All-Decade San Francisco Giants Infield
2010’s All-Decade Giants
So….the infield is very obvious, and to simplify this slide, I’m just going to list and talk about them as a collective.
Buster Posey: Catcher 2010-2019
Brandon Belt: First Baseman 2011-2019
Joe Panik: Second Baseman 2014-2019
Brandon Crawford: Shortstop 2011-2019
Pablo Sandoval: Third Baseman 2010-2014, 2017-2019
Probably the easiest all-decade infield to identify given that a lot of these players were the starters during their time span while there were memorable contributors like Aubrey Huff, Marco Scutaro, Edgar Renteria, and Juan Uribe.
But this group was ‘the core’ so to speak. Posey, of course, the Rookie of the Year in 2010 and MVP in 2012 with several all-star appearances to boot. He is the unquestioned face of the franchise right now.
Belt came onto the scene as the expected power-hitting first baseman the Giants desperately needed and while he maybe isn’t 30 home runs a year – no one really was – he provided the above-average defense with a great plate discipline which built a high on-base percentage; .354 in the stretch.
Panik’s departure left a lot of Giants fans heartbroken that one big piece has gone, but Panik will always be forever Giant; especially for his glovework in game seven of the 2014 World Series.
Crawford – speaking of glovework – might be the best defensive shortstop of the past decade. Once his bat decided to join the party he became a flexible option in the Giants’ lineup.
And of course, the Kung-Fu Panda. The man who has had a rough career away from the Giants, but with the Giants, he had several memorable moments. Most notably has to be his three-homer game in game one of the 2012 World Series; a feat that put him on a list with Reggie Jackson, Babe Ruth, and Albert Pujols who accomplished the feat the World Series prior.