San Francisco Giants: All-Decade Team of the 2010s
Bullpen
Brian Wilson
Much of the San Francisco Giants’ swagger came in the form of their closers. And the pioneer in that department was Brian Wilson.
Wilson had a unique look to say the very least. His pitch-black beard made him look like a video game character.
But it wasn’t just the beard that made him a figurehead of the 2010s.
In 2010, Wilson put together a 48-win season, leading the National League and tying the single-season franchise record for the Giants. The following year, he’d tack on 36 more saves.
His 2.46 ERA across 129 games to go along with a 10.2 K/9 made him a dominant backend pitcher. In the 2010 playoffs, he would save six games without allowing a run.
Wilson may not have been with the San Francisco Giants for much of the 2010s, but his three years with the team were loaded with accomplishments — two All-Star nods, a top-7 Cy Young Award finish, and even a top-13 MVP voting finish.
Not bad.
Sergio Romo
When Brian Wilson’s time was up with the San Francisco Giants, the team moved to Sergio Romo, who brought a repackaged swagger during the Championship window.
Romo, whose primary role during the decade was as a setup man, would have 38 saves in 2013.
His nasty slider had hitters fooled consistently over the seven seasons with the Giants. And he was able to consistently get batters out in both the regular and postseasons. He would end up logging a 3.09 ERA during 37 postseason appearances.
Overall, Romo appeared across seven seasons and had an 8.1 WAR thanks to a 2.49 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He also put together 82 saves and 127 holds — a solid line for a versatile reliever.
Santiago Casilla
Again, the final spot on this list could have gone to any number of names who thrived in either the regular season or postseason.
There were several specialists who thrived during their time with the Giants despite not receiving significant accolades.
Santiago Casilla gets the nod because of his combination of longevity, success in the regular season, and contributions in the postseason.
Casilla would get the call to be the team’s closer starting in 2015, and he succeeded in that role, putting up 69 saves across his first two seasons as the closer.
Like Romo, he slotted into a variety of different roles in seasons past. Though he’d wind up with 123 saves, he also had an additional 64 holds; it goes to show just how versatile and dominant that the bullpen was for the Giants this past decade.
In 25 career postseason appearances, Casilla had four saves and an impressive 0.92 ERA.
Honorable Mentions: Javier Lopez, Will Smith, Jeremy Affeldt