub in SFG history, a sub replacement infield is too much to overcome, even with Lincecum winning the Cy Young in the best season for a SFG pitcher since Perry in '70.  Molina's year is the best for a Giants catcher in the decade. 

2009 (86-76)
C Molina 1.7/-.7
1B Ishikawa 1.1/.7
2B Burriss -.4/-1.3
Uribe 2.9/3.4
SS Renteria -.3/-1.6
3B Sandoval 5.6/4.1
LF Lewis 1.3/1.1
CF Rowand 1.4/1.5
RF Winn 1.7/1
P Lincecum 6.7/7.2
Cain 5.7/6.1
Zito 2.6/2.2
Sanchez 1.6/1.4
Johnson -0.1/0
Cl Wilson 2.4/1.5

-Sandoval's year is the best for any SFG position player since Bonds in '04 (but it looks like he'll be passed by Huff this season) and he makes the all decade club. 

Which is right here:

2000-09 SFG 25 Man Roster


C   Santiago '02
      Molina '08
1B Snow '04
      Snow '03
2B Kent '00
      Kent '02
SS Aurilia '01
      Aurilia '00
3B Sandoval '09
     Bell '02
LF Bonds '01
      Bonds '02
CF Winn '05
       Rowand '08
RF Burks '00
      Winn '08
P Lincecum '08
   Lincecum '09
   Schmidt '04
   Schmidt '03
   Cain '09
   Ortiz '01
   Lowry '05
Cl Nen '00
     Nen '02

5 Best SFG Seasons 2000-09

1. Bonds '01
2. Bonds '02
3. Bonds '04
4. Bonds '03
5. Kent '00

5 Best SFG Teams - All Time

1. 1962
2. 1993, 2002
4. 2000
5. 2010

5 Worst SFG Teams - All Time

1. 1985
2. 2008
3. 1984
4. 1995
5. 1974, 1976, 1996

10 Worst SFG Seasons - All Time

1. Mulholland '95
2. Bautista '95
3. Lemaster '82
4. Moffitt '79
5. D'Acquisto '75
6. J.Fisher '63
7. Bryant '74
8. J Alou '66
9. E.Fisher '59
10. Vanlandingham '96

The All Time Bizarro San Francisco Giants
C Barton '69
1B Cabell '81
2B Miller '75
SS Lemaster '82
3B Feliz '01
LF Gabrielson '66
CF Grissom '05
RF J.Alou '66
P Mulholland '95
Cl Herges '04