Battling Bucs : State By State Bucco History Part VIII

This is the continuation of my ATP (All Time Pirates) series but I have opted to change the name to make it a little more obvious what is covered in the topic. As a quick recap this is a running series of mine that digs into the Pirates past and takes a look at it from various different angles. This particular exercise is looking at it from the player's place of birth. Each US state, the District of Columbia and each foreign country will be investigated in the attempt to build a team. For more specifics check out the introductory post here.
In part VIII I will continue looking at the Pirates pitchers by place of birth and this focus on class E locations. Class E location are places that have enough players to fill out the starting 5 but not enough players where anyone has to be cut from the presented group of 13. There are 20 locations here in all making this a very lengthy post.
Arkansas
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: AJ Burnett
#2: Preacher Roe
#3: Hank Robinson
#4: Tony McKnight
RA: Jimmy Zinn
Reserves
SP: Bert Maxwell
RP: Jack McMahan
Notes: Burnett and Roe form an impressive one-two punch atop the Arkansas rotation. I’m sure everyone is familiar with Burnett so I’ll spend some time on Roe instead. Roe pitched for the Pirates primarily in the World War II days when of course the game was a bit different thanks to so many players fighting in the war. He spent four years with the club with the first two being excellent seasons and the last two not being so good. After leaving the Pirates he went on to have a nice career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinsons pitched for the Pirates early in the 20^th century for two years and provides a good middle of the rotation arm who’s rate numbers compare favorably to the top two in the rotation. Taking up the 4^th spot is Tony McKinght who pitched briefly for the Pirates in 2001. He was roughed up but is the best choice in a bad lot. Zinn pitched for the Pirates in the 1920s so his role as a reliever is much different than how we think of it today but he was solid in his role posting roughly league average rates while with the Pirates.
The bench obviously doesn’t have much. Maxwell started one game for the Pirates back in 1906 and though he pitched 8 innings he allowed 6 runs. McMahan made a few relief appearances for the Pirates in 1956 and was roughed up to the tune of a 6.08 ERA.
Canada
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Bob Steele
#2: Ed Bahr
#3: Erik Bedard
#4: Lefty Wilkie
RA: Chris Leroux
Reserves
SP/RP: Fred Osborne
SP/RP: Harry Fisher
RP: Dave Wainhouse
RP: John Axford
RP: Dave Pagan
RP: Dave Davidson
Notes: Atop the rotation Steele and Bahr each pitched for the Pirates for two seasons in the nineteen teens and 1940s respectively. Both pitchers were decent for the Pirates but far from spectacular. Steele was the more consistent of the two posting two roughly league average seasons while Bahr had a great first season and a poor second one. In the third spot we have what is sure to be a familiar name to a lot of Pirate fans in Erik Bedard. Bedard pitched for the Pirates in 2012 and at that time had the history of a very good pitcher who just couldn’t stay healthy. He lived up to that reputation with the Pirates pitching well until suffering an injury and from that point on he proved largely ineffective. The drop off from the 3^rd to the 4^th rotation spot isn’t huge as Lefy Wilkie was a below average, but still useful starter for the Pirates back in the early 1940s. In the relief ace role is another fairly modern player in Chris Leroux but it is understandable if you don’t remember him as he was a fairly nondescript reliever for the Pirates from 2010-2013.
On the reserve side we have Fred Osborne who is actually also a bench outfielder for the Canadians but he was also a part time pitcher despite awful results. Dave Wainhouse was Leroux’s primary competition for relief ace as he was the only other reliever with more than 20 innings, but he got hit around hard making it no real race at all. Axford and Davidson are from the current century, but pitched only briefly with the Pirates. Pagan also only had a cup of coffee with the Pirates and Fisher pitched 18.1 innings but was pretty bad in that time.
Colorado
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Rich Gossage
#2: Johnny Lindell
#3: Mark Huismann
#4: Frank Papish
RA: Mark Melancon
Notes: There is a slight problem with the staff ace of the Colorado rotation and that is namely that Gossage never actually started a game for the Pirates. The choices here are obviously limited though and Gossage is a significantly better pitcher than the actual starting options and that combined with the fact he started 29 games the year before his season with the Pirates makes him a deserving candidate for the top spot. Lindell is an interesting story but is also the only thing the Colorado team has resembled a competent starting pitcher. Lindell spent most of his career as an outfielder but after his hitting sharply fell off in 1950 and he was sent to the minors he reinvented himself as a knuckleball pitcher. After a successful 1952 season the Pirates signed him as a pitcher where he pitched respectably posting a 4.71 ERA which wasn’t that much above league average. His hitting skills were still there though as the Pirates frequently used him as a pinch hitter. At this point the rotation descends into craziness. Number 3 starter, Mark Huismann, never started a game for the Pirates pitching 8 relief innings across 7 appearances and posting a 7.88 ERA. In the 4^th spot Frank Papish actually started one game for the Pirates while pitching in relief in three others but in total he pitched just 2.1 innings and had a mind boggling ERA of 27. Mark Melancon we are of course all familiar with and he’ll take the job of relief ace where I’m sure he’ll be leaned on heavily.
Connecticut
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Steve Blass
#2: Joe Conzelman
#3: Morrie Critchley
#4: John Lamb
RA: Jared Hughes
Reserves
SP: Tom Parsons
SP/RP: Jack Leary
Notes: Blass proved to be an easy choice for Connecticut staff ace. He started 231 games for the Pirates and the rest of the Connecticut born players started 16 combined. His overall stat line with the Pirates actually isn’t that impressive as it shows a roughly league average pitcher but as most know control problem at the end of his career and struggles early in his career greatly affect those numbers. At his peak he was a very good starting pitcher. In the second slot is Joe Conzelamn who was primarily a relief pitcher for the Pirates from 1913-1915 but did start 12 games easily the second most of all the eligible pitchers. His raw ERA of 2.92 looks terrific but this was during the dead ball era and that was actually below average for the time period. Critchley is an interesting number 3 starter. He pitched one game for the Pittsburgh Ball Club all the way back in their inaugural year of 1882 and in that game he threw a complete game shutout. Lamb never actually starter a game for the Pirates but was a relief pitcher for the team in the early 70s. His numbers are nothing special but he gets thrust into the rotation due to the lack of appeal from the other options. Coming out of the bullpen we have current Pirate, Jared Hughes.
Amongst the reserves Tom Parsons started one game for the Pirates back in 1963 lasting 4.1 innings and allowing 6 runs. Jack Leary made three pitching appearances (two starts) for the Pirates but due to him being a starting position player for the Connecticut team was ineligible for a regular pitcher role. Not that it mattered much as Leary was knocked around to the tune of a 6.75 ERA during his Pirates pitching career.

Cuba
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Luis Tiant
#2: Lino Donoso
#3: Cholly Naranjo
#4: Orlando Pena
RA: Tony Menendez
Reserves
SP: Yoslan Herrera
RP: Pedro Ramos
RP: Jose Contreras
Notes: Luis Tianat had a very good career but it was primarily with the Indians and Red Sox. By the time the Pirates picked him up in 1981 he was 40 years old and clearly past his prime. Even so he made 9 starts for the Pirates that year and proved to be a useful back of the rotation starter which is enough for him to ear the title of ace on this Cuba team. In the second spot Donoso pitched for the Pirates in 1955 (with a brief appearance in 1956) and served in a swingman role starting the occasional game. He didn’t do much in the role but he wasn’t a total disaster either which is enough to make his the number 2 in this rotation. Cholly Naranjo served a similar role to Donoso the following season, 1956, starting a handful of games but primarily pitching in relief. His numbers were marginally better than Donoso’s but in roughly 40% of the innings pitched so he finds himself third in the rotation. In the final rotation spot Orlando Pena never started a game for the Pirates but did have starting experience prior to joining the team in 1970. Due to the very poor showing of the only other pitcher to start a game for the Pirates this proved to be enough to claim the final spot even though his numbers weren’t all that great either. In the relief spot is Tony Menendez who pitched for the Pirates in 1993 he only threw 21 innings and is easily forgettable but that’s still enough to be the top bullpen arm.
The reserves don’t offer much. Yoslan Herrera is the lone player to have started a game that’s not in the rotation and that is because over 5 starts he posted an ERA of 9.82 which is too bad to justify even putting on this poor staff. The two relievers on the bench, Ramos and Contreras, combined for 11 innings pitched and surrendered 9 earned runs between them.
Washington D.C.
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Bob Barr
#2: Dick Lanahan
#3: Billy Taylor
#4: Johnny Welch
RA: Brendan Donnelly
Notes: Barr played for the Pirates way back in 1883 and served as both an outfielder and a pitcher. As an outfielder he managed to make the bench for one of the Class F teams. His primary function with the Pirates though was as a pitcher where he threw in 26 games (starting 23 of them). His numbers weren’t good but he leads all DC pitchers in innings pitched and his ERA is quite comparable to the rest so he sneaks out ace status. Dick Lanahan pitched for the Pirates in the early 40s primarily as a relief pitcher but he did start 8 games and his 4.35 ERA is the best on the staff and is just a bit worse than league average for his era. Billy Taylor actually won a starting spot in the lineup of the eastern United States team but seeing as Washington DC did not have its own lineup he is allowed to be part of its rotation. Like the rest of the staff he wasn’t particularly good posting a 5.80 ERA but he did throw 132 innings. Johnny Welch pitched 9 games for the Pirates, starting 1, back in 1936 and while his raw numbers are better than Taylor’s his limited 22 innings pitched makes him the 4^th starter. Brendan Donnelly pitched for the Pirates to end his career in 2010. He wasn’t good at all with the Pirates but he did have a good stint with the Angels prior to joining the Pirates. Some may remember him since it wasn’t long ago but he did only pitch 30 innings and as far as relievers go was fairly forgettable.
Georgia
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Eddie Solomon
#2: Elmer Riddle
#3: Erskine Mayer
#4: Brandon Cumpton
RA: Matt Capps
Reserves
SP: Tully Sparks
SP: Jimmy Barthmaier
SP/RP: Jim Bagby
SP/RP: Tom Cheney
RP: Hugh Casey
RP: Jim Dunn
RP: Sherry Smith
Notes: This is an interesting rotation as there isn’t much separating the ace from the fifth starter. Solomon is the nominal ace and he pitched for the Pirates from 1980-1982 and threw a team high 274 innings while spending most of his time in the rotation. His Pirate career ERA of 3.58 was roughly league average for his time period. Riddle pitched for the Pirates in the early 1940s and his performance was largely similar to Solomon’s as he threw 265.1 innings and had an ERA right around league average. In the third spot we get Erskine Meyer who is an interesting case as his numbers look the best but he pitched during the dead ball era so his numbers actually aren’t anything special. Cumpton is a more modern player who everyone should be familiar with and his numbers have him a bit below league average though his peripherals show him as a bit better than that. He sneaks in as the 4^th starter. As the relief ace the staff has Matt Capps who pitched for the Pirates from 2005-2009 and served as a very solid closer for the team during his final 3 years with the team.
Tully Sparks is the most notable omission from the starting rotation and there is very little separating him from the rest but his playing era of pre 1900 was just enough to drop him out of the rotation. Bagby and Cheney are the other notable names as each pitched at least 50 innings with the Pirates but neither of them were that effective. Of the rest of the crew, Casey threw 38.2 largely ineffective innings while the others had basically just a taste of the majors while with the Pirates.
Kansas
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Claude Hendrix
#2: Larry McWilliams
#3: Joe Bowman
#4: Roy Sanders
RA: Tom Sturdivant
Reserves
SP/RP: Don Songer
RP: Johnny Hetki
SP: Larry Foss
SP/RP: Chick Brandom
RP: Claude Willoughby
RP: Bill Burwell
RP: Del Lundgren
RP: Kyle Farnsworth
Notes: Hendrix and McWilliams form a solid 1-2 punch atop the rotation with Hendrix being a right hander from the dead ball era and McWilliams being a lefty from more modern times (1980s). Hendrix’s numbers are of inflated due to the era but he was still an above average arm and McWilliams was up and down being a very good starter his first three years with the Pirates and very bad during his last two. Joe Bowman split his time between starting and relieving for the Pirates in the late 30s and early 40s and though he wasn’t great he was still a useful arm that sucked up 600+ innings which is good enough for the third starter’s job. Sanders had a much shorter Pirates career than the top 3 pitching just one season in 1918 splitting his time between starting and relieving but it was a solid season earning him the 4^th and final spot in the rotation. Sturdivant pitched for the Pirates in the early 60s and actually started in about a third of his appearances so he isn’t a typical relief pitcher but he was slightly better than average with the Pirates and gives the staff a decent arm to turn to.
Amongst the reserves Songer played for the Pirates in the 20s and Hetki played for them in the 50s and it really came down to a judgment call to leave them out in favor of Sanders and Sturdivant. Chick Brandom was great for the Pirates posting a 0.94 ERA but in only 57.2 innings. The rest pitched only briefly and with the exception of Farnsworth weren’t really effective in their limited action.
Louisiana
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Wally Hebert
#2: Howie Pollet
#3: Shane Youman
#4: Len Yochim
RA: Red Swanson
Reserves
RP: Mule Watson
Notes: Hebert is an interesting player as he rose quickly threw the minors debuting with the St Louis Browns in 1931 at just 23 years old. He spent three season with the team pitching rather poorly and then spent the next 9 years down in the PCL playing primarily for the minor league team the San Diego Padres. After the 1942 season the Pirates selected him the Rule V draft and as a 35 year old he has the best year of his career posting a 2.98 ERA over 184 innings. He then decided to retire after the season. In the #2 spot we have Howie Pollet who pitched for the Pirates for 4 seasons, 1951-1953 and then again in 1956. In that time period he pitched 378.2 innings easily the most on this staff but his ERA of 4.59 was reminiscent of a back of the rotation starter slotting him behind Hebert.
Some of the more crazy fans may recall Shane Youman as he is a relatively recent pitcher having just played for the Pirates in 2006 and 2007 where he served as a swingman for parts of those two years. This was at the tail end of the era of elevated offense so his 5.13 career Pirates ERA isn’t as bad as it first appears but its still not good. The 4^th starter, Len Yochim, pitched for the Pirates in 1951 and then again in 1954, he appeared in just 12 games (starting 3) and was shelled to the tune of a 7.62 ERA. In the bullpen the team has Red Swanson who pitched for the Pirates for three seasons during the 1950s. In the first two of those three years he only got brief time and pitched poorly. In his third season he spent the year serving as a swingman (starting 8 games and pitching in relief 24 times) and pitched respectably well. The sole reserve is Mule Watson who pitched for the Pirates in 1920 and in 5 games totaling 11.1 innings he allowed 11 ER, 15 hits and 7 walks.
Maine
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Irv Young
#2: Chummy Gray
#3: Bob Vail
#4: Harvey Cushman
RA: Ryan Reid
Notes: There isn’t a whole lot of playing experience for the Pirates in this group. The ace of the staff Irv Young leads the way with 89.2 innings pitched for the Pirates. He played for the Pirates for part of the 1908 season starting 7 games and coming out in relief in another 9. His performance that year was very solid with an ERA of 2.01. In the second slot in the rotation, Chummy Gray threw 70.2 solid innings for the Pittsburgh Ball Club all the way back in 1899. The depth in the rotation drops off from there as Bob Vail threw just 15 innings for the Pirates over 4 appearances (1 start) in 1908 and had an ERA of 6. Bringing up the rear in the rotation is Harvey Cushman who threw 25.2 innings for the Pirates back in 1902 and was roughed up to the tune of a 7.36 ERA. Relieving this rotation made up entirely of players from 100+ years ago is a modern arm in Ryan Reid who made a handful of appearances for the Pirates back in 2013.
Maryland
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Vic Willis
#2: RandyTomlin
#3: Nick Maddox
#4: Brownie Foreman
RA: Denny Neagle
Reserves
SP: Mike Bielecki
SP/RP: Sam Frock
SP/RP: Red Oldham
SP/RP: Joe Muir
RP: Dave Johnson
RP: Tim Drummond
Notes: Heading the Maryland rotation is Hall of Famer, Vic Willis. Now Willis is primarily a Hall of Famer thanks to his Boston Beaneater days but the 4 years he spent pitching for the Pirates (1906-1909) were on a rate basis on par with his 8 with Boston. He racked up 1,209 excellent innings during that time. In the second spot is a more modern pitcher in Tomlin who pitched for the Pirates from 1990-1994 and was consistently an above average arm. In the third spot is another pitcher from the Pirates early days in Nick Maddox who played four season with the Pirates (1907-1910) throwing more than 600 innings and posting an ERA of 2.29 which was a bit better than average for his time period. Brownie Foreman is a pre-1900 arm and he threw just a bit over 200 innings while with the Pirates in 1895 and 1896. Coming out of the bullpen will be Denny Neagle who was actually slotted as the #3 starter in this rotation but moved to the bullpen due to a lack of quality arms for that position. Neagle played for the Pirates from 1992-1996 and spent his time fairly evenly between the rotation and bullpen so he is easily qualified for this job.
Of the reserves, Mike Bielecki is the most notable as he pitched for the Pirates during the mid 1980s and was a decent back of the rotation arm. Sam Frock and Red Oldham were competing for the RP spot before Neagle moved to the pen and Oldham had the playing time while Frock had the numbers but in a small sample. Of the remaining 3, Joe Muir is the only with significant playing time having thrown over 50 innings for the Pirates in the early 1950s. Johnson and Drummond had just brief stays with the Pirates.
Mississippi
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Joe Gibbon
#2: Paul Maholm
#3: Vinegar Bend Mizell
#4: Guy Bush
RA: Fred Waters
Reserves
SP: Claude Passeau
SP/RP: Laurin Pepper
RP: Mike Smith
RP: Freddie Toliver
RP: Donnie Veal
RP: Matt Skrmetta
Notes: Gibbon and Maholm give the Mississippi rotation a solid top 2. Gibbon pitched for the Pirates in the early 1960s serving as both a swingman and mid rotation starter. Maholm played for the Pirates from 2005-2011 and was a stable presence in the rotation through those poor years. Neither pitcher is really a top of the rotation type arm but both are good starters who more often than not will give their team a chance. In the third spot Mizell is another pitcher from the early 60s having played with the Pirates from 1960-1962. His initial season with the club was good but the next two didn’t go so well. Over all he makes for a decent back of the rotation option. Bush played for the Pirates in 1935 and 1936 and serves as both a starter and relief pitcher. During that time he was a useful arm if not much more than that. Coming out of the pen is Fred Waters who pitched for the Pirates briefly in 1955 before getting an extended look the following year. He made an occasional start but was primarily a relief pitcher and while his results were very good he did have a bit of a control problem.
Looking at the reserves Larin Pepper is the only one with significant playing time having pitched 109.2 innings over four seasons (1954-1957) but he was consistently hit hard to the tune of a 7.06 ERA. Claude Passeau made one start for the Pirates in 1935 surrendering 4 runs in 3 innings. Mike Smith pitched for the Pirates in 1989 and Toliver in 1993 both performed decently but received just a hair over 20 innings a piece. Donnie Veal is probably a fairly familiar name as he was a Pirates Rule V pick prior to the 2009 season and while the arm was there the results just weren’t.
Puerto Rico
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Ramon Hernandez
#2: Juan Pizarro
#3: Luis Arroyo
#4: Roberto Hernandez
RA: Javier Lopez
Reserves
SP: Jonathan Sanchez
SP/RP: Omar Olivares
RP: Javier Martinez
Notes: There is an obvious problem here and that is the rotation is comprised solely of relief pitchers. Being generous Pizarro and Arroyo could be called swingmen but that’s probably pushing it. The bottom line is there just wasn’t competent starting pitching available are so the relievers will be asked to pick up the slack. The staff ace Ramon Hernandez was an excellent relief pitcher for the Pirates from 1971-1976 and he appeared in 263 games not starting a single one. Pizarro pitched for the Pirates in 1967, 1968 and then again in 1974. He did start 11 games over those seasons but appeared in relief 58 times and averaged just a hair over 2 innings per appearance. He wasn’t an exceptional pitcher either posting roughly league average numbers. Arroyo is a similar story to Pizarro he pitched for the Pirates in 1956 and 1957 starting 12 games and appearing in relief 60 times however his numbers were a bit below the league average mark. Finally in the 4^th spot is Roberto Hernandez who like Ramon in the top spot never started a major league game and in fact averaged last than an inning per appearance in his one season with the Pirates (2006). Coming out of the bullpen is Javier Lopez who ironically is the only player of the “starting” five not have recorded a save for the Pirates. He pitched part of the 2010 season with the Pirates posting excellent numbers.
The reserves speak to why the rotation is so odd. Jonathan Sanchez and Omar Olivares each had a higher percentage of games started than anyone in the actual rotation but both performed very poorly with the Pirates. I’m sure most of us remember Sanchez’s debacle in 2013 and while Olivares stint with the Pirates in 2001 wasn’t that bad it still wasn’t good. The other reserve Javier Martinez pitched for the Pirates in 1998 where he was largely just another arm in the bullpen.
Rhode Island
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Harry Salisbury
#2: Max Surkont
#3: Chet Nichols
#4: Joe Trimble
RA: Clem Labine
Notes: Salisbury played for Pittsburgh in their inaugural season, 1882, and was basically the staff ace starting 38 games and throwing 335 innings. Its tough to judge much from numbers this long ago but his 2.63 ERA was right in line with the league average. Surkont played three seasons with the Pirates in the mid 1950s but only had significant innings in the first two. In his first season he was a solid mid rotation type starter but in his second he pitched rather poorly. In the third spot in the rotation is Chet Nichols who actually never started a game for the Pirates but over the course of the 1926 and 1927 seasons appeared in 11 games and averaged over 3 innings per appearance. He was far from good posting a 6.37 ERA over those innings. In the 4^th spot is Joe Trimble who was actually used primarily as a starter in his lone season with the Pirates, 1957, but his results over the 19.2 innings he spent with the team weren’t good to the tune of a 8.24 ERA. Filling the relief ace role for Rhode Island is Clem Labine who was with the Pirates for part of the 1960 seasons and basically all of the 1961 season. Labine was superb in his debut campaign with the Pirates posting a 1.48 ERA over 30.1 innings but was much more average in his full season with a 3.69 ERA over 92.2 innings.
South Carolina
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Kirby Higbe
#2: Tom Colcolough
#3: Billy O'Dell
#4: Spades Wood
RA: Bill Landrum
Reserves
SP/RP: Morris Madden
RP: Steven Jackson
RP: Daniel Moskos
RP: Roy Mahaffey
RP: Britt Reames
RP: Freddy Sale
Notes: Higbe played for the Pirates from 1947-49 spending the final two years primarily as a relief pitcher but he was a starter for most of the 1947 season. While with the Pirates he was a solid pitcher both in the rotation and out of the pen. The rotation kind of crumbles at this point. Tom Colcolough pitched for the Pirates in the 1800s back when the game of baseball looked vastly different so his ERA of 6.29 can’t be taken at face value but it certainly wasn’t good. Billy O’Dell has an ERA that doesn’t look awful at 4.44 but he pitched for the Pirates in 1966 and 1967 which was a golden age for pitching so in reality it too was rather bad. Spades Wood continues the trend of poor pitchers filling out the rotation by posting a 5.61 ERA in the early 30s. The rotation is obviously rough but Bill Landrum gives the South Carolina squad a good relief ace with three solid seasons, 1989-1991, in which he led the Pirates in saves.
Steven Jackson and Daniel Moskos are relievers of more modern vintage. Moskos is remembered due to being a 1^st round pick whereas Jackson is largely forgettable. Moskos’s raw numbers actually were quite decent with a 2.96 ERA. Madden played for the Pirates in the late 80s and Mahaffey in the late 20s but they both filled the same basic role as long reliever and both did a rather poor job at it. The final two reserves Reames and Sale barely got a taste of action while with the Pirates with 7.1 and 1.0 innings pitched respectively.
Tennessee
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Red Lucas
#2: Jim Weaver
#3: Erv Brame
#4: Ed Whitson
RA: Bryan Morris
Reserves
SP/RP: Jason Davis
SP: Bob Long
SP: Phil Irwin
RP: Bonnie Hollingsworth
RP: Chris Zachary
RP: Bernie Walter
Notes: Tennessee produced a sneaky good lineup in the hitter section and their pitching staff is a similar story. Lucas and Weaver head the rotation and their time on the Pirates overlap with each having played for the Pirates in the mid 1930s. The pair posted amazingly similar results with Lucas having an ERA of 3.77 and Weaver an ERA of 3.76. Weaver missed a fair amount of bats for his day whereas Lucas was a control pitcher. Lucas gets the mod as the ace entirely because he pitched an extra 170 innings.In the third spot Erv Brame actually has the most innings on the staff and pitched for the Pirates just a couple of seasons before Lucas and Weaver however his results weren’t as strong and he slots in better as a back of the rotation type. Whitson pitched for the Pirates in the late 70s and posted solid numbers but spent most of his time as a relief pitcher (he only started 9 games) which is why he slots behind the rest of the staff. Coming out of the pen is Bryan Morris who I’m sure most are familiar with. He pitched for the Pirates from 2012-2014 and despite a bit of a walk issue he seemed to usually get the job done.
The reserves don’t offer much help. Jason Davis pitched for the Pirates in 2008 but was easily forgettable. Hollingswoth (1922) and Zachary (1973) pitched sparingly during one season for the Pirates. Bob Long made a handful of starts for the Pirates in 1981 and Phil Irwin made one in 2013. Bernie Walter pitched a lone inning back in 1930. Aside from Walter’s scoreless frame, Zachary was the only one to perform well and that was in only 12 innings.
Venezuela
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Manny Sarmiento
#2: Jeanmar Gomez
#3: Tony Armas Jr.
#4: Wil Ledezma
RA: Romulo Sanchez
Reserves
RP: Miguel Garcia
RP: Deolis Guerra
RP: Jose Ascanio
Notes: Staff ace Sarmiento pitched for the Pirates in 1982 and 1983. He spent his first season split between starting and relieving but his second entirely in relief. Overall he started just 17 games but his strong performance in that time, 3.25 ERA, is enough for him to sit atop this staff. In the second spot sits Jeanmar Gomez who is sort of a lite version of Sarmiento as he too spent two seasons with the Pirates (2013 and 2014) pitching mainly out of the bullpen and posted solid numbers during that time (his 3.28 ERA is almost exactly the same). Armas represents a steep drop off in the third spot. Armas joined the Pirates in 2007 and had a very rough year supporting an ERA over 6 in 97 innings split between starting and relieving; he only gets the third spot because he is the only remaining pitcher to have made start for the Pirates. Ledezma never started a game for the Pirates but had some previous starting experience elsewhere. He pitched for the Pirates briefly in 2010 and ERA was awful, but he did have very solid peripherals. Coming out of the bullpen will be Romulo Sanchez who pitched for the Pirates in 2007 and 2008. His numbers weren’t awful but he was a fairly nondescript middle reliever.
There isn’t much to see amongst the reserves. Miguel Garcia pitched for the Pirates from 1987-1989 but only pitched 18.2 innings total. Deolis Guerra played for the Pirates during the most recent season and did ok right up until his final appearance but is another fairly forgettable relief pitcher. Jose Ascanio came over in the same trade as Josh Harrison and at the time Ascanio appeared to have the highest upside but unfortunately he was never to overcome his injuries. All 3 pitchers posted poor numbers in their limited action with the Pirates.
Washington
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Bruce Kison
#2: Ed Brandt
#3: Joe Dawson
#4: Ty Taubenheim
RA: Evan Meek
Reserves
SP/RP: Dana Eveland
RP: Dave Hamilton
RP: Jeff Zaske
RP: Duke Welker
RP: Lou Tost
RP: Jim Mosolf, Travis Snider
Notes: Kison was with the Pirates for most of the 70s and was part of both World Series Championship teams. He compiled 1,266.1 innings in that time with most of it coming as a solid middle of the rotation arm. He isn’t an all time great but he is very stable, dependable arm atop this rotation. Brandt and Dawson are a decent pair of arms in the middle of the rotation that pitched for the Pirates a few seasons each ion the late 30s and late 20s respectively. Brandt’s performance with the Pirates was especially good while Dawson was more a league average type but they each threw under 300 innings. At the back end of the rotation Ty Taubenheim made one lone start for the Pirates in 2008 but it was a decent one going 6 innings and allowing only 2 runs. In the relief ace spot is Evan Meek who spent parts of 5 seasons (2008-2012) with the Pirates with the middle 3 seasons being very good ones out of the bullpen.
Dave Hamilton is the only reserve with more than 10 innings pitched for the Pirates. He threw 26.1 innings for them back in 1978 and was a decent reliever for them that year. Dana Eveland is the only reserve to have started a game and he started just one appearing in 3 back in 2010 and pitched very poorly. Zaske and Welker each just got a cup of coffee but neither allowed a run. Tost’s allowed 1 run in 1 inning of work and Mosolf and Snider were position players who were each tasked with making one pitching appearance.
West Virginia
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Wilbur Cooper
#2: Max Butcher
#3: Earl Francis
#4: Rick Reed
RA: Jeff Wallace
Reserves
SP: Jock Menefee
SP: Stan Fansler
SP: John Scheneberg
SP/RP: Jake Hewitt
RP: Sheriff Blake
Notes: Sitting atop the West Virgina rotation is Wilbur Cooper who is probably one of the better pitchers in Pirates history. He played with the Pirates from 1912 all the way through 1924 collecting a franchise record 202 wins over 3,199 innings. Max Butcher also spent a long time with the Pirates from 1939 through 1945 pitching over 1,100 innings. He was a very good pitcher for the Pirates giving this staff an excellent 1-2 punch. Francis is a clear step behind the top 2 but was still a decent pitcher for the Bucs in the early 60s. Bring up the back of the rotation is Rick Reed who pitched for the Pirates in the late 80s/ early 90s. He didn’t perform too well but is the best of the remaining choices. Wallace is one of the few relievers available for West Virginia and he played for the Pirates from 1997-2000 and largely held his own.
Amongst the reserves, Menefee pitched for the Pirates in the 1800s and was useful but not much more than that. Fansler started 5 games for the Pirates in 1986 and did a rather solid job. The rest of the reserves, Schenberg, Hewitt and Blake pitched fewer than 15 innings apiece with varying results.
Wisconsin
Rotation and Relief Ace
#1: Zane Smith
#2: Pink Hawley
#3: Burleigh Grimes
#4: Kris Benson
RA: Rich Loiselle
Reserves
SP: Russ Bauers
SP: Paul Wagner
SP/RP: Paul Miller
SP/RP: Lou Manske
RP: Les Bartholomew
RP: Jack Taschner
RP: Bert Husting
RP: Fred Hayner
Notes: This is a very good rotation with little separating the top 3 starters. Smith the defacto ace is the more modern guy having pitched for the Pirates in the early 1990s. He pitched at an above average level and was a top of the rotation arm. Hawley pitched for the Pirates way back in the 1800s and was one of the Pirates better pitchers from that era. Grimes is a bit more recent having pitched for the Pirates in three different stints from 1916-1934. He is actually a Hall of Famer but that is primarily due to his time with the Brooklyn Robins. He wasn’t a slouch for the Pirates either though. Kris Benson was a #1 overall pick and while he didn’t live up to the hype he was still a solid pitcher for the Pirates for 5 seasons around the beginning of the 21^st century. Rich Loiselle spent 6 years with the Pirates from 1996-2001 and was just an average reliever but in his rookie season, 1997, he was a great closer for the surprising Freak Show team.
Amongst the reserves Bauers and Wagner are two really fine starting pitcher options who just couldn’t crack this rotation. Bauers was a solid middle of the rotation type who just lost out to Benson while Wagner was more of a back end type. Paul Miller performed decently as a swingman in the early 1990s but the rest of the reserves struggled in limited action.
Power Rankings
20. Washington D.C.
The pitching talent here is just non-existent. They are barely able to cover the minimum number of players needed and the ones they do have have thrown very few innings and the ones they have simply weren’t good. There isn’t one single average type pitcher here and they would even be stretched even as back of the rotation types.
19. Cuba
A minor step up from Washington DC here thanks almost entirely to Luis Tiant who gives the staff one solid back of the rotation type. The innings are few here as well but there is a little bit of depth, even if that depth isn’t particularly good. Outside of Tiant the rotation is weak and not even completely filled with starters.
18. Maine
With just over 200 innings thrown Maine has the least amount of innings thrown by any team in this class. The complete absence of anyone behind the top 5 and the lack of innings really harm this staff but they do have two respectable arms in Young and Gray. They aren’t top of the rotation material but they are reasonable starting options for this class.
17. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico could put together a decent bullpen but unfortunately this exercise calls primarily for a starting rotation and the Puerto Ricans are lacking there. The starting staff doesn’t have any truly terrible arms but the fact that there are two relievers and two spot starters masquerading as a rotation is quite a blow to this staff. The lack of quality depth also doesn’t help.
16. Venezuela
Sarmiento and Gomez gives the Venezuelans a respectable top two in the rotation, but there is very little behind them in the rotation, pen or depth departments. The team is also forced to carry a reliever in the rotation which of course is another serious blow. The top two manages to buoy this team slightly but there needs to be more to rise any higher.
15. Rhode Island
The Rhode Island staff has some positives in the staff ace and relief ace positions but the weakness of the back of the rotation and the fact they have no one behind them holds the team back. Harry Salisbury is a legitimate middle of the rotation arm and Clem Labine is a very solid arm coming out of the bullpen but they aren’t enough to overcome the other shortcomings.
14. Colorado
Similar story to Rhode Island in that there are only 5 guys with two solid stand outs. The stand outs are Gossage and Melancon. Gossage is unfortunately forced into the rotation which robs a lot of his value but he handled the roll earlier in his career so it might not be a complete loss. The back of the rotation really kills this squad but Melancon is the best relief ace in the class so they do have that going for them.
13. South Carolina
The starting 5 for South Carolina is in the same mold as the two teams ranked just below them. They have an ace who is roughly a league average starter in Kirby Higbie and a good solid relief pitcher in Bill Landrum. The rest of the rotation is lacking a bit but it is a minor step up from the previous two thanks largely due to more experience. The South Carolina squad also has the advantage of actual reserve options.
12. Louisiana
Louisiana doesn’t have much depth with only 6 pitchers on the roster but they start off with a solid staff ace in Wally Hebert who’s main flaw is he only has 184 innings pitched. Behind him are starters that while they aren’t middle of the rotation quality both are good enough to be back of the rotation options. The 4^th starter position is weak but the relief ace position is solid. Basically Louisiana's strength is being able to field a competent staff almost the whole way through.
11. Canada
Steele and Bahr gives Canada a good 1-2 punch of mid rotation arms and is the real strength behind Canada’s solid placement in the 11^th spot. The back of the rotation is definitely weak but they both at least have 100+ innings and weren’t total disasters so that’s a plus in this class. The relief ace position and the depth aren’t the greatest but like the back of the rotation it is at least not completely awful.
10. Connecticut
Connecticut is heavily buoyed by the presence of Steve Blass. Blass may not have the overall numbers of a top of the rotation pitcher but he had some well documented struggles at the end of his career and some not as well documented struggles at the beginning but the middle was very solid. Having a pitcher who threw 1500+ innings is a big boon to a team in this class and is enough to barely squeak Connecticut into the top 10 team almost on its own. There is a solid #2 behind Blass and the 3 and 4 are fine but lacking innings so the rest of the staff is capable but Blass is certainly the driving force here.
9. Georgia
There are 5 legitimate rotation options in Georgia making them the first team without a true weak spot in the rotation. The problem is all 5 of the options are better suited for the 3^rd or 4^th spots rather than a top two. The team even adds a solid relief ace in Matt Capps. The lack of a quality top of the rotation option and weak depth with the exception of the 5^th starter is what holds this group back.
8. Washington
Bruce Kison gives Washington a reasonable top of the rotation arm which is what gives them a slight edge over the Georgia squad. The depth behind him is solid with two quality arms in the 2^nd and 3^rd spots but the 4^th spot is unfortunately weak with a pitcher who severely lacks experience. Evan Meek gives them a solid relief ace though.
7. Tennessee
As I said in the write up Tennessee is again a deceivingly good group for their class. There is no clear defined ace but the group is deep in good options and all the starters have some reasonable amount of time of experience. Not much separates them from Georgia and Washington but their top two of Lucas and Weaver are slightly better than the others.
6. Mississippi
Mississippi has a good trio atop the rotation in Gibbon, Maholm and Bend Mizell. Ideally one of them would be more suited to the ace role but the top three is legitimately good and should keep the team in many games. The 4^th starter position is a bit weak and relief ace is just average for the class but the strength of the top 3 is enough for a solid 6^th pace ranking.
5. Arkansas
There is a distinct jump in quality starting with the Arkansas squad. Overall the team is built similar to the Mississippi squad in that they have a strong top 3 but their top 3 is actually significantly better. Burnett, Roe and Robinson is an excellent trio and while McKinght (4^th starter) and Zinn (RA) are question marks the strength of the top 3 is good enough. What holds this group back from going higher is actually the lack of depth beyond the top 5 as there are only 2 pitchers both with limited action.
4. West Virginia
Having one of the best pitchers in Pirates history in Wilbur Cooper is a big boon to the West Virignia’s squad ranking. The group behind Cooper is fine with quality 2^nd and 3^rd starters but it is really Cooper that puts this group this high in the rankings. With all that being said the starting 5 for West Virginia is probably hair behind the starting 5 for Arkansas but there is actual bench depth here which makes the difference.
3. Kansas
It goes without saying Kansas has some legitimate high end depth with Hendrix, McWilliams and Bowman being an excellent 1-2-3 punch atop the rotation but that 1-2-3 combination is probably behind both Arkansas and West Virginia. What gives Kansas the slightest of edges is a strong 4^th starter and relief ace coupled with the second best reserve depth in the class.
2. Maryland
There exists a small yet clear divide between the top 2 teams in this class and the others. All 5 pitchers is Maryland’s starting 5 posted an ERA over the course of their Pirates that was better than league average for their time and they are the first to do that while having all their pitchers throw a reasonable amount of innings (Washington accomplished the feat but their 4^th starter threw just 6 innings). The staff ace Vic Willis may be the second best pitcher in this class behind only Wilbur Cooper. Behind him Tomlin and Maddox form an excellent 2-3 punch that is at least equal to any we’ve seen so far and the guys behind them in the 4^th starter position and relief ace role give them enough to push them all the way up into 2^nd place.
1. Wisconsin
Staff ace Zane Smith doesn’t necessarily stand out when compared to all the others but he is plenty good enough to compete with the group and probably is one of the 5 best in this class. The rotation behind Smith consists of Hawley, Grimes and Benson who all threw at least 750 innings with the first two being legitimate top of the rotation types themselves and Benson being a solid mid rotation arm. Admittedly Rich Loiselle in the relief ace role is a bit of a weak spot but the strength of the rotation is enough to raise them to the top spot. The starting 5 is a hair better than Maryland’s but what really separates Wisconsin from the rest is the presence of two starters amongst their reserves, Bauers and Wagner, who would legitimately be in any other rotation and would head probably over half of them.