Our All Time Top 50 San Francisco Giants have been revised to reflect the 2024 Season
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 San Francisco Giants.
As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.
Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.
Last year, the Giants went 80-82 and were fourth in the NL West. There were no new entrants, except for one who debuts based on the new algorithm,
As always, we present our top five, which saw one change based on the new algorithm.
1. Willie Mays
2. Barry Bonds
3. Mel Ott
4. Christy Mathewson
5. Carl Hubbell
You can find the entire list here.
The only new addition was George Van Haltren, who as discussed above, enters via the new system.
We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.
Our All-Time Top 50 San Francisco Giants have been revised (sort of) to reflect the 2023 Season
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out, and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 San Francisco Giants.
As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.
Last year, the Giants failed to make the playoffs, and as this team is over a century old, it takes a lot to break into this list. Nobody did in 2023, and there were no changes, but we always want to acknowledge that we took the last season into consideration.
As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:
1. Willie Mays
2. Barry Bonds
4. Mel Ott
5. Carl Hubbell
You can find the entire list here.
We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.
Our All-Time Top 50 San Francisco Giants are now up
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. We have a new one to unveil today, that of the San Francisco Giants.
The franchise began in 1883 as the New York Gothams, changing their name to the Giants shortly after. In the pre-modern World Series era, New York won the 1888 and 1889 Pennants, and in 1905, they captured their first World Series. The Giants won the World Series again in 1921, 1922, 1933, and 1954, but like the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Giants were not going to be the top dog in NYC, and they moved to San Francisco in 1956.
Even though they had Willie Mays in tow, it would take long after he left until the turn of the century for the Giants to win another title. San Francisco won the 2010, 2012 & 2014 World Series, giving them eight in total.
This list is up to the end of the 2022 regular season.
Our Top 50 lists in Baseball look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.
Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.
This list is updated up until the end of the 2022 Season.
The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article. They are:
1. Willie Mays
2. Barry Bonds
4. Mel Ott
5. Carl Hubbell
We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.
Look for our more material coming soon!
As always, we thank you for your support.
3. Christy Mathewson
Mastery over a single era is rare in professional sports, but the early 20th-century baseball scene was dominated by Christopher Mathewson's elegant style. As the quintessential modern pitching staff anchor, this right-hander had a legendary, mysterious repertoire centered around his “fadeaway”, a screwball that sharply broke inward against right-handed batters. However, his journey to legendary status nearly faltered before it really began. The New York Giants signed him from the minor leagues in 1900, but a poor initial showing led management to send him back to Norfolk. The Cincinnati Reds quickly claimed him that winter, but the Giants quickly corrected their error by executing a dramatic trade to bring him back to Manhattan. This remains one of the most remarkable organizational turnaround stories in sports history.
Mathewson quickly responded to the team's sudden shift in stance by refining his early stats and then delivered a remarkable 1903 season, finishing with a 30–13 record and leading the National League with 267 strikeouts. He followed this with an even more impressive 33-win season in 1904, earning another strikeout title and leading a strong pitching staff that won the National League pennant. Sadly, ongoing political conflicts between Giants owner John T.. Brush and the management of the American League's Boston Americans led to New York boycotting the postseason, depriving Mathewson of a chance at a world championship.
That injustice was brief, as the 1905 season became his definitive hardware-certified masterpiece. Mathewson achieved the rare Pitcher’s Triple Crown by leading the Senior Circuit in wins (31), ERA (1.28), and strikeouts (206), guiding the Giants back to the ultimate stage. This time, they did not fall short; in the 1905 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics, Mathewson delivered one of the most remarkable postseason performances ever, pitching three complete-game shutouts within six days to win the franchise's first world championship.
Far from a short-lived peak, he turned run prevention into a strict, daily regular-season routine for the remainder of the decade. Mathewson secured a second Pitcher's Triple Crown during a staggering 1908 showcase, racking up a modern franchise-record 37 victories alongside a microscopic 1.43 ERA and 259 punchouts. He followed that up by capturing the 1909 National League ERA efficiency title with a sparkling 1.14 mark, systematically paralyzing opposing batting orders through an elite mix of movement and unshakeable poise.
As the 1910s approached and natural wear affected his speed, Mathewson shifted to a more controlled style. He compensated for the loss of his top velocity by enhancing his spatial awareness and strike-zone judgment, winning two more National League ERA titles in 1911 and 1913.
His accuracy reached an almost mythical baseline, as he led the Senior Circuit in fewest walks per nine innings for five consecutive summers from 1911 through 1915, anchoring his legacy as the ultimate mound maestro. He propelled New York to three consecutive National League pennants from 1911 to 1913, but despite throwing his heart out across all three Fall Classics, a lack of defensive support and anemic run-production from his teammates left the Giants frustrated casualties in all three series.
By the 1916 campaign, the heavy structural toll of his massive career workload finally caught up to him, leaving his legendary arm a shell of its former self. Recognizing that the organizational relationship had reached its definitive career exit, the front office traded the veteran icon back to the Cincinnati Reds, where he immediately transitioned into a player-manager role, making just one final sentimental pitching appearance before walking away from the rubber for good.
He is the all-time franchise leader in bWAR for Pitchers (100.6), ERA (2.12), Wins (372), Innings Pitched (4,779.2), and Strikeouts (2,504). Mathewson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 as part of the first Hall of Fame Class. The Giants honored Mathewson by naming the stadium after him and placing his name and an "NY" alongside the other retired numbers.
