Best Quarter Century Team (Honorable Mention): San Francisco Giants

In 2025, I wrote a story on here where I highlighted my favorite quarter-century team, which that honor went to the Boston Red Sox. I'll post a link to the full story down below. I wanted to give the aforementioned honor last year to the team that I'll be discussing in this story, the San Francisco Giants. However, the main reason why I didn't was because they defeated my beloved Texas Rangers in the 2010 World Series, their first title in nearly 50 years. Just a reminder to everyone that this was the Rangers very first appearance to the Fall Classic. While it's still difficult for me to watch that particular World Series, I'm going to give them credit because they deserve to be both acknowledged and appreciated. I've gave another team that the Rangers faced in a World Series a year later props, the St. Louis Cardinals. I'll have a link to my story about the St. Louis Cardinals down below, just like the Red Sox story. Let's learn some things about the San Francisco Giants, then I'll share my thoughts about them towards the end.

Who Are the San Francisco Giants?

The San Francisco Giants were originally known as the New York Gothams, dating back to 1883. They had that name for three seasons until undergoing yet another name change in 1885, the New York Giants. They were known as the New York Giants until 1957 and then officially moved to San Francisco.

When you think of greatest Giants players of all time, one of the names that comes in the mind of their fans is the late Willie Mays. In 2027, the Giants will celebrate 70 years as a franchise. With a possibility of having no baseball next season and a lockout looming, there's no word yet if the organization has plans for that important milestone.

The Say Hey Kid

Willie Howard Mays Jr. was born in May 1931 and passed away in June 2024 at the age of 93. He played for two Major League Teams in his 23-year career: the Giants (of course) and the New York Mets. Mays won his first and only World Series title with the former in 1954. However, his baseball career started in the Negro Leagues, more specifically, the Negro American League, with the Birmingham Black Barons from 1948 until 1950. Mays made his MLB debut with the Giants the following season and was named Rookie of the Year. The most highlighted moment during Mays' immaculate career was during the first game of the 1954 World Series. Dubbed "The Catch", he made an over-the-shoulder grab towards the wall, catching Vic Wertz's long drive. The Giants went on to sweep the Cleveland Indians in four games to capture the title. Wille Mays was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979. His lengthy list of achievements and awards are nothing to sneeze at. They include becoming a 24-time All Star, winning the Gold Glove Award 12 times, the aforementioned World Series tile, and a two-time National League MVP. The Giants retired his number 24 in 1972 and half a century later, the New York Mets retired that same number. Willie Mays will always be a legend in the hearts of both Giants fans and baseball fans everywhere.

As promised, I'll be sharing my final thoughts about the San Francisco Giants. There are two more players from this team that deserves some praise: Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, whom I'll discuss right now. In the 2010s, the Giants won three World Series titles in the span of five years. The man behind that success was their manager at the time and future Hall of Famer, Bruce Bochy. I included Posey on my list of my favorite MLB players in the last 25 years in a story last year, which you can read down below. Let's get to know a few things about the latter player.

Mad Bum The Magnificent

Whether you loved or hated him, there's no denying that Madison Bumgarner was a talented pitcher. He and Posey are my overall favorite Giants pitcher-catcher duo. His presence on the mound was intimidating and had the tendency of instigating and provoking opposing players and teams, causing the benches to clear. Nevertheless, he has gained my respect and a fan, even though I'm not a Giants fan. Born in the North Carolina town of Hickory on August 1, 1989, Madison Kyle Bumgarner, or Mad Bum as he was affectionately known as, played for not only the Giants, but also the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made his MLB debut in 2009, the same year as Buster Posey. During his 15-year career, he was honored with numerous awards and accolades. They include becoming a four-time All-Star, a three-time World Series champion, and was named World Series MVP in 2014, which was nearly three months after turning 25. Also, he has set a plethora of Giants records, which they still stand today. Since his playing career concluded, even though he hadn't officially announced his retirement from baseball, the former pitcher secretly participated in rodeo events as a team roper. As of this story, Madison is now 36 years old.

Out of all the California teams in Major League Baseball, I've always had a liking of the San Francisco Giants. During the 2010s, they had some of the best players who have worn the uniform. They include such names as Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Brian Wilson, and Sergio Romo. Of course, we don't want to forget about Posey and Bumgarner. They've been part of the team's success during that decade. However, to make this perfectly clear, I still won't and will never praise Barry Bonds. Even though he was part of the organization, I'll never consider or acknowledge him as a legend, because he used steroids to cheat in order to selfishly win awards and other accolades. The late Hank Aaron will always be the true Home Run King, not a cheater like Bonds. I'll never respect cheaters who deceive their own fans under false pretenses. As of 2026, Posey is currently the President of Baseball Operations for the ball club, a role he has held since 2024.

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