MLB Top 5: San Francisco Giants Outfielders

By Kevin Rakas

This is the fourth article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the San Francisco Giants. In this installment are outfielders.

The San Francisco Giants have depth in the outfielders that would make most other franchises jealous. The team’s starters include some of the best players in baseball history, with all three being members of the 500-home run club. The right fielder won five fielding titles and is the team’s all-time leader in RBIs, the left field starter holds the all-time major league record in single-season and career home runs (with an asterisk), and the center field starter is in the conversation for the game’s all-time best all-around player.

The Best Outfielders in San Francisco Giants History

Left Fielders

Honorable Mentions – Although Emil Meusel was not as his nickname suggested, he looked “Irish” enough to be given that nickname. The California native was the older of a pair of brothers who became major league stars in the 1920s. Meusel played his first game with the Washington Nationals in 1914 but spent most of his early baseball career alternating between Upstate New York during the season and California in the winter. He signed with the Phillies in 1918 and was a star on a team that was sinking in the standings. Meusel batted .343 with 201 hits in 1921, a season he split between Philadelphia and New York. He responded to the trade with by amassing at least 75 runs scored, 160 hits and 100 RBIs in each of the next four seasons, posting career-bests with 204 hits and 132 RBIs in 1922 and a league-leading 125 runs batted in the following year. Meusel and the Giants squared off against his brother, Bob, and the Yankees three straight years in the World Series, with the National League squad winning the first two meetings. He was released after the 1926 season, finishing his six-year run in New York (1921-26) batting .314 (ninth in franchise history) with 447 runs, 931 hits, 148 doubles, 64 triples, 70 home runs, 571 RBIs and 1,417 total bases in 765 regular season games and 10 runs, 24 hits, three home runs and 17 RBIs in 23 World Series contests. Meusel spent his final year with the Brooklyn Robins (later Dodgers), was a coach with the Giants in 1930 and played four seasons in the minor leagues. In his later years, he worked as a bartender, had small roles in several baseball-themed movies, worked as a security guard and ran a baseball team in the Navy during World War II. He passed away due to a heart attack in 1963 at age 69.

After going undrafted, Jeffrey Leonard, a kid from a rough part of Philadelphia, signed with the Dodgers in 1973. He earned an 11-game call-up four years later, but a surplus of outfielders made him expendable, and he was traded to Houston in 1978. Leonard finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting the following year and was a reserve on an Astros team that made the playoffs for the first time in 1980. However, he clashed with management and was an impatient hitter (earning him the nickname “Hac Man”), so he was traded to the Giants early in the 1981 season. Leonard’s first two seasons included a stint in the minors and a wrist injury, but after that, he put together four stellar seasons out of five. He posted a .279-21-87 stat line with a career-best 26 steals in 1983 and followed that with personal best totals of a .302 average, 76 runs and 144 hits. After missing half the 1986 season with another wrist injury, Leonard changed his number to 00 and made his first All-Star team the following year. He followed that with a stellar NLCS performance, winning the MVP Award after batting .417 and tying playoff records with 10 hits, four home runs (complete with “one flap down” trot) and 22 total bases, but the Cardinals won the series in seven games. The next year, Leonard was traded to Milwaukee, finishing his eight-year run in San Francisco (1981-88) with a .275 average, 381 runs, 809 hits, 139 doubles, 99 home runs, 435 hits, 115 steals and 1,293 total bases in 789 games. After two years with the Mariners, he retired and became a minor league manager and college coach, started a foundation to help single mothers dealing with breast cancer, and he has been a community ambassador for the Giants since 2013.

5B Kevin Mitchell – The San Diego native signed as an undrafted free agent with the Mets in 1980 and he spent the next five years in the minor leagues, save for a seven-game callup at the end of the 1984 season. Mitchell was a reserve on the 1986 championship team, and his best moment of the season came in Game 6 of the World Series against the Red Sox when he kept the rally going with a two-out single and scored the tying run on a Bob Stanley wild pitch ahead of Mookie Wilson‘s slow ground ball. After winning the title, Mitchell was traded to his hometown team but spent less than half a season with the Padres before being shipped to the Giants in July. “World” (a nickname given for his ability to play in the outfield or infield) played one season at third base before moving to the outfield and producing two straight All-Star seasons. He put together one the greatest seasons in modern Giants history (outside of the player in the top spot on this list) in 1989, batting .291, setting career highs with 100 runs and 158 hits and leading the league with 47 home runs, 125 RBIs, a .635 slugging percentage, 345 total bases and 32 intentional walks to earn the MVP Award and a silver slugger.

Mitchell hit three postseason home runs to help the Giants reach the World Series (where they lost to the Athletics) and followed that performance with a .290-35-93 stat line in 1990. His numbers dropped the following year, thanks to wrist and knee injuries as well as a rape allegation (which was dropped when the woman failed to cooperate with the investigation). Mitchell was traded to the Mariners in 1992, finishing his Giants career with a .278 average, 351 runs, 614 hits, 109 doubles, 143 home runs, 411 RBIs and 1,186 total bases in 624 games. He had a two-year resurgence after being traded to the Reds and played in Japan after the lockout until he suffered a knee injury that required surgery. Mitchell returned to the U. S. but was a shell of his former self, and his power numbers declined sharply. His retirement has featured several run-ins with the law and temper issues that included assaulting his father (a cocaine addict who pawned his son’s World Series ring for drug money), getting suspended as an independent league coach both for assaulting an opposing owner and punching an opposing third base coach for allegedly stealing signs, and being charged after punching a man in the head several times at a Southern California golf course in 2010.

5A Monte Irvin – He was one of 13 children whose family moved to New Jersey to escape life in the South. Irvin was one of the best high school athletes in state history, and he earned six All-Star selections and won three batting titles during his decade with the Newark Eagles after joining the Negro National League team in 1938. He also played one season in Mexico and spent nearly three years as an engineer in the Army building roads and bridges during World War II. Irvin returned and won a title with the Eagles in 1946. Three years later he, along with third baseman and outfielder Hank Thompson, were the first black players to join the Giants.

Irvin earned the nickname “Mr. Murder” for the way he punished baseballs in his brief minor league stint, but the term easily could have been applied to his 1951 season in which he hit .312 and set career highs with 94 runs, 174 hits, 11 triples, 24 home runs and a league-best 121 RBIs and finished third in the MVP voting. Although the Giants lost to the Yankees in the World Series, he was part of the first all-black outfield in the majors and batted .458 with 11 hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases, including a theft of home in Game 1. Irvin earned his only All-Star selection with New York in 1952 despite missing most of the season after breaking his ankle on a slide. He returned the following year to post a .329-21-97 stat line. He had a solid year in 1954 and drove in a pair of runs in the championship series victory over the Indians, but his numbers declined the following year, which would be his last with the Giants. Irvin finished his seven seasons in New York (1949-55) with a .296 average, 322 runs, 639 hits, 84 home runs, 393 RBIs and 1,031 total bases in 653 games. He played one respectable season with the Cubs in 1956, then worked in public relations with Rheingold Brewery, was an assistant to the commissioner of baseball and traveled the country educating others about the history of black baseball. Irvin was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Negro League Committee in 1973 and passed away in 2016 at age 96.

4. Jim O’Rourke – Unlike the prevailing thought of players from Irish descent during the late 1800s (drinking and fighting), he was well educated and dignified on and off the field. O’Rourke began his baseball career in 1872 with the Middletown Mansfields in his native Connecticut, then transferred to the powerful Boston Red Stockings, winning three straight National Association championships. He spent four seasons in Boston after the team transferred to the National League and played for Providence and Buffalo before joining the Giants in 1885. In his first season, O’Rourke batted .300, scored a career-high 119 runs and led the league with 16 triples. Two years later, he drove in 88 runs and produced a personal-best 46 stolen bases. O’Rourke helped New York win the next two championships, complete with victories in the “World’s Series.” Against the American Association foes, hit totaled 11 runs, 22 hits (including 14 against Brooklyn in 1889), two home runs, eight RBIs and six steals.

Known for his pursuit of a law career and his love of fancy rhetoric, “Orator Jim” was one of the player leaders in the creation of the Players League, and he had a stellar season with the circuit’s New York entry in 1890, posting career bests with a .360 average, 172 hits and 115 RBIs. When the league folded after one year, he returned to the Giants for two years and the Washington Senators for one. He retired to focus on his law practice, play semipro ball and help create a system of minor league teams in his home state (along with former Giants teammate and Connecticut native, Roger Connor). With the pennant on the line, he donned a New York uniform for one final time as a 53-year-old in 1904, catching and going 1-for-4 with a run scored. O’Rourke ended his eight-year Giants tenure (1885-89, 91-92 and 1904) with a .299 average, 592 runs, 966 hits, 170 doubles, 60 triples, 21 home runs, 466 RBIs, 153 steals and 1,319 total bases in 807 games. He continued to play for and own a semipro team in Connecticut until 1912. O’Rourke went to consult with a client during a blizzard on New Year’s Day 1919 and passed away from pneumonia a week later at age 68. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Old Timers Committee in 1945.

3. George Burns – The Upstate New York native stayed in shape by boxing and wrestling but was known far more for his slap hitting and speed during his 11 seasons with the Giants (1911-21). Burns was brought along slowly by legendary manager John McGraw before becoming a starter and moving into the leadoff spot in 1911. During his time in New York, he was a dependable star who amassed 160 or more hits eight times, stole at least 30 bases seven times, scored at least 100 runs and led the league in the category five times each and smacked 30 or more doubles on four occasions. In 1914, Burns finished fourth in the MVP voting after batting .303 with 170 hits, 60 RBIs and league-leading totals of 100 runs and 62 steals, which was also a career high. He also improved his plate discipline throughout the years, leading the league in walks four times and in on-base percentage with a .396 mark in 1919.

In addition to his offense, Burns successfully navigated the sun-drenched left field spot at the Polo Grounds to win two fielding titles. He was also a member of four pennant-winning teams, amassing seven runs, 19 hits, six doubles, six RBIs and three stolen bases in 19 postseason games, and he totaled 11 hits in the victory over the Yankees in the 1921 World Series. Following the title win, Burns was traded to the Reds, spending three years in Cincinnati and one in Philadelphia before retiring in 1925. He ranks fourth in franchise history in stolen bases (334), tenth in runs (877) and tied for tenth in doubles (267) to go with a .290 average, 1,541 hits, 82 triples, 34 home runs, 458 RBIs and 2,074 total bases in 1,362 games. Burns played in the minor leagues for the next five years and finished his baseball career as a coach with the Giants in 1931. He returned upstate to run his father’s pool hall and work for a tannery, and he passed away in 1966 at age 76.

2. Jo-Jo Moore – Born in a small farm town in Texas, “The Gause Ghost” signed with the Giants in 1930 and came to New York after two minor league seasons. Moore was known for his hustle and defense, routinely making fantastic catches in the outfield. Although he didn’t steal many bases, he was a sparkplug at the top of the Giants batting order, posting 150 or more eight straight seasons, including twice with 300 or more. Moore tallied five hits in New York’s victory over Washington in 1933 for its first championship in more than a decade. However, his best play in the series was making a throw from deep left field and nabbing a runner at home. The following year, Moore opened his stance, which produced more power (15 home runs each in 1934-35), increased his hit total and began a run of five straight All-Star selections and six in seven years. In each of the next three seasons, he amassed at least 100 runs, 190 hits and 60 RBIs, and he finished in third in MVP race in 1934 after batting a career-best .331 with 15 homers, 61 RBIs, 106 runs and 192 hits.

The lanky star nicknamed “Thin Man” helped the Giants win the first of back-to-back pennants in 1936, hitting .316, setting personal bests with 110 runs and 205 hits and contributing 25 outfield assists. He had much better efforts at the plate in the postseason than his first foray, but the Giants lost to the Yankees in the World Series both times. Moore’s numbers declined but were still productive until his final season in 1941, and he ended his 13-year career (1930-41) with a .298 average 809 runs, 1,615 hits (ninth in franchise history), 258 doubles, 53 triples, 70 home runs, 513 RBIs and 2,216 total bases in 1,336 games. In addition to leading the league in assists three times and winning the 1939 fielding title, he amassed six runs, 20 hits, four doubles, one homer and three RBIs in 16 postseason contests. Moore played two more seasons in the minors and retired to run his more than 700-acre ranch in Texas as serve as a deacon in his local Baptist church (save for one-year stint as a minor league manager in 1947). He was the last surviving member of the 1933 Giants championship team when he passed away in 2001 at age 92.

1. Barry Bonds – The son of a three-time major league All-Star was born in Southern California but got his start in baseball in the San Francisco area while his father played for the Giants. It was there that Bonds met Willie Mays, the team’s star who was a steadying influence on Bobby and was such a presence in young Barry’s life that his parents asked the future Hall of Famer to be his godfather. Barry went on to attend the same high school that, two decades later, produced another superstar athlete in future Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Father and son had a damaged relationship because of Bobby’s alcoholism, which caused his playing career to end prematurely. Bobby tried to act as Barry’s manager, but after the Giants drafted him in the second round in 1982, dad asked for a bigger signing bonus and Barry refused to sign. He went to Arizona State, where he excelled for three years and was taken sixth overall by the Pirates in 1985.

Pittsburgh called Bonds up at the end of May the following season, and he made an impression with his speed, stealing 36 bases despite batting just .223. After four years batting leadoff with moderate success, the Pirates moved him to the fifth spot in 1990 and his career took off. Over his final three years in Pittsburgh, he won two MVP awards, three gold gloves and three silver sluggers while hitting at least 25 home runs and driving in more than 100 runs each campaign. Bonds signed with the Giants before the 1993 season, with the six-year, $43 million deal making him the highest-paid player in the game at that point. He responded by winning another MVP Award in his first season in his childhood hometown, batting .336, setting career highs with 129 runs and 181 hits and leading the league with a .458 on-base percentage, a .677 slugging percentage, 365 total bases, 46 home runs and 123 runs batted in. However, Bonds continued a tradition he started when he was younger of rubbing fans the wrong way by asking for, and receiving permission to wear, Mays’ retired number 24. After public outcry, he quickly changed to 25, the number his father wore with the Giants. Throughout his career, he also had poor relationships with the press and many of his teammates.

While San Francisco was the only team who seemingly could afford Bonds’ asking price, he more than met the expectations of his big contract. During his 15-year tenure with the Giants (1993-2007), he posted 12 straight seasons with at least 30 home runs, led the league in walks 11 times (he holds the top three single-season marks in major league history), amassed 100 or more runs 10 times, drove in more than 100 runs, led the league in on-base percentage and batted .300 or better nine times apiece and rapping 30 or more doubles and 150 or more hits and leading the league in slugging percentage five times each. Despite his sustained success, even in the strike-shortened 1994 season and 1999, when he missed a third of the campaign with a torn triceps, Bonds’ consistency led to a loss of MVP votes because his performance was expected. He needed to do something to take him to another level, and that boost came in the form of Greg Anderson, a trainer who began working with him and giving him steroids. Bonds set a career high with 49 home runs and finished second in the MVP voting in 2000, but he had his best seasons at a time when most players’ careers were winding down. The following campaign started with him signing a five-year, $90 million extension and included a home run on opening day, his 500th career blast in mid-April, passing his career high in August and posting 63 before the September 11 terrorist attacks. When play resumed, Bonds continued his torrid pace, hitting four home runs in the final four games to finish with a record 73, passing Mark McGwire‘s total from three years prior.

The output, which included career-best totals of 137 RBIs, 411 total bases (a team record) and an .863 slugging percentage (a major league record), earned Bonds his first of four straight MVP Awards. He won his first batting title with a .370 average in 2002 and led the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and walks (with a then-record 198) to win his fifth MVP Award. Bonds led the Giants to their first World Series in more than a decade, hitting eight home runs (including four against the Angels), driving in 16 runs and drawing 27 walks in 17 games, but San Francisco fell to Anaheim in a compelling seven-game final. In 2003, he won his third straight MVP thanks to a .341-45-90 stat line. Bonds made it four in a row and seven overall the following year, hitting .362 to win his second batting title, smacking 45 homers, driving in 101 runs, and setting records with a .609 on-base percentage and 232 walks, which included 120 intentionally. He was limited to 14 games in 2005 due to multiple surgeries on his knee and saw his power numbers decline in his final two seasons, although he led the league in both walks and on-base percentage both times and setting the all-time home run record on August 7, 2007. Bonds finished his tenure in San Francisco as the all-time franchise leader in walks (1,947), on-base (.477) and slugging (.666) percentages, and he ranks second in home runs (586), third in runs (1,555), doubles (381), RBIs (1,440) and total bases (4,172), fourth in games (1,956), fifth in hits (1,951), tied for ninth in steals (263 (including six seasons with 25 or more) and tenth in average (.312).

Bonds ended his illustrious career with 14 All-Star selections (12 with San Francisco), 12 silver sluggers, eight gold gloves, a record seven MVP Awards, three Hank Aaron Awards and a Home Run Derby win in 1996 that ended with a showdown against McGwire. A 22-year career has given him a chance to challenge many of baseball’s records, and he sits on top in three categories: home runs (762), walks (2,558) and intentional walks (688). Bonds also ranks third in runs (2,227), fifth in slugging percentage (.607) and total bases (5,976), sixth in RBIs (1,996) and on-base percentage (.444) and 18th in doubles (601). Bonds is also the only player in major league history to hit at least 700 home runs and steal at least 500 bases (514) and he joined his father as the only members of the 300-400 club in 1997. Based on those numbers, almost no one would be a more deserving Hall of Fame candidate. However, Bonds will forever be known as having a prickly personality that alienated both fans outside of San Francisco and reporters, who are responsible for Hall voting. The other major negative against him was his use of performance-enhancing drugs, which put his case for Cooperstown on hold and led many to question the legitimacy of many of his records, including his four straight MVP Awards. Through his trainer, Bonds was tied to the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) and even received steroids from the lab’s owner, Victor Conte. He gave evasive answers during grand-jury testimony in a case against BALCO (despite previously saying he had used the “clear” and the “cream”) and was indicted on obstruction and perjury charges, but a 2011 conviction on the former was dismissed four years later. Bonds has since tried to present more of a positive image, but he went unelected during his 10 years on the Hall of Fame ballot, and his election will have to come from the Contemporary Baseball Era committee, which next votes in 2025.

Center Fielders

Honorable Mentions – George Gore was a Maine native who got his start in the major leagues with the White Stockings (later Cubs) in 1879. After a disappointing first season, he became a star in Chicago, leading the league in batting average, as well as on-base and slugging percentages in 1890, and topping the N. L. in walks three times and runs twice. Gore won five pennants with the White Stockings, then joined the Giants in 1887. He overcame a poor showing during the regular season the following year to bat .455 with five runs and five hits in the first of two straight World’s Series victories. “Piano Legs” joined the Players League in 1890 and returned to the Giants for parts of two seasons before ending his career with the Browns (later Cardinals) in 1892. He finished his five-year run with New York (1887-89 and 91-92) with a .278 average 414 runs, 537 hits, 179 RBIs and 117 stolen bases in 478 games. Gore played one minor league season in Binghamton and spent most of his later life in New Jersey, passing away in 1933 at age 79.

Mike Donlin was one of the most colorful and flamboyant players during the Deadball Era. His parents passed away in a railroad bridge collapse. Donlin worked as a machinist and later a candy seller on a train before settling in Southern California. He signed with the St. Louis Perfectos in 1899 as a pitcher but converted to the field, first as a shortstop, then a first baseman and finally as an outfielder for the team that would become the Cardinals. Donlin joined the Giants in 1904 and gained the nickname “Turkey Mike” for his strut and red neck. The following year, he posted career highs with .356 average, 80 RBIs, 33 steals, 216 hits and 124 runs, which also led the National League. Donlin’s early career was marred by alcohol and tobacco use and his later years included near constant holdouts over wages and missing two seasons while he toured the country performing with his wife, stage star Mabel Hite. He had a stellar season in 1908, batting .334 with 198 hits and a career-high 106 RBIs, but he played sparingly while converting to becoming a star on stage and screen. After stints with the Rustlers (later Braves) and Pirates, Donlin returned to the Giants for one final season, finishing his six-year tenure (1904-06, ’08, ’11 and ’14) with a .333 average (second in franchise history), 231 runs, 498 hits and 218 RBIs in 431 games. He also appeared in the 1905 World Series, totaling four runs, five hits and an RBI in the five-game victory over the Athletics. Donlin appeared in more than a dozen movies in the two decades following his playing career, but his finances were low later in life. He was poised to make a comeback as a coach for the Giants when he passed away in 1933 at age 55 after suffering a heart attack in his sleep.

Before Shohei Ohtani or even Babe Ruth, there was James “Cy” Seymour, an upstate New York native who played 10 years with the Giants in two stints (1896-1900 and 06-10). He was primarily a pitcher during his first run with the club, posting a 61-56 record with a 3.73 earned run average and 105 complete games. The two-time strikeout leader had his best season on the mound in 1898, when he went 25-19 and fanned a league-high 239 batters. Seymour became the first player in major league history who appeared in more than 100 games as a pitcher (141) and amass more than 1,500 hits in his career (1,724). (Ruth played in 163 games as a pitcher and totaled 2,873 hits and Ohtani is well on his way, with 86 starts and 833 hits in his age 29 season.) Seymour became a stellar hitter later in his career, leading the league with a .377 average, 219 hits, 40 doubles, 21 triples and 121 RBIs with the Reds in 1905. He rejoined the Giants the following year and drove in 92 runs in 1908. Seymour finished his time with New York batting .285 with 300 runs, 732 hits and 345 RBIs in 728 games. After playing in the minor leagues for two years, he returned for a brief stint with the Boston Braves in 1913. Seymour continued to play in the minor leagues and was working in a shipyard in New York City during World War I when he contracted tuberculosis. He passed away in 1919 at age 46.

Brett Butler was a Los Angeles native who was a speedy leadoff hitter and excellent bunter for five teams during a 17-year career. He started his career with the Braves and Indians, leading the league in triples for each club before signing with the Giants in 1988. In three seasons with San Francisco, “Bugsy” (nicknamed for his pregame wardrobe of a suit with a fedora) batted at least .280 with 100 runs (including a league-leading 109 in 1988), 160 hits and 30 stolen bases. He was a table setter for the pennant-winning team in 1989, totaling seven runs, eight hits and two steals in nine playoff games. Butler’s best season in San Francisco was his last, as he batted .309 with 108 runs, a career-best and league-leading 192 hits and 41 stolen bases. He signed with his hometown Dodgers and made his only All-Star team in 1991. After four years, he joined the Mets but was traded back to Los Angeles later that season. Butler missed most of 1996 while dealing with tonsil cancer from smoking, but he had the tumor removed and returned to the field four months later and was honored with the Lou Gehrig and Branch Rickey awards. Following his retirement as a player, Butler was a minor league manager in between coaching stints with the Diamondbacks (2005) and Marlins (2014-15), and he was a bunting instructor for the Reds in 2023-24.

5. Charles “Chili” Davis – The Jamaican-born future star moved with his family at age 10 when the dentist his mother worked for on the island took his practice to Los Angeles. Two years later, Davis got his nickname when his father gave him a haircut and his friends said it looked like someone used a chili bowl and cut around it. He was drafted by the Giants in 1977 and became a switch-hitter during his time in the minor leagues. After three seasons, he had a brief stint in the majors, becoming the first player from Jamaica to play in the big leagues, and he took over in center field in 1982, finishing fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting after hitting 19 home runs, amassing 76 RBIs, scoring 86 runs and pounding out a career-high 167 hits. Davis survived the sophomore jinx to earn his first All-Star selection in 1984, posting a .315-21-81 stat line along with a career-best 87 runs.

Davis moved to right field in 1985 after Jack Clark was traded and was selected to a second All-Star Game the following year. He returned to center and ended his Giants’ tenure by hitting 24 home runs in 1987, his most with San Francisco. In seven years with the Giants (1981-87), Davis batted .267 with 432 runs, 840 hits, 144 doubles, 101 home runs, 418 RBIs and 1,327 total bases in 874 games. He signed with the Angels and remained in the outfield during his first three-year stint with the club before converting to a full-time designated hitter with the Twins in 1991. Davis won a title with Minnesota the following year, then returned to the Angels and spent time with the Royals and Yankees, winning titles as a reserve with New York in his final two seasons. Since his retirement, he has become a respected hitting coach and had stints with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs and Mets.

4. Fred Snodgrass – The Southern California native had two brief stints with the Giants before getting into the lineup full time in center field in 1910. Snodgrass batted a career-best .321 that year, stole 25 or more bases five times during his tenure with New York (1908-15) and amassed at least 80 runs and 70 RBIs in consecutive seasons in 1911-12. He was the team’s third-place hitter during their run of three straight pennants and contributed 51 stolen bases to New York’s then-record 347 swipes in 1911. Snodgrass had issues on the game’s biggest stage, with a particularly poor spot coming in Game 3 against the Athletics that year. He tried to advance to third on a passed ball, but when the throw got there in plenty of time, he purposely spiked Frank “Home Run” Baker, creating a gash that took several minutes to treat. Baker homered in the 11th inning to win the game, Snodgrass was booed mercilessly the next game and Philadelphia won the series.

“Snow” had an even more infamous moment in the following year’s Fall Classic. The series was best-5-out-of-9, and the Giants took a 2-1 lead in the 10th inning of Game 8 and were three outs away from forcing a deciding contest. Snodgrass dropped an easy fly ball for a two-base error and, despite making a fantastic catch on a line drive later in the inning, the Red Sox scored two runs to win the title. He was traded to the Braves during the 1915 season, finishing his time with the Giants with a .278 average, 410 runs, 735 hits, 128 doubles, 312 RBIs and 198 stolen bases in 788 regular season games and three runs, 10 hits and three RBIs in 16 postseason contests. Snodgrass retired from baseball and returned to Oxnard in Southern California, where he was a businessman and banker, owned a ranch that grew lemons and walnuts and served as a city councilman and mayor. He passed away in 1974 at age 86.

3. Bobby Thompson – The Scotland-born future star came to the U. S. when he was three years old and was given his first chance the way many players got them in the 1940s, having a good game while a major league scout was there to watch someone else. Thomson lost three years of playing development while serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II but returned for a brief stint with the Giants in 1946 before making the team full time the following season. That year, he batted .283 with 29 home runs, 85 RBIs and a career-best 105 runs scored. Although he had a down year in 1948, he made his first of two straight All-Star Games. The second was more deserving, as Thomson set personal bests with a .309 average, 198 hits and 109 RBIs to go with 99 runs and 27 homers. He ran off five straight seasons with at least 20 home runs, the final two after converting to third base. It was at this position where he authored arguable the most memorable moment in baseball history.

In 1951, the “Flying Scot” and his Giants teammates overcame a slow start to creep back into the pennant race, forcing a three-game playoff with the Dodgers after coming from six games back with 12 to play. Thomson homered in the first game, but Brooklyn forced a deciding contest with a shutout in Game 2. The clincher saw the Dodgers take the lead, but Thomson hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to tie the score. After Brooklyn scored three in the eighth, New York chipped away with a run in the ninth and two runners in scoring position. The Dodgers brought in Game 1 starter Ralph Branca to try to close things out, but Thomson connected on the second pitch, hitting the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” into the left field stands as legendary announcer Russ Hodges yelled “The Giants Win the Pennant!” from the broadcast booth. Although the Yankees won the World Series, the outfielder was an All-Star for the third and final time the following year after hitting 24 home runs and leading the league with 14 triples. After another solid season, Thomson was traded to the Braves in 1954 and went back to the Giants three years later, each time leaving the team that would go on to win the World Series. He finished his nine-year tenure in New York (1946-53 and ’57) with a .277 average, 648 runs, 1,171 hits, 192 doubles, 56 triples, 189 home runs (seventh in franchise history), 704 RBIs and 2,042 total bases in 1,135 games. Thomson played two years with the Cubs and split his final season between the Red Sox and Orioles in 1960. Following his retirement, he worked as a sales executive with a paper company and was a staple at card shows, usually joined by Branca. Thomson passed away in 2010 at age 86.

2. George Van Haltren – He was born in St. Louis, moved to California and started as a left-handed throwing catcher before converting to pitcher. Van Haltren was signed by the Pirates and traded to the White Stockings (later Cubs) but refused to report while he was taking care of his sick mother (she passed away early in the 1887 season). He won 39 games in his first four seasons but converted to the outfield, where he played almost exclusively beginning in 1891. Three years later, after stints with five teams in three leagues, Van Haltren joined the Giants and became a steady presence for the club over the next decade (1894-1903). He batted .300 or better and had at least 170 hits in his first eight seasons with New York, and he scored more than 100 runs and stole at least 30 bases seven times each, drove in more than 100 runs in his first two campaigns with the team and led the league with 21 tiples in 1896.

“Rip” became a stellar leadoff hitter for the Giants, and he, like the rest of the league, had a standout season in 1894, with a .331 average, 109 runs, 175 hits, 43 steals and a career-high 105 RBIs. He posted a personal best 204 hits in 1898 and led the league with 45 stolen bases two years later. Van Haltren did all of this despite the turmoil among the management of the franchise, which included a politically motivated owner and several manager changes during his tenure. He suffered a broken ankle in 1902 and was never the same following his recovery. Van Haltren was released after the next season, finishing his Giants career tied for fifth in batting average (.321) and ranked sixth in steals (320), seventh in runs (976), ninth in triples (88) and tenth in hits (1,580) to go with 195 doubles, 29 home runs, 605 RBIs and 2,038 total bases in 1,227 games. He returned to California, where he was a lather and a minor league player, manager and umpire. Van Haltren later worked in construction, owned rental properties and was a scout for the Pirates. He passed away from complications of heart disease in 1945 at age 79.

1. Willie Mays – The Louisiana native was the son and grandson of semipro ballplayers, and his mother was a basketball and track star in high school. Mays joined the Birmingham Black Barons as a 17-year-old in 1948, playing weekend home games for the Negro American League team until he graduated. He also got his first taste of playoff success, amassing four runs, seven hits and give RBIs against the Kansas City Monarchs and then scoring a run against the Homestead Grays in his only appearance in the final Negro League World Series. Mays signed with the Giants and spent the next two years in the minors before making his major league debut in 1951 and winning the Rookie of the Year Award after belting 20 home runs. He also made several stellar plays in the field, but his greatest would come after he spent nearly two years in the Army mostly playing baseball during the Korean War.

Mays returned and went on a home run tear in 1954, hitting 36 in the first four months before focusing more on hits and finishing with 41 as well as 119 runs, 195 hits, 110 RBIs and league-high marks with 13 triples and .345 to win his only batting title (passing teammate Don Mueller on the final day of the season) and the MVP Award. In Game 1 of the World Series against the Indians that year, the score was tied 2-2 with two runners on in the eighth inning. Vic Wertz, who already had three hits in the game, sent a fly ball to straightaway center field. Mays sprinted back and snagged the ball with an over-the-shoulder basket grab that, front that point on, was simply known as “The Catch.” While video of the play is arguably the most viewed in baseball history, the camera didn’t follow the incredible throw that kept the runner from scoring from second on such a deep shot. The Giants went on to win the game, 5-2 in 10 innings and sweep the series.

The “Say Hey Kid” followed up his stellar season by batting .319 with 123 runs and 127 RBIs and leading the league with 51 home runs (tied for third in team history), 13 triples, a .650 slugging percentage and a career-high 382 total bases in 1952. Mays has been called the most well-balanced superstar in the game’s history, and anyone who has a doubt can just refer to these awards: a record-tying 24 All-Star selections, two All-Star MVP Awards, 12 gold gloves, a Rookie of the Year Award and two regular season MVPs. If that isn’t enough, he amassed at least 150 hits in 13 straight seasons, scored 100 or more runs 12 consecutive years, hit 30 or more doubles 11 times, batted at least .300 and drove in 100 or more runs 10 times each, stole at least 20 bases six times and led the league four straight years, and hit at least 20 home runs in 17 of his 21 seasons with the Giants (1951-52 and 54-72), reached the 30-homer mark 11 times and topped 40 on six occasions.

Mays finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting 12 times, with two second-place finishes, including 1962, when he posted 141 RBIs, which set a career high and ranks third in team history. Three years later, he won his second MVP Award, batting .317 with 118 runs, 177 hits, 112 RBIs, and league-leading totals of a .398 on-base percentage, a .645 slugging percentage, 360 total bases and 52 home runs, which ranks second on the all-time franchise list. Mays struggled personally after the team moved west to San Francisco, with fans booing him at home games and potential neighbors trying to prevent him from buying a house, then throwing a brick through the window after he finished the purchase. He also began to experience physical exhaustion and collapsed several times during games. Mays’ numbers dropped off over his final few seasons with the Giants, but he still had a major milestone left in him by hitting his 600th career home run with his final blast in 1969. He hit 28 home runs the following year and won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1971, but he was traded to the Mets the next year, going back to New York to play his final two seasons. Despite being in a reserve role, he ended his career on a high note, getting three hits and driving in two runs in the playoffs to help the Mets reach the World Series in 1973.

In the annals of Giants history, Mays’ name is at the top, especially statistically. He is the all-time franchise leader in games (2,857), runs (2,011), hits (3,187), doubles (504), home runs (646), strikeouts (1,436) and total bases (5,907), and he ranks second in triples (139), slugging percentage (.564) and RBIs (1,859, one behind the right field starter) and third in stolen bases (336) and walks (1,394) to go with a .304 average. Counting his Mets tenure, he has 660 homers (sixth on the all-time list), 6,080 total bases (fourth), 2,068 runs (seventh), 3,005 games (ninth) 1,909 RBIs (12th) and 3,293 hits (13th). Following his playing career, Mays coached with the Mets and was a coach and consultant with the Giants. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 but, after signing a public relations contract with Bally’s Casino that fall, he was prohibited from holding a job in baseball until he was reinstated after five years. The game’s greatest five-tool player passed away in June 2024 at age 93.

Right Fielders

Honorable Mentions – John “Red” Murray was a native of Northern Pennsylvania who began his major league career as a catcher and outfielder with the Cardinals in 1906. He was traded to New York three years later in a deal that involved future Hall of Fame catcher Roger Bresnahan going to St. Louis. Murray became the cleanup hitter for his new team, leading the league with seven home runs in 1909 while posting four straight seasons with at least 75 RBIs and five with 35 or more stolen bases. During his tenure, the Giants went to three straight World Series (all losses), and he totaled seven runs, 14 hits, four doubles and five RBIs in 19 games. Murray was an unsung star on a team full of talented players. He is one of only three players to finish in the top five in both home runs and stolen bases multiple times in his career, and he also won the fielding title in 1913 and led the league in assists twice. Murray’s greatest moment came during a game in Pittsburgh in August 1909, when he made a leaping catch with his bare hand to save at least two runs in a game that was being finished during a thunderstorm. He played with the Cubs in 1915 and spent the following year in the minors before returning to the Giants to appear in 22 games in 1917, ending his eight-year tenure in New York (1909-15 and ’17) with a .268 average, 406 runs, 796 hits, 124 doubles, 63 triples, 440 RBIs, 239 steals and 1,112 total bases in 881 games. Following his playing days, Murray lived in Elmira, New York, operating an auto parts story and serving as the town’s alderman and recreation director. He passed away from leukemia in 1958 at age 74.

Willard Marshall was a Virginia native who earned a contract with the Cardinals at a tryout camp when he was 16, but his father would not give his blessing. The Dodgers were interested as well until the U. S. entered World War II late in 1941. The following season, the Giants grabbed Marshall, who was an All-Star as a rookie. He spent the next years as a quartermaster in the Marines during the war and was on a baseball team that played on island bases under the care of Major Dan Topping, who would later be a co-owner of the Yankees. When he returned, Marshall spent one season in center field before taking over for the top player on this list in right. He put together a career year, earning an All-Star selection after batting .291 and setting personal bests with 102 runs, 171 hits, 36 home runs and 107 RBIs for a team that smacked a then-record 221 homers. Although Marshall was an All-Star for the third and final time two years later, he never put up numbers close to those for the rest of his career. He was traded to the Braves in 1950 and played for the Reds and White Sox before retiring in 1955. Following his playing career, Marshall was a scout for the Giants, worked for his family’s real estate business and was a director of recreation in Fort Lee, New Jersey, for 25 years. He passed away in 2000 at age 79.

Felipe Alou was born in the Dominican Republic and became the second player born in that country to play in the major leagues, joining the Giants two years after infielder Ozzie Virgil (the father of a catcher in the 1980s of the same name). After two years in the minor leagues (in which he experienced racism for the first time), he arrived in San Francisco in 1958 and fought for playing time in his first three seasons with several other young minority players making their debuts around the same time (Cepeda, White, Pagan and McCovey to name a few). Alou earned time with his production and was selected to his first of three All-Star Games in 1962, when he batted .316 with 25 home runs, a career-best 98 RBIs, 96 runs and 177 hits. He made history the following year, forming the first all-brother outfield in the major leagues with younger siblings Matty and Jesus. After playing in an “unauthorized” exhibition game and speaking about the issues Latino players faced in the U.S., Felipe Alou was traded to the Braves in the offseason, ending his six-year Giants tenure (1958-63) with a .286 average, 337 runs, 655 hits, 119 doubles, 85 home runs, 325 RBIs and 1,067 total bases in 719 games. After leaving San Francisco, he spent time with five other franchises until he retired in 1974 and embarked on a nearly 40-year coaching career that included almost a decade as manager of the Expos (winning the Manager of the Year Award in 1994), a one-year stint as coach of the Tigers and a return to the Giants for a four-year run as manager from 2003-06. Following his dismissal, Alou stayed with San Francisco and became a special assistant of baseball operations, a position he has held for 16 years.

Hunter Pence was a Texas native who was drafted in the second round by the Astros in 2004. In five years with Houston, he finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting and earned to All-Star selections before he was traded to Philadelphia in 2011. Pence was on the move again, heading the Giants the following year to become a key part of a championship team. He gave a passionate speech before Game 3 of the Division Series, and his ability to get his teammates fired up for big games earned him the nickname “The Reverend.” Pence set career highs with 27 home runs and 22 stolen bases and drove in 99 runs in 2013 and agreed to a five-year extension after the season.

The following year, he earned his only All-Star selection with San Francisco thanks to a performance in which he hit 20 home runs and set personal bests with 105 runs, 180 hits and 10 triples. Pence got progressively better in the playoffs, culminating in a World Series victory in which he amassed seven runs, 12 hits, three doubles, one home run and five RBIs against the Royals. The rest of his time with the Giants was best by ailments that included a fractured left forearm, wrist tendinitis, multiple hamstring injuries, an oblique strain and a sprained thumb. Pence was an All-Star and was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2019 with the Rangers but batted .096 in 17 games in his return to the Giants during the COVID-shortened season before retiring. He ended his eight-year tenure in San Francisco (2012-18 and 2020) with a .265 average, 391 runs, 763 hits, 135 doubles, 95 home runs, 412 RBIs and 1,235 total bases in 789 games in the regular season and 20 runs, 39 hits, eight doubles, two homers and 13 RBIs in 38 postseason contests. Since his playing career ended, Pence has been a television analyst, first for the Giants and then with MLB Network.

5B Don Mueller – The son of a Pirates outfielder signed with the Giants at age 17, then spent two years with the Merchant Marine and two more in the minors before joining New York in 1948. Mueller was a pinch-hitter for most of his first two seasons with the Giants before taking over for the departed Marshall in 1950 and batting .290 with a career-high 84 runs batted in. The following year, he remained productive and played a key role in one of the team’s most memorable moments. Before Bobby Thomson‘s home run in Game 3 of the playoff against the Dodgers, Mueller showed why he was nicknamed “Mandrake the Magician” (after a popular comic strip character from the 1930s), slipping a single into right field to keep the inning going. He went to third on a double but tore multiple tendons in his ankle on the slide and had to leave the game. Mueller earned back-to back All-Star selections by batting .342 and leading the league with 212 hits in 1954 and posting a .306 average, 185 hits and 83 RBIs the following year. He had seven hits and scored four runs against the Indians in the World Series and was sold to the White Sox, finishing his decade with the Giants (1948-57) with a .298 average, 492 runs, 1,248 hits, 134 doubles, 65 home runs, 504 RBIs and 1,651 total bases in 1,171 games. However, Mueller’s biggest claim to fame was his ability to put the ball in play, striking out just 146 times in his 12-year career. Following his playing days, he was a scout for the Giants, ran a family farm and was insurance company investigator who passed away in 2011 at age 84.

5A Jack Clark – The 13th round pick of the Giants in 1973 spent four years in the minors and, after two brief callups, joined San Francisco in 1977. Over his decade in the Bay Area (1975-84), Clark became one of the league’s most productive power hitters, posting five seasons with at least 20 home runs and four with 80 or more RBIs. His breakout season came in 1978, when he set a team record with a 26-game hitting streak, earned the first of two straight All-Star selections and finished fifth in the MVP voting after batting .306 with 25 home runs, 98 RBIs, 90 runs and career highs with 181 hits, 318 total bases and 46 doubles, which is tied for second in franchise history. The brash, outspoken Clark played in an inconsistent era for the Giants, who employed six managers during his tenure with the club. Following a season marred by the players’ strike, he scored 90 runs, hit 27 homers and drove in 103 runs in 1982.

“Jack the Ripper” (nicknamed for his hitting prowess and volatile nature) saw his numbers drop the following year and his 1984 campaign was affected by a June knee injury that required surgery. He was sent to the Cardinals after the season, finishing his time with the Giants batting .277 with 597 runs, 1,034 hits, 197 doubles, 163 home runs, 595 RBIs and 1,780 total bases in 1,044 games. St. Louis moved him to first bases, and he earned two more All-Star selections, finished third in the MVP race in 1987 and was a key player on a team that went to the World Series twice. After stints with the Yankees, Padres and Red Sox, as well as a failed tryout with the Expos, Clark retired in 1992, with a salary collusion settlement helping him to pay off quite a few bills and debts. He sandwiched a three-year run as hitting coach of the Dodgers in between several stints as a minor league manager. Clark’s biggest controversy came in 2013. After working as a studio analyst for the Cardinals for two years, he hosted a radio talk show in which he accused the team’s star, Albert Pujols, of using performance-enhancing drugs. The slugger filed a lawsuit, which was dropped after Clark admitted he made up the story.

4. Bobby Bonds – A baseball and track star in high school, he signed with the Giants after graduating in 1964 and made his debut four years later, becoming the first player in 70 years to hit a grand slam in his first game. In each of the next six seasons, Bonds posted at least 95 runs, 20 home runs, 70 RBIs and 25 stolen bases while earning three gold gloves and two All-Star selections. He had a solid second season in 1969, hitting 32 homers, driving in 90 runs, stealing 45 bases in 49 attempts and leading the league with 120 runs, but he also set a major league record with 187 strikeouts. The following year, he amassed career-high totals with 134 runs, 200 hits and 48 stolen bases, but he added to his strikeouts record by fanning 189 times. In 1971, Bonds finished fourth in the MVP voting thanks to a .288-33-102 stat line. After an off year following the trade of Mays, his friend and mentor, he was third in the MVP race and was named MVP of the All-Star Game after leading the N.L. with 131 runs and 341 total bases and setting a personal best with 39 home runs in 1973.

Before the 1974 season, Bonds was arrested twice, once for drunk driving and another for interference as a passenger when his brother was stopped for speeding. He was traded six times and played for seven teams in his final seven years, with each stop including either an injury, a salary demand or an alcohol issue. Bonds ended his seven-year tenure with the Giants (1968-74) with a .273 average, 765 runs, 1,106 hits, 188 doubles, 186 home runs (eighth in franchise history), 552 RBIs, 263 stolen bases (tied for ninth) and 1,936 total bases in 1,014 games. He finished his career in 1981 as the first player to amass at least 300 home runs (332) and 400 steals (461) in a career (he was joined in this elite group by his son, Barry, in 1997). Bonds was released after playing in the minors in 1982 and never played professionally again. He spent four years as a coach with the Indians but was fired due to his alcoholism and finally sought help. Bonds coached Barry with the Giants under team manager and childhood friend, Dusty Baker from 1992-96. He passed away from the combination of lung cancer and a brain tumor in 2003 at age 57.

3. Mike Tiernan – The New Jersey native was a pitcher at first but converted to outfield and signed with the Giants in 1887. He went from setting a major league record for outfielders (which still stands) by making five errors in a game his first year to stealing 52 bases and becoming the first player in franchise history to hit for the cycle the following year. Tiernan was an integral part of a team that won back-to-back pennants and World’s Series championships in 1888-89, batting .316 with 20 runs, 24 hits, two home runs, 11 RBIs and eight steals against American Association opponents. In 1889, he led the league with 96 walks and 147 runs scored which is also a team record.

Tiernan was like many players of the day. He didn’t have a mustache, nor did he verbally abuse umpires or opponents. In fact, he spoke so little, that he was nicknamed “Silent Mike.” While many of his teammates moved to the ill-fated Players League in 1890, Tiernan stayed with the National League Giants (who agreed to pay him more, despite the upstart circuit’s drawing card of touting player-friendly contracts) and hit the most memorable homer of his career, a game-winning blast in the13th inning off future Hall of Famer Kid Nichols that struck the stadium across the street which the Players League team called home. Tiernan led the N. L. with 13 home runs that season and 16 the next when all his old Giants teammates returned. He stuck with New York throughout his entire 13-year career (1887-99), finishing as the team’s all-time leader in triples (162, hitting double digits 11 times) and stolen bases (428, including seven seasons with 30 or more). Tiernan also ranks fourth in runs (1,316), sixth in hits (1,838) and total bases (2,737) and seventh in RBIs (853) to go with a .311 average (hitting .300 or better seven times), 257 doubles and 106 home runs in 1,478 games. Following his release by the Giants, he played one major league season in Connecticut, ran a saloon in Manhattan and passed away from tuberculosis in 1918 at age 51.

2. Ross Youngs – He was tearing up the minor leagues throughout his native Texas when he was signed by the Giants in 1916. After a brief call-up the following year, Youngs took over the starting spot and batted .302 in 1918. He improved to .311 and led the league with 31 doubles the next season then put together a stellar campaign in 1920, batting .351 with 92 runs and 78 RBIs. He was moved to the cleanup spot in the order the following year and responded with a career-best 102 RBIs to go with a .327 average, helping the Giants win their first of four straight pennants. Youngs smacked seven hits in the World Series that year and six more the following season as his team beat the powerful Yankees both times. He posted three straight highly productive seasons, batting at least .330 with 100 runs and 185 hits each year from 1922-24, including a league-best 121 runs in 1923.

“Pep” had a third straight stellar World Series before falling off in 1924, but the Giants fell both times, first to the Yankees and then the Nationals. His numbers fell over the next two years as he began to experience health problems. Although Youngs batted .306 in 1926, he played 95 games before checking himself into the hospital in August, where he stayed throughout the offseason, first in New York then in Texas. Although he wanted to play, he never returned to the field, passing away in October 1927 at only 30 years old. Doctors believe the ailment started as strep throat, which turned into a urinary tract infection and then Bright’s Disease, a fatal kidney condition. Throughout his decade with the Giants (1917-26), Youngs finished fourth in franchise history in batting average (.322, including nine seasons at .300 or better) and eighth in triples (93) to go with 812 runs, 1,491 hits, 236 doubles, 42 home runs, 592 RBIs, 153 stolen bases and 2,039 total bases in 1,211 games. He was also sold in the World Series, totaling 10 runs, 26 hits, one homer and 10 RBIs in 26 contests. Youngs was known for his hustle and defense, including his strong arm and uncanny ability to play caroms off the wall at the Polo Grounds. The five-time league leader in assists was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1972.

1. Mel Ott – The Louisiana native played for a semi-pro lumber company team as a teenager and turned a chance tryout and $400 signing bonus into a 22-year big-league career. Ott joined the Giants at age 17 in 1926, spent most of his first two years as a reserve and took over as starter after Youngs’ death. He had a strong throwing arm and followed in his mentor’s footsteps, becoming an expert at playing balls off the right field wall. However, Ott was much more of a power hitter than his predecessor, and he batted .322 with 18 home runs in his first full campaign. The 1929 season was arguably his finest, with his 42 home runs being a career high, his 151 RBIs were a team record, and both totals set major league marks by a player 20 or younger. Ott also batted .328, led the league with 113 walks, rapped 182 hits and set career highs with 345 total bases and 138 runs (third-most in franchise history). This would be the first of many masterful seasons for Ott, who smacked at least 20 home runs 15 times, reached 30 on eight occasions and led the league six times. He also topped 150 hits 12 times, hit .300 or better 11 times, drove in at least 100 runs nine times (including eight in a row from 1929-36), scored 100 or more runs nine times (topping the N. L. twice), led the league in walks six times and on-base percentage four times and amassed 30 or more doubles on five occasions.

Even though his numbers dropped slightly in 1933 (thanks to the National League using a “deadened” baseball that year), “Master Melvin” drove in 103 runs and helped the Giants reached their first World Series in nearly a decade. He batted .389 (7-for-18) and hit two home runs, including the title-clinching blast in the tenth inning of Game 5, leading New York over Washington. The Giants won two more pennants during the decade but fell to the Yankees in 1936-37. In the latter year, Ott was moved to third base, which did not hurt his production (he led the league with 31 home runs and 102 walks). He started at the “hot corner” in 1938 but played sparingly at the position for the remainder of his career. Ott continued his torrid hitting after moving back to his natural position, and he became a player-manager beginning in the 1942 season. Once again, the change didn’t affect his offensive output, as he led the league with 118 runs, 30 homers and 109 walks.

Over the next few years, both Ott’s numbers and the team’s win total declined, but he continued to persevere, despite the Giants losing several key players during World War II. The 12-time All-Star and five-time fielding champion hit his 500th career home run during the 1945 season, his last as a full-time player. The following year, he was hit in the head during batting practice and injured his knee when diving for a fly ball. He hit his final home run on Opening Day and appeared in just 31 games in that season and for more as a pinch-hitter in 1947 before retiring. Ott continued as manager, leading a team that set a record for the time with 221 home runs, but poor pitching and uninspired play led to him stepping down in the middle of the 1948 season and being replaced by former Dodgers skipper, Leo Durocher. In his Giants career (1926-47), Ott is the all-time franchise leader in RBIs (1,860), and he ranks second in games (2,730), runs (1,859), hits (2,876), doubles (488), walks (1,708), on-base percentage (.414) and total bases (5,041) and third in home runs (511, which was third on the all-time list at his retirement) to go with a .304 average and 72 triples. He stayed with the Giants as assistant farm director for three years, then was a minor league manager before becoming a broadcaster for the Tigers. The 1951 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee was traveling with his wife from Mississippi after inspecting the building of a cottage in 1958 when their car was hit head-on in foggy weather. Both were seriously injured, and Ott passed away from his injuries a week later at age 49.