Pirates Short Stops

At the monthly breakfast of the Gang of Four yesterday, the following questions came up:

Who is the best Pirates short stop in our lifetimes, and does Jordy Mercer belong in the discussion?

We all know that any discussion of Pirates short stops starts and stops with Honus Wagner, hence the "in our lifetime" imitation.  Since the personal knowledge of the Pirates among our group goes back to the late 1950's, we narrowed down which guys played the most at the Number 6 position, so it was time to open up a spreadsheet:

	Seasons with Pirates	BA	Hits	Runs	Home Runs	Runs Batted In	OPS
Dick Groat	9	0.290	1,435	554	39	707	0.696
Gene Alley	11	0.254	999	442	55	342	0.665
Jay Bell	8	0.269	1,124	623	78	423	0.741
Frank Taveras	8	0.253	626	310	1	310	0.615
Jack Wilson	9	0.269	1,158	508	60	389	0.687
Jordy Mercer	5	0.262	377	146	25	146	0.694
Per Season:
Groat			159	62	4	79
Alley			91	40	5	31
Bell			141	78	10	53
Taveras			78	39	< 1	39
Wilson			129	56	7	43
Mercer			75	29	5	29
	Mercer’s stats are through May 21, 2016

A couple of limitations to my research:

• This takes into account only offensive numbers.  I don't have the smarts to ranks modern day defensive metrics for these guys.
• The "average per season" figures could tend to short change guys.  For example, Mercer played only 42 games in his first season, 2012, and has played only 41 games so far this season.  There are similar patterns for some of the other guys.
• Only the players' seasons with the Pirates are considered.
• Overall career numbers may flatten out a guy's performance.  I am thinking mainly of Gene Alley, injuries curtailed what could have been a bright career, but from 1966-68, he was arguable the best SS in the game.
• I never would have guessed that Frank Taveras was with the Pirates for eight seasons!

Okay, all that said, here is what jumps out at me:

1. I was surprised at Groat's run production.  His 707 RBI (79 per season) is far above anyone else on the list.
2. Similarly, I didn't recall what a run producer Jay Bell was, and his OPS was significantly higher that any of the others.
3. Jack Wilson was a much better player that we may have given him credit. Would you have guessed that until two nights ago, he held he record for most hits in PNC Park?  I wouldn't have.  Nor would I have guessed that he hit 60 HRs as a Pirate. The fact that Wilson played almost exclusively for lousy Pirates teams no doubt diminishes him in our memories. 
4. And while this is completely subjective, it seems to me that every time I went to a Pirate game when Wilson was playing, he always seemed to make a play in the field that made you where you said "I can't believe he made that play."

So, my Top three Pirates Short Stops In My Lifetime are:

#3 - Jack Wilson

#2 - Jay Bell

#1 - Dick Groat

(NOTE: On any given day, I could reverse the positions of Bell and Wilson on my list.)

As to the second part of the question, "Does Jordy Mercer belong in the discussion?", I would say that no, he does not, but only because it is too soon to say. He seems to be getting better each season, so perhaps the question should be revisited in a couple of years.  Of course, in recent years, the Pirates have invested Number One draft picks in short stops Cole Tucker and Kevin Newman, so who knows how long Mercer's tenure will be with the Pirates.

Agree, disagree, or any other thoughts?

Who Is/Was the Best PNC Park Pirate?

Yesterday was the 41st birthday of former Pirate Brian Giles. I posted this comment on my Facebook page yesterday and asked the following question: Was/is Brian Giles the greatest Pirate of the PNC Park Era?

First off, in searching Google for a picture of Giles to post, I discovered that Giles has led a bit of an unsavory life in recent years. I have also been told over the years, that when Giles was with the Pirates, he and Jason "Welcome to Hell" Kendall led a clique in the clubhouse that can be described as despicable, disgusting, unsavory, a bunch of jackasses...take your pick. So, we will stipulate that Giles was NOT a nice guy, and that he hasn't seemed to clean up his act since he departed Pittsburgh. We will instead concentrate on the question at hand - is he the best Pirate player of the PNC Park Era?

Whelming (as opposed to "overwhelming") responses on Facebook agreed that he was a very good player, that he was probably a PED juicer in those pre-testing days, and that he was a jaggoff. Other names mentioned as the best PNC Park Pirate included Aramis Rameriz, Kevin Young, and Jason Bay, and the opinion that Andrew McCutchen is on his way to becoming the best PNC Park Pirate. Another poster opined that while he may not have been the best player of the era, Jack Wilson was the "face of the Pirates" during this era. That is an interesting opinion, and could lead to a whole other discussion thread.

My own vote on this Player would go to Jason Bay with Giles a close second. I also feel that McCutchen, if he is allowed to play here long enough, will eventually wear the mantle of "Best PNC Park Pirate."

Also, who do feel has been the "Face of the Franchise" during the PNC Park Era? One vote is already in for Wilson. My own thought is that, for better or worse, Jason Kendall was the Face of the Team during PNC's earlier years. Then Wilson, and now McCutchen. If I had to pick one, after 11 seasons have been played out, I would choose Kendall. Again, for better or for worse.

Any one care to comment further?

Another Side to Jack Wilson?

In case you missed it, Jack Wilson, beloved by Pirates fans and held as an example of just another GM Neal Salary Dump, shows a heretofore unknown side up in Seattle in this young season. There are two sides to every story, of course, but this one is a bit surprising and disturbing:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/04/09/1619239/mariners-must-rid-themselves-of.html#

On another note, certain readers of this blog will recognize the name of a well-known baseball aficionado from Munhall, PA, Bill Madden. I can remember he always bemoaned whenever a Pirates pitcher walked a lead off hitter. "You never walk the Leading Lady", he would say. Well, I am sure Pappy is spinning in his grave after watching Evan Meek last week and Jose Veras tonight. Lead off walks in the eighth inning of games led to two Pirates defeats on successive Saturdays.

That's baseball, as the saying goes.