There R Giants #5: Grant McCray

The 3rd Rounder Breakout Continues

Photo Credit: Shelly Valenzuela | San Jose Giants

Top 50 time is here! So far we’ve looked at:

• Just Missed

• #50-46

  • 50: Victor Bericoto

  • 49: Chris Wright

  • 48: Sean Roby

  • 47: P.J. Hilson

  • 46: Alexander Suarez

• #41-45

  • 45: Mikell Manzano

  • 44: Diego Velasquez

  • 43: Carson Ragsdale

  • 42: William Kempner

  • 41: Seth Lonsway

• #36-40

  • 40: Shane Matheny

  • 39: Sean Hjelle

  • 38: Brett Auerbach

  • 37: Ricardo Genovés

  • 36: Hunter Bishop

• #31-35

  • 35: Nick Zwack

  • 34: Erik Miller

  • 33: Spencer Miles

  • 32: Manuel Mercedes

  • 31: Trevor McDonald

• #26-30

  • 30: Ryan Reckley

  • 29: Gerelmi Maldonado

  • 28: Will Bednar

  • 27: Ryan Murphy

  • 26: Will Wilson

• #21-25

  • 25: Nick Swiney

  • 24: Jose Cruz

  • 23: R.J. Dabovich

  • 22: Adrian Sugastey

  • 21: Patrick Bailey

• #16-20

  • 20: Tristan Beck

  • 19: Randy Rodriguez

  • 18: Jairo Pomares

  • 17: Carson Seymour

  • 16: Landen Roupp

• #11-15

  • 15: Tyler Fitzgerald

  • 14: Heliot Ramos

  • 13: Keaton Winn

  • 12: Eric Silva

  • 11: Cole Waites

• #10: Reggie Crawford

• #9: Carson Whisenhunt

• #8: Mason Black

• #7: Luis Matos

• #6: Vaun Brown

I know in a post-Bambino, post-Billy Goat baseball world, we’re not supposed to believe in curses, but every Giants fan carries a whisper of the blood-curdling story of the “Curse of George Genovese” in their mind as they retire to bed at night. It’s the terrifying tale of how the scouting savant took his skills to the hated Dodgers because his new bosses apparently thought so little of his abilities that they drafted Alan Cockrell with the 9th pick of the 1984 draft over Genovese’s full-throated appeal to take USC’s Mark McGwire. Deprived of the scouting eye that had given them Bobby Bonds, Garry Maddox, Gary Matthews, George Foster, Jack Clark, and so many others, the Giants’ ability to develop once-plentiful outfielders shriveled up and withered for generations upon generations. Like the wind crying Maria, Genovese left behind one final All Star outfielder in Chili Davis, a name future Giants’ fans would recite like a talisman, trying to rid the organization of the awful specter that had haunted it for so long.

I tells ya, people:

What we need is a hero to guide us out of the blighted landscape and into a new era of hope. For every curse, the world will someday receive its annointed curse-buster, the one who will stand and say “history means nothing to me,” and then hack their way through the daemons that come.

I cheered lustily for the elder Bonds as a pre-teen. I avidly followed the exploits of an 18-year-old Clark in the Fresno Bee. I watched Davis when he was splitting his time between the outfield and catching in the Cal League. And I tell you now that I believe the days of our cursedness are nearing their end…

Grant McCray @Grant_McCray42

Got more to show this yr… yall just wait on it.

…someday the suffering will be over…