A Look Back: When They Were San Jose Giants
By Joe Ritzo
The San Francisco Giants are one win away from claiming their third National League pennant in the last five years. 16 former San Jose Giants have been on the playoff rosters this October with several playing leading roles, from Madison Bumgarner’s dominance on the mound to Buster Posey’s clutch hitting and Brandon Belt’s memorable 18th inning home run. Rookies such as Joe Panik, Matt Duffy and Hunter Strickland along with veterans Travis Ishikawa and Sergio Romo, among others, have also made significant contributions during the postseason run.
Before their successes on baseball’s biggest stage though, these 16 players were making their mark in the California League, whether it be with a big playoff home run, an All-Star nod or a spectacular pitching performance. Take a look back now at when they were prospects and some of their notable individual accomplishments while playing for the San Jose Giants.
The 16 former San Jose Giants that have been on San Francisco’s playoff rosters this year…
Brandon Belt: Made his professional debut with the San Jose Giants when he was placed on the 2010 opening day roster. Torched the California League to the tune of a .383 batting average in 77 games while also contributing 28 doubles, 10 home runs and 62 RBI’s (1.120 OPS). Had a memorable two-homer, six-RBI game the night San Jose clinched the first half North Division title (Giants eventually won Cal League championship). Was leading the league in hitting at the time of his promotion to Double-A in early-July.
Gary Brown: The top hitter on San Jose’s 2011 team that finished with the best record in the California League. Hit an impressive .336 with 34 doubles, 13 triples, 14 home runs, 80 RBI’s and 53 stolen bases. Ended the year on a 16-game hitting streak and was named the California League Rookie of the Year (award given to the top player in the league who is in his first professional season).
Madison Bumgarner: Opened the 2009 season in San Jose, but made just five starts in the California League before a promotion to Double-A. Had a spectacular 1.48 ERA with the Giants while registering 23 strikeouts compared to just four walks in 24 1/3 innings. Oh, and he was only 19 years old at the time. With Buster Posey as his catcher, fired six scoreless innings with just two hits allowed in his Cal League debut to pick-up the win (April 10, 2009 at Municipal Stadium).
Brandon Crawford: Had three separate, and relatively brief, stints in San Jose before making his major league debut. Was the Giants’ 2009 opening day shortstop and hit a sizzling .371 with six home runs in 25 games before a quick promotion to Double-A. Suffered an injury with Richmond midway through the 2010 season and upon his return to good health, was transferred back to San Jose late in the year. Supplied two of the biggest hits in the 2010 Championship Series in Rancho Cucamonga blasting an 11th inning grand slam during Game 3 before a home run early in the decisive fifth game. Then after another injury sustained during spring training the following year, was added to San Jose’s roster in mid-May. Batted .322 in 14 games and in an unprecedented move, was promoted all the way to San Francisco.
Matt Duffy: His stay in the California League was shorter than most on this list. Joined the Giants in late-July of the 2013 season and would finish the year in the California League. As the club’s primary shortstop down the stretch, hit a solid .292 while producing six doubles and five home runs over 26 games. Was at his best during the playoffs as San Jose won the North Division title. Batted .300 in eight postseason games and was second on the club with five RBI’s.
Adam Duvall: Set the San Jose Giants team record for home runs with 30 as the club’s everyday third baseman in 2012 (previous record was 26 HR). Also produced 24 doubles, 100 RBI’s and hit .258 while in the California League. Had a stretch of five straight games with a home run in August and reached the 30-homer/100-RBI mark with a round-tripper during the final game of the regular season.
Travis Ishikawa: Like Crawford, played on three different San Jose teams, two of which won Cal League titles. Earned a late-season promotion to the Giants in 2004 before returning to the club to start the following season. Was a top performer on the 2005 San Jose team that still holds most of the franchise’s offensive records. Led the squad with 22 home runs while also contributing 79 RBI’s and a .282 batting average as the Giants rolled to a league championship. Struggles in Double-A during the 2006 and first half of the 2007 seasons brought Ishikawa back to San Jose for the second half of ’07, where he helped the Giants to another California League crown. Hit .268 with 13 home runs in 56 games. Homered during the decisive fifth game of the 2007 Championship Series at Municipal Stadium. His 36 career home runs rank fourth on San Jose’s all-time list.
Tim Lincecum: Joined San Jose just two months after his selection in the first round of the 2006 draft. His stay in the Cal League was brief, but memorable as the top prospect logged a 1.95 ERA in his six starts with strikeout numbers off the charts. Fanned 48 batters in just 27 innings while limiting the opposition to a paltry .135 batting average. Had a start in late-August in which he struck out 11 and gave up just one hit and no runs in five innings. Also was the winning pitcher after a dominant effort in Game 1 of the North Division Series.
Joe Panik: Spent his entire first full professional season with San Jose in 2012. Started slow offensively before catching fire during the second half en route to earning co-team MVP honors. Finished the season with a .297 batting average, 27 doubles, seven home runs and 76 RBI’s in 130 games. Walked more than he struck out. Posted a .337 batting average after the All-Star break and had a stretch of eight consecutive at-bats with a hit in August. 2012 San Jose team notched the best overall record in the North Division.
Juan Perez: While Belt and Crawford may have grabbed most of the headlines on the 2010 championship team, Perez was arguably the most consistent offensive performer from start-to-finish that year. Played in a team-high 131 games and batted .298 with 37 doubles, 10 triples, 13 home runs, 63 RBI’s and 17 stolen bases. In the decisive fifth game of the Championship Series in Rancho Cucamonga, tripled with the score tied in the top of the 10th and scored the game-winning run.
Buster Posey: A member of San Jose’s stacked 2009 team that set a club record for wins (93–47) on their way to a California League title. An All-Star catcher with the Giants and widely considered the top prospect in the league that year. Hit an impressive .326 in 80 games before a mid-July promotion all the way to Triple-A Fresno. Also contributed 23 doubles, 13 home runs and 58 RBI’s. Most memorable hit with the San Jose Giants was a 13th inning walk-off home run in early-June while the club was in the thick of the first half division race.
Sergio Romo: Perhaps the most dominant reliever in the California League during the 2007 season. Fashioned a 1.36 ERA and nine saves in 41 relief appearances to help the Giants to the championship. Emerged as the club’s closer during the second half and was a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities during the playoffs without allowing a run. Was on the mound when San Jose won the title recording a strikeout to finish the game (sound familiar?). Ended the regular season with a whopping 106 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 66 innings.
Pablo Sandoval: A key contributor on both the 2007 San Jose championship team and the 2008 club. Of note, never played an inning of third base while in the California League — was mainly a catcher with San Jose while also seeing some action at first base. Hit .287 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI’s in 102 games during the ’07 campaign. Was the catcher when Sergio Romo registered a strikeout to end the Championship Series. Despite solid numbers, returned to the Giants the next season and took the Cal League by storm. Was batting .359 with 25 doubles, 12 homers and 59 RBI’s in 68 games when he was promoted to Double-A at the All-Star break in June (would finish the season in San Francisco).
Hunter Strickland: Was picked-up by San Francisco off waivers from Pittsburgh at the beginning of the 2013 season and was immediately assigned to San Jose. Took just a couple of weeks before emerging as San Jose’s closer and was arguably the top reliever in the league throughout the first half of the season. Compiled a microscopic 0.86 ERA and was a perfect 9-for-9 in save opportunities in his 20 relief appearances. Unfortunately, suffered an elbow injury during a late-May appearance (yet still finished the game to record the save) that required season-ending Tommy John surgery. Upon returning to full strength a year later (May of 2014), was sent back to San Jose and pitched in just three games before a call-up to Double-A.
Andrew Susac: Was a 2011 draftee, but didn’t begin his professional career until he was assigned to San Jose at the start of the 2012 season. Struggled offensively throughout the first four months of the year as he adjusted to the professional game, but finished strong posting a .333 batting average in August to help the Giants reach the playoffs. Ended the year at .244 with nine home runs and 52 RBI’s. Strong finish to the campaign propelled Susac to Double-A in 2013, where he enjoyed more success and established himself as one of the top prospects in the system.
Ryan Vogelsong: Originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1998, was a member of two San Jose teams on his way up to the big leagues. Pitched briefly for the Giants late in 1998 before returning to the California League to start the ’99 campaign. Made 17 starts between the two seasons and compiled a 3.55 ERA and 4–4 record. Helped the 1999 San Jose Giants team reach the playoffs, but had already been promoted to Double-A by the time the postseason began.
