Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Berenguer in 1986 from Cocle Province Panama was one of the international Giants (autograph photo signed by Berenguer)
They were a Giant? By Tony the Hayes
Several weeks ago we revealed in our first installment that historically the San Francisco Giants have fielded players, coaches and managers from 23 different foreign countries and territories.
Taking ONE representative from each country or territory we have assembled an awesome internationally flavored Orange & Black roster.
In our first installment we revealed the starting lineup as follows:
P – Dominican Republic – 🇩🇴 – Juan Marichal C – Mexico – 🇲🇽 Alex Trevino 1B – Puerto Rico – 🇵🇷 – Orlando Cepeda 2B – Honduras – 🇭🇳 – Mauricio Dubon 3B – Venezuela- 🇻🇪- Pablo Sandoval SS – Colombia – 🇨🇴- Edgar Renteria LF – Nicaragua – 🇳🇮 – Marvin Benard *CF – Japan – 🇯🇵- Jung Hoo Lee (Though he’s a South Korea national and citizen, Lee was born on Japanese soil, where his father was a professional ballplayer) RF – Jamaica – 🇯🇲- Chili Davis
Next, we fill out the rest of the roster and dugout brain trust.
Starting Pitching
Cuba -🇨🇺 – Livan Hernandez – RHP
While his big game rep took a pounding with a couple of putrid starts in the 2002 World Series, Hernandez was an above average pitcher in his three-plus seasons with the Orange & Black, notching 45 regular season and two postseason victories, when starting pitcher W’s were still valued.
Notable Countrymen: Tito Fuentes, IF; Jose Cardenal, OF; Carlos Alfonso, coach.
Aruba – 🇦🇼 – Sidney Ponson – RHP
After a breakout first half performance with Baltimore, the plump Ponson was acquired at the trade deadline in 2003 and unfortunately immediately reverted to his inconsistent former self, finishing with a 3-6, 3.71 ledger in 10 starts. After the Marlins socked Sidney around in a ‘03 playoff start, the Giants choose to let the pitcher walk via free agency.
Notable countrymen: Chadwick Tromp, C.
Australia -🇦🇺 – Damian Moss – LHP
Acquired in a trade with Atlanta in exchange for RHP Russ Ortiz prior to the 2003 season, Moss initially looked spectacular, posting victories in his first five decisions. But the southpaw subsequently hit a snag, and the gruff Aussie went down under quickly. When hypnosis with a sports psychologist, failed to meet the desired results, Moss was dispatched to Baltimore in exchange for Ponson.
Notable Countrymen: Travis Blackley, RHP.
Bullpen
Panama – 🇵🇦 – Juan Berenguer – RHP
This hard-throwing swingman was a top- notch Giant in his lone season with the Orange & Black in 1986 after coming over from the Tigers in a trade.
“El Presidente’s” 2.70 ERA in 46 Giants appearances was the second best of his distinguished 15-year big league career that also saw him win World Series titles with Detroit and Minnesota.
Notable Countrymen: Rennie Stennett – 2B, Roberto Kelly – coach; Enrique Burgos – RHP
Ruben Rivera – OF
Germany – 🇩🇪 – Craig Lefferts – LHP
Born in Munich where his father was stationed with the United States Air Force, Lefferts enjoyed an 11-year big league career and helped anchor the bullpens of two Giants division winning clubs (1987, 1989) and one NL Championship club (1989). Acquired by the Giants from San Diego in the blockbuster Kevin Mitchell of 1987, Lefferts was a workhorse reliever for San Francisco amassing a whopping 174 regular season appearances and eight postseason outings for the Giants.
Canada – 🇨🇦 Georges Maranda – RHP
Though hockey is profoundly recognized as the sporting king to our neighbors in the Great White North, it’s still somewhat surprising to learn that only two native Canadians have played for the San Francisco Giants…
and both appeared in the Orange & Black more than 60 years ago.
Neither Ken MacKenzie (1964) nor Maranda (1960) lasted long with the Giants – but we’re taking Maranda here because he appeared in more games – 17 to 10 – and offered more versatility.
Unlike his countryman who had no decisions and pitched strictly in relief, Maranda made a handful of starts for San Francisco and notched the first of his two big league victories as a Giant – beating the Cubs on the road 5-3 (8/21/60) in his first MLB start with 7 frames of one-run work.
Virgin Islands – 🇻🇬 – Jharel Cotton – RHP
It’s only by a technicality that Valmy Thomas – the West Coast Giants’ first-ever catcher – is not our Virgin Islands representative. But Thomas doesn’t quite qualify for the nod because his mother traveled from her St. Croix island residence in 1935 to Puerto Rico to give birth to the future backstop before returning immediately home with her precious newborn.
So the honor goes to Cotton, a former top prospect with Oakland. Cotton made five relief appearances for San Francisco at the tail end of the 2022 season, four of which were solid performances. In his Giants debut, Cotton was one of six Giants pitchers – count ‘em six – to combine for a 3-0 shutout at Colorado (9/22/22). Cotton’s 2.2 innings of whitewashing were the most of any of the half dozen Orange & Black pitchers that day and he was credited with the win. But he wasn’t done. In Cotton’s penultimate big league appearance, the St. Thomas native picked up the W in a 4-3, 10-inning home win over Arizona. In a trademark Gabe Kapler/Farhan Special, Cotton was the last of eight pitchers that day.
Fellow Countrymen: Jose Morales, coach.
Taiwan – 🇹🇼- Kai-Wei Teng – RHP
Though Taiwan has been major player in international youth baseball for decades- most prominently excelling in Little League World Series competition- only a handful of players from this Red China territory have played major league ball. Teng, the Giants lone Taiwanese-born player, made the big league team’s opening day roster in 2024, but posted an unsightly 9.82 ERA in four relief appearances before returning to the farm system for more seasoning. He currently pitches at Triple-A Sacramento and remains a prime candidate for a 2025 call-up.
Bench
Netherlands – 🇳🇱 – Rikkert Faneyte
- OF
Born and raised in Amsterdam, Fanayte attended junior college in Florida where he was scouted and signed by San Francisco in 1991. By 1993 he was up with the big club and contributing to a 103-win club. He also played parts of 1994-95 with the Orange & Black. Fanayte was a key member of the Dutch National Team that participated in the 2000 Olympic Games at Sydney.
Bahamas – 🇧🇸 – Andre Rodgers, IF
Real old school Giants fans will remember Rodgers as a “can’t miss” shortstop prospect who didn’t quite live up to expectations. A top notch cricket player on his native island, Rodgers baseball skills were unrefined when he signed with the club in club in 1954. A personal favorite of Giants President Horace Stoneham, the tall and rangy infielder was up with the club by 1957 and was an original member of 1958 west coast Giants. In May of 1959, it appeared the young Bahamian was on the verge of a break though when he pummeled five home runs for the month of May for San Francisco, but he was not able to sustain the offense clout power throughout the summer. Ultimately defensive frailty (22 errors in ‘59) was Rodger’s achilles heel with the Orange & Black and he was dealt to the Cubs after the 1960 campaign.
Fellow countrymen: Antoan Richardson (coach).
South Korea – 🇰🇷- Jae-Gyun Hwang, IF
It’s short-termer Hwang, not Jung Hoo Lee – who was actually born on Japanese soil – representing South Korea on our Giants International roster.
After already experiencing stardom in the KBO, Hwang was nearly 30 by the time he made his MLB debut with the last place finishing San Francisco in 2017, aka “Year of the Gorkys .”
A popular slugger in his homeland, Hwang magnificently provided one of the few highlights of the an otherwise downer year when he hammered a solo homer in his big league debut game (6/28/17), a 5-3 home win over the Rockies. Hwang received a decent opportunity to start at 3B for the Giants, but returned to Korea to resume his professional career after batting just .154 in 18 games with San Francisco.
Fellow countrymen: Jung Hoo Lee
Manager & Coaches
France – 🇫🇷 – Bruce Bochy – Manager
Bochy who is the longest tenured (11 seasons) and most successful manager in San Francisco Giants history (three world titles: 2010, 2012, 2014) was born in France in 1955 where his father was stationed with the U.S. Military.
Bochy is the first European-born skipper to manage in a World Series, winning a trio of rings with San Francisco and a fourth with Texas (2023). He also piloted San Diego to a Fall Classic berth (1998).
Coaches
Curaçao – 🇨🇼 – Hensley Meulens
A former Yankees prospect and star slugger in Japan, Meulens was a Giants batting and bench coach from 2010-19, working the entire time at the pleasure of Bochy and earning three jewel-encrusted World Series rings.
Saudi Arabia – 🇸🇦 – Mark Hallberg
A rising star in the Giants hierarchy, Hall is currently in his fourth season on the Giants coaching staff. Though American, Hallberg was born abroad in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1985 where his parents were employed as teachers. He spent his first eight years living in the Kingdom before spending the next five years in Pakistan. He attended the last two years of high school in Wisconsin before starring in baseball at the University of Illinois Chicago for two years prior to transferring to Florida State University where he was teammates with future Giants MVP and current president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
Hallberg played several seasons of minor league baseball before transitioning into managing and coaching.
*Hawaii – Wendell Kim
While it’s true Hawaii has been a state for more that 65 years, at the time of Kim’s birth in 1950, the “Aloha State” was still very much a United States territory.
An irascible, pint-sized first and third base coach for the Orange & Black from 1989-96, Kim whose middle name was “Kealohepauloe” carried true Hawaiian bloodlines.
Tony the Tiger Hayes does the He was a Giant? features at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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