Infield: First baseman Willie McCovey (1959-80) hit 521 home runs (including a record 23 grand slams) and would have hit more in another era and another ballpark. He was 6-4, 195 pounds and nicknamed "Stretch." McCovey came up at a point when the Giants were producing an incredible amount of young talent, and Orlando Cepeda was already at first base, so the team had to find ways to get the new kind into the lineup. As a result, it took McCovey a few years to nail down an everyday job, and the Giants spent some time trying to figure out which one of them was the least bad in left field, but it was clear from the start that McCovey could hit. He was Rookie of the Year in 1959 despite playing just 52 games. That's the kind of thing that happens when a kid bats .354 with 13 home runs in 192 at-bats. He famously made the last out of the 1962 World Series against the Yankees. Down 1-0 with two out in the bottom of the ninth, with the tying run on second and the winning run on third, McCovey hit a smoking line drive that almost decapitated second baseman Bobby Richardson, who caught the ball in a self-defense move. If the ball had been hit about three feet to either side or two feet higher, it would have been a walk-off hit to win the World Series. After him, the infield goes downhill. Warren Morris (1999-2003) started for the Pirates for a couple of years and is best known for hitting the walk-off home run that won the 1996 College World Series. Shortstop Willy Miranda (1951-59) was an excellent fielder but an absolute zero on offense. He batted .221, never got on base, had no power, and was 13-for-29 as a base stealer.Third baseman Will Middlebrooks (2012- ) came to the majors with the Red Sox amid a lot of hype, and in his half-year as a rookie he backed it up. Since then he has struggled to hit .220, though he still has some pop.
Outfield: Center fielder Willie Mays (1951-73), reunited here with his longtime teammate Willie McCovey, is on the short list of the greatest players of all time, and if you wanted to argue that he was the most exciting player ever, we couldn't say you were wrong. He hit 660 home runs, and if it wasn't for his military service in 1952 and '53, he might very well have broken Babe Ruth's record before Aaron got to it. He was also one of the most electrifying baserunners of all time and his defense in center field was nothing short of legendary (100 years from now they will still be showing replays of his catch during the 1954 World Series, running headlong into the depths of the Polo Grounds to snag Vic Wertz' drive). He led the NL in stolen bases four times before the Giants basically stopped stealing him in order to reduce the injury risk to their best player, but folks who saw him play in his prime cannot find the appropriate adjectives to describe his baserunning prowess (though Bill James did a pretty good job when he said that trying to catch Mays in a rundown was a little bit like trying to run over a squirrel with a lawn mower). Willie McGee (1982-99), a Gold Glove center fielder himself, will move to left field to accommodate the Say Hey Kid. McGee, a rookie on the 1982 Cardinals championship team, became a folk hero in St. Louis for his hustle and his unassuming demeanor. The Cardinals got him on the cheap in a trade with the Yankees (who needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster to make room for an over-the-hill free agent they had signed), and he was an instant hit. His game had its limitations - he didn't walk much, had trouble with a big breaking ball and was prone to mental lapses - but he worked hard, ran like the wind and hit .300 in a good season. (Actually, he hit .354 in a good season, when he won the MVP award in 1985, but that was certainly an anomaly.) McGee won two batting titles, stole 352 bases and was tremendously popular wherever he went. Right fielder Wally Moses (1935-51) had 2,138 career hits, which still places him third in that category in this outfield. He had 435 doubles, scored 1,124 runs, and walked almost twice as often as he struck out. He was a good defensive right fielder, and among Mays, McGee and Moses, not many fly balls are going to drop in.
Catcher: Wickey "Pedia" McAvoy (1913-19) batted .199 for the Philadelphia A's during the start of the lean years (in between dynasties) when Connie Mack had to sell off his stars.
Rotation: Wade Miller (1999-2007) had a few good years with Houston but has never fully come back from shoulder surgery in 2004. He was toast by the time he turned 30, and he retired with a career record of 62-46, but he remains the best (and only) major-leaguer to emerge from Alvernia College in Reading, Pa. Negro League sidearmer/submariner Webster McDonald was much more durable than Miller, pitching until he was 40 with several different teams. In exhibition games against major-league stars, he did consistently well. McDonald's nickname was "57 Varieties," because teammates said he had so many different arm angles and release points that he could tailor his delivery specifically for any batter who stepped in against him. Win Mercer (1894-1902) had a career record of 131-162. That sort of puts him second on the list of players who achieved their names the most times - behind Bob Walk (who gave up 606 walks) but ahead of Home Run Baker (96). Willie McGill (1890-96) was a lefties, basically league-average. He arrived in the majors at age 16 and was done in his early 20s, though he pitched for a few more years in the minors and later coached at Butler University. Wade Miley (2011- ), also a league-average lefty, won 16 games as a rookie for the Diamondbacks; he hasn't approached that number since, but he has been a dependable back-of-the-rotation guy.
Bullpen: Wilcy Moore (1927-33) was the closer on the great '27 Yankees, which pretty much earns him the closer role here. On the other hand, quoting Bill James for the second time in this roster, Moore was "a big doofus who was a one-year fluke." He was a 30-year-old rookie who won 19 games and led the league in ERA that year, but he was never close to that level again. While we're on the topic of one-year wonders pitching for historically great teams, lefty Will McEnaney (1974-79) was part of Sparky Anderson's closer committee for the great 1975 Big Red Machine. Walt Masterson (1939-56) won 78 games in a long career as a swingman, mostly with the Senators. His bushy eyebrows met in the middle, giving him the second best "uni-brow" on the team (behind reserve outfielder Wally Moon, whose eyebrows looked sort of like a footlong caterpillar crawling across his forehead). Willie Mitchell (1909-19) won 83 games as a swing man for Cleveland and Detroit. The rest of the 'pen features Whitey, Windy and Woody. No that's not a comedy team. It's Whitey Moore (1936-42), who had a decent career with the Reds and was part of two pennant winners and the World Series championship team of 1940; Windy McCall (1948-57), a lefty who was a teammate of Willie Mays with the Giants; and Woody Main (1948-53), who had a 4-13 record with the Pirates.
Bench: Wally Moon (1954-65), who split his career between the Cardinals and the Dodgers, is a terrific fourth outfielder. He was Rookie of the Year in 1954, one of the best defensive center fielders of his generation, and a .290-.300 hitter with a good batting eye and decent power. Moon also had a Master's degree from Texas A&M and was named after legendary college football coach Wallace Wade, two points that work in his favor just for the coolness factor. He had the most famous eyebrow(s) in baseball history. Willie Montanez (1966-82) will primarily work as McCovey's defensive replacement at first base, and he will also pinch-hit and give McCovey occasional days off to rest his knees. Montanez could hit a bit (.275 career, with 139 home runs); he was the player the Cardinals sent to Philadelphia as compensation when Curt Flood refused to report. Outfielder Willard Marshall (1921-34) was a big lefty slugger who will provide a good stick off the bench, though he has almost no chance of starting any games considering the depth of this outfield and the big stud at first base. Infielder William Marriott (1917-27) was a nondescript player in both the minors and the majors. We're hoping he can get us hotel discounts when the team goes on the road. Wally Mayer (1911-19) is the backup catcher.
Manager: There has never been a W.M. to manage in the majors, so we're handing the team over to Wid Matthews, who had a long career as a front office exec and a scout. We'll see what he can do with this collection of talent.
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