Graph note: I’m scaling these a little differently than I did in the first version. Because of that, you can’t compare this batch and the first version I posted on the 2011 offense. From here on out I shouldn’t be changing the scale, meaning that you can compare any future graph with each other — which is kind of the point with these things.
Things to note:
* The 2001 team had players like Barry Bonds (259 OPS+), Rich Aurilia (146), and Jeff Kent (131) and a bunch of league average guys (Snow, Rios, Benard). Meanwhile the 2007 team still had Bonds (169) and Randy Winn (106), but not much else. The third best hitter on the ’07 squad? Try a broken down, last year in the majors, Ryan Klesko (92). I still have flashbacks to 2007 sometimes, the Giants lost 91 games amidst Bonds’ infamous home run drive. What an ugly and oddly compelling baseball season.
* Apparently someone named Jalal Leach took 10 at-bats for the Giants in 2001 — his only major league ABs in his career. I’m all for obscure Giants trivia, but who the heck is Jalal Leach?
* I had forgotten that Eric Davis played on that 2001 Giants team.
* In 2001, Giants’ left fielders hit 110% better than the league average LF in the National League. Barry Bonds appear in 142 games in LF. That’s one enormous bubble. Bonds was still a good hitter in 2007, but he was limited to just 110 games in LF; the rest of the time LF was a revolving door with players like: Fred Lewis (20 games), Randy Winn (20), Daniel Ortmeier (14), Dave Roberts (13), Todd Linden (9), Rajai Davis (5), Kevin Frandsen (5), Mark Sweeney (5), Pedro Feliz (2), Ryan Klesko (1) and Eugenio Velez (1).
* 2007 was the year Eugenio Velez debuted in the majors. God-bless that spindly man.
