Pittsburgh Pirates Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was

characterized by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until

the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run

records leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates have existed since 1882. They were known

as Allegheny from 1882-1886 before being renamed the Pittsburgh

Alleghenies from 1887-1890. They have been known as the Pirates

ever since and occasionally are referred to as the Bucs or Buccos.

The franchise has five World Series titles (1909, 1925, 1960, 1971,

1979) and nine National League pennants to its resume. They have

won nine division titles and been to the playoffs three times as a

wild card team. 

Today, I formed a Pirates Dream Team that encompasses all eras.

For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Pirate are required.

No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen

this roster with 1-3 year rentals. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For position

players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best regardless

of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with versatility

being heavily considered. Merit achievements such as Hall of Fame,

All Star appearances and Gold Gloves are considered but not

guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also

considered.

Generational reminders

If I believe you were the best at your position in the pre-integration era,

you are on the team. If you played on a World Series champion, there

is no guarantee of landing on this roster. If you played during a bad

season, that does not deter you from being on this roster. Unlike the

Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, there are no morality clauses.

This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts. 

Starting pitchers

Bob Friend, Sam Leever, Babe Adams, Wilbur Cooper, John

Candelaria

The Pirates have a lot of history as a franchise but do not have a Hall

of Fame starting pitcher. Adams was a tremendous control picture who

has the franchise lead for career victories and holds the team record

for career shutouts. He helped deliver two World Series titles. Friend

pitched 15 seasons for the Pirates, four of which were All Star

seasons. He helped deliver a World Series championship in 1960

and was the National League ERA leader in 1955 in Major League

wins leader in 1950. Leever pitched 13 seasons for the Pirates

including helping them win the 1909 World Series and he was the

National League ERA leader in 1903. 

Cooper pitched 13 seasons for the Pirates and while he does not

have a World Series Championship on his resume, Cooper remains

atop of the Pirates leaderboard at various categories. He led the

National League in victories in 1921. Candelaria pitched 11 seasons

with the Pirates with 1977 being an All-Star campaign in which he

led the Major Leagues in ERA. Candelaria was also a significant

piece in leading the Pirates to their 1979 World Series title. 

Bullpen

Closer -- Roy Face

Kent Tekulve, Dave Giusti, Mark Melancon, Mike Williams, Al

McBean, Joel Hanrohan

Face pitched before “save” was an official statistic but in retrospect

he recorded 193 in his 15-year career. Face also recorded 96

career wins in relief, which is still a National League record . Face

was a six-time All-Star who helped the Pirates to their 1960 World

Series championship. The sidewinding/submarining Tekulve

pitched 12 seasons for the Pirates with 1980 being his one All-Star

campaign and he helped deliver the franchise’s 1979 World

Series championship. Tekulve recorded 158 saves in a Pirates

uniform. Face and Tekulve also recorded three saves in their

teams World Series victories. Giusti pitched seven seasons for the

Pirates with the palmball being his go-to pitch. He led the National

League in saves in 1971 on the way to helping the Pirates win a

World Series Championship. Giusti’s performance helped him

garner National League Cy Young and National League MVP

consideration. 

Williams pitched five seasons for the Pirates and is third in franchise

history in saves. He was an All-Star back-to-back seasons in 2002

and 2003. Melancon was a steady closer in his four seasons with

the Pirates, three of them were All Star campaigns. Melancon led

the National League in saves in 2015. Hanrahan only pitched for

the Pirates for four Seasons but in that span became one of the

game's top relievers. He was an All-Star in two of his four seasons

in Pittsburgh. 

Infield

Catcher -- Jason Kendall, First base -- Willie Stargell, Second

base -- Bill Mazeroski, Third base -- Harold “Pie” Traynor,

Shortstop -- Honus Wagner

Kendall played nine seasons with the Pirates and though he did not

play for a winning team in that span, Kendall was a remarkably

durable player despite playing a demanding position. Kendall

averaged 149 games per season. He was the only player in

franchise history to hit for the cycle at Three Rivers Stadium, the

Pirates’ former home. Kendall had three All-Star seasons in

Pittsburgh. Stargell, who was simply known as “Pops,” and spent

all 21 years of his Hall of Fame career with the Pirates. Leftfield

was his primary position but in the interest of putting together the

best team we put him at first base. Stargell helped deliver two

World Series titles to the franchise. He was a seven-time All-Star,

National League MVP and World Series MVP and NLCS MVP

in 1979. He led the National League in home runs twice and

RBIs once. 

Mazeroski is best known for his walk off homerun in Game 7 of

the 1960 World Series, the first in the history of the Fall Classic.

Mazeroski, however, might be the best defensive second

baseman in Major League history. On the way to a Hall of

Fame career, he helped the Pirates to two World Series titles.

He was a 10-time All Star and eight-time Gold Glove Award

winner. Traynor gets forgotten after the more modern-day

players of his position but is regarded as one of the best third

baseman in major league history. He was not a traditional

power hitter but recorded a .320 batting average, only Wade

Boggs has a higher career mark among third baseman in Major

League history. Traynot was a two-time All-Star and helped the

Pirates win their 1925 World Series title. Wagner was part of the

Hall of fame's first class in 1936 along with Ty Cobb, Babe

Ruth, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. Wagner gets

forgotten because of the era in which he played but was an

eight-time National League batting champion, five-time National

League RBI leader and 5 time stolen base leader and helped

deliver a World Series championship in 1909.

Outfield

Leftfield -- Barry Bonds, Centerfield -- Andrew McCutcheon,

Rightfield -- Roberto Clemente

Bonds is best known for his 15 years with the San Francisco

Giants but his seven years in Pittsburgh were also very impactful

in more ways than just on the field. Before Bonds arrived in 1986,

fan interest in Pittsburgh had plummeted but with the arrival of

Bonds and a handful of others, the Pirates became interesting.

As a Pirate, Bonds was an All-Star twice and MVP two more

times. He was a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and three-

time Silver Slugger Award winner. Bonds helped lead the

Pirates to three consecutive division championships. Some

may view the choice of McCutchen is recency bias but his nine

years with the Pirates were incredibly impactful with five All-Star

appearances and an MVP award in 2013. McCutcheon was an

excellent all-around player offensively, defensively and on the

bases. Clemente is one of the most iconic players regardless of

position not just with the Pirates but in Major League Baseball

history. On the way to a Hall of Fame career, he was a 15-time

All-Star and helped the Pirates win two World Series titles. He

was the National League MVP in 1966 and World Series MVP

in 1971. Clemente was a 12 time Gold Glove Award winner

and four-time National League batting champion. 

Bench

Tony Pena, Joseph “Arky” Vaughn, Bill Madlock, Ralph Kiner,

Paul Waner, Dave Parker

Pena had an unorthodox squat behind the plate.  His seven

seasons with the Pirates were some of the most productive of

his career. In that span, he was a four-time All-Star and three-

time Gold Glove award winner. On the way to a Hall of Fame

career, Vaughn was the epitome of consistency as he compiled

a .300 or better batting average in each of 10 seasons with the

franchise. Vaughn was a nine-time All-Star, National League

batting champion 1935. Madlock won two batting titles and

appeared to All Star Games in a Pirates uniform and he also

helped deliver the 1979 World Series championship.

Only Willie Stargell has hit more homeruns in a Pirates uniform

than Kiner and only six players have driven in more runs than

him. On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Kiner led the National

League in home runs seven times and RBIs in 1949. He was a

six-time All-Star. If not for the presence of Clemente, Waner

would be the starting right fielder on this team. On the way to a

Hall of Fame career, Waner was a four-time All-Star, three-time

National League batting champion, led the national league in

RBIs in 1927 and he was also the MVP that season. Injuries,

weight gain and involvement in a drug scandal hurt Parker in

the latter stages of his 11-year career with the Pirates but he

was an intimidating presence in the batter's box. In a Pirates

uniform, Parker was a four-time All-Star and National League

MVP in 1978. He also won three Gold Gloves, three Silver

Slugger Award winners and two National League batting

championships. He helped deliver a World Series for the

Pirates in 1979.

Manager

Danny Murtaugh

Murtaugh managed the Pirates for 15 years over the course

of four different stints. Murtaugh managed the Pirates to 1,111

regular-season victories and two World Series Championships.

Though he may not have the national acclaim and the two

managers teams he defeated in the World Series, Earl

Weaver and Casey Stengel, Murtaugh is worthy of Hall of

Fame discussion. 

Team

1979

In a sense this choice might be considered recency bias but

despite having just one All-Star, Parker, Stargell being the

co-MVP of the National League, this was the most captivating

team in franchise history as they adopted the theme song

“We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. This team had great depth

and one of the best managerial minds in Chuck Tanner. The

Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS and

subsequently the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.