3/20: Roberto Voted Into HoF, Alejandro Signed, Mac In, Max Out, Grays Add Josh & Judy, Phenom Clint; RIP Jughandle Johnny, HBD Blas, Rick, Walter, Tom & Pete

• 1864 - 3B Pete McShannic was born in Pittsburgh. Fittingly, he played his only MLB season for the hometown Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1888, batting .194 before closing out his career in 1890 in the minors. During his career and into retirement, McShannic was also a portrait and scenic artist. When his paintings failed to pay the rent (“starving artist” syndrome existed even in those days), he began working in a factory but continued painting throughout his life. 
• 1882 - IF Tom Stankard was born in Waltham, Massachusetts. He played college football and baseball at Holy Cross, compiling a .412 BA for the baseball team while also a gridiron captain who was named to Walter Camp’s All-America Team, the first A-A in Crusader history. In July of 1904, he appeared in two games with the Pirates, going 0-for-2. It was his only MLB action, though he spent 11 seasons in the minors, almost all in eastern leagues, before hanging up his mitt. 
• 1887 - C Walter Schmidt was born in London, Arizona. He donned the tools of ignorance for Pittsburgh from 1916-24, hitting .257. In 1921 Walter led all NL catchers in fielding percentage with a .986 average in 111 games behind the plate. Schmidt went through the unusual transaction of buying his own release from the San Francisco Seals after the 1915 season for $3K and then negotiated a deal with the Bucs. He took that road because he suspected that the Seals had turned down previous offers made by MLB clubs and didn't want to miss the boat to the show. His older brother, Charles “Boss” Schmidt, was also a big league catcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1906-11. 
• 1937 - The Homestead Grays added future Hall of Famers Josh Gibson and Judy Johnson to its roster for $2,500 in cash and a pair of journeymen after Pittsburgh Crawfords owner Gus Greenlee was forced to unload his stars as salary dumps. While the amount seems paltry now, the deal was thought to be the largest cash transaction in the history of the Negro Leagues. It wasn’t enough to save Gus. By the end of 1938, the Crawford’s Greenlee field was razed to give way to the Bedford Dwellings housing project, and Greenlee sold the Crawfords to Toledo businessmen (the team folded after two more seasons), leaving the Grays as the only pro black team in town. 

Max Butcher - 1994 Conlon Collection/TSN

• 1946 - The Pirates released 35-year-old RHP Max Butcher. After a so-so five-year career with Brooklyn and Philly, the Pirates got him during the 1939 campaign for Gus Suhr. Max gave them seven pretty good years, slashing 67-60-5/3.34. But age and the end of the war, which freed up a mob of ballplayers from the service, did him in. He finished the year in the minors and his pro career came to an end. 
• 1952 - RHP Rick Langford was born in Farmville, Virginia. Signed by the Pirates in 1973 out of Florida State, he worked briefly for the club in 1976, getting in 12 games with an 0-1/6.26 line before being shipped to the A’s as part of the Phil Garner trade in early 1977 (it was big - the Pirates traded Langford, Tony Armas, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Doc Medich and Mitchell Page to the Athletics for Phil Garner, Chris Batton, and Tommy Helms). He went on to have a solid 10-year career with Oakland, once winning 19 games and leading the AL in complete games in back-to-back seasons while tossing over 200 frames four times. In 1980, he threw 22 consecutive complete games while piling up over 290 innings, but an elbow injury in 1983 caused by a liner through the box ended his effective pitching days. He retired in 1988 and has been a pitching coach of varying titles with the Blues Jays since 1996, serving at the MLB level a couple of times. 
• 1966 - RHP Blas Minor was born in Merced, California. Working out of the Buc bullpen from 1992-94, he had an 8-7-3 record for Pittsburgh with a 4.76 ERA. Minor also pitched for the Houston Astros, New York Mets & Seattle Mariners, and got to live out every boy’s childhood fantasy - after being a major league ballplayer, he retired to become a fireman. 
• 1966 - “Jughandle Johnny” Morrison passed away at age 80. Morrison picked up his nickname because it was said that his curveball bent like a jug handle. He spent from 1920-27 with the Bucs and was a member of two World Series squads, the victorious 1925 nine (no decisions w/2.89 ERA in three outings) and runner up 1927 club (he said he was hurt in mid-season, left the team and got suspended for the year in July, effectively ending his Pirates career). Jughandle led the National League in shutouts twice as a Bucco, in 1921-22. He slashed 89-71-14/3.52 as a Bucco before closing out his career in Brooklyn in 1930. 

Arriba - 1986 Donruss Hall of Fame

• 1973 - In a special election held by the BBWAA after the Board of Directors had waived the five-year eligibility period, Roberto Clemente was overwhelmingly voted (he won 393 of 424 votes cast; the naysayers were mostly opposed to the waiver grant rather than Roberto’s credentials) into the Hall of Fame. He was inducted on August 6th as the first Hispanic player to enter Cooperstown, having posted a .317 lifetime BA while earning 12 All-Star nods. Roberto was a trailblazer as the first Latino/Caribbean player to win a World Series as a starting player (1960), to receive an NL MVP Award (1966), and to earn a World Series MVP Award (1971). 
• 1978 - The KC Royals Clint Hurdle made the cover of Sports Illustrated as the poster boy for the article "This Year's Phenom." He did well enough in ‘78, hitting .264 w/seven long balls and a 108 OPS+. The corner IF/OF utility guy cobbled together a four-team, 10-year career with a .259 BA/106 OPS+ before leaving MLB as a player following the 1987 campaign and eventually going on to manage in Colorado and Pittsburgh. He now works in Colorado’s front office. 
• 1993 - After signing a $1.35M contract in December, 33-year-old RHP Alejandro Pena ended up with surgery due to a torn ligament in his elbow, although his arm had passed an earlier physical by Doc James Andrews after a bout of tendonitis. Pena made things right by restructuring his deal over two years, reducing the guaranteed money and loading up on incentives, both for undisclosed amounts. He never recovered his mojo with Pittsburgh, missing ‘93 and working just a couple of dozen games in ‘94, going 3-2-7/5.02. Pena was released in June, but had a last hurrah with Atlanta in 1995, going 2-1 in eight outings and giving up one run in seven frames during the postseason. Alejandro retired after a final sip of coffee with Florida in 1996 to close a 15-year career. 
• 2013 - The Pirates got sweet-fielding vet IF John McDonald, 38, from Arizona on a conditional deal. The Bucs got off easy if the condition had anything to do with his hitting; he went 2-for-31 in Pittsburgh. Mac was shipped to Cleveland in June, then Philly and finally to Boston, all by August 31st. He finished out his 16-year career the next season with the Angels of Anaheim.

3/19: Landrum Let Go, O'Brien Twins Signed, Hidden Ps, SI v GM; RIP Frank, HBD Jose, Tom, David, Angel, Paul, Rab Roy & Billy

• 1862 - C Billy Colgan was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. Colgan joined the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1884, played in 48 games and was let go after batting .155 in what would prove to be his only MLB campaign. He played for 11 different clubs while on the minor league circuit, lasting until 1892 before getting a job on the railroad, where he was killed in a track accident in 1895. 
• 1910 - C Robert “Rab Roy” Gaston was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He played for the Homestead Grays from 1932 to 1949, mainly as a reserve. He was a starter for just two of those many years, serving as a caddy for Hall-of-Famers Double Duty Radcliffe and Josh Gibson. Rab Roy was one of six former local Negro league players who took part in the ceremony that unfurled championship banners recognizing the Grays and Crawfords at TRS in 1993. 
• 1931 - 1B/OF Paul Smith was born in New Castle and raised in Wilkinsburg. He was used sparingly in his Buc career though his stick was solid, hitting .275 for Pittsburgh. He was among the local boys such as Ron Kline, Ron Neccai, Tony Bartirome and Bobby Del Greco that Branch Rickey brought to camp to try out for a spot on the club in 1952 and cracked the roster the following season, hitting a career-best .283 in 110 games. Paul then spent three years on the farm, returning for the 1957-58 campaigns. He had a good eye for numbers, wearing a pair that were Hall-of-Fame worthy and eventually retired by the team. In 1953, he sported #21, made famous by Roberto Clemente, and when he came back from the minors in 1957, he wore #11, Paul “Big Poison” Waner’s number. 
• 1947 - OF Angel Mangual was born in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. The 19-year-old was signed in 1966 by Puerto Rican scout “Pancho” Coímbre, and after a slow minor league start looked like a breakout player. He sniffed the bigs in 1969 with the Pirates (1-for-4 in six games) and in 1970 was sent to the A’s in exchange for Mudcat Grant. Angel never became an everyday player (his lifetime BA was .245), but he spent six seasons as a bench member of the three-time World Series champion Oakland clubs, playing in 20 postseason games. 

Angel Mangual - 1970 Topps NL Rookie Stars

• 1953 - The Pirates signed bonus baby twins Eddie and Johnny O’Brien, multi-talented basketball (they were both All-America hoopsters and led their team to a pair of tournaments, once even beating the Harlem Globetrotters!) and baseball stars at Seattle University for a reported $40,000 each. They could both pitch and play infield, but neither left much of an MLB mark. 
• 1964 - GM Joe Brown admitted that four pitchers they had signed in 1963 - Bill Rohr, Jerry Hinsley, Pete Wade and Harvey Chaffin - were held out of minor league play for the season in an effort to keep them from being lost in the First Year Player Draft, but drew the line at reports that he had told the hurlers to claim they had sore arms. The Bucs did lose three of the four - only Chaffin made it safely through the process - but it was ultimately much ado over nothing, as only Rohr and Hinsley made it to the majors with 38 appearances between them. The rule was in effect from 1959-64 in an effort to offset bonus signings but was then modified when teams began losing too many prospects. 
• 1977 - C David Ross was born in Bainbridge, Georgia. After spending three years with LA, the Bucs bought Ross in 2005 to back up 35-year-old Raul Chavez. He got into 40 games, hitting .222, and was flipped at the deadline to San Diego for JJ Furmaniak. Ross never did hit much better - his lifetime BA is .229 - but he carved out a solid 15-year career on defense and the ability to handle a pitching staff. He retired after winning a ring with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and has since been on “Dancing With the Stars,” ESPN and landed the Cubbies manager gig from 2020-2023 after serving a stint as special assistant. 
• 1978 - Scout Tom Gillespie was born in Iowa. He’s been a Buc scout since 2012, coming over from Oakland, and when you hear of an off-the-wall prospect signing, his hand is probably involved. He’s an international scout, focused on evaluating baseball talent in Europe, Africa, and Japan. Tom also is a director of a couple of baseball nonprofits that support international play. 

Jose Castillo - 2006 Topps

• 1981 - 2B Jose Castillo was born in Las Mercedes, Venezuela. Signed by Pittsburgh in 1999 as a 16-year-old, he was considered the long-term answer at second (he was the Pirates top-rated prospect and played in the Futures game). The Bucs may have jumped the gun by promoting him straight from AA and awarding him the big league job in 2004, as after four years and a .256 BA, he was released, plagued by injury, weight and fielding problems, and replaced by Freddy Sanchez. He closed out his 21-year pro career in Taiwan, Japan and Mexico. 
• 1983 - Frank Oceak passed away in Johnstown at the age of 70. Frank was a Bucco coach from 1958-64, again from 1970-72 and finally briefly in 1976, replacing an ill Don Leppert, spending most of his days as Danny Murtaugh’s third base coach (he’s #44 jogging along with Maz after his 1960 Yankee-killer homer and was also the coach who flashed the bunt sign that Bob Robertson missed, instead homering against the O’s in the ‘71 Series) and infield instructor. Frank managed in the minors for Pittsburgh from 1942-57, and again from 1966-69 between his big league coaching gigs. He retired and ran a Johnstown bar, called (what else?) The Third Base Inn. 
• 1992 - The Pirates released RHP Bill Landrum, who had won 13 games and saved 56 more over the prior three seasons, tossing to a 2.39 ERA. He was due $1.7M, and by releasing him this early in camp, the Bucs were on the hook for just a quarter of his salary. That caused a bit of a media and fan kerfuffle, but Landrum only lasted two more years in the show after his release. A downward trend in performance, along with accumulated wear & tear (he was pitching through shoulder and knee problems) also played into the decision to let him go. 
• 2019 - Sports Illustrated got on GM Neal Huntington’s last nerve in its Pirates preseason review when it quoted an anonymous scout as saying “Josh Bell can’t play...He’s a lump.” Neal defended his first baseman by firing back "These anonymous scouts are hacks. A lot of their criticisms are directed at minorities...we're happy these guys don't work for our organization."

3/18: Solly's Dream Delayed, Braves - Buc Flip Skeds, Puerto Rico Trip Rained Out, New CBA Ends Lockout; HBD Brian, Dick, Elbie, Brute, Marcus & Nixey

• 1874 - Pirate skipper Jimmy “Nixey” Callahan was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Callahan was the Buc manager in 1916 and part of 1917, never sniffing the first division and replaced midway through his second year by Honus Wagner/Hugo Bezdek after compiling an 85-129 record at the helm. He was a nice ballplayer for the White Sox, though he never suited up for the Pirates. In 1902, Callahan pitched the first no-hitter in American League history and is the only pitcher to have collected five hits in a game three times; because of that stick, he was exclusively used as an outfielder in the later stages of his career. Nixey was a childhood nickname of undisclosed origin which Callahan didn’t use as an adult, although newspapers often used it. 
• 1896 - RHP Marcus Milligan was born in Heflin, Alabama. Milligan never tossed in the majors because of WW1. In 1918, as a 21-year-old rookie, he was given a good chance at breaking camp with the big league club after being signed by Barney Dreyfuss in 1916, then having a strong year at Class A Birmingham the following season. But he had enlisted earlier and was claimed in March by Uncle Sam, reporting to the aviation corps. He died in a training accident in September when his biplane crashed at Barron Field in Fort Worth, Texas. 
• 1912 - SS John “The Brute” Lyles was born in St. Louis. He played one of his seven pro baseball seasons with the Homestead Grays in 1934 as a 22-year-old shortstop, hitting .261. He then spent three years with the semi-pro Claybrook Tigers, known as the “Champions of the South,” then came home to the Negro League in 1938, playing through the 1942 campaign. 
• 1916 - 1B Elbie Fletcher was born in Milton, Massachusetts. In between opening and closing stints lasting six seasons with the Boston Braves, he filled in the middle years by playing for Pittsburgh for seven campaigns (1939-43, 1946-47), with two years off during WW2. Elbie put together a line of .279/79/616 as a Bucco, was a six-year starter and earned an All-Star bid in 1943. Fletcher began his big league career in 1934 with Beantown after a contest was held to determine which local high school player was most likely to reach the major leagues, with the winner receiving an invitation to the Braves' spring training camp. With the considerable help of the votes from his large family, Fletcher won, and then made the team. 

Dick Littlefield - 1955 Bowman

• 1926 - LHP Dick Littlefield was born in Detroit. The workmanlike southpaw toiled from 1954-56 for some pretty sad Pirate teams and put up a 15-23 record with a 4.29 ERA. Littlefield was the poster boy for journeymen per Wikipedia - he was one of the most well-traveled and frequently-traded players prior to the free agency era, rostering on 10 of the 16 MLB franchises of his era. 
• 1953 - The Boston Braves request to move to Milwaukee was approved by the MLB owners, the first relocation in 50 years. It became effective at the start of the season, less than a month away. It raised havoc with the Pirates logistics, as they had to switch divisions and schedules with the Braves. At the time, teams in the NL had schedules that differed among the four eastern teams and the four western teams, and the Bucs at the the time were one of the western squads (Boston, the two NY teams & Philly were the eastern reps while Pittsburgh, Cincy, Chicago & St. Louis were considered the western clubs). The Bucs’ Home Opening Day was moved back by two days, they had to reprint their tickets/promo schedules for the season and swap out the old ducats for new ones for the season ticket holders before playing ball for keeps on April 14th. 
• 1962 - RHP Brian Fisher was born in Honolulu. A second round draft pick of the Yankees, the Bucs traded for him in 1987. He was a workmanlike starter for two years, but suffered from knee problems in 1989 and was released by Pittsburgh after posting a Bucco slash of 19-22/4.72 ERA. He lasted in the show until 1992 when his knees finally called it a day. He was a second-round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves and featured a fastball that touched 97 MPH. 
• 1987 - The Pirates returned from a scheduled three-day, two-game trip to Puerto Rico a day early and with no games in the books. The quick trip to San Juan with the Toronto Blue Jays was rained out when rainstorms, described by Buc coach Ray Miller as “monsoons,” drenched the islands. The field wasn’t protected by a tarp and became an unplayable quagmire. Outside of inconvenience and the chance to play before the Puerto Rican fans, the only casualties were Jim Leyland’s camp pitching rotation and player’s sleep schedules. 

Beaver County/Allegheny Times - AP story 3/19/1990

• 1990 - The suits and the MLBPA agreed on a new CBA that ended a 32-day lockout. The main points included increasing the clubs' ante to the pension fund, raising the minimum salary to $100,000 and the introduction of “Super Two” arbitration status. The lockout pushed Opening Day back a week to April 9th and the season had to be extended by three days. 
• 2002 - After taking off five years, mainly to manage in the Dominican, RHP Salomon Torres, 30, signed with the Pirates in December as an NRI. It looked like his comeback dream may have ended on this day when despite a strong spring, he was sent to AAA Nashville. But Solly persevered, kept his eye on the prize, and then got called up for a handful of games in September that turned into a six-year stay in Pittsburgh. He pitched in every role from starter to closer, tying Teke's appearance record with 94 outings in 2006, and posted a line of 26-28-29/3.63 as a Bucco. Torres closed out his career in 2008 with the Brewers.

3/17: Smiley - Neagle, Frank Signs, Operation Shutdown, Coach Willie, All-Star Danny, Camps Open Late, Venezuela Tour, KBL Deal; RIP Charley & Jewel, HBD Raul, John, Rod, Cito, Pete, Ralph & Hoffy

• 1877 - 3B Jesse “Hoffy” Hoffmeister was born in Toledo, Ohio. His one year in the show was with the Pirates in 1897, getting into 48 games and batting .309 while committing an unfortunate 31 errors at the hot corner. He then hurt his hand in the offseason, was sick in spring camp and ended up playing for Indianapolis of the Western League. He continued to play pro ball, but never again got a call back to the show and Hoffy retired after the 1906 season. 
• 1894 - 2B/OF Ralph Shafer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ralph is the Pirates version of Moonlight Graham - he got into one game on July 25th, 1914 as a pinch runner during a 4-2 loss to the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds, and was left aboard. Shafer played for five minor league seasons for five teams, with a four year hiatus between 1917-20, before retiring for good. 
• 1919 - OF Pete Reiser was born in St. Louis. The veteran outfielder spent one season (1951) of his 10-year MLB stint in Pittsburgh, batting .271. He spent the next campaign with the Cleveland Indians before retiring with a bad shoulder. Pete then managed in the Dodger organization and coached at the MLB level for LA, the Cubs and the Angels before passing away at age 62. 
• 1944 - OF Cito Gaston was born in San Antonio, Texas. In 1978, the Pirates purchased Gaston from the Atlanta Braves. The 34-year-old went 1-for-2 in the last week of the season, his last MLB appearances in an 11-year big league career, before spending the next couple of campaigns in the Mexican League and later beginning a long run as the Toronto Blue Jays manager. 
• 1950 - Jewel Ens passed away at age 60 in Syracuse due to pneumonia. He spent his four big league years as a Pirates (1922-25/.290 BA) infielder - he played all four spots - albeit spending most of his time in the minors. Jewel was a Bucco player-coach (1923–25), coach (1926–29; 1935–39) and manager (1929–31). Ens was a member of the 1925 World Series champion Pirates and their 1927 NL champ club. He later went on to coach in the majors for three other teams and spent eight years as skipper of the Reds top farm club at Syracuse. 

Frank Thomas - 1955 Bowman

• 1955 - The Pirate heaved a big sigh of relief when LF Frank Thomas ended his holdout and agreed to a deal. RHP Vern Law had also just ended his walkout and was in camp this day for the first time as Branch Rickey, known as a hard-nosed negotiator (neither contract amount was disclosed), got Fred Haney’s two top weapons to sign on the dotted line and back in the fold. 
• 1956 - LHP Rod Scurry was born in Sacramento. Scurry tossed for the Bucs for six years (1980-85) featuring a nasty curveball, posting a Pirates line of 17-28-34 with a 3.15 ERA before closing out his career with the Yankees and Mariners. The first round pick of 1974, like many players in the 80s, was a nose-candy fan during his playing days, and never could kick the habit even after undergoing rehab in 1984. He died in 1992 of cocaine-induced heart failure at age 36. 
• 1965 - LHP John Smiley was born in Phoenixville, near Valley Forge. He spent his first six seasons (1986-91) in Pittsburgh with a 60-42/3.57 line. 1991 was his best season, going 20-9 with a 3.08 ERA and All-Star selection. In the off season, he was traded to Minnesota for Denny Neagle, and went on to win 126 games in his 12-year career. John retired after breaking his left arm while warming up as a Cleveland Indian in 1997; the injury effectively ended his career. 
• 1972 - The Bucs watered their Latin roots by sweeping a three-game, pre-season series against the Cincinnati Reds in Maracaibo & Caracas, the first time that the Pirates had made a trip to play ball in Venezuela. The final game (today’s battle was the tour opener, a 4-0 Pirates win) was delayed when kids hopped the fence to get Vic Davillo’s autograph during the action. It took about ten minutes to clear the field for play to resume. Beloved in his homeland, “Vitico” (Little Victor) starred in the Venezuelan League before turning pro and returned when his MLB career was done, playing until he was 50 years old. On the other side of the pillow, Dave Guisti was relieved of $200 after the match thanks to a pickpocket who was part of the post-game crowd outside the stadium. 

Danny Murtaugh - 1971 Topps

• 1972 - The Post-Gazette wrote that “Danny Murtaugh received a St. Patrick’s Day gift from another Irishman...” (NL boss Chub Feeney) when he was named the manager of the All-Star team. While it's SOP for the pennant-winning skipper to take the ASG reins, Murtaugh was actually an ex-manager, having retired in November, and was the first non-active field general to earn the honor. 
• 1973 - C Raul Chavez was born in Valencia, Venezuela. Raul was a backup catcher who played for six teams, including a stop in Pittsburgh in 2008 as a 35-year-old. He started 31 games behind the dish and hit .259, but refused a minor league assignment the following season, and signed on for one more big league campaign with Toronto in 2009 before retiring. 
• 1976 - Even though a new CBA hadn’t been pounded out, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the camps to open. The players had been locked out by the owners on March 1st and those who practiced did so voluntarily at whatever facilities they could find. Even though the camps were opened, the season started without a CBA in place, although no games were lost as the Opening Day was moved back just a tad to April 8th. The MLB/MLBPA eventually agreed on a new contract that included the first framework (a draft) for free agency. 
• 1983 - After retiring the year before, Willie Stargell landed a job as special assistant to the GM (Pete Peterson), and was a counselor at large for the club during camp, then roaming the minors to dish out mechanical and mental advice to his young charges. But the Pittsburgh-Pops connection snapped when Willie was fired after the season (as were Tanner and all the rest of his staff). He was miffed that he hadn’t received an interview for the vacant manager's job, and after the snub, he joined Chuck in Atlanta, where he worked until 1996. In ‘97, he returned to Pittsburgh after Kevin McClatchy reeled him back home, again as a special assistant. Captain Willie didn’t get much coaching done in that final stint - he suffered from a host of medical issues and passed away in 2001 on Opening Day at PNC Park, just two days after his statue was unveiled. 

Willie Stargell - 1983 Fleer

• 1986 - KBL announced that it would broadcast a minimum of 50 Pirates games over the year, using the on-air team of Mike Lange, Greg Brown and Steve Blass. That was in addition to the 40 games KDKA-TV was covering, using a booth of John Sanders, Alan Cutler, and Blass, a busy man. On the radio side, KDKA’s crew of Lanny Frattare and Jim Rooker called all the games. Neither the stations nor the Bucs gave out the financial details of the contracts. 
• 1992 - The Pirates traded LHP John Smiley (on his birthday!) after a 20-8 All-Star season to the Twins in exchange for LHP Denny Neagle and OF Midre Cummings, sweetening the pot for Minnesota by tossing in $800,000. Smiley told Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press that “I’m extremely shocked. My contract had to play a little part in this” and was probably right. He had agreed to a guaranteed $3.44M deal, a $2M raise over his 1991 pay, on February 18th, just hours ahead of his arbitration hearing, and was a year from free agency. GM Ted Simmons said no way, telling the paper that “Salary was a non-issue,” and it was just a “daring and aggressive” deal. Smiley, who had been a Pirate since being drafted in 1983, went on to toss six more seasons (66-61/3.99, 1995 All-Star), mostly with the Cincinnati Reds, while Neagle slashed 43-35-3/4.02 in his 4-1/2 year Bucco stint and would pitch until 2003. Hot prospect Cummings ended up a bench player who posted parts of 11 MLB seasons on his resume. 
• 2002 - Robert Dvorchak, beat writer for the Post-Gazette, spied OF Derek Bell sitting at his locker, stopped by and asked a couple of questions about the right field competition. Bell was having none of it. He told the writer "Ask Littlefield and ask Mac if I'm in competition. If it ain't settled with me out there, then they can trade me. I ain't going out there to hurt myself in spring training battling for a job. If it is [a competition], then I'm going into 'Operation Shutdown.' Tell them exactly what I said. I haven't competed for a job since 1991." Bell was coming off an injury-bitten 2001 campaign, playing in just 44 games and hitting .173 but still owed $4.5M in salary. He was cut two weeks later, jumped into his yacht and set sail into the sunset of his MLB career. 
• 2014 - Long time (1966-86) Post Gazette Pirates beat writer Charley Feeney, known for calling everyone “Pally” (he didn’t have a good memory for names) passed away at the age of 89. He was inducted into the writer’s wing of the Hall of Fame in 1996. After the news, he told fellow sportswriter Ron Cook that “I'm in and Bill Mazeroski isn't. It's unbelievable." Maz joined him in the Hall five years later.

Notes: Week's Games, Skenes Gets OD Call, Reassignments, Pre-Arbs Sign Quietly, Injuries, Exes In The News

Getting close to crunch time...

Pirates Stuff:

• The first big cut-down took place on Tuesday. RHPs Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows & Chase Shugart along with IFs Tsung-Che Cheng, Liover Peguero & Enmanuel Valdez were optioned to AAA Indy. RHPs Isaac Mattson, Ryder Ryan & Eddie Yean, IF Malcom Nunez and Cs Omar Alfonzo & Aaron McKeithan were sent to minor league camp.
• Paul Skenes agreed to an $875 K MLB salary ($115K above service time minimum) with an Minor League salary of $282,474 in the unlikely event that he ever sees the farm again. The figures were posted by MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The Bucs also announced that all 25 of their pre-arb class signed without a fuss. That group includes Skenes, Oneil Cruz, Jared Jones, Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Endy Rodriguez, Henry Davis and Spence Horwitz. Alika Williams also inked a contract.

Paul Skenes - 2025 Topps Stars of MLB

• Skenes, not too surprisingly, was named the Pirates Opening Day starter. He'll be 22 years & 302 days old on March 27 (OD) and the Pirates’ youngest Opening Day starting pitcher since Frank Killen (22 years, five months old) in 1893. Additionally, Paul will become the youngest MLB Opening Day twirler since Miami's Jose Fernandez in 2014.
• 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes went through some left side tightness and missed playing for 10 days. After a couple of days of full workouts to get back to speed, he was back in the lineup on Saturday.
• OF Josh Palacios rejoined the lineup on Sunday after missing a week with a sore knee. It's a key camp for him as he's out of options.
• LHP Bailey Falter has been limited to back field work; he's said to be suffering from general soreness and his scheduled Thursday spot was scrubbed. Something else to keep an eye on as the spring progresses...
• RHP Hunter Stratton is progressing from his knee surgery and is on track to begin throwing sim games at camp.
• 1B Spencer Horwitz is hitting off a tee and is considered on schedule so far in his return from wrist surgery. He's a month into a projected 6-8 week recovery program, with a likely rehab visit to Indy to get back up to game speed when he's cleared medically.
• RHP Dauri Moreta, rehabbing from 2024 TJ surgery, has been throwing side sessions and is expected back in action sometime in June. 
• Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs has his roster of the Pirates Top 38 Prospects

Games:

• The Bucs started the week off under the lights at Bradenton v the Orioles. The Birds took a 6-3 decision, scoring three times off Mitch Keller and adding three more runs off Isaac Mattson. Bryan Reynolds and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each had two hits to lead a balanced attack.
• Pittsburgh bopped the Yankees, 9-1, the next day. Paul Skenes started off a string of solid pitching while Oneil Cruz and Billy Cook homered. Ji Hwan Bae had a pair of hustle doubles, scoring twice, and Nick Gonzales also had two hits w/two RBI and a stolen sack.
• Wednesday was an off day, followed by a Thursday trip to meet the Twins. The Bucs were pounded, 15-3. Jared Jones was strong, going into the fifth inning (Jack Carey, David Bednar and Joey Wentz followed and allowed 13 runs) while Matt Gorski and Darick Hall homered.

• The Spring Breakout game was held in Clearwater between the Buccos and Phils prospects on Friday. Bubba Chandler pitched two shutout frames with four K, striking out the side in the second inning while touching 100. But the bats were quiet and the Pirate pups went down, 5-3. The big team tied the Tigers, 8-8, in Bradenton with Jimmy Leyland tossing out the first pitch. Andrew Heaney went four innings, fanning four and giving up four runs (two earned); Peter Strzelecki gave up three more, and Ryan Borucki surrendered a ninth inning lead by serving a solo dinger that knotted the score. Pittsburgh's O was a 10-batter small-ball attack that netted six fifth-inning runs.
• The Buccaneers won Saturday's match against Baltimore at LECOM by a 15-5 tally; Henry Davis swatted a grand slam. The Pirates had 13 hits and drew 10 walks. Carmen Mlodzinski & Kyle Nicolas were strong; The Renegade had another tough outing, although his fielders hurt his cause more than Oriole batters did.
• And it was off to Tampa to end the week against the Yankees. Darick Hall made it a good day as his two-run, ninth-inning homer carried the Pirates to a 4-3 dub despite collecting just four hits. Joey Wentz and Isaac Mattson were solid on the hill, each working two shutout frames and fanning four.

MLB Stuff:

• Francys Romero reports that C Yasmani Grandal, 36, turned down an offer from the Braves (terms undisclosed) and will consider retiring w/o deal to his liking .
• RHP Clay Holmes, who converted from reliever to starter with the NYM this spring, was named the Mets' Opening Day starting pitcher. The Bucs sent him to the Yankees in 2021 for Diego Castillo and Hoy Park.
• As forecast, New York Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole underwent TJ surgery on Tuesday, ending his 2025 season before it began.

3/16: Peek Into The Future, Spring No-No; RIP Pie & George, HBD Rowdy, Abraham, Little Poison, BIll & Patsy

• 1865 - OF Patrick “Patsy” Donovan was born in Queenstown, Ireland. He played for the Pirates from 1892-99, hitting .307, spent 17 years in the big leagues with seven teams and put up a lifetime .301 BA. He posted six consecutive .300+ seasons and served as player-manager from 1897-99. Patsy managed in the show for 11 seasons, went on to spend time as a minor league skipper and eventually completed his dugout calling as a high school coach at Phillips Academy in Andover, where he mentored the future 41st President, George Bush. 
• 1874 - RHP “Frosty Bill” Duggleby was born in Utica, New York. In his eight years in MLB, Duggleby played for Philly, jumping from the NL Phils to the AL Athletics in 1902 and returning to the senior circuit before the year was out, by court order. His final big league campaign was in 1908 with the Pirates, when he slashed 2-2/2.68. He was sold to minor league Rochester over the offseason after suffering from a fall fever, played in the minors for five years, umped a little longer and then got on with his life’s work back home in New York. His “Frosty” nickname has two stories: first was that he preferred to toss in cool, autumn weather, and/or, it was an apt description of how he got along with his teammates. 
• 1906 - OF Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner was born in Harrah, Oklahoma. The Hall-of-Fame OF had a .319 BA over 17 seasons with Pittsburgh. He batted .316 with 2,459 hits, striking out just 173 times in an 18-season major league career. Lloyd and his sib Paul set the record for career hits by brothers in MLB with 5,611 knocks. Little Poison worked as a scout for the Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles after retiring as a player and was elected into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1967, joining his bro “Big Poison” Waner in Cooperstown. 

George Grantham - photo TSN Collection/Getty

• 1954 - 2B George Grantham passed away in Kingman, Arizona at age 53 from a cerebral hemorrhage. George spent half his 13-year career with the Pirates (1925-31), mainly splitting time between first and second base. Grantham wasn’t especially slick at either spot, earning the nickname “Boots.” But he could swing, hitting .315 as a Buc with 78 HR. As noted by Larry DeFillipo in GG’s SABR bio, Grantham is one of only 18 major-leaguers (of whom 15 are in the Hall of Fame) in the modern era to have at least 1,500 hits, 100 home runs, 100 stolen bases, 90 triples, an OPS over .850, and a batting average over .300 with eight straight .300+ seasons, and nine straight with an OPS+ over 110. He retired after the 1934 season to Arizona, took a variety of day jobs, was active in Kingman community baseball, became a noted amateur golfer, was inducted into the Northern Arizona U (his alma mater) Hall of Fame and scouted briefly for the Bucs. 
• 1956 - The Pirates 10-5 exhibition win over the Tigers in windy Fort Myers gave long-suffering Bucco fans a rosy glimpse of the future. Les Biederman, beat man for the Pittsburgh Press, wrote “(Roberto) Clemente brought down the house when he twice tripled with two aboard and the 1,289 fans gave him the glad hand. (Bill) Mazeroski, the 19-year-old former Wheeling resident who is here for a long look, contributed two singles and played expertly in the field.” The Great One was in the second of 18 seasons with the Pirates while Maz would be called up in July to begin a 17-year Pittsburgh run. Both men ended up with retired numbers, ballyard statues and Hall of Fame plaques. 
• 1960 - It didn’t count, but still...Bennie Daniels and Jim Umbricht tossed a combined no-hitter against the Tigers at Fort Myers. They were this close to a perfecto; Daniels “nicked leadoff man Eddie Yost in the trousers” (on an 0-2 count!) per Les Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press and he was the only Detroit runner. There weren’t any big-play heroics in the field either; all the outs recorded were garden variety during the Pirates 5-0 spring win. It was old hat to the blue crew, who had seen it before on bigger stages - arbiter Vinnie Smith was behind the dish for Harvey Haddix’s 12-inning gem in 1959 and Larry Napp was a base ump for Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. 

Bennie Daniels - 1960 Topps

• 1972 - Pie Traynor died at age 72 in Pittsburgh. The 3B played 17 years for the Pirates, his only team, with a .320 BA and had a second career as the "Who Can? Ameri-can" spokesman. He managed the Bucs after he retired and later served as a Pirate scout before taking a job as a radio sports director in 1944. His show (he was on KQV, hosting the The Pie Traynor Club) was popular and he remained at the job for 21 years. In 1948, Traynor was selected to the Hall of Fame, being the first third baseman to be chosen by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 1969, as part of the centennial of pro baseball, Traynor was named the third baseman for MLB's all-time team. 
• 1976 - IF Abraham Nunez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The utility man - he played SS, 2B and 3B - spent eight seasons (1997 - 2004) with Pittsburgh and hit .238. His big league career ended in 2008 and after a 2010 fling in the indie leagues, Nunez retired. He now coaches in the Kansas City organization and in the Dominican Winter League.
• 1995 - 1B John “Rowdy” Tellez was born in Sacramento, California. He was a late draft pick of Toronto in 2013 who had six years of MLB service with the Blue Jays and Brewers. The Pirates signed him after he was non-tendered by Milwaukee; he banged 35 homers in 2022 but just 13 long balls in ‘23. The Bucs used the lefty as a platoon 1B/DH, slashing .243/13 HR. Rowdy was released in September and joined the Mariners. He got his nickname from acting up before he was born - he was so active when his mom was carrying him that they called him “Baby Rowdy.”

3/15: Hit Man, Scrap Iron & Cookie Deals; Domingo, Michael A, Vogey, Heath, Ian & Bibby Signed; '24 Pre-Arb Class; Cobra Bait; HBD Sean, Greg, Steve, Nellie, Whitey, Jimmie, Red & Bill

• 1876 - OF Bill Hallman was born in Philadelphia. He played four MLB seasons, spending two campaigns with the Pirates (1906-07). Bill hit .233 and those years ended his big league days, though he had a long minor league career that spanned from 1894-1914 before he hung up the spikes. Be careful not to confuse him with his uncle Bill Hallman, an infielder who was born in Pittsburgh and played for 14 seasons, mostly with Philadelphia clubs. 
• 1902 - OF Fred “Red” Bennett was born in Atkins, Arkansas. He played in 39 MLB games, 32 of them with the Pirates in 1931, batting .281 for the Buccos. He was part of a lawsuit after the Pirates had offered Wichita Falls, his minor league club, $10,000 for his contract in 1929 only to see it sold to the Cardinals for half the price with Bennett reassigned to the minors. Commissioner Landis voided the deal, his radar set off because St. Louis’ owner, Phil Ball, also owned the Wichita Falls club. The Cards sued Kenesaw Mountain and in April of 1931, lost their case. Red became a Pirate and Landis’ unilateral but foggily defined power granted under “the best interests of the game” clause, cited in the decision, became a powerful weapon in the Commissioner’s Office arsenal. 
• 1910 - OF Jimmie Crutchfield was born in Ardmore, Missouri. He played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1931-36 w/a brief stay with the Homestead Grays in 1932 before returning to the Crawfords, earning three All-Star berths. Per BR Bullpen, James Riley, author and director of the Negro League Museum, wrote that Crutchfield was often compared to Lloyd Waner in skill set for being a small ball expert with speed and defensive skills but not much power. Additionally, they both played center field in Pittsburgh in the same era. He retired in 1945. 
• 1919 - IF Bill “Whitey” Wietelmann was born in Zanesville, Ohio. He played for Boston for eight years before closing out his career with the Bucs in 1947, batting .234, just about his MLB norm, and playing all four spots in the dirt. He came over as part of the lopsided Bob Elliott trade. His post-playing days were spent managing San Diego in the PCL and coaching with the Cincy Reds & San Diego Padres. His nickname was dubbed by his first skipper, Casey Stengel. 

Nellie King - 1957 Topps

• 1928 - Nellie King was born in Shenandoah, near Pottsville. As a righty, he had a four-year (1954-57) MLB career, all spent in Pittsburgh, going 7-5-6/3.58. He later was Bob Prince’s announcing sidekick from 1967-75 on KDKA and moved on to work at Duquesne University as their long-time Sports Information Director. For his last hurrah, Nellie returned to the Pirates' broadcast booth as a guest commentator for the final game at TRS on October 1st, 2000. 
• 1934 - The Pirates sent minor league OF Stan Keyes to the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League to complete a PTBNL/cash deal agreed to in September for IF Cookie Lavagetto. The 21-year-old Lavagetto hit .249 in three Pirates campaigns, never being able to wrestle the starting role from Pep Young. He was sent to Brooklyn in 1937, where he started for five straight seasons and earned four All Star berths before losing four years to the Navy during WW2. He came back to play two final years, finishing with a Dodger BA of .275, and then embarked on a long coaching/managing career. 
• 1977 - IF Phil Garner, RHP Chris Batton and IF Tommy Helms were traded to the Bucs by Oakland in exchange for RHPs Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Rick Langford & Doc Medich, OF Tony Armas and 1B Mitchell Page with the deal consummated 15 minutes before the inter-league trading deadline closed. "Scrap Iron," a moniker earned because of his hard-nosed approach to the game, was a mainstay of the 1979 World Series infield. But he came at a high price - Armas, Bair, Langford and Medich had solid post-Pirate careers, with just Giusti at the end of his string. And it wasn’t entirely embraced by the players involved - Garner preferred to play second, not third, while Bill Robinson, who wasn’t part of the trade, was miffed at losing his chance to earn an everyday position as he was the default hot corner man in camp while Medich and Giusti both pondered not reporting to the A’s. In the end, everyone came around and life in the big leagues went on. 
• 1978 - The Pirates signed free agent RHP Jim Bibby after he was released from his Indians contract thanks to a Cleveland payment snafu 10 days earlier. Terms weren’t disclosed, but it was believed to be a multi-year deal worth $700 K. The big media debate was whether he’d start or go to the pen; he did both (he spent two years strictly as a starter and the other three as a swingman) and in his five years, the big righty slashed 50-32-3/3.53. Bibby went 12-4 as part of the 1979 World Series rotation and was an All-Star in 1980. He missed all of 1982 with a shoulder injury that in effect ended his career. He put up a 6.69 ERA in 1983 and was let go; he pitched just eight more times for Texas during the following campaign before hanging up the spikes for good. 

Mike Easler - 1980 Topps

• 1979 - The Pirates sent minor leaguers George Hill and Martin Rivas along with cash to the Red Sox to get back OF Mike Easler, who had been sold to Boston during the off season. Good thing the FO had a change of heart as Easler ended up a .302 hitter with the Bucs between 1979-83 and was a key bench/platoon player for the 1979 World Series club, also earning an All-Star bid in the shortened 1981 season. The “Hit Man” (so named because of his sweet swing and .293 lifetime BA) went back to Boston after the ‘83 season for pitcher John Tudor. 
• 1982 - RHP Steve Jackson was born in Sumter, South Carolina. The Yankee product via Clemson tossed two MLB seasons, both for the Bucs, in 2009-10 with a 2-4/4.31 slash. In 2011, he tossed in the minors for the LA Dodgers, Cincy Reds and Bucs in his last professional season. 
• 1982 - Charley Feeney of the Post Gazette reported that the Yankees and Expos were talking to the Pirates about a Dave Parker swap. Pittsburgh’s ask from the Bronx Bombers was some front line pitching, and they worked the Expos for a package that featured Terry Francona. Nothing came of the palaver, unfortunately for the Buccos - they held onto The Cobra through 1983, couldn’t re-sign him and lost him for nada to the Reds when he hit free agency. 
• 1993 - OF Greg Allen was born in San Diego. A fifth year player, mostly with Cleveland, he posted a .241 BA over that time. The Yankees DFA’ed him before the 2021-22 lockout began and the Bucs claimed him. He won a starting spot in left field - he played all three outfield positions - then injured his hammy in the week leading up to Opening Day and ended up on the 60-day IL, not returning to action until late July. Allen played some and was waived at the end of the season, rejoining to the Yankees. He was DFA’ed to the Brew Crew in August, then he re-upped with the Bronx Bombers. Now he’s in the Chicago Cubs system. 

Sean Poppen - 2001 photo via MLB.com

• 1994 - RHP Sean Poppen was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Harvard product (he graduated with honors with a double Chemistry & Physics/Engineering major) pitched in parts of two seasons for the Twins before being DFA’ed in 2020 and claimed by the Bucs. He started the 2021 campaign in the alternate training camp and was called up in mid-April to replace Michael Feliz, who went on the IL. He was sold mid-season to the Tampa Bay Rays, then joined the Arizona D-Backs and later the Seattle Mariners. He pitched indie ball in ‘24 and is in Mexico now.
• 2008 - Five days after unilaterally renewing his pre-arb contract, the Pirates signed RHP Ian Snell to a three-year deal worth $8M with options for 2011-12. The 26-year old, who was arbitration eligible after the 2009 season, had a 24-26 record after two years in the show. He was dismal in 2008 and was sent to Class AAA at his request. Snell was traded to Seattle in 2009 at the deadline for a boatload of prospects, the best being Ronny Cedeno. Afterward, he pitched for two other organizations (Seattle and LA) in the minors, signed with an indie team, tossed in the Puerto Rican league and retired in 2017. 
• 2022 - The Pirates announced the signing of 1B/DH Daniel Vogelbach, 29, a 2019 All-Star, for one year/$800K and bonuses with a $1.5M option/$200K buyout, and 33-year-old RHP Heath Hembree (one year/$2.125M). Vogey was a low average, power lefty hitter with six years in the show while Hembree had several good years with Boston before hitting a rough patch with Cincinnati and Philadelphia. He couldn’t keep the ball in the park in those hitter-friendly yards, but rallied with the Mets in 2021 to earn a seat in the Bucco bullpen. Vogey kept true to form, hitting .228 with 12 HR before being dealt to the Mets for Colin Holderman. He returned to the Bucs as a coach during the 2025 spring. Hembree reverted to form, went to LA in June, to Tampa/Detroit in ‘23 and then joined the Seattle system; he’s a free agent this season.The club also placed RHPs Blake Cederlind and Nick Mears on the 60-day IL. Cederlind underwent 2021 Tommy John surgery on his right elbow while Mears’ right elbow was scoped in February to clean out scar tissue. 

Vogey - 2022 photo/Pirates 

• 2023 - The team agreed to 2023 contract terms with the 27 players on their 40-man roster who were pre-arb, with one dissenter: SS Oneil Cruz had his contract renewed for $720 K, the league minimum. Among the Buccos included in this group were P’s Dave Bednar, Roansy Contreras, Wil Crowe & Chase De Jong, OF Jack Suwinski, C Endy Rodriguez and IF Rudolfo Castro. 
• 2024 - The Pirates agreed to a one-year/$4M contract with former AL Gold Glove winner (2021) CF Michael A. Taylor, pending a physical (the deal became official the next day, and the Bucs placed RHP Dauri Morata on the 60-day IL to clear room). Taylor, 32, was a 10-year vet who played with Washington for seven years, then for Kansas City in 2021-22 and spent last season with Minnesota. Taylor had a career-best 21 home runs with the Twins, but posted a line of .220/.278/.442 with an unsightly 33.5% strikeout rate. However, Taylor was still an above average center fielder, and that was a box the Bucs wanted to check off entering the ‘24 campaign. But Taylor only hit .193/5 HR in 300 PAs, was released in September and signed up with the White Sox for ‘25. 
• 2024 - It was a busy Friday for the FO gang: they also inked RHP Domingo German, 31, to a minor league NRI deal for $1.25M with bonuses, plus a 2025 team option for $2.25M with bonuses. German came toting bad-citizen and injury baggage; he also threw a perfect game and averaged a strikeout per inning in 2023 for the New York Yankees, so the Pirates were hoping that he would straighten up, keep his wing in one piece and fly right from his new nest. German was called up from the farm in August, worked 20-2/3 innings and gave up 18 earned runs; he was then DFA’d, cleared waivers and finished the season at Indy. He’s now on the market for 2025.

3/14: Kenny Lofton Signs, Roberto Woes, Hans Begins Retiring...; RIP Arlin & Bal, HBD Matt, Butch, Earl, Bunker & Denny

• 1850 - IF Denny Mack (McGee) was born in Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe) Pennsylvania. Mack spent eight years in the big leagues (National Association, National League and American Association) as a bench player, getting into more than 60 games just once in his career. His final campaign was in 1883 with the Alleghenys, where he was used in the infield, batting .196. He managed in the minors for four years afterward before passing away young at the age of 38. 
• 1869 - RHP Billy “Bunker” Rhines was born in Ridgway, Elk County. He tossed for the Bucs at the end of his career in 1898-99, going 16-20/3.95 after twice leading the NL in ERA as a Red before his arm gave out and he was released in June. Bunker did have one league leading stat as a Bucco in 1898 - he tossed 258 frames without allowing a homer. The nickname “Bunker” may be a mispronunciation of Rhines' alma mater, Bucknell, although that is uncertain. 
• 1908 - Honus Wagner confirmed his retirement at the age of 34, citing arthritis and the need to rest his body. The Pittsburgh Press wrote that “Some hope is still expressed that the mighty Teuton will see...the error of his way and return to the game.” He did after sitting out spring training. Hans played in 151 games in 1908, matching his 1898 high when he was just 24, and led the NL in batting average for the sixth time at .354, hits (201), total bases (308), doubles (39), triples (19), RBIs (109), stolen bases (53), slugging % (.542), OBP (.415) and OPS (.957). The Flying Dutchman finished the year two homers short of winning the Triple Crown. Honus retired several times in a regular rite of spring, but didn’t actually hang up his spikes until after the 1917 campaign. In better news for the Buccos, 1B Harry Sawcina did sign, leaving Mooney Gibson as the only holdout. He eventually agreed to a deal and played in Pittsburgh through 1916. 

Earl Smith - 1956 Jay Publishing

• 1928 - OF Earl Smith was born in Sunnyside, Washington. Smith had a brief two-week career in the show, getting into five games for the Bucs and going 1-for-16 in April 1955 before being sent back to the minors, never to return. But he is the answer to a popular trivia question: Smith was the last player to wear #21 on the Pittsburgh Pirates' roster before Roberto Clemente. The Great One was a rookie that year and began the season wearing #13, but he claimed #21 (the number of letters in his full name, Roberto Clemente Walker) when Smith was sent down. 
• 1956 - Coach Harold “Butch” Wynegar was born in York, Pennsylvania. Butch had a 13-year career as a catcher with two All-Star selections and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award in 1976. He began coaching in 1974 with stops in the Rangers, Brewers and Yankees systems and big-league jobs as Texas 1999 bullpen coach and Milwaukee’s hitting coach under Ned Yost from 2003-06. He joined the Pirates organization in 2015 as Indy’s hitting instructor; he moved on to Bradenton and is now coaching in the New York Yankee system. His nickname dates back to his infancy when his grandma looked in the crib and declared that young Harold “looked like a Butch” per Douglas Looney of Sports Illustrated. 
• 1966 - Former Post-Gazette Bucco beat writer Ed Balinger passed away at the age of 97. “Bal” was born in Damascus, Ohio, graduated from Mt. Union College and made his way to the Pittsburgh Post (it merged with the PPG in 1927) in 1903 from the Canton Repository. He started covering the Pirates in 1909 and chronicled over 5,000 games before retiring in 1946, continuing to contribute stories until he suffered a stroke in 1951. Ed also served as sports editor and posted articles in several national publications; he also occasionally penned a cartoon for the paper. 
• 1969 - After recovering from a right shoulder injury, Roberto Clemente banged his left wing chasing a foul pop during a spring game, which prompted a trip back home to Puerto Rico to visit his own doctor. He started the year 0-for-12, but kept on to finish with a .345 BA, second to Pete Rose’s .348 in a race that went down to the last day. Roberto was hitting .363 in August, but a cranky back kept him on the bench for much of September and likely cost him the crown. 

Matt Kata - 2007 photo George Gojkovich/Getty

• 1978 - IF Matt Kata was born in Avon Lake, Ohio. After spending four seasons on-and-off the MLB rosters of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers, Kata was signed by the Bucs in June 2007. He played some infield, outfield and pinch hit, batting .250 in 88 ABs, and was released at the end of the year, signing with the Colorado Rockies. The Pirates got him back in early 2008, and he spent the year at Indy before moving on to the Houston Astros. His 2009 ‘Stros season was his last of five part-time campaigns and he retired after two more AAA years at age 33. 
• 1986 - Harold Arlin passed away at age 90 in Bakersfield, California. On August 5th, 1921, Arlin announced the first MLB game ever broadcast on radio for KDKA, an 8-5 Bucco win over the Phils at Forbes Field, providing a template that was copied throughout baseball. He was heard across the nation and did games through 1925, when he retired from radio and took a day job in Mansfield, Ohio. He returned to the format for a last hurrah in 1972 at Bob Prince’s invitation, doing play-by-play with The Gunner as his grandson, Steve Arlin, was on the hill for the San Diego Padres against the Pirates at TRS. Harold had a lot of feathers in his cap - he also broadcast college football, boxing and tennis matches, was the first to do celebrity interviews and the first to announce the results of a presidential election (1920 - Warren Harding/James Cox ) over the airwaves.
• 2003 - OF Kenny Lofton agreed to a one-year/$1.025M deal with the Pirates. Kenny took over in center, bumping Brian Giles to left and Reggie Sanders to right. They formed a sweet swinging if somewhat grizzled trio (Lofton was age 35, Sanders 36, & Giles the baby at 32) with some punch. But Lofton didn’t last out the year as he was traded to the Cubs on July 23rd with Aramis Ramirez for not a heckuva lot in return in Dave Littlefield’s most infamous salary dump. Kenny hit .277 with 18 swiped sacks and nine long balls in his abbreviated Bucco tour of duty. After he left baseball, he spread his wings to become the CEO of a movie production company, Film Pool and headed an investment firm.

3/13: Mo Goes, Roberto Joins Black HoF, First All-Latino OF, Crystal K's; HBD Manny, Jason, Gary, Al, Eddie & Chappie

• 1875 - RHP Charles “Chappie” McFarland was born in White Hall, Illinois. After four years with the Cardinals, he spent his final campaign of 1906 spinning for three clubs, including six outings with the Bucs. He went 1-3/2.55, with five starts after Pittsburgh sent Ed Karger to the Cards for his services in June; by August he was waived and finished his MLB days with Brooklyn by making one final start. Chappie had an MLB brother, Monte, who tossed for the Cubs. After McFarland's baseball career ended, he jumped into show biz by opening the first vaudeville theater in Houston, then becoming a movie theater manager. 
• 1918 - Utilityman Eddie Pellagrini was born in Boston. He lost four years to the service but still put in eight seasons in MLB, with his last two seasons served (1953-54) with the Bucs, hitting .237. After retiring, Pellagrini spent 32 years as the manager of the Boston College Eagles. He got his career off to a hot start when in 1946, Eddie hit a home run in his first MLB at bat with the Red Sox. 
• 1939 - OF Al Luplow was born in Saginaw, Michigan. He closed out his seven-year MLB career as a Buc in 1967 after the Pirates bought his contract from the New York Mets, hitting .184 in 55 games. Al made one of baseball’s great grabs in 1963 when he went flying over a five-foot fence in right to steal a three-run homer from Boston's Dick Williams at Fenway Park, landing in the bullpen and climbing back over the wall with the ball raised in his hand. Former Pirates OF’er Jordan Luplow, who is now a free agent after suffering an ACL tear in ‘24, is Al’s great-nephew. 

Gary Kolb - 1968 Topps

• 1940 - All-purpose player Gary Kolb was born in Rock Falls, Illinois. Kolb played all three OF spots, 2B, 3B and catcher for the Bucs in 1968-69 (he played every position in the minors and all but pitcher and short in the majors). But while the glove was willing, the bat was weak and he hit just .186 as a Pirate, ending his seven-year, four-team MLB career. His cousin Danny, a righty reliever, also finished his nine-year run in the majors as a Bucco in 2007. 
• 1955 - Per Thomas van Hyning of SABR, Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), Carlos Bernier (Puerto Rico) and Roman Mejías (Cuba) became the first major-league all-black, All-Caribbean outfield when Pittsburgh visited the Phils at Clearwater during spring camp. Clemente went 3-for-4 while Bernier & Mejias each added a hit in a 10-inning, 4-3 win. Bernier is considered by many to be the first black Pirate (he played in 1953), but the team gave that nod to Curt Roberts, who joined the club a year later as Bernier was considered Puerto Rican, not black. 
• 1975 - Roberto Clemente and 13 others were inducted into Las Vegas’ Black Athletes Hall of Fame. James Brown hosted and Aretha Franklin provided the entertainment as Roberto (in memory), Roy Campanella and a dozen other athletes were honored at Caesar's Palace Convention Center. 
• 1988 - 1B Jason Rogers was born in East Point, Georgia. He was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers for OF Keon Broxton and RHP Trey Supak depth during the 2015 off season as the Pirates were looking to fill a void at first base. However, Jason was bumped from the mix when the Bucs later signed veteran free agents John Jaso and David Freese, then shot himself in the foot by going 2-for-25 in 2016. Rogers was released the following year and took his game to Japan, Mexico and the indie leagues, last playing in 2023. 

Manny Banuelos -10/5/2022 Justin Aller/Getty

• 1991 - LHP Manny Banuelos was born in Gomez Palacio, Mexico. The Yankees bought him from the Mexican League in 2008, and he was a Top 50 MLB Prospect, playing in the Futures Game and the Arizona League. Injuries bit him in 2012 and he missed 2013 with TJ surgery. Since then, he’s been with the Braves, White Sox, Yankees again, and is now tossing in Mexico. The Pirates claimed him from NY in 2022, and he debuted as a Buc in early July, giving up a grannie to Aaron Judge. He worked 31 games with a 2-1/4.96 slash. 
• 2002 - 2B Warren Morris went from College World Series hero at LSU in 1996 to starting for the Pirates and finishing in third place in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1999 to being cut - and going unclaimed - OTD. He became a Bucco as part of the Esteban Loaiza deal with Texas in 1998 and started the following year, but saw his batting line drop from .288/15 HR in 1999 to .204/2 HR in 2001, when he spent half the season at AAA Nashville. He got another shot to start in Detroit in 2003, but it was his last MLB hurrah, and he retired after the 2005 season. 
• 2008 - In a spring game against the Pirates, comedian and lifelong Yankee fan Billy Crystal led off as the DH after signing a one-day contract with New York. He made contact, fouling a fastball up the first base line, but was eventually struck out by Paul Maholm on six pitches. He joined Garth Brooks, Tom Selleck and Will Ferrell as celebrities who appeared in a MLB exhibition game.

3/12: Chuck Klein HoF, Easy-Does-It '21 Pre-Arb Class, Covid Closes Camp; RIP Frankie, Welcome To The World - HBD Alika, Dave, Greg, Raul, Deacon, Lefty, Reb, Denny & Phil

• 1865 - LHP Phil Knell was born in San Francisco. In a six-year career, he made a pair of stops in Pittsburgh. He started out as a 23-year-old rookie for the Alleghenys in 1888, going 1-2/3.76, and appeared in one outing for the Pirates in 1894 and getting whacked. But during 1890-91, he won 50 games for the Philadelphia Quakers and Columbus Colts. At 5’7” and 155 pounds, he didn’t cut an intimidating figure, but no one in the box ever dug in and got comfortable facing him. In those two seasons, the wild child bopped 82, walked 392 and tossed 39 wild pitches in 748-2/3 IP. Phil started 52 games for the Colts in 1891 and set the season record for hit batsmen with 54. 
• 1866 - 3B Denny Lyons was born in Cincinnati. He played four seasons for Pittsburgh (1893-94; 1896-97) and mustered a .299 BA during that span. He put together a 52-game hitting streak that was largely ignored - it seems that back in the day a walk was considered the same as a hit. Still, it was a pretty impressive on-base skein. Lyons played for 13 campaigns, quitting only after a fastball thrown by Amos Rusie broke two of his fingers that never fully healed. 
• 1899 - OF Ewell “Reb” Russell was born in Jackson, Mississippi. Russell started as a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1912 and was a good one, but developed arm trouble in 1918 and was released. While in the minors, he converted to playing the outfield and became an accomplished hitter. Reb got back to the show with Pittsburgh in 1922-23, and in 511 at-bats hit .323 with 21 HR/113 RBI. His downfall was that though he hit like an outfielder, he played the outfield like he was a pitcher. Still, Russell returned to the minor league American Association and was a highly paid star in the AA through age 40. His eyes stayed as sharp as ever, and he even won the league batting title when he was 38-years-old with a .385 BA. Ewell was nicknamed “Reb” for his Mississippi roots. 

Reb Russell - 1922 Pgh Press photo

• 1907 - LHP Leroy “Lefty” Matlock was born in Moberly, Missouri. After a cup of coffee with the Homestead Grays in 1932, he closed out the second half of his Negro League career with the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1933-38, winning 51 games in his first four years, posting a 26-game NNL winning streak and being named to three All-Star teams. He was suspended early in the 1937 season for playing on a Dominican League team and won just four more games in his final two campaigns for the Craws, closing out his career in various Latin leagues. 
• 1930 - RHP Vern “The Deacon” Law was born in Meridian, Indiana. The righty spent his 16-year career with Pittsburgh (1950–1951, 1954–1967), putting up a 162-147/3.77 line and winning the Cy Young Award (he was the first Pirates pitcher to earn the honor) in 1960 with a 20-9/3.05 mark for the World Series champs. Law hurt his ankle during some horseplay after clinching the pennant. A true trouper - the righty pitched through it during the Fall Classic, won twice and left Game #7 with a three run lead - he then tore muscles in his shoulder while compensating for the ankle. Both injuries lingered throughout his career, and his arm woes led him to briefly retire in '63. He had one more strong campaign afterward, going 17-9/2.15 in 1965 when he was named the Comeback Player of the Year. Law was also selected twice as an All-Star. "The Deacon" came by his nickname honestly as Law was a devout Mormon and a church deacon. 
• 1971- OF Raul Mondesi was born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. The Pirates signed the 33-year-old vet in 2004 and he had a good introductory month, batting .283 w/two homers & 14 RBI before going home to allegedly handle a personal issue. But he never came back to Pittsburgh, as the trip was a ploy to get out of his contract. It worked - he was released in May and signed with Anaheim 10 days later, hit .118 and was cut in August. In 2005, the Braves became his last stop in a 13-year career; he batted .211 and was released in May. Mondesi became mayor of San Cristobal after baseball but still couldn’t shake controversy. In 2017, a Dominican court handed him an eight-year sentence and fined him $1.25M for embezzling funds while in office. 

Raul Mondesi - 2004 Topps

• 1971 - RHP Greg Hansell was born in Bellflower, California. He closed out a four-year, four-team MLB run in 1999 with the Pirates, posting a 1-3/3.89 line in 33 outings following a June call up from AAA Nashville. In December, Hansell was purchased by the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese League. He tossed there through 2002, but big league comeback attempts in 2003 & ‘04 fell short. After serving minor league depth assignments, Greg retired after the 2004 campaign. 
• 1973 - Frankie “The Fordham Flash” Frisch passed away at the age of 74 as the result of a car crash. The Hall-of-Fame 2B played for the NY Giants & the St. Louis Gashouse Gang, serving as their player/manager from 1933-37 and winning the MVP in 1931. He was the Pirates skipper from 1940-46 with a 539-528 record, but never took a title, finishing higher than fourth just once in seven seasons. He went on to become a broadcaster and Chairman of the HoF Veterans Committee. 
• 1979 - LHP Dave Williams was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He spent four seasons (2001-02, 2004-05) with the Bucs, going 17-26 with a 4.25 ERA while reuniting with high school teammate Ian Snell. Williams was traded to Cincinnati for Sean Casey after the 2005 season. He had surgery for a herniated disc in his neck in 2007 and never was sharp afterward, ending his pro career after the 2009 season following a 2008 stint in Japan and a year in the minors. 
• 1980 - OF Chuck Klein was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Klein batted .320 over a 17-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and one season with the Pirates, 1939, when he hit .300 in his last stellar campaign. He was inducted on August 3rd. 
• 1999 - IF Alika Williams was born in San Diego. He was a first round (#37) pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 out of Arizona State. The Pirates sent reliever Robert Stephenson to the Rays for Alika in June, 2023. The good glove/weak bat Williams raked in Indy and was called up in July. In limited action, he kept to his rep (.211 BA) and again in ‘24 (.207 BA). Alika was DFA’ed in February, cleared waivers and is back in camp as a NRI where he’s a longshot to crack the infield mix. 

Alika Williams - 2024 Topps

• 2020 - The Pirates lost 7-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays at Bradenton in a Grapefruit League game, and it proved to be their last contest of the originally scheduled preseason. While the two clubs were playing, the MLB announced they were pulling the plug on spring training and delaying the start of the season by at least two weeks in response to the coronavirus threat. It trickled down to the minors; MiLB joined in, saying they were delaying the scheduled April 9th kickoff of the farm season to a yet undetermined date (it finally canceled minor league ball in 2020 in favor of “alternate camp” sites). The Bucs and Jays fudged a bit on the closure - the MLB said the shutdown was to begin at 4PM, but the clubs decided to finish the game in its entirety and played 16 minutes past the deadline. Camps resumed in late June and a shortened season began July 23rd. 
• 2021 - The Pirates agreed to contracts with all 30 of their pre-arb guys with no petulance from the crew. Notable players inked were Bryan Reynolds, Kevin Newman, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Edgar Santana, Mitch Keller, Cole Tucker, Geoff Hartlieb, Michael Feliz and Anthony Alford.