3. Robby Thompson: 1986-1996
Any Giants fan that is in their mid 30's like me loves Robby Thompson. We grew up with him as our second baseman. He was always right there, starting and batting 2nd. You knew you could count on Robby to be in the lineup. This is not one of the stronger positions in Giants history, so a solid sentimental favorite makes the cut.
Now that doesn't mean Thompson was just serviceable. Far from it. He excelled at many things. In 1989 he hit 11 triples to lead the NL. He also lead the league in times being hit by a pitch that year, not sure that means anything, but there it is. There were 2 All Star appearances and 1 Gold Glove. He also won the Silver Slugger award as the best hitting 2nd baseman in 1993. Robby was a team player, willing to sacrifice out of the 2 hole. He led the league with 18 sacrifice hits in 1986 as a rookie. Robby may not have been the greatest, but he was ours.
2. Larry Doyle: 1907-16,18-20
There is absolutely no one I can talk to that ever saw this guy play. So we'll go with what we found in research. Larry Doyle was a solid second baseman that played for the Giants in the early 1900's. It was the dad ball era. Despite that, Doyle led the NL in hits on 2 different occasions. He was named the MVP of the 1912 season.
Doyle also had a batting title on his belt. He led the league in 1915, batting .320. Home runs weren't the "in" thing yet, so Doyle led the league once each in doubles and triples. Over his career as a Giant Doyle had a batting average of .292 and swiped 291 bases. Under John McGraw he played in 3 World Series in a row. The Giants lost them all. It was probably because they were wearing sweaters like in the card above. I don't know, I wasn't there.
1. Jeff Kent: 1997-2002
I know, I know, he once hurt himself "washing his truck". And I know he's got a moustache that belongs in 1970's porn or the movie Super Troopers. But even if it was only a few years, Jeff Kent played his prime years in a San Francisco Giants uniform. He was a jerk, not that great on defense, but he hit. Batting with Bonds didn't hurt a bit. In fact, it helped him win the 2000 NL MVP.
During his 6 years in orange and black Kent was an All Star 3 times. He probably should have been one every year. As a Giant, Kent hit over 29 HR's and drove in over 100 runs every year. He was productive. Overshadowed as a star by Bonds, the two didn't get along. Which is funny because without Barry, Kent would never have been that productive. He's not the most like Giant of all time, but Jeff Kent is the best second baseman they have had.
Eric Nathanson
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