San Francisco Giants All-Time Lineup/ Roster

While their 2019 season is trending the wrong way, the All Time San Francisco Giants lineup features a bunch of talented hitters and looks to be one of the best. Their outfield is unheralded and include two of the best power hitting lefties in all of MLB history. Pair that with the all around bat of Mel Ott to form three great lefties who should cement the structure of the Giants lineup. At the bottom of the lineup, Christy Mathewson will be on the bump after he had one of the best careers at the pitcher position.

Starting Lineup

1. Willie Mays, CF (L)
2. George Davis, SS (S)
3. Mel Ott, RF (L)
4. Barry Bonds, LF (L)
5. Willie McCovey, 1B (L)
6. Buster Posey, C (R)
7. Roger Connor, 3B (S)
8. Larry Doyle, 2B (L)
9. Christy Matthewson, P (R)
Manager: John McGraw

Catcher

Buster Posey
2009-19: 590 Runs, 139 HR, 670 RBI, 23 SB, .301 BA/.370 OBP/.458 SLG

While Buster Posey has been slumping in recent years, he still remains my favorite player and all time catcher for the San Francisco Giants. He quickly rose to stardom in the Bay Area as he captured Rookie of the Year honors in 2010 and later MVP in 2012. He was a great offensive hitter during his prime and was consistently rated as the best catcher in the league for many years. His defense was always solid and hitting wise, regarded as the best bat across the league for catchers. He makes for a very good all around backstop for the Giants franchise and has a case for the Hall of Fame with his previous mentioned honors and 3 World Series rings.

Honorable Mentions: Buck Ewing, Roger Bresnahan

First Baseman

Willie McCovey
1959-73, 77-80: 1,113 Runs, 469 HR, 1,388 RBI, 24 SB, .274 BA/.377 OBP/.524 SLG

While Will Clark recently heard news that his number would be retired, Willie McCovey is the pick here. He’s a great left handed bat with amazing power and batting average. In his prime, McCovey hit 30+ homers in a full season and often rated as a pretty good defensive first baseman. He might seem underrated compared to the other names in the lineup but had a very eventful career. There’s a lot of power and RBI potential for McCovey in the lineup. He earned an MVP title in 1969 and multiple All Star appearances after winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1959.

Honorable Mentions: Bill Terry, Will Clark, Orlando Cepeda

Second Baseman

Larry Doyle
1907-16, 18-20: 906 Runs, 67 HR, 726 RBI, 291 SB, .292 BA/.359 OBP/.411 SLG

On nearly any other team, there’s a chance Larry Doyle could be a very effective leadoff man or top of the order bat. However, this Giants team simply features too many great hitters at the top of the order and Larry Doyle will be slated for the #8 spot. He;s a great hitting second baseman and has great speed for the bottom of the order. He played steady defense and should be a steady offensive contributor.

Honorable Mentions: Frankie Frisch, Robby Thompson, Jeff Kent

Shortstop

George Davis
1893-01, 03: 844 Runs, 53 HR, 819 RBI, 357 SB, .332 BA/.393 OBP/.467 SLG

While the offensively minded shortstop didn’t fare all that well defensively, George Davis was masterful with the bat. He consistently hit above .300 and was a very efficient base stealer. There’s not much power in his bat but Davis acted as a very good scorer and stole a career 619 bags over the course of his career. He’ll hit in the second spot of the lineup and be a great divider between the bunch of star lefties atop the order. He’s a great on base getter and his stealing ability will set up nicely for the power lefties.

Honorable Mentions: Travis Jackson, Art Fletcher, Dick Bartell

Third Baseman

Roger Connor
1883-89, 91, 93-94: 946 Runs, 76 HR, 786 RBI, 161 SB, .319 BA/.402 OBP/.488 SLG

I originally had Matt Williams slated for this spot but I ended up giving Roger Connor the nod. The Hall of Famer was another steals threat for the lineup and will add another contact bat to the lineup. He had a very good overall career and even ranked near the top of the leaderboard in triples for the time he was with the Giants. The only concern for Connor will be his defense as he traditionally played first his entire career. While he did log some time at third, he wasn’t good at all and committed 12 errors in just 12 games at the spot in 1888.

Honorable Mentions: Matt Williams, Art Devlin

Left Fielder

Barry Bonds
1993-07: 1,555 Runs, 586 HR, 1,440 RBI, 263 SB, .312 BA/.477 OBP/.666 SLG

Taking the left field spot is the most prolific home run hitter in history, Barry Bonds. While his history is murky with the steroid allegations, he’s without a doubt one of the best power bats in the lineup and should fit well into the cleanup position. The 14 time All Star earned 7 MVP awards and 12 Silver Sluggers. He leads the all time list with 762 career homers and 2,558 walks. He quickly became one of the most feared hitters in all of the league and was infamously walked with the bases simply to avoid pitching to Bonds.

Honorable Mentions: George Burns, Jim Ray Hart

Center Fielder

Willie Mays
1951-72: 2,011 Runs, 646 HR, 1,859 RBI, 336 SB, .304 BA/.385 OBP/.564 SLG

In center field is one of the best all around athletes and players in history, Willie Mays. While famous for his iconic basket catch, Mays was a tremendous hitter in addition to his defensive skills. He earned 24 All Star game nods, 12 Gold Gloves, and a pair of MVP awards. There’s nothing the ‘Say Hey Kid’ couldn’t do as he takes the top spot in the lineup. He’s a great table setter and a prolific base stealer during his prime. Don’t forget about the pop he has in the bat either as he ranks 5th all time.

Honorable Mentions: Bobby Thomson, George Van Haltren

Right Fielder

Mel Ott
1926-47: 1,859 Runs, 511 HR, 1,860 RBI, 89 SB, .304 BA/.414 OBP/.533 SLG

Throughout his 22 year career with the Giants, Mel Ott was a great hitter in the lineup and wraps up what could be considered the best outfield of all time. Ott was great at drawing walks and mixed his contact abilities with great power. He led the league in home runs five times and extremely efficient RBI man. He slots in at the #3 spot of the lineup and adds another dangerous left handed bat into the mix. He’s without a doubt a great presence in the middle of the order and will have no problem putting up amazing stats.

Honorable Mentions: Mike Tiernan, Bobby Bonds, Ross Youngs

Pitcher

Christy Mathewson
1900-16: 372-188 Record, 2.12 ERA, 4.7 K/9, 1.6 BB/9

Taking the mound for San Francisco will be one of the best pitchers in the history of the sport, Christy Mathewson. The Hall of Famer has 2 Triple Crowns and won the ERA Title five times. He was a tremendously skilled pitcher and was a workhorse for many New York Giants teams. He won his only ring in 1905 as the Giants defeated the then Philadelphia Athletics. Whatever team matches up against the Giants, Matthewson will prove to be a very difficult pitcher to hit, much less score off of.

Honorable Mentions: Carl Hubbell, Juan Marichal, Amos Rusie

Manager

John McGraw

As Bruce Bochy enters the dawn of his career, John McGraw will instead be the pick at the managerial spot. The Hall of Fame skipper managed the team from 1902 through 1932 and won three rings during that time. He was a strict manager and extremely competitive. During his tenure, McGraw turned the New York team into a dynasty, placing either first or second 21 times in his 31 years with the team. He finished his career with 2,763 wins, 2,583 of which came with the Giants, and places 2nd all time.