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:
50: Victor Bericoto
49: Chris Wright
48: Sean Roby
47: P.J. Hilson
46: Alexander Suarez
45: Mikell Manzano
44: Diego Velasquez
43: Carson Ragsdale
42: William Kempner
41: Seth Lonsway
40: Shane Matheny
39: Sean Hjelle
38: Brett Auerbach
37: Ricardo Genovés
36: Hunter Bishop
35: Nick Zwack
34: Erik Miller
33: Spencer Miles
32: Manuel Mercedes
31: Trevor McDonald
30: Ryan Reckley
29: Gerelmi Maldonado
28: Will Bednar
27: Ryan Murphy
26: Will Wilson
25: Nick Swiney
24: Jose Cruz
23: R.J. Dabovich
22: Adrian Sugastey
21: Patrick Bailey
20: Tristan Beck
19: Randy Rodriguez
18: Jairo Pomares
17: Carson Seymour
16: Landen Roupp
15: Tyler Fitzgerald
14: Heliot Ramos
13: Keaton Winn
12: Eric Silva
11: Cole Waites
#10: Reggie Crawford
#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…
…someday the suffering will be over…
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