Battling Bucs : State By State Bucco History Part V

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 V I will be covering position players from what I call class B locations. By class B locations I am referring to locations that have between 51 and 75 position players (there are now only 2 locations remaining). We are now in locations where there will be a few players cut who actually had legitimately decent careers with the Pirates but the fact is there just isn't room for them on their team's roster. In short these places at one time or another have been baseball hot beds for the Pirates and they have found a lot of talent from these locations.
Illinois
Lineup
George Cutshaw, 2B
Freddie Lindstrom, LF
Ed Swartwood, RF
Garrett Jones, 1B
Hal Smith, C
Rob Mackowaik, CF
Frankie Gustine, 3B
Dick Schofield, SS
Bench
Harry Decker, C
Phil Masi, C
Del Howard, 1B/OF
Dick Bartell, 2B/SS
Alex McCarthy, IF
Lonnie Smith, OF
Marvell Wynne, OF
Notes: Atop the lineup Cutshaw is a solid second baseman with good defense and good speed but his bat is a little light. In the second spot Lindstrom gives the lineup a solid OBP guy in front of the big hitters. Swartwood in the third spot is the best player and hitter on the team and following him Jones gives the team its best power threat. Smith didn’t play with the Pirates much receiving fewer than 500 PA but he is a roughly league average bat that deepens the lineup. Rob Mackowiak in the 6^th spot is a super utility player but this team lacks a true center fielder so he’ll man that position. Gustine and Schofield from the back of the lineup and are two more decent but not great bats.
The bench features an array of solid bats in Decker, Masi, Howard, Bartell and Smith. Smith probably has the best bat of the group and provides a true power threat off the bench while Bartell is a solid all around player who if he had played more 3B would likely be starting over Gustine. The other two players on the bench aren’t great hitters but McCarthy makes the team as the available infielders are a bit weak and Wynne edges out the competition thanks primarily to his edge in playing time. Otto Krueger (SS/OF) and Earl Sheely (1B) are probably the best two players left off the team while another notable exclusion is catcher Tom Prince.
New York
Lineup
Andy Van Slyke, CF
Tommy Leach, 3B
Bobby Bonilla, LF
Hank Greenberg, 1B
Richie Zisk, RF
Dave Cash, 2B
Doggie Miller, C
Stan Rojek, SS
Bench
Al Todd, C
William Fischer, C
Lee Mazzilli, 1B/OF
Alan Storke, IF
Sid Gordon, 3B/OF
John Cangelosi, OF
Mike Mansell, OF
Notes: The combination of Van Slyke and Leach atop the lineup is a deadly pairing as both are excellent players and probably the best two on the team. Both are great defensively at their position and hit well enough to be great table setters for the middle of the order while also being threats on the bases. Bonilla spent a bit more time at 3B than in the OF while with the Pirates but he wasn’t good defensively at 3B and Leach already has that nailed down so he moved to the OF but still provides a nice bat in the 3 hole. Hank Greenberg in the cleanup spot wasn’t with the Pirates long but possess some very good power. Zisk is another excellent hitter in the 5 hole and really makes this top 5 a dynamic bunch capable of worrying nearly any pitcher. Cash and Miller in the 6 and 7 spots are a significant drop off from the top 5 but both are quality league average bats that really deepen this lineup. In the 8^th spot Rojek is your typical all glove shortstop who won’t give you a ton with the bat but will give you more than you lose back with his glove.
Todd and Fischer form a nice backup catching duo with Fischer having a very nice bat and Todd the better glove. Gordon and Storke give the infield some depth but neither really is a backup shortstop so Leach is going to have to slide over to give Rojek the occasional day off. The other three bench players Mazzilli, Cangelosi and Mansell provide some quality depth for 1B and the OF. Overall this is a very solid group and all 7 players are at minimum decent hitters.
Among the notable names left off the roster we have a trio of quality catchers in Pop Schriver, Jackie Hayes and Ed Phelps. All three of those players are solid catchers but there was just no room for them on the roster. The other notable name left off is John Coleman a 1B/OF who just nearly missed a bench spot and who I gave some consideration to carrying on the roster over one of the extra infielders. He is the first player to crack 1,000 PA with the Pirates not to make his team. The infield is the weakest area of the team but there are two more modern players who are notable exclusions in Shawon Duston and Kevin Polcovich. Duston just didn’t have the playing time to really be considered and Polcovich who was probably the second best shortstop just wasn’t good enough for me to justify keeping.
Ohio
Lineup
Denny Lyons, 3B
Jim Viox, 2B
Jake Stenzel, CF
Al Oliver, 1B
Mike Easler, LF
Josh Harrison, RF
Chief Zimmer, C
Howdy Caton, SS
Bench
Duffy Dyer, C
Rollie Hemsley, C
Rocky Nelson, 1B
Bill Brubaker, IF
Mike Benjamin, IF
Mike Mitchell, OF
Goat Anderson, OF
Notes: The lineup doesn’t really have a guy who is going to steal a ton of bases but at the same time you can’t really take anyone in the lineup for granted either. Atop the lineup Lyons is a very good player who received around 1,500 PA with the Pirates. He is excellent at getting on base and should do a nice job setting the table. Viox is another quality hitter in the two hole who should build off of Lyons to give the heart of the order opportunities to drive in runs. Stenzel is one of the best hitters on the team (and also the best base stealer) and he is good enough that he should slot nicely into the 3 hole. Oliver (who is probably the team’s best player) and Easler provide some quality power in the 4 and 5 spots and are a nice change of pace from the OBP oriented top 3. We all know Harrison is better suited for infield work but the makeup of this roster dictates that he plays in the outfield which while not ideal should be ok. Zimmer in the 7^th spot played for the Pirates all the way back in 1900 and though his style is different he gives the lineup a solid 7^th hole hitter. Caton in the 8^th spot is another strong defensive shortstop who doesn’t hit much.
Dyer narrowly lost out to Zimmer for the starting catcher job but should still play with some frequency as the position will likely be split between the two of them. The third catcher Hemsley doesn’t bring much to the table so his playing time will likely be sparse. Nelson is probably the best bat on the bench and gives the team a legitimate power threat to pinch hit with. Brubaker is a solid reserve infielder who is good enough to step in for one of the starters and be quite productive. Benjamin can’t hit at all but plays excellent defense all over the infield and that’s enough to crack the roster. Mitchell and Anderson are decent bats to backup the outfielders with but there is of course a significant drop off between the starters and them. The most notable player left off the roster was Billy Clingman who barely lost out to Benjamin. He hits a bit better than Benjamin and plays good defense at 3B but the presence of Lyons lessens the importance of that particular skill and his bat isn’t that much better than Benjamin’s.

Power Rankings
3. Illinois
Much like the previous class where there was nothing wrong with the lowest rated roster there is nothing wrong with this Illinois squad. It’s a nice roster but it just doesn’t stack up well with its competition. Swartwood is a solid player but doesn’t make for a great star and while he is surrounded by quality baseball players there really isn’t a standout for the title of second best player on the team. Garrett Jones is not an ideal cleanup hitter despite his solid power and it would be more beneficial to be able to use a solid utility player like Mackowiak off the bench then being forced to use him in center field on a regular basis. The Illinois squad lacks a glaring weakness but it also doesn’t seem to have a real strength.
2. Ohio
Stenzel and Oliver form a very good 1-2 punch and while neither player is someone you typically think of as a star the combo of the two of them makes for a quality top of the roster. The supporting cast around them though is really what makes this a very solid team. One through six in the lineup a pitcher is going to have a hard time and in the 7^th and 8^th spots as the bats get weaker the players start adding value significant value with their gloves. Having to play Harrison in RF is obviously not ideal but he is good enough that he definitely deserves to be starting somewhere on the diamond. This is a very solid team and dependent on their pitching staff they should fare well in the final overall rankings.
1. New York
Illinois and Ohio have solid teams but they are just quite plainly a step behind what New York can throw out there. The top 5 in the lineup is just simply superb and is going to give any pitcher nightmares. Van Slyke and Leach form a great 1-2 punch as the best players on the team as not only do they provide excellent defense but their bats are above average as well. Behind them Bonilla, Greenberg and Zisk are a trio of thumpers who need to be feared. Even beyond those 5 the team is solid as Rojek is the only weak spot in the lineup and he earns his keep with his glove and the bench is stacked full of players who seem very capable of filling in should they be needed.