'21 Giants: A Historically Balanced Offensive Team
The 2021 San Francisco Giants set the franchise record for
most regular season victories with 107. They were led on offense by the two Brandons:
"Captain" Brandon Belt was the
Giants' home run leader and his namesake Brandon Crawford finished fourth in the
NL MVP voting. While the Brandons led the way, the Giants' success stemmed from their historical balance.
Belt led the Giants with 29 home runs as the Giants'
remarkable streak of seasons without a 30-home run hitter continued. Despite not having a 30-home run hitter, the Giants set a franchise record with
241 home runs. The 241 home runs were
the most in MLB history for a team without a 30-home-run hitter. Seventeen
different Giants hit at least five home runs (another MLB record). Belt led the Giants in home runs despite missing 65 games!
Even more amazing is that despite missing 65 games (out of a possible 162), Belt was tied for 5th on the Giants
with 381 plate appearances!! Only two players (Crawford and Mike Yastremski) had over 480 plate appearances for the '21 Giants and thirteen players had
between 200 and 480 plate appearances for them. By comparison, the '93 Giants (the only
other Giants team in the last 60 years that won at least 103 games) were not as balanced. That
year, eight Giants players had over 480 plate appearances and just
one player had between 200 and 480 plate appearances.