The Giants added five familiar names to their Wall of Fame on Saturday, honoring the core that helped fuel the franchise’s run of three World Series titles in five years.
Before San Francisco’s game against the Detroit Tigers, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Pablo Sandoval were all inducted. The matchup fit the moment: the Giants swept the Tigers, 4-0, in the 2012 World Series.
Posey’s place in Giants history is already locked in, and he remains around the organization every day as the team’s president of baseball operations. He also has a Hall of Fame path that could come into focus soon, since he will appear on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this winter. Bruce Bochy, the manager of those championship teams, could also be in the mix on the eras ballot, with a committee set to decide the Hall fates of managers and front office leaders this year.
As a player, Posey was the steady force behind the plate for all three championship clubs under Bochy. San Francisco made him the first-round pick in the 2008 MLB draft out of Florida State, and he went on to build a résumé that includes National League MVP, NL Rookie of the Year, seven All-Star selections, five NL Silver Slugger awards, a batting title and an NL Gold Glove. He spent his entire career in San Francisco and finished at .302/.372/.460 with 158 home runs and 729 RBI.
Sandoval arrived a different way, signed by the Giants as an international free agent out of Venezuela. He turned into a two-time All-Star, played on all three title teams and took home 2012 World Series MVP honors. Over 14 seasons, 12 of them with San Francisco, he hit .278/.330/.443 with 153 home runs and 639 RBI.
Crawford and Belt were honored together, which makes sense given how long they stood side by side in the Giants’ lineup and in the middle of those 2012 and 2014 championship teams. Belt, a fifth-round pick in the 2009 MLB draft out of Texas, became an NL All-Star and spent almost his entire career in orange and black. He finished with a .261/.357/.460 line, 194 home runs and 627 RBI.
Crawford, a fourth-round pick in the 2008 MLB draft out of UCLA, carved out a decorated run of his own. He won four NL Gold Gloves, made three All-Star teams and picked up an NL Silver Slugger at his position. He also spent nearly his entire career with San Francisco and finished with a .249/.318/.395 slash, 147 home runs and 748 RBI.
Panik rounded out the group as a St. John’s product and the Giants’ first-round pick in the 2011 MLB draft.
He was a rookie on the 2014 World Series team, spent six seasons with San Francisco, finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2014, made the All-Star team in 2015 and won an NL Gold Glove in 2016. His career Giants line was .264/.328/.372 with 42 home runs and 258 RBI.
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