• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

San Francisco Sports Today

San Francisco Sports News Continuously Updated

  • Baseball
    • A’s
    • Giants
  • Football
    • 49’ers
    • Raiders
  • Basketball
    • Kings
    • Warriers
  • Sharks
  • Earthquakes
  • Colleges
    • San Jose State
    • Stanford
    • University of California, Berkeley

A history of 17 left fielders

March 29, 2023 by McCovey Chronicles

View from behind of Barry Bonds waving to the crowd
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

The most wild stat likely continues.

You don’t need me to tell you the stat. You know the stat. You’ve heard the stat. You hear the stat every year, and this year is no exception. Next year will, almost surely, also not be the exception.

Since Barry Bonds’ final season in 2007, the Giants have had a different left fielder on Opening Day in every single year.

Technically that could change this year. With the team’s intended everyday left fielder, Mitch Haniger, beginning the year on the Injured List, and a right-hander in Gerrit Cole on the mound, Joc Pederson could repeat his placement from last year. But all signs point to Blake Sabol being the man in left on Thursday morning at Yankee Stadium, which would give the Giants a stunning 17 Opening Day left fielders in 17 years.

2007 to 2023. 17 left fielders. For perspective, to get 17 different left fielders moving backwards from 2007, you have to go all the way back to 1963, for the first All-Star year in the illustrious career of Willie McCovey, back when he was still an outfielder.

So let’s look at all 17, from Barry Bonds to (probably) Blake Sabol.

2007 — Barry Bonds

Opening Day: 1-3, 1 walk in a 7-0 loss to the Padres

Rest of the season: 126 games, .276/.480/.565, 169 OPS+, 28 home runs, 3.4 WAR, All-Star

Future with the Giants: That was it, sadly. Despite being one of the best hitters in the Majors in his age-42 season, it was Bonds’ 14th and final Opening Day start with the Giants. If they’d kept him he would’ve looked a lot better than the players they did use at left in future seasons.

2008 — Dave Roberts

Opening Day: 1-3 in a 5-0 loss to the Dodgers

Rest of the season: 52 games, .224/.341/.280, 65 OPS+, 0 home runs, -0.2 WAR

Future with the Giants: Like Bonds, that was not only Roberts’ final season with San Francisco, but the final season of his career. Now he manages the Dodgers, so …. /sticks tongue out.

2009 — Fred Lewis

Opening Day: 1-4, 1 walk in a 10-6 win over the Brewers

Rest of the season: 122 games, .258/.348/.390, 94 OPS+, 4 home runs, 1.3 WAR

Future with the Giants: As is the case with so many names on this list, this was Lewis’ final year with the Giants after being a second-round pick in 2002 and coming up through the organization. His career would last three more years, with three more teams.

2010 — Mark DeRosa

Opening Day: 1-3, 1 home run, 1 walk, 1 RBI in a 5-2 win over the Astros

Rest of the season: 26 games, .194/.279/.258, 48 OPS+, 1 home run, -0.7 WAR, 1 ring

Future with the Giants: DeRosa spent one more season on the Giants, finishing up a two-year free agent deal that was defined by injuries. His Opening Day home run was his only dinger during his Giants tenure.

2011 — Pat Burrell

Opening Day: 1-4, 1 home run, 1 RBI in a 2-1 loss to the Dodgers

Rest of the season: 92 games, .230/.352/.404, 115 OPS+, 7 home runs, 1.0 WAR

Future with the Giants: Like Bonds, Burrell had a good offensive season but never played a baseball game again, for the Giants or for any MLB team.

2012 — Aubrey Huff

Opening Day: 1-4 in a 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks

Rest of the season: 52 games, .192/.326/.282, 77 OPS+, 1 home run, 0.2 WAR, 1 ring

Future with the Giants: Banned from attending the reunion for being a jackass. Also, never played baseball again.

2013 — Andres Torres

Opening Day: 0-3 in a 4-0 loss to the Dodgers

Rest of the season: 105 games, .250/.302/.342, 84 OPS+, 2 home runs, -0.3 WAR

Future with the Giants: Would you believe me if I told you that Torres would not play for the Giants or any other team after this season?

2014 — Michael Morse

Opening Day: 1-3, 1 walk in a 9-8 win over the Diamondbacks

Rest of the season: 131 games, .279/.336/.475, 130 OPS+, 16 home runs, 0.9 WAR, 1 ring

Future with the Giants: Morse would leave San Francisco after his lone season, but he would return in 2017. He played 40 games that year before suffering a concussion during the brawl that ensued after Hunter Strickland attempted to damage Bryce Harper for no reason. And that was sadly the end of his career.

2015 — Nori Aoki

Opening Day: 2-5 in a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks

Rest of the season: 93 games, .287/.353/.380, 103 OPS+, 5 home runs, 1.0 WAR

Future with the Giants: This was Aoki’s first and last season in San Francisco. He would play for two more years, capping off a six-year career in which he played for seven different teams.

2016 — Angel Pagán

Opening Day: 1-4, 1 double, 1 walk in a 12-3 win over the Brewers

Rest of the season: 129 games, .277/.331/.418, 102 OPS+, 12 home runs, 1.8 WAR

Future with the Giants: This was right about when people first started talking about the Giants bizarre left field streak, and Pagán kept there from being a chance of ending it because he never played an MLB game again.

2017 — Jarrett Parker

Opening Day: 0-2 in a 6-5 loss to the Diamondbacks

Rest of the season: 51 games, .247/.294/.416, 85 OPS+, 4 home runs, 0.5 WAR

Future with the Giants: Parker’s third year with the Giants — who drafted him in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft — was his last, as he proved incapable of sticking on the MLB roster. He played five games for the Angels in 2019, but hasn’t played professionally at any level since.

2018 — Hunter Pence

Opening Day: 2-4, 1 double in a 1-0 win over the Dodgers

Rest of the season: 97 games, .226/.258/.332, 64 OPS+, 4 home runs, -1.0 WAR

Future with the Giants: This was the last of seven straight seasons with the Giants for Pence. It looked like his career might be over, but he revitalized it the next year with an All-Star campaign for the Rangers. That earned him a return contract with the Giants, but he struggled in the pandemic season, was designated for assignment, and promptly retired.

2019 — Connor Joe

Opening Day: 0-1, 1 walk in a 2-0 loss to the Padres

Rest of the season: 8 games, .067/.125/.067, -46 OPS+, 0 home runs, -0.1 WAR

Future with the Giants: Joe was a Rule 5 pick (like Sabol!) who barely made it through the first week of the season (hopefully not like Sabol!). Now he’s a quality player for the Rockies.

2020 — Alex Dickerson

Opening Day: 2-4 in an 8-1 loss to the Dodgers

Rest of the (shortened) season: 52 games, .298/.371/.576, 156 OPS+, 10 home runs, 0.8 WAR

Future with the Giants: Dickerson’s magical breakout year during the pandemic-shortened season was short lived. He fell back to earth in 2021, which was his final year with the Giants.

2021 — Austin Slater

Opening Day: 1-3, 1 home run, 1 walk, 1 RBI in an 8-7 loss to the Mariners

Rest of the season: 129 games, .241/.320/.423, 101 OPS+, 12 home runs, 1.4 WAR

Future with the Giants: Slater is starting the season on the Injured List, but, when healthy, he figures to start in center field every time the Giants face a lefty.

2022 — Joc Pederson

Opening Day: 0-1, 1 walk in a 6-5 win over the Marlins

Rest of the season: 134 games, .274/.353/.521, 144 OPS+, 23 home runs, 1.3 WAR, All-Star

Future with the Giants: San Francisco gave Pederson the qualifying offer, so he returns this year, with their hope to keep him out of left field. A noble quest.

2023 — Blake Sabol, maybe?

Opening Day: If history is any indicator, he probably goes 1-for-something.

Rest of the season: If history is any indicator, he probably doesn’t have a good season, but he does have a 12.5% chance of being an All-Star this year, and an 18.8% chance of winning a championship.

Future with the Giants: If history is any indicator, he probably doesn’t play professional baseball again after this year.

Sorry, Blake. I don’t make the rules.

Filed Under: Giants

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25
  • ESPN wants the 49ers to extend this player who is far from a fan favorite
  • Who is the 49ers “safety blanket” receiver?
  • Has Brock Purdy become underrated?
  • 49ers 90-in-90: San Francisco’s second-round pick might be the Niners’ most important rookie in 2025

Categories

  • 49'ers
  • A's
  • Earthquakes
  • Giants
  • Kings
  • Raiders
  • San Jose State
  • Sharks
  • Stanford
  • Uncategorized
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • Warriers

Archives

  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021

Our Partners

All Sports

  • San Francisco Chronicle
  • San Francisco Examiner
  • The Mercury News
  • 247 Sports
  • Bleacher Report
  • Forgotten 5
  • Golden Gate Sports
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today

Baseball

  • San Francisco Giants
  • Oakland A's
  • Last Word On Baseball - Oakland A's
  • Last Word On Baseball - San Francisco Giants
  • MLB Trade Rumors - A's
  • MLB Trade Rumors - Giants
  • White Cleat Beat
  • Around The Foghorn
  • Athletics Nation
  • McCovey Chronicles

Basketball

  • Golden State Warriors
  • Sacramento Kings
  • A Royal Pain
  • Amico Hoops - Kings
  • Amico Hoops - Warriors
  • Blue Man Hoop
  • Golden State Of Mind
  • Hoops Hype - Warriors
  • Hoops Hype - Kings
  • Hoops Rumors - Warriors
  • Hoops Rumors - Kings
  • Lets Go Warriors
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball - Golden State
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball - Sacramento
  • Pro Basketball Talk - Warriors
  • Pro Basketball Talk - Kings
  • Real GM - Warriors
  • Real GM - Kings
  • Sactown Royalty

Football

  • San Francisco 49ers
  • Las Vegas Raiders
  • 49ers Gab
  • Just Blog Baby
  • Last Word On Pro Football
  • NFL Trade Rumors - San Francisco 49ers
  • NFL Trade Rumors - Las Vegas Raiders
  • Niners Nation
  • Niner Noise
  • Niners Wire
  • Our Turf Football
  • Pro Football Rumors - 49ers
  • Pro Football Rumors - Raiders
  • Pro Football Talk - 49ers
  • Pro Football Talk - Raiders
  • Raiders Wire
  • Silver And Black Pride
  • Total 49ers

Hockey

  • Blades Of Teal
  • Fear The Fin
  • Last Word On Hockey
  • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Talk
  • The Hockey Writers

Soccer

  • Center Line Soccer
  • Last Word on Soccer
  • MLS Multiplex

College

  • Busting Brackets
  • California Golden Blogs
  • College Sports Madness
  • College Football News
  • Rule Of Tree
  • Saturday Blitz
  • The Daily Californian
  • The Stanford Daily
  • Zags Blog

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in