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 VI I will be covering position players from what I call class A locations. There are only two of these locations, California and Pennsylvania and both of these states have over 100 players to pool from. The player pools are so large that I actually opted to form two teams for each state. The top team still gets it pick of 15 players leaving the remainder available for the B squad. The B squad teams will not be part of the final rankings as that is meant to just compare state to state.
California – B Team
Lineup
Nyjer Morgan, CF
Al Martin, LF
Dick Stuart, 1B
Craig Wilson, RF
Steve Buechele, 3B
Jack Shephard, C
Dick Cole, 2B
Tim Foli, SS
Bench
Chris Stewart, C
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Jim Nealon, 1B
Tommy Sheehan, 3B
Sam Khalifa, SS
Gene Clines, OF
R.J. Reynolds, OF
Notes: Morgan doesn’t have much power but he has some solid OBP skills and is a good base runner so he should slot in well at the top of the lineup. Martin is another player like Morgan in that he is a good OBP guy that can run the bases well but unlike Morgan he has some pop in his bat though of course his defense is very poor especially compared to Morgan. Stuart and Wilson provide the middle of the order with some serious pop and its telling that these guys couldn’t crack the “A” team. Buechele is another solid bat that gives the lineup some depth. Spots 6 through 8 are occupied by weaker hitters who generate value mainly with their gloves.
On the bench Stewart serves as the backup catcher and it has been decided Craig Wilson will serve as the 3rd catcher so the team opts to carry two reserve 1B who are both very solid hitters. In the infield Sheehan gives the team another decent bat off the bench while Khalifa is primarily there for his glove. The two outfielders are also solid hitters who continue to add incredible depth to this B team.
Pennsylvania – B Team
Lineup
Ed Abbaticchio, 2B
Tony Piet, 3B
Joe Harris, 1B
Tom McCreery, LF
Roy Thomas, CF
Billy Earle, C
Jimmy Sebring, RF
Frank Shugart, SS
Bench
Danny Kravitz, C
Willie Clark, 1B
Tom O'Brien, 1B/OF
Lou Bierbauer, 2B
Joe Battin, 3B
Bones Ely, SS
Cal Abrams, OF
Notes: Abbatchio is a very strong hitter with good OBP skills and should do a good job setting the table for the rest of the order. Piet was actually a 2B for the Pirates but he played a lot of 3B elsewhere and he was clearly a better option than the other candidates so he bats second. Harris is the one guy in the lineup with plus power and slots in nicely in the 3 hole and while McCreery isn’t a power bat he’s another very good hitter in the cleanup spot. The trend of solid hitters with little power continues throughout the rest of the lineup as 5-8 are filled with league average or better hitters who possess very little power but have a knack for getting on base.
Kravitz doesn’t have much going for him as he is a weak bat with average defense but the catcher position is weak. Clark, O’Brien and Abrams provide three nice bench bats for the team to rely on as pinch hitters. The infield trio of Bierbauer, Battin and Ely can’t hit all that well but are all exceptional defenders and should compliment the starters who are all good hitters but average defenders at best.
California
Lineup
Jason Kendall, C
Bob Elliott, 3B
Bary Bonds, LF
Brian Giles, RF
Gus Suhr, 1B
Vince DiMaggio, CF
Freddy Sanchez, 2B
Jack Wilson, SS
Bench
Don Slaught, C
Fred Carroll, C
Jason Thompson, 1B
Bob Bailey, 3B
Pete Coscarart, 2B/SS
Bob Skinner, 1B/OF
Wally Westlake, OF
Notes: These are truly the big boy lineups. A catcher hitting lead off may not be a typical occurrence but its something Kendall did with some frequency and with his good OBP skills and surprisingly solid base running ability he makes for a fine lead off man. Eliott in the 2 hole is another very solid hitter who along with Kendall should do a great job setting up the heart of the order. Speaking about that heart of the order Bonds and Giles form a deadly duo of excellent well rounded hitters that are going to terrify every pitcher they face. Beyond them Suhr and DiMaggio are two more solid hitters that give the lineup scary depth 1 through 6. Rounding out the order you see the one weakness of this California juggernaut and that’s the middle infield, but really the combo of Sanchez and Wilson is nothing to sneeze. Sanchez is a very solid contact oriented hitter who plays a good second base and Wilson though his bat is a bit weak is an excellent defensive shortstop.
On the bench Slaught and Carroll are two tremendous reserve catchers who will be used liberally to keep Kendall fresh. Both players are solid hitters and they will be used on occasion to pinch hit as well. Thompson is a terrific backup 1B and just narrowly lost out to Suhr for a starting spot and that was primarily due to the longevity of Suhr. Like the catchers Thompson will be used heavily to help keep Suhr fresh. The depth continues as Bailey is also a very good player who in addition to playing 3B can play the OF and help out at shortstop in an emergency. Coscarat is by far the worst player on the team and even he is a solid player who should be able to spell Wilson with little drop off as both are similar hitters with Coscarat being a slightly better than average fielder. Skinner and Westlake are yet two more players the team can rely for good depth and though the drop off between them and Giles and Bonds will be noticeable both were in the running with DiMaggio for the last starting spot.
Most of the notable exclusions have already been covered on the B team but even with two squads there were some decent players who missed out. Xavier Nady had a couple nice years with the Pirates and is a very solid 1B/OF but neither team had the room for him. Mike Diaz is a utility player who played catcher, first base and the outfield for the Pirates all while hitting at around a league average rate and he too was left out. Babe Dahlgren was a solid 1B who recorded 1,250 PA for the Pirates the most by any California player to miss both squads. The list goes on and on but it just shows how deep in talent this state really is.
Pennsylvania
Lineup
Elmer Smith, LF
Jim Russell, CF
Honus Wagner, SS
Frank Thomas, RF
Bill Robinson, 1B
Don Hoak, 3B
Calude Ritchey, 2B
Ed Ott, C
Bench
Joe Sugden, C
Side Bream, 1B
Neil Walker, 2B
Dick Groat, SS
Clyde Barnhart, 3B/OF
Bill Hinchman, 1B/OF
Adam Comorosky, OF
Notes: That California lineup is tremendous but this Pennsylvania lineup which by and large features players from an earlier era is just as good. Leading off Smith is probably the best Pirates player from the 1800s and he has legitimate speed on the bases and is an OBP machine. Russell is basically a slightly worse version of Smith as while he is still a good hitter he isn’t at his level and he is probably a bit over-matched in center field but this team doesn’t really have an ideal fit there but his bat does play. In the three hole is Honus Wagner the best player in franchise history. The man can do it all including playing terrific defense at shortstop; there is a reason his statue is at the main gate after all. Frank Thomas and Bill Robinson aren’t complete hitters but they provide a solid source of power for the middle of this lineup. Hoak is a very good ball player who doesn’t really stand out in any one area but is solid across the board being a good hitter and a good defender. Ritchey in the 7th spot is known more for his glove than bat but he was a very solid hitter in addition to being an elite defender. Ott in the 8th spot catching is a bit uninspiring compared to the rest of the lineup but the catcher position is a real weak spot for Pennsylvania and Ott is by far the best of the bunch and is a still a solid option in the 8 hole.
On the bench Sugden is easily the worst player on the team but aside from Ott is the only other Pennsylvania born catcher to have significant time spent with the Pirates. He isn’t a black hole by any stretch, though as he still managed to post an 85 wRC+ in over 1,000 PA with the Pirates all while being an average defensive catcher. Bream narrowly lost out to Robinson for the starting 1B job and will still see a lot of action as Robinson will likely be used to spell at 3B and the OF at times plus the team will want Bream in there against tough RHP seeing as he is left handed and Robinson is right handed. Walker and Groat form a terrific backup middle of the infield with Groat being a reserve despite having an MVP on his resume and Walker is a better hitter than Ritchey but can’t compete with the excellent glove. Hinchman is a great player who lost out by an eyelash to Russell for a starting outfield spot and that was primarily because Russell had some center field experience and the team was in need of one of those. Barnhart is a solid bench piece who is actually the player who will see the least use on the team but that is more a comment about the rest of the squad than him. Finally Comorosky might seem like an odd choice as his hitting skills don’t compare well with a lot of the players on the B squad but one of this squad’s weaknesses is bound to be the defense in the outfield and Comorosky though not a stud out there is a solid defender capable of hitting decently and that was enough for him to eek out the final roster spot.
The most significant exclusions from both teams is probably a middle infield pairing of Fred Dunlap at 2B and Billy Cox at shortstop. Both players are solid defenders with roughly league average bats making their exclusion a tough thing to do. If it wasn’t for the focus of defense on the B team bench they would have likely slotted in there. Danny Murtaugh a weak hitting strong gloved 2B has the most plate appearances of anyone to fail to make either team at 1,434. As with California the snubs list could go on for a while but I will cut it off here.
Power Rankings
4. California – B
The B squad for the state of California isn’t a bad team but the lineup just doesn’t have the depth necessary to be able to hang with the others in this group. Stuart and Wilson are a great 1-2 punch in the middle of the order and it speaks volumes of how good the A squad is that they couldn’t crack that squad but the talent around them just isn’t enough. As a squad of their own the California B team would likely be competitive with the Class C teams and near the top of the Class D rankings.
3. Pennsylvania – B
It should be relatively obvious that the bottom 2 squads were going to be the “B” squads. The lineup for the PA B squad is insanely deep featuring 8 hitters that all average or better but the defense is a little weak which causes the bench to lean in a more defense oriented direction which of course weakens the pinch hitting options. The team edges out the California B squad thanks to its depth but obviously there isn’t enough high end talent here for it to be competitive with the A squads.
2. Pennsylvania
I’ve been back and forth on which team to rank 1 and which to team to rank 2 and honestly I’m still not sure if this is correct. The Pennsylvania squad has two clear weaknesses one being the lack of a true center fielder and the other being the need for a bit better catching depth. Those two weaknesses do nothing to take away from how tremendous this team is but it’s enough to keep them from claiming the top spot by a hair.
1. California
As I mentioned the difference between Pennsylvania and California is razor thin and I still haven’t made up my mind about who has the better lineup but I like the California bench just a bit better and that gives them a slight advantage. The primary weakness for the California squad is the lack of depth and high end talent in the middle infield but the rest of the team is strong enough to place them in the top spot in the highest class there is.
This concludes the position player portion of the State By State Bucco History series. We've come along way from the Class E teams where we had to use creativity just to fill out the lineup card. The pitchers will get their turn starting in the next installment and they will have six parts as well. Every team, with the exception of Minnesota, that managed to field a full 8 man lineup will be able to field at least a 4 man rotation and bullpen ace. There are also 6 additional locations that didn't have the necessary position players but have the necessary pitchers. So in all 40 state/country pitching staffs will be presented and the final rankings will include 34 teams.
