This is the third in a series on the major Bay Area pro teams’ top performers of the last 25 years. The all-2000s 49ers and Sharks were unveiled last week and the Warriors’ team will be revealed tomorrow.
The story of the last 25 years of baseball cannot be told without mentioning — repeatedly — the San Francisco Giants.
Three World Series titles in five years. Barry Bonds breaking Henry Aaron’s home run record. Matt Cain’s perfect game. The 107-win season.
Only six teams this millennium have won multiple World Series titles (Giants, Red Sox, Dodgers, Astros, Cardinals, Yankees), and only Boston (four) has won more than San Francisco.
The Giants have had no shortage of talent over the last quarter-century, a list that includes several of the greatest players in franchise history. But if we were to create a 26-man roster of the best players this millennium, who could make the cut?
J.T. Snow or Brandon Belt? Rich Aurilia or Brandon Crawford? Left field is an obvious pick, but what about the other two outfield positions?
As we enter 2025, let’s take a look at the best players of this millennium so far:
Note: There is no designated hitter position on this list because the Giants played most of this millennium without the universal designated hitter.
Catcher: Buster Posey (2009-2021)
Before becoming the Giants’ new president of baseball operations, Posey was the greatest catcher in franchise history and led San Francisco to three World Series titles in five seasons.
He owns the franchise records for catchers in homers (158), runs scored (663), RBIs (729) and hits (1500). His résumé features seven All-Star selections, five Silver Slugger Awards, a Gold Glove Award, an MVP, Rookie of the Year. He’s also the second person to win Comeback Player of the Year twice. In time, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
First base: Brandon Belt (2011-22)
Honorable mention: J.T. Snow
For nearly Belt’s entire career, Giants fans vehemently engaged in the Belt Wars. Regardless of where you planted your flag, it’s hard to deny that Belt was anything other than the best Giants first baseman this millennium.
During his 12 seasons in San Francisco, Belt had an .817 OPS with 175 home runs while consistently playing above-average defense, helping the Giants win World Series titles in ‘12 and ‘14. Belt’s 18th-inning solo shot in Game 2 of the NLDS is one of the most iconic swings in franchise history.
J.T. Snow, who won four of his six consecutive Gold Gloves in San Francisco, is the only other first baseman who could compete with Belt for this spot, but the numbers aren’t all that close.
Second base: Jeff Kent (1997-2002)
Honorable mention: Ray Durham
![KRT SPORTS STORY SLUGGED: SERIES KRT PHOTO BY KARL MONDON/CONTRA COSTA TIMES (October 24) SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- The Giants' Jeff Kent slides safely into home in the second inning of game 5 of the 2002 World Series on Thursday, October 24, 2002 at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco, California. (CC) NC KD BL 2002 (Horiz) (mvw). [Baseball, Pro, World Series]. ORG XMIT: KRT](https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BNG-Z-KENT-1220.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
Kent doesn’t have the postseason legacy of Freddy Sanchez, Marco Scutaro or Joe Panik, but there were few second basemen more feared than Kent, the all-time home run leader at the second base position.
Kent only spent three years with the Giants this millennium from 2000-02, but during those three seasons, he was a two-time All-Star, a three-time Silver Slugger and won the 2000 NL MVP. Similar to Belt vs. Snow, it’s not really a competition.
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford (2011-23)
Honorable mention: Rich Aurilia
Crawford, who recently announced his retirement, is arguably the best shortstop in franchise history — and definitely the best shortstop in San Francisco Giants history.
Born in Mountain View and raised in Pleasanton, Crawford set the franchise record for games played at shortstop (1,617) for his hometown team. Over 13 seasons in San Francisco, Crawford earned three All-Star selections, four Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger. He held down shortstop as the Giants won two World Series titles in ‘12 and ‘14, kickstarting the latter run with his crowd-silencing grand slam in Pittsburgh.
Third base: Pablo Sandoval (2008-14, 2017-20)
It’s difficult to neatly summarize Sandoval’s 11 seasons with the Giants. There were the three championships (and three homers). Then, there were the burnt bridges. Then, there was the redemption.
There’s beauty in the story of the player who stays with one franchise his entire career. But there’s also beauty in stories like Sandoval’s, of the player who leaves and comes home.
Left field: Barry Bonds (1993-07)
If you need an explanation as to why Bonds was picked, please immediately go to YouTube and search “Barry Bonds 482 FT Grand Slam at San Diego.”
If you need more of an explanation, return to YouTube and search, “Bonds, Bernie and Giambi Take on the ‘Magic Ball’ Challenges” and skip to the 26:53 mark.
If you are still not convinced, return to YouTube one final time and search for Bonds’ home run off Troy Percival in the 2002 World Series.
Bonds is, depending on your perspective, the best or second-best player in the history of the game. There’s really no discussion to be had here.
Center field: Andres Torres (2009-11, 2013)
Honorable mention: Ángel Pagán
Bonds’ occupation of left field is obvious, but center field, by contrast, is the most debatable spot on this list. Torres gets the nod over Ángel Pagán because in 2010, Torres had the best season by a Giants center fielder this millennium — and it’s not particularly close.
Over 139 games, Torres had a .268 batting average and .823 OPS with 16 home runs and 26 steals while playing elite defense in center field. Per FanGraphs, Torres was the National League’s best defensive center fielder.
For Torres’ efforts, he was worth 6.3 WAR (per FanGraphs), which ranked 10th in all of baseball. The only Giants outfielder to accumulate more WAR in a single season over the last quarter-century? No. 25.
Pagán played significantly more games with the Giants than Torres (583 to 429) and has the advantage over Torres in most of the counting stats. The key word: most. Despite Pagán playing a full season’s worth of games more, Torres (10.9) accrued more WAR than Pagán (9.2).
Right field: Hunter Pence (2012-18, 2020)
If center field was a statistical argument, then right field is a spiritual argument. Is there another right fielder this millennium who better symbolically represents the Giants than Pence?
The motivational speeches. The signs. The Willie Mac Award. The personality. The batting stance. The high socks. There was only one Hunter Pence.
Bench: C Patrick Bailey (2023-present), OF Randy Winn (2005-09), OF Mike Yastrzemski (2019-present), INF Rich Aurilia (1995-03, 2007-09), INF Edgar Renteria (2009-10)
Bailey is arguably the best defensive catcher in baseball right now, and more Gold Gloves could be in his future. Winn and Yastrzemski haven’t had insane peaks, but they’ve been San Francisco’s most productive outfielders not named Bonds. Aurilia, who put up 7.1 WAR in 2001, gets the nod for holding down shortstop for four seasons. Renteria wasn’t a great regular-season player during his two years in San Francisco (.660 OPS), but gets a spot on the bench for hitting the most important Giants home run of this millennium.
Starting rotation: Tim Lincecum (2007-15), Madison Bumgarner (2009-19), Matt Cain (2005-17), Logan Webb (2019-present), Jason Schmidt (2001-06)
For all the great pitching San Francisco has gotten this millennium, the quintet of Lincecum, Bumgarner, Cain, Webb and Schmidt separated themselves from the pack.
Lincecum owns the two Cy Young Awards and was the single most electrifying pitcher in baseball for a five-year stretch. Schmidt and Webb were runner-ups for the award in their own right. Bumgarner’s run in the 2014 postseason — one that ended with five scoreless innings in Game 7 — is without parallel in the 21st century. Don’t forget about Cain not allowing a single run in the 2010 postseason.
Bullpen: Javier López (2010-16), Jeremy Affeldt (2009-15), Santiago Casilla (2010-16), Sergio Romo (2008-16), Tyler Rogers (2019-present), Camilo Doval, (2021-present), Brian Wilson (2006-12), Robb Nenn (1998-2002)
It would’ve been impossible to create this team and not include every member of the Core Four, who were all inducted into the Giants’ Wall of Fame this past season. The list features a trio of closers in Nenn, Wilson and Doval, who cracks the list despite his struggles last season. Nenn, the Giants’ all-time saves leader, didn’t record as many saves as Wilson this millennium, but he gets the nod as closer because of his dominance from 2000-02 (2.28 ERA). Rogers is the modern-day Bullpen Baron; if he’s not leading the league in appearances, he’s sure to be at the top.