The Giants didn’t win any rings this year, but at least a team with six former members of the Orange and Black will get some hardware.
Forever Giants Will Smith, Pablo Sandoval, Stephen Vogt, Ehire Adrianza, Adam Duvall and Drew Smyly all won rings on Tuesday night when the Braves beat the Astros 7-0 in Game 6 of the World Series.
Smith was the most significant contributor of the group for the Braves this season, the closer throwing the final pitch to clinch the title.
Smith, who was an All-Star with San Francisco in 2019, had another excellent season. After saving a career-high 37 games for Atlanta during the regular season, Smith added six more in the postseason, not giving up a single run in 11 innings of work. Smith also threw four scoreless innings in the World Series.
Duvall, a former 11th round draft pick by the Giants and top prospect, was also a key contributor after a midseason trade from Miami. Duvall hit three home runs during the postseason, including a grand slam to open Game 5 of the World Series.
Smyly was the most recent Giant, earning himself a one-year, $11 million deal after an impressive showing for San Francisco in the shortened 2020 season. Smyly was more uneven in 2021, posting a 4.48 ERA in 23 starts, only making three appearances in the postseason and giving up five runs.
The other three were mostly bit players. Stephen Vogt played just 26 games for the Braves after a midseason trade from Arizona, and didn’t appear in the playoffs following a sports hernia surgery two weeks prior to the World Series. Adrianza went hitless in two at-bats after spending most of the 2021 season as a bench piece.
Sandoval isn’t actually on the Braves anymore, but was part of a midseason trade to the Indians for Eddie Rosario, a key contributor to the postseason run. Still, Sandoval gets a ring, which is now the fourth of his career.