Season Review: Mac Williamson, Gerardo Parra and Mike Gerber

It’s hard to write a season review for some of the players that played for the team this season. The constant roster churn meant that it was fairly rare for a player’s shot to last very long once given.

Mac Williamson, Gerardo Parra and Mike Gerber were three such players, whose paths crossed before ultimately leading out the door.

Parra was on the Opening Day roster, but was gone nearly a month later. Gerber got about a week in May, before being sent back down to Triple-A. Both left the same day Williamson was called back up, only to be released and granted free agency in less than a month.

Role on the 2019 team

They were cogs in the roster churn machine. It feels like it would be a shame to judge them by their brief time in San Francisco, because their stories almost seem to be about anything but their time with the club.

Though Gerber eventually re-joined the team in September, he was with the River Cats on most their run as they became Triple-A National Champions this summer. While with the Giants, Gerber was an unimpressive 1-for-24 in 12 games. However, while with the River Cats, he put up a line of .308/.368/.569, 26 home runs and 83 RBI with a .937 OPS. It’s fair to say that he did quite a bit more for the River Cats than he did for the Giants, where he barely got to play.

Williamson was the heart-breaker of the year, sadly. His extremely promising start to his 2018 season was ended by a severe concussion, caused by a tumble over the on-field bullpen mounds. His struggles during the recovery process were well documented and many fans were very excited to see him get another shot.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to really hit the ground running, going 6-for-51 in 15 games with one home run and a line of .118/.211/.196. He ended up being granted free agency in June, agreeing to a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners, before being almost immediately called up. He fared slightly better with Seattle, but not enough to keep a roster spot. He ended the season in the KBO with the Samsung Lions.

Williamson’s ultimate contribution to the the team, however, will likely be his advocacy for moving the bullpen mounds, which it appears they are doing. He was outspoken about the issue in his brief time with the club this year, and his efforts to avoid future players suffering the same injury he did appear not to have been in vain.

And then there is Gerardo Parra. The Baby Shark himself. Parra played 30 games for the Giants this season, and had a line of .198/.278/.267 in 86 plate appearances. Then he was granted free agency, signed with the Washington Nationals, and turned it all around, helping his new team make the playoffs, where they advanced to the World Series.

Role on the 2020 team

Non-existent, except for maybe Mike Gerber. He’ll likely get another look if he plays as well as he did in Sacramento again next season. But I wouldn’t factor him to be on the opening day roster by any means.

How “Farhan” were Mac Williamon, Gerardo Parra and Mike Gerber?

Three Farhans, because they were all caught in the process of constant roster churn that defined this season, which was all part of Zaidi’s plan this year. But not four, because none of them caught on with the team.