San Francisco Giants: Top Ten Left-Handed Starting Pitchers

The San Francisco Giants were founded in 1883. They have won more games than any team in Major League baseball history. In continuation of our All-Time list this offseason, we will now be looking at the greatest left-handed starting pitchers in team history.

The San Francisco Giants have had some incredible starting pitchers in their history, so many that we have decided to dedicate two posts to honor some of the greatest hurlers in team history by handedness. Thanks to Baseball Reference, we have the ability to compare players from different era and from different centuries. We will be able to compare Giants from both New York and San Francisco, dating back to the beginning of our national pastime.

One incredible member of the San Francisco Giants who will not appear on this list, but I want to honor anyways is Dave Dravecky. Although his days as a Giant unfortunately ended prematurely, he has been an inspiration to many, and will always be a historical member of the organization.

How does current San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner stack up against the all-time great lefties in team history? Well, you will have to read to find out.

Jun 21, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; A baseball and fielder

Wins Above Replacement: 12.3

Nicknamed Woody for his striking resemblance to the Toy Story icon, Rueter played ten seasons for the Giants after spending his first four years in Montreal. A fun fact about Rueter is he started the first ever game at AT&T Park in 2000, then named Pacific Bell Park. Rueter’s best year, according to WAR came in 2002, where he compiled a 2.8 WAR. Woody went 14-8 on the year with a 3.23 ERA, including a no decision in game four of the World Series, throwing six innings and giving up only three runs.

Overall, he pitched 281 games for the orange and black, going 105-80 with a 4.32 ERA, before retiring as a Giants following the 2005 season.

Jul 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a San Francisco Giants baseball hat and glove during the game between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeated the Giants 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Wins Above Replacement: 13.9

Known primarily for his accomplishments across the Bay, Vida Blue still put up impressive numbers as a member of the San Francisco Giants. Blue’s first season as a Giant turned out to be his best year. He went 18-10 on the year with a 2.79 ERA, good enough for him to make the all-star team, finish third in Cy Young voting, and 12th in MVP voting.

Blue was a great Giant overall, amassing a 72-58 record and a 3.52 ERA. All while making three all-star appearances during his four-year tenure. You can now catch Blue covering the Giants all season long on CSN Bay Area.

Oct 24, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A general view of a Major League baseball during work out day prior to the start of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Wins Above Replacement: 14.8

McCormick was a member of the Giants during a significant period in the organization’s history. He played his first two seasons in New York before the team moved out west following the 1957 season. McCormick’s career really took off once the team moved to San Francisco. His best season, according to WAR, was in 1960 as a 21-year-old. His WAR was 5.1, and he went 15-12 with a 2.70 ERA, making the all-star team. He also made the all-star team the following year in 1961, and was ultimately traded to the Baltimore Orioles following the 1962 season.

McCormick reunited with the San Francisco Giants in 1967, and put together one of the best seasons of his career. In his Giant reunion, the lefty went 22-10 with a 2.85 ERA, and 4.4 WAR. He won the Cy Young award that season, the first in team history.

In eleven seasons overall with the Giants, McCormick went 107-96 with a 3.68 ERA. He had two all-star appearances and won the Cy Young award one time.

May 21, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of Major League Baseball baseballs baring the signature of Robert Manfred Jr. before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Wins Above Replacement: 16.1

Melton played eight seasons for the Giants, with his best year statistically occurring in his rookie year. He went 20-9 with a 2.61 ERA and a WAR of 4.8. He finished eleventh in MVP voting, the only time he received any votes in his career. He made his lone all-star appearance in 1942 at the age of 30. Melton compiled an 11-5 record with a 2.63 ERA in 143.2 innings.

Melton spent his whole career as a Giants, and finished with an 86-80 record overall, with a 3.42 ERA in 1453.2 IP. He pitched 272 games, and started 179 of those.

Oct 10, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; General view during the singing of the national anthem before the game during game three of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Wins Above Replacement: 16.2

Our first member of the Hall of Fame to appear on the list, Marquard played eight seasons with the Giants. The Hall of Famer had his best year in 1911, where he finished seventh in MVP voting. He went 24-7 with a 2.57 ERA, struck out a career high 237 batters in 277.2 innings, and had a WAR of 6.1.

Overall, Marquard went 103-76 as a Giant with a 2.85 ERA before playing an additional ten seasons elsewhere. In addition to finishing seventh in MVP voting in 1911, he finished eighth the following year.

May 23, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; General view of a San Francisco Giants baseball cap in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Wins Above Replacement: 16.9

Koslo played ten seasons for the Giants; serving in World War II from 1943-1945. His best season came in 1949, where he went 11-14 with a league leading 2.50 ERA, and a WAR of 5.9. He never won any awards and only had three winning seasons in his career. Despite this, he was always viewed as a player who was better than the statistics show. Think of him as the original Matt Cain, suffering tough breaks, and receiving little run support.

Overall, in ten seasons as a Giant, Koslo went 91-104 with a 3.69 ERA in 1559.2 innings. Although it may seem odd to rank him above a Hall of Famer, remember, these rankings are based off of WAR.

Wins Above Replacement: 25.2

To find Bumgarner this high on the list already is a surprise to none. Entering his ninth season, Bumgarner has established himself not only as the ace of the staff, but also one of the premier pitchers in all of baseball.

His poise, and confidence has been felt ever since emerging in the league. At the age of twenty, he helped bring the first World Series title in since the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958. From there, the legend of Bumgarner has grown, and he is currently seen as one of the best postseason pitchers of all time, especially with a 4-0 record and 0.25 ERA spread across three different World Series. His best season came in 2016, after going 15-9 with a 2.74 ERA, all while striking out 251 batters in 226.2 innings pitched, both career highs. He also had a WAR of 5.0, and finished fourth in Cy Young award voting, 16th in MVP voting, and made his fourth straight all-star game.

Madison Bumgarner has certainly accomplished a lot in his career thus far, and will now be entering his prime years, which will be intriguing to watch. So far, Bumgarner has a record of 100-67 with a 2.99 ERA, and has struck out 1381 batters in 1397.2 IP. He also has four all-star appearances, has finished in the top-10 for the Cy Young award in each of the last four seasons, has won two Silver Sluggers, and one World Series MVP, to go along with three rings overall. Not bad to accomplish all before the age of 27. The legacy of Madison Bumgarner just keeps getting better and better.

Jun 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; View of AT&T Park from the south of the stadium before the game between the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

Wins Above Replacement: 26.3

Wiltse played eleven of his twelve major league seasons as a member of the Giants. In those eleven years, his best season came in 1908 when he had a WAR of 5.9. Wiltse went 23-14 that year and had an ERA of 2.24. He never won any awards, but still had an impressive career to say the least.

He finished his career as a Giant with a 139-90 record, 2.47 ERA, and was a member of the 1905 World Series champion team. He also never allowed more than nine home runs in a season.

Wins Above Replacement: 30.6

Antonelli played seven seasons in a Giants uniform, and was a member of the team when it moved to the west coast. His best season occurred in 1954, his first year as a Giant. Antonelli accumulated a 7.5 WAR, while going 21-7 with a 2.30 ERA. That year was also his first all-star appearance, and he finished third in MVP voting.

From there, Antonelli was named an all-star four of the next five years. In seven seasons as a member of the Giants, he went 108-84 with a 3.13 ERA, made five all-star appearances, and won one World Series ring.

Mar. 20, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of a can of smokeless chewing tobacco in a baseball glove in the Cincinnati Reds dugout prior to the spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Wins Above Replacement: 67.8

More from Around the Foghorn

Carl Hubbell has been the best left-handed pitcher in Giants history and it is not even close, according to WAR. The Hall of Famer’s best season came in 1936, when he had an incredible9.6 WAR, the highest of anyone on this list. In 1936 Hubbell went 26-6 with a 2.31 ERA in 304 IP, and only gave up seven home runs, all while walking only 57 batters. I do not know what is more impressive, the numbers of innings he pitched, or the amount of home runs he gave up in those innings. He also made the all-star team that year and won the MVP award.

Overall, in 16 seasons with the Giants, Hubbell went 253-154 and played his entire career as a Giant. The Hall of Famer had a 2.98 ERA, made the all-star team nine times, and won the MVP twice. He also finished in the top-ten for MVP voting five years in a row, from 1933-1937. Hubbell also won a World Series ring in 1933.

Stay tuned as we bring you more “All-Time Lists” and build towards the 2017 Season!