No need to overly rehash thoughts on the possibility of Pablo Sandoval singing a minor-league deal with the Giants.
Said it this morning, tweeted it last night.
Give the guy a bat, let’s see if he can hit in a comfortable environment, humbled and chastened. If he can, great. If he can’t? Then the Giants can say, “Don’t let the door hit your considerable rear end on the way out of Sac Town.”
What was more startling was the reaction I got when I declared on-air that Pablo was a “Top 20 San Francisco Giant of All Time.”
Apparently, Pablo’s immature interview with Bleacher Report in 2015, when he famously said he only would miss Bruce Bochy and Hunter Pence, bruised enough fan feelings to overlook Sandoval’s impact. And I’m not talking just Panda hats.
By way of example, I looked up Sandoval’s OPS as a Giant, in a stay that lasted from 2008-14. It was .811.
The other third baseman most everyone would say blows Pablo away is Matt Williams, a Giant from 1987-1996. His OPS? An identical .811.
Yes, Williams played more games (1,120) as a Giant than Sandoval (869), but the point of the matter is that Sandoval’s numbers were beyond legitimate in San Francisco. He hit .294 as a Giant, sports fans. He was a part of three World Series championships, and while he sat through most of 2010, he was the flippin’ World Series MVP in 2012, and set a flippin’ Major League Baseball post-season record with 26 hits in 2014.
The whole thing got me to Jock Blogging: If I’m so certain Pablo was a top-20 San Francisco Giant, where would he fit in?
A list for your phone reading on the BART ride home:
1. Willie Mays.
‘Cause he’s Willie Mays.
2. Willie McCovey.
Could argue he’s No. 1.
3. Barry Bonds.
Could argue he’s No. 1, too.
4. Juan Marichal.
Greatest pitcher in SF history.
5. Buster Posey.
Stlll time to climb even higher.
6. Tim Lincecum.
Two Cy Youngs, endless swag.
7. Madison Bumgarner.
Still time to climb even higher.
8. Will Clark.
Until this 2010-12-14 crew, top 5.
9. Orlando Cepeda.
Some liked him more than McCovey,
10. Gaylord Perry.
Quietly, 10 years in SF; see the statue.
11. Jack Clark.
For a lost generation at the ‘Stick, our hero.
12. Kevin Mitchell.
When he won MVP, only Mays, McCovey had, too.
13. Jeff Kent.
Sort of the Cepeda of the late ‘90s/early ‘00s.
14. Bobby Bonds.
39 bombs, 43 steals in 1973.
15. Matt Williams
Chased Babe Ruth in 1994.
16. Pablo Sandoval.
Here he is!!
17. Matt Cain
The stoic sherriff, perfect in 2012.
18. J.T. Snow
4 Gold Gloves in a decade at 1B in SF.
19. Rich Aurilia
SS on 3 NL West flags, one NL flag.
20. Rod Beck
RIP, Shooter.
And I make that list with apologies to Felipe Alou, Robb Nen, Jason Schmidt and maybe even Brian Wilson. You could make an argument for all those guys to wrestle for spots.
But make no mistake. Pablo Sandoval belongs on the list. Whether you think he belongs in Sacramento on a minor-league deal in 2017 is up to you.