You know how sometimes you get that random baseball itch? Woke up this morning thinking about the 2012 Giants championship run. Man, what a squad. Tried rattling off the full lineup in my head over coffee, and dude, I blanked hard after Posey and Panda. Totally needed to dig in proper.
Starting Off in the Batter’s Box
Figured starting with the everyday position players made sense. Pulled out my old scorebook from that season – dust flew everywhere, felt like an archaeologist. First base was easy: Brandon Belt. Still remember his smooth glove. Scratched my head at second base though. 2012… that was Marco Scutaro, right? Oh yeah! The “Blockbuster” trade mid-season guy. Total clutch machine.
Shortstop? Brandon Crawford, naturally. Rookie year energy! Third base – Pablo Sandoval. The “Kung Fu Panda” himself. Easy. Behind the plate, no brainer: Buster Posey, MVP season. The anchor. Now the outfield… left field? Man, this took a minute. Started typing “2012 Giants starting LF” into the search bar before it clicked: Gregor Blanco! Speedy dude, replaced Melky when he got popped. Center field was Angel Pagan, setting the table. Right field – Hunter Pence! His “Rally Thresher” speeches, legendary. Okay, position players locked in.
Rounding the Bases to the Mound
Starting pitchers next. The core four jumped out: Matt Cain (Mr. Perfect Game), Madison Bumgarner (young stud), Tim Lincecum (The Freak still dealing), and Ryan Vogelsong (the comeback story). Barry Zito bounced in and out, but man, that playoff Game 5! Had to be included.
Bullpen time. Closer: Santiago Casilla, stepped up after Wilson went down. Setup guys: Sergio Romo (that slider!), Jeremy Affeldt (groundball king), Javier Lopez (lefty specialist). Remembered George Kontos and that dude with the long name… Guillermo Mota? Yeah, him. Oh, and Shane Loux, Jose Mijares… felt like we had a million arms.
Digging into the Dirt on the Bench
Bench players were the toughest. Knew Aubrey Huff was floating around first base/outfield, kinda fading but still there. Backup catcher: Hector Sanchez, caught Lincecum a lot. Then the utility guys… Joaquin Arias! That barehand play in the World Series. And Ryan Theriot, the “Riot”! Got the last out catching the pop-up. Almost forgot Eli Whiteside (third catcher) and Xavier Nady – popped in late. Finally, Brett Pill popped into my head – saw some first base time.
Took a good hour cross-referencing my scorebook, some old articles, and yeah, maybe a quick online peek to confirm the bullpen arms and bench depth. Phew.
Putting the Final Card Together
Alright, here’s the full 2012 Giants World Series Championship squad, burned into my brain again:
- Catcher: Buster Posey (MVP!)
- First Base: Brandon Belt
- Second Base: Marco Scutaro (NLCS MVP)
- Shortstop: Brandon Crawford
- Third Base: Pablo Sandoval (WS MVP)
- Left Field: Gregor Blanco
- Center Field: Angel Pagan
- Right Field: Hunter Pence (Rally Thresher!)
- Starting Pitchers: Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong, Barry Zito
- Relief Pitchers: Santiago Casilla (CL), Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez, George Kontos, Guillermo Mota, Shane Loux, Jose Mijares
- Bench: Aubrey Huff, Hector Sanchez (C), Joaquin Arias, Ryan Theriot, Eli Whiteside (C), Xavier Nady, Brett Pill
Man, revisiting this lineup was a blast. Felt like hanging out with old friends. That team had grit! Forgot how deep that bench and pen really were. Pure magic that year. Feels good having the full picture back in place!
