The San Francisco Giants had a tough time playing winning baseball in 1996. They
were 23 games behind first place and nowhere near where they wanted to be. So,
going into the 1997 campaign, the Giants made some major changes.

The Giants traded third baseman Matt Williams to the Cleveland Indians for second baseman Jeff Kent, acquired first baseman JT Snow from the Anaheim Angels in exchange for pitcher Allen Watson and a minor leaguer, and they also signed outfielder Daryl Hamilton.

The new additions would reshape the Giants’ lineup and ultimately help the team, as they
would go from last place in their division to winning the National League’s West Division.
The team would also go from 68 wins and 94 losses in 1996 to 90 wins and 72 losses in 1997. The improvement was not only due to the additions but also to Dusty Baker’s
managerial skills. And it was because of the great turnaround in one year that Baker
was named the 1997 National League Manager of the Year on Nov. 6, 1997.