Weekly Report: Ozuno Inked, Early Camp Notes, RIP Baron, Jake & Bello On Staff - & Even AJ For A Week, Ol' Bucs Finding Camps...

Camp fire lit...

Pirates Stuff:

• The Pirates signed DH Marcell Ozuna to a one-year/ $12M ($10.5M base + $1.5M buyout guarantee for '27) with a mutual option for next season. The 35-year-old is a three-time All-Star who spent the past six campaigns with the Atlanta Braves. His 2025 slash was .232 BA/21 HRs/68 RBIs for the Bravos. Marcell was purely a DH last year, suddenly a crowded spot on the Bucco roster.

Baron of the Bullpen - 1966 Topps

• A Pirates great is gone - the Baron of the Bullpen, Elroy Face, passed away at the age of 97. 
• Ass't pitching coach Thomas Whitsett has resigned for personal reasons; he was hired from the Astros org in December but hadn't reported for camp. The Pirates said that Indy pitching coach Cibney Bello, who spent two years w/Indy after eight years coaching in the Twins system, will replace him.
• Jared Greenspan of MLB.com takes a crack at naming the Pirates pre-camp Opening Day roster .
• Ol' Bucco C Jake Stallings, who retired after the 2025 campaign, is back, working in the baseball ops department.

Camp Stuff:

• RHP Khristian Curtis was a late invite to camp. The 23-year-old starter was 8-5/3.98 at High A Greensboro last year and got a quick peek at Altoona, pitching two scoreless innings with three K. 
• AJ Burnett came to camp on Sunday for a four-or-five day gig as coach w/o portfolio to mentor the young guys after Don Kelly asked Batman to drop some knowledge on a pretty young group of arms.

Jared Jones On Track - 2025 photo SportsNet Pgh

• Don Kelly said RHP Jared Jones is on track at camp with his UCL surgery rehab schedule. The Bucs have no plans to rush him back into service and expect a late May/early June return to the hill for JJ.
• Termarr Johnson is taking grounders at third after spending his Pirates minor league career mainly at second with some shortstop action thrown in, so we'll see how that in-house move develops.
• Greg Brown & SportsNet Pgh released the broadcast schedule for '26 spring training games.

MLB Stuff:

• The Brewers signed RHP Peter Strzelecki to a minor league deal. He spent most of last year at Indy with the Bucs and was toasted (2-2/9.90) with a lot of control issues that put him in a hole on the hill. Pete has been solid in the bigs overall - in three seasons & 77 outings, he's posted a line of 5-6-1/3.44.
• The Mariners announced that they’ve signed 1B/OF Connor Joe, who had a reunion stop with the Pirates last year.
• Lefty reliever Anthony Banda, who was with the Bucs in 2023 (where he had a rough go) before joining the Dodgers, was sold by LA to the  Minnesota Twins for international bonus pool money.

Miguel Andujar - 2023 Topps Heritage

• The San Diego Padres signed 3B/OF Miguel Andujar to a one-year/$4M deal with $2M in possible bonuses and a 2027 option. He was with the Bucs in 2022-23 and some thought he was a fit again.
• RHP Miles Mikolas, who the Pirates got in the 2013 offseason and traded away a few weeks later without ever suiting up, signed with the Nats after resurrecting his cred in Japan and tossing for the Cards.
• RHP Shelby Miller has agreed to a two-year/$2.5M deal with Cubs that could also include 2027 incentive bonuses. He was with the Bucs in '21 at Indy and 10 MLB outings while on the injury comeback trail.

2/16 Through the 1980s: Elroy & Bob Sign, Robby Nixes Swap, Hans # Retired, Boycott; HBD Jorge, Luis, Jerry, Ray, Skip & John

• 1873 - C John Sullivan was born in Chicago. John had a 14-game showing with the Tigers in 1905 and then settled in with the minor league Kansas City Blues; he got one more call to the majors sandwiched inside that KC stint by the Bucs, catching for three frames in 1908. He gave up a stolen base, committed an error and went 0-for-1 before returning to KC, and he retired from pro ball in 1910 at age 37 after 11 years behind the plate. 
• 1889 - RHP James “Skip” Dowd was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Dowd, out of Holy Cross, got into one game for the Pirates in 1910, his only big league outing, and gave up four runs in two innings. In his defense they were all unearned, leaving him with a spotless career ERA. Aside from getting his name on a major league scorecard, he can also claim that he worked against HoF hurler Mordecai "Three Fingers" Brown. He tossed in the minors for five campaigns (1911-15) afterwards. Skip is the grandfather of Emmy-winning actress Ann Dowd. 
• 1912 - RHP Ray Harrell was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. He tossed for the Bucs in 1940, getting into three games (3-1/3 IP) with an ERA of 8.10 as a waiver pickup from the Phils before being sent to the AA Portland club. Ray spent a total of six years in the show, returning in 1945 to take a final bow with the wartime New York Giants after working the intervening seasons in the Pacific Coast League. He retired in 1950 after an 18-year pro career. 

The Flying Dutchman heads for the rockin' chair (AP 2/17/1952)

• 1952 - Carnegie’s Honus Wagner’s #33 (actually, it was his second number as a coach - 14 was first - chosen as players didn't sport numbers during Hans’ playing career) was retired after he bid farewell as a Pittsburgh coach at the age of 77 following 39 years with the team. The Bucs also honored him by giving him a lifetime pension at full pay. Hans’ number was the first the Pirates retired; other Buccos to later join him in the honor were Billy Meyer (1), Ralph Kiner (4), Willie Stargell (8), Bill Mazeroski (9), Pie Traynor (20), Roberto Clemente (21) and Danny Murtaugh (40). The Flying Dutchman finished his career with a .329 average and won eight NL batting titles, ranking among the Pirates' top 10 in 11 offensive categories. He was a coach with the Pirates between 1933 and 1951. Honus was also part of the first Hall-of-Fame class ever selected, along with Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Babe Ruth.
• 1952 - Jerry Hairston was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He was sold to the Pirates by the White Sox in June, 1977, and in 51 games he hit .192, mostly as a pinch hitter. Jerry played parts of 14 MLB seasons entirely with the White Sox except for his brief Bucco stint. Hairston has a strong legacy link - his dad Sam, brother Johnny and son Jerry were all big league players. 
• 1954 - The Pirates signed young righties Bob Friend, 23, and ElRoy Face, 26 to contracts. Friend was a season away from becoming a rotation anchor and ElRoy was also nearing his era as the Baron of the Bullpen. The pair pitched for 15 seasons as Pirates, with Friend appearing in 568 contests (477 starts) while Face made over 800 outings. They combined for 291 wins, 195 saves and nearly 4,800 innings as a workhorse mound duo through the 50’s & 60’s. 
• 1969 - The new Pirates four-field Pirates City complex in Bradenton was open for business and awaiting baptism by some early bird campers, but the anticipation was temporarily delayed as the owners and players banged heads over pension monies. MLB spring training report date was scheduled for the next day, but 400 players or so boycotted the camps for the next 10 days before the owners gave up some ground and accepted many of the MLBPA demands. 

Luis Figueroa - 1978 Custom Topps (Villa Custom)

• 1974 - IF Luis Figueroa was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. After playing for the Puerto Rican national team, he was signed by the Bucs in 1997 and played four games with the club in 2001, going 0-for-2. Luis was waived and claimed by the Mets. In 2006-07, he got in 14 games for the Blue Jays and Giants, his only other outings as an MLB player. But he had a long career, playing 16 years of pro ball with campaigns in Puerto Rico, both in the winter league and with their international squad, and then served as a fielding coach in the Yankee org. 
• 1980 - The Pirates announced that five-and-10-year veteran OF’er Bill Robinson was traded in principle to Houston for pitcher Joaquin Andujar, but the deal hit a bump a couple of days later when the Astros wouldn’t rework Robinson’s contract and he vetoed the trade. It’s hard to project how the swap would have worked out. Robinson had a strong 1980 campaign and then faded while Andujar wouldn’t hit his prime until 1982, winning 61 games and two All-Star berths between then and 1985 as a St. Louis Cardinal, who got him early in 1981 for Tony Scott. 
• 1988 - RHP Jorge Rondon was born in Calabozo, Venezuela. Jorge has spent small parts of three seasons in MLB, with two of his 16 big league outings coming with the Pirates in 2016 after a solid stint at AAA Indianapolis. It didn’t work out so well, with a 17.18 ERA/2.727 WHIP in 3-2/3 IP. He was DFA’ed five days after his call-up and signed with the Chisox, then took his services to Japan for the 2017 campaign. He now pitches in Venezuela

2/16 From 1990: Tyler, Ron & Leo Sign, Bo Loses Arb, Deal Hatchin', Sandt Back, David Diatribe, Wheaties Champs; HBD Marco

• 1991 - OF Bobby Bonilla lost his arbitration hearing, settling for the Pirates $2.4M offer rather than his $3.475 request. He and his agent had earlier turned down a Bucco package for four years/$15.5M; their meter began running at $19M. Bobby Bo, whose asking price was the highest ever presented in an arb session, was philosophical about it. He told the Post Gazette’s Paul Meyer “Who am I to cry? I’m getting $2.4M. That’s more than anybody I grew up with is making.” 
• 1992 - LHP Marco Gonzales was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. A first round pick (#19 overall) of the Cards in 2013 out of Gonzaga, the Bucs traded with Atlanta for him in December of 2023, after the Bravos had acquired him from Seattle just two days before. The Braves sent Pittsburgh cash ($9.25M - Gonzales was due $12M in ‘24 with a $15M team option/no buyout in 2025) and will get a PTBNL in return. He had a weak 2023 (5.22 ERA in 10 starts), but was dealing with a nerve issue that eventually required surgery. In the five prior seasons as a Mariner, Marco averaged 175 IP with a 46-30 record/3.94 ERA, and the Bucs were banking on his recovery and a return to workhorse status to help fill out a paper thin rotation. He wasn’t much help - an elbow injury led to surgery, limiting him to just seven outings and his release. He’s now in the Padres system. 
• 1996 - General Mills put out a Wheaties cereal box commemorating Negro League stars Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell to celebrate the league's 75th anniversary. All three legendary figures played for Pittsburgh and/or Homestead at some point in their Hall of Fame careers. 

Wheatie Champs Josh, Satch & Cool Papa - 1996

• 1999 - Paul Meyer of the Post Gazette published a rumor that the Pirates were ready to send Al Martin and Tony Womack to Arizona for Bernard Gilkey and a prospect if they could work out some financial wrinkles in Gilkey’s contract (mainly big deferred money), while also looking into signing free agent Pat Meares to solidify the infield. They did land Meares, but the Gilkey deal eventually fell through, and probably a good thing it did - he had a very nice 1999, but still never got more than 241 plate appearances/94 games as age caught up to the 33-year-old. The Bucs eventually sent Womack to the Diamondbacks (his salary and Meare’s basically were a wash) for hurlers Jason Boyd and Paul Weichard in a good deal for the Snakes, which got five years/.269 BA out of Tony and a World Series title during his run in the desert. 
• 2000 - The Pirates signed RHP Leo Nunez out of the Dominican Republic. He never twirled for the Bucs, being traded to Kansas City in 2004 and made the news in 2011 when he admitted to being Juan Carlos Oviedo, not Leo Nunez, using a fake ID to shave a year off his age. He pitched through 2011, served a lengthy suspension to start 2012 and then blew out his elbow during rehab, requiring TJ surgery. Juan/Leo returned to the show in 2014 in a final MLB hurrah with Tampa Bay, then finishing his career in the Dominican Winter League in 2017. 
• 2000 - Tommy Sandt, a popular field coach during Jim Leyland’s tenure from 1987-96 who left the team with Leyland, rejoined the club as a minor league roving instructor. The reunion didn’t last very long; Sandt stayed through the 2002 campaign and then left again after a housecleaning to coach in the San Diego Padres organization. He passed away in 2020. 

Tommy Sandt - 2002 Pirates Promo

• 2002 - RHP Ron Villone signed a one-year/$900K FA contract with the Bucs, making Pittsburgh one of his 12 MLB stops during a 15-year career. He went 4-6 with a 5.81 ERA for the Pirates and was released at the end of the year, but hung around through the 2009 season before retiring. Villone became a pitching coach in the Cubs’ organization in 2012, moving on to the Angels in 2024. 
• 2018 - In one of the Pirates more memorable camp outbursts (maybe only second to Jim Leyland’s f-bomb scold of Barry Bonds in 1991), David Freese threw some darts at the “environment” in Pittsburgh. He tossed out zingers like “This is a different organization, where if you get drafted, you look at a guy like Jameson Taillon. It sucks that if you pan out, you have your future written for you in an organization like this. You either fold and sign a team friendly deal, or you’re bounced,” and "You look at the Steelers, Penguins and you’ve got the Pirates. If I’m kind of handling this situation, I’d be losing sleep trying to compete with those other two teams. To have all three teams in a city like Pittsburgh be on top of each league, that would be incredible." He explained that he thought the FO and his teammates had the desire to win, but had to move beyond analytics and focus more on culture to provide that winning environment for the Pirates. "You’ve got to have urgency. You’ve got to have accountability...I’ve been here for two years, and we just kind of lacked in that department a little bit. We’ve got to pick that up.” 
• 2021 - Pittsburgh signed former first round pick LHP Tyler Anderson to an MLB deal worth $2.5M, pending his physical (the deal became official the next day). The lefty back-ender was 4-3/4.37 for the Giants in 2020 after starting his career in Colorado. In his four years as a Rox, he slashed 18-24/4.69. After a workmanlike start for the Pirates (5-8/4.35), Tyler was sent to Seattle, then the Dodgers and now is a free agent. To make room on the 40-man roster, Rule 5 pick RHP Jose Soriano, who was recovering from TJ surgery, went on the 60-day injured list; the Rule 5 pick was released after the year and returned to the Angels.

2/15: Ricky, Zane & Doug Sign, Tony Loses Arb, Vic To Cards, Kiner Bait, Goin' To NO, Lockout; HBD Rob, Russ, Don, Barry, Al & Charlie

• 1867 - 3B “Princeton” Charlie (for the town, not the school) Reilly was born in Princeton, New Jersey. Charlie spent eight years in the show and was the Bucs starting hot corner guy in 1891, after jumping from the Columbus nine along with pitcher Mark Baldwin to join the Pirates. It didn’t end up a marriage made in heaven; he batted .219 and was released after the year. He then picked it up some with his stick (his average was .265 over the second half of his career) and spent four years with the Philadelphia Phillies. Charlie had a 20-year pro run, including playing during the initial year of the Pacific Coast League, and retired after the 1905 campaign at the age of 38. 
• 1892 - LHP Al Braithwood was born in Braceville, Illinois. Not much is known about Al as it appears he mostly hurled for semi-pro clubs, but his big league time was spent as a Pittsburgh Rebel in 1915. He was pretty sharp, too, tossing three perfect frames in two relief outings with a pair of whiffs, and compiling those three frames while only facing eight batters (we’re assuming he got a DP/caught stealing to his credit after inheriting a runner.) 
• 1910 - The Pirates sold RHP Vic Willis to the Cardinals. Vic was a 20+ game winner for the Bucs every season during his four-year stint, going 89-46-3/2.08 from 1906-09. But the 34-year-old Willis was approaching 4,000 innings of career work and running on fumes. He won nine games for St. Louis while working a personal low of 212 IP, and 1910 was his big league swan song. 
• 1953 - The Pirates and Reds continued talking turkey regarding a possible Ralph Kiner trade, as the Bucs were eager to dump his $75,000 contract. The Reds, according to Les Biederman's Pittsburgh Press report, were dangling 1B Joe Adcock, IF Alex Grammas and 2B Grady Hattan along with a pair of TBD pitchers. Pirates GM Branch Rickey wanted either 1B Ted Kluszewski or SS Roy McMillan in the deal, a pair that Cincinnati GM Gabe Paul considered untouchable. Though Big Klu would join the Bucs on the downside in 1958 and Grammas would eventually coach in Pittsburgh, no agreement was reached. Kiner was moved in June when he was sent, along with Joe Garagiola, George Metkovich and Howie Pollet, to the Chicago Cubs for Bob Addis, Toby Atwell, George Freese, Gene Hermanski, Bob Schultz, Preston Ward and $150,000. 

Ralph On The Market - 1953 Topps Living Set Reprint

• 1956 - Integration in baseball was a decade old, but the road to progress was still a rocky ride. The Pirates and the Kansas City A's canceled a pair of exhibition games in Birmingham, Alabama, because of a city ordinance barring integrated play. The two teams moved their scheduled March 31st/April 1st spring games to more player-friendly New Orleans. 
• 1963 - RHP Barry Jones was born in Centerville, Indiana. He began his career in Pittsburgh after being selected in the third round of the 1984 draft. From 1986-88, Jones went on to post a 6-9-6/3.81 slash line with the Bucs before being traded to the White Sox for Dave LaPoint. After an eight-year career, he moved to Murrysville and spent several months helping to build PNC Park as a project manager for the concrete contractor. 
• 1980 - IF Don Kelly was born in Butler. Kelly went to Mt Lebanon HS and Point Park College before signing with the Bucs and making his debut in 2007, getting into 25 games and hitting .148. From 2009 onward, he played with the Tigers before joining the Marlins system briefly. In 2017, Don hung up the uni and became a Pro Scout/Assistant to Player Development for the Tigers. Kelly then moved along to Houston and came home to join Derek Shelton's staff in 2020 as his bench coach and in 2025 was given the team’s reins. He married Carrie Walker in 2007; his brother-in-law is Neil and his now-departed father-in-law was former big league pitcher Tom. 
• 1983 - C Russ Martin was born in East York, Ontario, Canada. The free agent pickup was with the Pirates from 2013-14, hitting .256 and rated highly behind the dish in all the defensive metrics and intangibles. Toronto signed him to a five-year, $82M FA contract during the 2014 off season after Russ had a career year at the plate. He last caught in 2019 as a LA Dodger. Russ was honored in 2024 when he was chosen to join the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Rob Scahill - 2016 photo Joe Guzy/Pirates

• 1987 - RHP Rob Scahill was born in Winfield, Illinois. The reliever was traded to the Bucs from the Rockies after the 2014 season for Shane Carle and got into 43 games with a 2-4/3.26 line in 2015-16. He then worked for the Brewers and the White Sox, with his last MLB outing in 2018. 
• 1990 - The owners refused to open spring training camps without a new Basic Agreement with the Players' Association, beginning a lockout that lasted 32 days and delayed the start of the regular season by one week. The beef was over an owner's plan to cap payroll at 48% of the league revenues; the MLBPA and Donald Fehr wanted no part of a hard cap. They eventually settled on “Super Two” arb, a raise in the minimum salary and adding an extra player to the active roster as the capped payroll plan was sentenced to death by committee. 
• 1992 - On the Saturday before a scheduled Monday arb hearing, RHP Doug Drabek and the Pirates agreed on a $4.5M contract, after first rejecting a four-year, $18.5M deal. DD had been seeking $4.9M and the Bucs counter was $3.685M, so Doug won this round after making $3.335M in 1991. The righty had won the Cy Young in 1990, went 15-14/3.07 in 1991 and would go 15-11/2.77 in 1992, so his consistent top-of-the-rotation work was well worth the price to the Pirates. 
• 1996 - The Pirates brought back LHP Zane Smith after he had left the fold for the greener pastures Boston with a one-year/$400K deal that became official a couple of days later. The lefty had been a Bucco from 1990-94 (47-41/3.35) with a couple of nice seasons during that span, The 35-year-old went to Boston, returned in ‘96, slashed 4-6/5.08 and was released in July; for his last MLB rodeo. 

Zane Smith - 1996 Leaf Autograph

• 1997 - The Pirates signed 31-year-old 1B Ricky Jordan to an NRI contract. Jordan was a career .282 hitter during an eight-year career mostly spent with the Phils, but suffered shoulder injuries in recent campaigns and was brought in as depth insurance for starter Kevin Young. He spent the season in AA Carolina and though he hit .314, it was his last season of pro ball. 
• 2017 - In the only Pirates arb hearing of the off season, LHP Tony Watson and the FO took their dispute before a three-man hearing panel. The Pirates offered Tony $5.6M; Watson countered w/$6M. On the following day, it was announced that the Bucs had won the decision, but it was still a nice bump for Watson, who earned $3.45M in 2016. It proved too rich for the Bucs’ taste; they traded Tony to the Dodgers at the deadline for prospects SS/3B Oneil Cruz & RHP Angel German, giving the closer’s job to Felipe Rivero. Watson worked for three teams after Pittsburgh and retired before the 2022 season. Angel never got past AA while Cruz was a Pirates’ keeper. He made his debut in 2022, was injured for most of ‘23 and is now the Bucs' anointed in CF after spending much of the 2024 campaign at short; the flip was made in late August and he’s been patrolling center ever since.

2/14 Through the 1950s: Barr 1st Franchise Move, NCBBL Forms w/Keystones; HBD Will, Frank, Earl, Jack, Admiral, Harry & Morgan

• 1867 - C Morgan Murphy was born in East Providence, Rhode Island. Murphy lasted for 11 seasons in the show, mostly as a reserve catcher. He spent five games of that career with Pittsburgh, going 2-for-16 after a trade with the Browns and was released after a month, with Philadelphia claiming him. Murphy was best known as a sign-stealer supreme, and was busted with the Phils in 1900 for running a telegraph wire underground from the third base box to the outfield wall, where he sat with binoculars to watch the catcher. He would then buzz a simple code to the coach who would feel the vibes through his feet. Tricky, but not tricky enough; it was found out during a game when an opponent tripped over a bit of exposed wire while rounding third. Prior to that, Murphy would sit behind an ad sign and reposition one of its letters to tip the batter. 
• 1873 - P Harry Jordan was born in Titusville (or maybe Pittsburgh; there’s some disagreement among biographers). Pirates manager Connie Mack pulled him out of the New England League to help his short-handed staff finish the 1894 season and then from the Iron and Oil League the following year, again to plug a pitching gap as the campaign neared the tape. Harry went 1-2/4.15 in his three career MLB starts, not a bad slash for a semi-pro hurler. 
• 1880 - C Claude “Admiral” Berry was born in Losantville, Indiana. He had a fairly undistinguished MLB career from 1904-07, playing three years and getting into 21 games. But when the Federal League started in 1914, the 35-year-old was apparently well rested - he signed on with the Pittsburgh Rebels and caught 221 games in the league’s two seasons, batting just .219 but throwing out 214-of-445 would-be base stealers, a 48% CS rate. In 1904, while playing for the Chicago White Sox, Claude became the first major league catcher to wear a protective cup. He also caught Frank Allen’s no-hitter against St. Louis in 1915. The Admiral closed out his career with a couple of years of AA ball. His family said that Berry got his nickname because he was a flashy dresser, with his outfits sporting enough bling to compete with an admiral’s dress uniform. 

Fed C's - 1914 photo/Pgh Press (Admiral's on the R)

• 1884 - Utilityman Jack Lewis was born in Pittsburgh’s South Side. He had an 18 game audition with the Red Sox in 1911, then got back in the groove with the Filipinos/Rebels of the Federal League, playing five positions and batting .245 from 1913-15 to earn a spot on the Fed All-Star team in 1913 when it was still an indie league. Jack did play a lot of ball in his day; his career in the bushes began in 1901 and he didn’t quit playing until after the 1921 season. He didn’t retire voluntarily, either - he hung ‘em up after being banged up in a car accident. 
• 1884 - In the first transaction in franchise history, the Alleghenys sold RHP Bob Barr to the Washington Nationals for $100 after he slashed 6-18/4.38 in his rookie campaign. Bob would pitch four more scattered seasons and win 43 more games, notching 28 of those victories for Rochester in 1890, its only season in the American Association (they were a replacement team during the Player’s League era and were relegated back to minor league status when the PL folded). 
• 1887 - Per Wikipedia, the National Colored Base Ball League, the first attempt at a professional Negro League, was organized at a meeting in Baltimore. Eight clubs were represented, including the original Pittsburgh Keystones. The league quickly folded (the Keystones finished 3-4), but set a foundation that would eventually allow the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays to enter the baseball scene. The Keystones went semi-pro, then were revived professionally from 1921-22 to play in the Negro National League. Their home field was Central Park (also known as Keystone Park or Chauncey Street Park), located in the Hill at the corner of Chauncey Street and Humber Way. The park was planned by black architect Louis Bellinger, who would later design Greenlee Field for the Pittsburgh Crawfords. 

Earl Smith - 1925 photo/Pgh Press

• 1897 - C Earl Smith was born in Sheridan, Arizona. Smith spent five of his 12 big league years in Pittsburgh from 1924-28, hitting .315 over that span. He was a member of the 1925 World Series-winning club (he hit .350 v Washington) and the 1927 Series team that lost to the Yankees. Smith was suspended briefly in 1925 for brawling with a fan in Boston; not only did it cost him time, but he was laid up briefly afterwards when a second fan clunked him with a chair! 
• 1901 - C Frank Duncan was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He played for 19 years in the Negro and Latin leagues, mostly with the KC Monarchs. He spent 1932 with both the Homestead Grays (they used seven catchers that year) and Pittsburgh Crawfords (they went through five w/Duncan serving as Josh Gibson’s main backup), batting a combined .242. He retired in 1943 after a stretch of semi-pro ball, lost some time to WW2, then managed for three years, umpired a bit and then settled in to run a Kansas City tavern. 
• 1952 - LHP Will McEnaney was born in Springfield, Ohio. After some strong work for the Reds, he failed to impress at his next stop in Montreal and was sent to the Bucs in 1978 for RHP Tim Jones. McEnaney lasted until June, but gave up 11 runs in 8-2/3 IP for a 10.38 ERA and was sent to AAA Columbus. After compiling a 6.24 ERA there, he was released. He was bedeviled by drinking and drug problems after a divorce, the death of his mother, and a serious car wreck at the end of the year. The crash was his final straw; Will straightened up after that and tossed solidly one more year for St. Louis in ‘79 before bowing out of baseball.

2/14 From 1970: Josh, Denny, Doug & Jason Sign, Gene Back, Coach Kitten & Scout Teke, Kevin Moves, Martin Era, USA Joe; HBD Damaso

• 1975 - LHP Damaso Marte was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He pitched for the Bucs in 2001, coming over from the Yankees for Enrique Wilson and then traded to the White Sox for Matt Guerrier after the season. He returned for 2006-08 after spending four years with Chicago in exchange for Rob Mackowiak. Damaso slashed 7-8-5/3.52 and struck out 200 batters in 186-2/3 IP. In 2008, Marte and Xavier Nady were traded to the Yankees for four prospects: OF José Tábata plus P’s Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, and Daniel McCutchen. 
• 1979 - Harvey Haddix filled out Chuck Tanner’s staff when he was named pitching coach to replace Don Osborn, who was in poor health. A couple of players also added their John Doe onto contracts on this day, SS Frank Taveras and RHP Ed Whitson. Neither player made it through the season; they became pieces of the deals that brought Tim Foli and Bill Madlock to Pittsburgh. 
• 1980 - Everyone remembers Lanny Frattare taking over for Milo Hamilton, but not many recollect the Dave Martin era following Milo’s departure, which the team announced on this date. That’s understandable as Martin only lasted a year as Lanny’s broadcast partner despite a resume that included stops with the Expos, A‘s, Indians and Red Sox. Lanny told Dave Finoli for The Pirates Encyclopedia “Dave came to Pittsburgh with a number of misconceptions about the team and market and struggled...” Amen to that observation; it was Martin’s last MLB booth gig after he was replaced by John Sanders. 
• 1983 - Coming off a .284/31/101 campaign, the Pirates signed 1B Jason Thompson to a five-year/$5.5M deal with a $400K signing bonus, an option and several incentives from weight to MVP. The deal deferred $200K annually, a contract ploy used by the Bucs in the 80’s that eventually led to cash problems in the form of “dead money” for the club. Thompson never had another big year after the deal; he hit .252 with 47 HR from 1983-85, partially due to bad knees and partially due to a power outage against LHP, and was traded to Montreal.

JT - 1983 Topps

• 1991 - Happy Valentines Day to Doug Drabek, who won his arb case to the tune of $3.335M, leaving Pittsburgh’s $2.3M counteroffer in the dust. DD became the first $3M awardee in baseball arbitration history and the Pirates highest paid player ever in one fell swoop. He had made $1.1M in 1990, but went 22-6/2.76 to win the Cy Young, and that earned him the bump. 
• 1996 - Kevin McClatchy and partners (and he needed to hustle to find one more warm body, as a few days before his offer was finalized, an investor bailed on him at the last minute) was approved by MLB and purchased the Pirates from the Pittsburgh Associates for $90M, with the understanding that a baseball-only stadium be built within five years. McClatchy had entered the fray about 10 months prior to the agreement, jumping in after John Rigas’ bid was rejected by MLB. He made a formal bid in September 1995 that twisted, turned and mutated until it finally passed muster. The sale saved the franchise from being moved out of Pittsburgh by other lurking buyers and greased the wheels for a new ballyard, but proved a mixed competitive blessing under the perpetually cash-strapped McClatchy, who eventually gave way to Bob Nutting. 
• 1996 - In further good news, minutes after Kevin McClatchy was approved to buy the Pirates by MLB, LHP Denny Neagle signed a two-year contract extension after coming off an All-Star season in 1995 (13-8/3.43, 205 IP). He gave up his first free agency season in ‘97 for the security of $5.9M over the next two campaigns. The cash-strapped Pirates then traded him to Atlanta in August, where he worked in three postseasons and earned another All-Star berth. 
• 1998 - After guiding the Pirates to a second-place finish in the National League Central Division in 1997, manager Gene Lamont had his contract extended for a year, through the 2000 season. The compensation was undisclosed but guesstimated by the press to be $500,000. After the 2000 campaign, Lamont was let go and replaced at the Bucco helm by Lloyd McClendon. 

Gene Lamont - 1997 On Deck Mag

• 2006 - The Pirates, who had gone three seasons without an advance scout, filled that hole by hiring old fireman Kent Tekulve to fill the role. Teke had no formal dealings with his old club since the 1990 campaign when he worked as a community relations guy before leaving to spend seven years as a Phillies’ announcer and then several more seasons working with the indie Washington Wild Things. But manager Jim Tracy wanted the position manned again and knew Tekulve from Ohio, so the deal fell into place. Teke moved to the TV side in 2008 with a break for a heart transplant in 2014, and remained a talking head until 2017, when he retired in September. But Kent wasn’t gone and forgotten; he was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2023. 
• 2018 - Pitt head baseball coach Joe Jordano was named to the staff of the 2018 Collegiate National Team, as announced by USA Baseball. Jordano was in his 21st season as the Pitt skipper and ranked among the top-25 active winningest Division I coaches. It was a big year for JJ - he also coached his 1,500th game and was inducted into the National Italian Hall of Fame. He resigned after the season with a school-high 588 wins and is now with IMG Academy in Bradenton. 
• 2024 - LHP Josh Fleming signed as a free agent with the Pirates. The 27-year-old spent 2020-23 with Tampa Bay, posting a line of 19-13-1/4.88 during an injury-riddled stay. The Pirates liked that he could start or relieve - Shelty was always on the lookout for bulk-inning arms - and with a decent spring and couple of injuries to the bullpen, he broke camp with the club. He got into 25 games, posting a line of 1-1-1/4.02, was released in midseason and is now in the Toronto system.

2/13: Brandon, AVS, Moose, Cobra, Teke & Dave Sign, Cool Papa HoF; RIP Nellie, HBD Curtis, Stretch, Pete, Rocky, Oadis, Herman, Harl, Crazy & Bill

• 1864 - C/OF Bill Farmer was born in Philadelphia (Baseball Reference cites his DOB as 2/27 and sources seem split as to whether he came from Philly or Dublin, Ireland, so roll the dice and take yer chances). Either way, he got into five MLB games, two with the 1888 Alleghenys, going 0-for-4. He had spent some of 1887 in the Central PA League and likely showed enough to get a look from Pittsburgh. It was a tough lineup for a catcher to crack as Fred Carroll was still playing and Doggie Miller had the top job locked down. Bill finished his big-league days with a short stay with the Philadelphia Athletics and retired a couple of seasons later after playing for St. Paul of the Western Association. 
• 1866 - LHP Frederick “Crazy” Schmit (often misspelled Schmidt) was born in Chicago. The lefty was unleashed on baseball first by the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1890, when Crazy went 1-9/5.83 in his rookie campaign. He tossed for five MLB seasons with a 7-36/5.45 line and 185 career walks to 93 K. One of Crazy’s idiosyncrasies was to warm up with a ball soaked in water so that when he got to the mound, a game ball would feel like a feather. He was also credited with being the first to keep an actual book on hitters out of necessity; it was said his memory was too poor to keep the info stored in his head so he wrote it down. One oft-told story has Crazy pitching against Cap Anson by the book. Schmit pulled his notes from his back pocket, looked up Anson, followed his finger and muttered “walk,” then tossed him four wide ones. His nickname was due to his eccentricities like the wet warm up ball, his book on batters and also Schmit’s overblown sense of his abilities as a pitcher. He also answered to “Germany.” 
• 1883 - OF Harl Maggert was born in Cromwell, Indiana. He got his first taste of the majors when he played two games for the Bucs as a 24-year-old in 1907, going 0-for-6, though he did walk twice and scored. He wouldn’t get another shot until five years later in 1912 with the Philadelphia Athletics, doing considerably better by batting .256 in 74 games, but it wasn’t enough to earn any more big league time. From 1913-20, he played in the PCL when he got embroiled in a fixing scandal; he was acquitted in court but expelled by the league. That ended his pro career although he squeezed out a few more seasons with outlaw league teams. His son Harl (who wasn’t a junior, different middle names) got in a year of MLB ball, too, hitting .281 in 1938 for the Boston Bees. 

Harl Maggert (Oakland Seals) - 1911 Obak

• 1901 - OF Herman Layne was born in Gallipolis, Ohio. His big league time totaled 11 games for the Bucs in 1927, spent mainly as a pinch hitter/runner, going 0-for-6 with a walk and three runs scored. Herman did cobble together a 13-year pro career, playing mostly for Toronto of the International League along with Louisville & Indianapolis of the American Association. He was a star in the minors, hitting .327 with 2,097 hits and 315 stolen bases in 1,696 games.The WVU grad hit over .300 for 11 consecutive years and played on five pennant winners. 
• 1915 - RHP Oadis Swigart was born in Archie, Mississippi. Oad spent his brief MLB career as a Pirate, going 1-3/4.44 from 1939-40. His ball playing days were short-circuited by Uncle Sam. The 26-year-old was with the Pirates for spring training in 1941 but was called into the Army on May 1st as the first Bucco player to be drafted. He wasn’t released from active duty until the 1946 season when he was 31, and he failed to make it out of camp. 
• 1919 - IF Bobby “Rocky” Rhawn was born in Catawissa, Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna River. He spent parts of three seasons in the show, with his final year of 1949 being especially hectic as he went from the NY Giants to the Pirates (three games, 1-for-7) and then to the White Sox. The Bucs got him and RHP Ray Poat from the Giants for veteran RHP Kirby Higbe, then released Rhawn to Chicago 10 days later. 1949 was the last year of MLB ball for Poat and Rhawn, who played at the AAA level for seven campaigns; Higbe lasted into July of 1950. 
• 1921 - IF Pete Castiglione was born in Greenwich, Connecticut. He played seven years (1947-53) for the Bucs, mainly as a reserve, and hit .258 for Pittsburgh. Pete actually signed with the Pirates in 1940, but he joined the Navy in 1943 while in the minors and served two years in the Pacific. He participated in campaigns at the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Palau Islands, Philippine Islands and Okinawa, and was stationed at Wakayama, Japan, at the end of the war, so his claim to fame may not have been so much at Forbes Field but in the Pacific theater. 

Al Grunwald - 1956 James Elder postcard

• 1930 - LHP Al “Stretch” (he was 6’4”) Grunwald was born in LA. He was a guy that flitted between positions. Grunwald was a first baseman in the minors for his first five years, then converted to pitcher. He tossed for the Pirates during the 1955 season (three games, 4.70 ERA) and then with the Kansas City Athletics in 1959. Grunwald put in 14 pro seasons between 1947-62 with stints in Mexico and Japan, returning to 1B during his final two seasons. He posted lines of 41-31/3.96 ERA in 160 appearances and a .295 BA/111 home runs in 1,392 games during that time. 
• 1974 - RHP Dave Giusti signed a one-year deal worth $100K after coming off an All-Star (9-2-20/2.37) campaign. The 34-year-old closer inked his deal the same day that his eventual heir, Kent Tekulve, signed on the dotted line for what would be his first MLB campaign. It was a good day for the FO; they also inked Dave Parker and Bob Moose, both to undisclosed sums. 
• 1974 - OF James "Cool Papa" Bell was named to the Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues. He played for both the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords and was inducted on August 12th. Cool Papa joined the Homestead Grays in 1943, and they won league championships in Bell's first two seasons. They were foiled going for the trifecta, losing in the 1945 World Series to the Cleveland Buckeyes. Per Biography.com, he got his moniker when he began as a pitcher for the St. Louis Stars in the Negro National League. He was dubbed “Cool” by his teammates after he struck out the legendary Oscar Charleston; Bell's manager added the “Papa” to complete the sobriquet. 
• 1987 - RHP Curtis Partch was born in Merced, California. Curtis tossed for the Reds for parts of two campaigns and the Pirates signed him to a minor league, bullpen depth deal in 2016. He was a strikeout-per-inning guy at Indianapolis, but when called up in June, he gave up three runs in 2/3 IP and was released. He played indie league ball in 2017 and that stint ended his pro career. 

Curtis Partch - 2016 camp photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

• 1988 - OF Andy Van Slyke agreed to an $825,000 contract with bonuses that could bring it to $900,000, remaining the highest paid player on the roster. AVS got almost all the loot that he requested in arb ($850K), with the Pirates counter offer at $750K. Van Slyke had an ‘87 line of .293/21 HR/82 RBI/34 stolen bases, and he’d have another very good season with the bat in 1988. He broke out, hitting .288 and joining the 25 HR/30 SB club with 101 runs & 100 RBI while earning spots for the first time on the All Star, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger squads 
• 2005 - Former Buc hurler and Pirate alumni leader Nellie Briles died from a heart attack at age 61 while golfing in Orlando, Florida, at an Alumni Association outing. He tossed from 1971-73 for the Bucs, notably winning game five of the ‘71 series by twirling a two-hit shutout to give the Pirates a 3-2 series lead. During that time he laid down roots in Pittsburgh, making his home in Greensburg after his retirement. The Bucs hired him as part of their corporate staff in 1986, mainly involving him in alumni affairs, after he had put in a broadcasting stint. “He wasn’t a homegrown Pirate but became part of the Pirate fabric,” said teammate Steve Blass, “...and he was tireless whenever he represented the Pittsburgh Pirates.” He was buried at St. Clair Cemetery in Westmoreland County. 
• 2013 - The Bucs signed 36-year-old IF Brandon Inge to a one-year/$1.25M free agent contract. 50 games and a .181 BA later, he was released on August 1st, ending his 13-year MLB career. Brandon retired to his 400-acre farm in his hometown of Lynchburg with his family.

2/12: Jarrod, John, The Hammer & Rennie Sign, Jack Wins Arb, North Shore Names; HBD Argenis, Todd, Chris, Stan, Cam, Joe, Woody, Dutch, Big Train, Whitey & Ray

• 1888 - 1B Ray Miller (no, not the pitching coach) was born in Pittsburgh. The local kid spent 1917 in the majors, playing his last six big league games as a Pirate. He hit .148 and was sent to the American Association’s Kansas City Blues as part of the Roy Sanders/Fritz Mollwitz off season deal. Ray, who got his start in the Pennsylvania-Ohio League with the Uniontown Coal Barons and then the McKeesport Tubers, played until 1925 and put in a 13-year minor league career. 
• 1893 - 1B Earl “Whitey” Sheely was born in Bushnell, Illinois. He spent one season of his nine-year MLB career, 1929, as the starting first baseman for the Bucs, batting .293 in 139 games. Earl was a nice hitter, finishing with a career .300 BA and a pair of 100-RBI years after he retired following the 1931 campaign. He served as a scout for the Boston Red Sox, coach at St. Mary' s College and he was a manager for the Sacramento Solons and GM of the Seattle Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League. Sheely was inducted into the PCL Hall of Fame after spending his entire 15-year minor league stint on the left shore in either the PCL or Northwest League, hitting .324 lifetime with 2,319 raps. Earl’s son Bud was also in the show, catching for three seasons for the White Sox. 
• 1912 - RHP Tom “Country/”Big Train” Parker Jr. was born in Alexandria, Louisiana (birth year uncertain). Big Train tossed for 10 years in the Negro Leagues (and also played some OF), but the Homestead Grays were his home. He worked for them for six seasons (1935-39, 1948; 23-19/4.88) and overall, it’s thought that Country answered the bell for 21 campaigns counting unaffiliated, Canadian and Latin teams even with spending some time in the Army. Parker was 6’1”, 235 pounds, a likely but unverified cause for the “Big Train” moniker. 
• 1912 - RHP Lloyd “Dutch” Dietz was born in Cincinnati. Dutch tossed from 1940-43 for the Bucs. He went 13-15-4/3.51, and worked pretty regularly in 1941-42, highlighted by 1941’s 7-2/2.33 slash. He was traded to the Phils in ‘43, then to the Dodgers. Dietz entered the military service with the Army Medical Corps in 1944, and was stationed in Texas where he pitched for the Fort Sam Houston Rangers. After his return to civilian life in 1946, he played four more minor league seasons before hanging up the spikes in 1949 as a 37-year-old. Dutch was a common nickname for German players as an anglicization of “Deutsch.” 

Woody Main - 1953 Topps

• 1922 - RHP Forrest “Woody” Main was born in Delano, California. He pitched off and on for the Bucs in 1948, 1950, and 1952-53 after being claimed from the Yankees. Main was in the Bronx Bomber’s system with the minor-league Kansas City Blues, and when KC’s manager Billy Meyer was named skipper of the 1948 Pirates, he selected Main in that winter’s Rule 5 draft. Woody, who worked out of the bullpen, went 4-13-3 with a 5.14 ERA as a Pirate. 
• 1926 - C Joe Garagiola was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent the middle of his MLB career (1951-53) with Pittsburgh. Joe hit .262 over that span, but is best known as an announcer, a profession he began after his playing days ended in 1955. Garagiola grew up just a few doors down from his childhood friend Yogi Berra and later said, "Not only was I not the best catcher in the Major Leagues, I wasn't even the best catcher on my street!" 
• 1952 - GM Cam Bonifay was born in St. Petersburg. After a brief minor league career, Cam toiled as a Cardinal & then Reds bird dog before becoming the Scouting Director for the Pirates in 1990. He was named assistant GM in 1991 and got the top job in 1993 when Ted Simmons was felled by a heart attack. He held the position until 2001 when owner Kevin McClatchy replaced him with Dave Littlefield. Despite criticism for signing underperforming players to big contracts, he was named The Sporting News’ Executive of the Year in 1997 for building the “Freak Show” team with a payroll of just $9M. Since his Pittsburgh departure, he has worked for Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Cincinnati, where he’s a pro scouting special assistant. His son Josh was a minor league catcher in the Pirates system and is now the farm director for the Texas Rangers. 
• 1965 - RHP Stan Fansler was born in Elkins, West Virginia. The youngster was the Bucs second round draft pick (34th overall) in 1983. By 1985, he was pitching for the Pirates, going 0-3 but with a respectable 3.75 ERA in five September starts. He gave up less than a hit per inning but had some control issues. And therein lies a cautionary tale. Instead of Fansler making the team out of camp the following season, GM Sid Thrift, without consulting the Pirates coaches, sent him to the minors to change his delivery and sharpen his control. The result was that Stan’s money maker went haywire from the mechanical tweaking and he subsequently underwent a pair of arm surgeries. He never pitched above Class AA afterward and retired to become a pitching coach in 1993 before giving up the pro game entirely when he married four years later. 

Stan Fansler - 1987 Topps

• 1969 - The Bucs sealed one of their top Latino deals when Pirates scout C. Herbert Raybourn inked 17-year-old 2B Rennie Stennett of Colon, Panama, to a contract. Rennie debuted in 1971 and played nine seasons with Pittsburgh, hitting .278. His Pirates red letter day was when he went 7-for-7 against the Cubs, a record-setter (he got three more hits the next day for 10 in back-to-back games, also a record), in 1975. His career was derailed in 1977 when he broke his leg sliding. Rennie never recovered fully and 1981 was his last season. 
• 1969 - The new North Shore playground for the Pirates and Steelers was officially dubbed “Pittsburgh Three Rivers Stadium” by a unanimous vote of the Stadium Authority board, overriding consideration to name the field for either David Lawrence (he became the namesake for the Convention Center) or Roberto Clemente (who got the Sixth Street Bridge). The board also approved 3M’s Tartan Turf rather than Monsanto’s AstroTurf for the field covering; the hardballers and gridders each had recommended it for TRS after testing both rugs. 
• 1980 - John Milner signed a one-year deal for an undisclosed amount to avoid arb and the Bucs were close to settling three more contentious contracts when Kent Tekulve, Omar Moreno and Ed Ott all withdrew their names from the scheduled arbitration hearings list. All four played for the Bucs in 1980 before Ott (‘80 postseason) and Milner (August ‘81) were traded. 
• 1981 - C Chris Snyder was born in Houston. He came to the Pirates at the 2010 deadline from Arizona as part of the DJ Carrasco deal. The Pirates plan was for him to become Ryan Doumit’s veteran caddy, but in 2011 an awkward slide caused him to miss most of the year with a bad back. His balky vertebra helped trigger the season of the catcher - the Pirates were forced to use eight players at the position after Snyder and Dewey were both injured. In his time with the Bucs, he hit .214 and the Pirates unsurprisingly declined his 2012 option. After a couple of seasons in a backup role for Houston and the O’s, Snyder retired in 2014. 

The Toddfather - March 2021 photo/Pirates

• 1986 - 3B/1B Todd Frazier was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. He was the 34th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2007 draft by the Reds out of Rutgers. He went on to debut with Cincy in 2011, where he became a two-time All-Star, and later moved on to play with the White Sox, Yankees, Mets (twice) and Rangers. The Toddfather signed as an NRI with the Pirates for the 2021 campaign. He didn’t make the team out of camp, but was called up in late April. Frazier got into 13 games, hit .086, and was DFA’ed when the Bucs claimed Ben Gamel. He did not go quietly into the good night, but grumped at the local baseball media as he went out the door. Frazier played a handful of Frontier League games, joined the 2021 US Olympic team and then announced his retirement before the 2022 campaign. 
• 1987 - SS Argenis Diaz was born in Guatire, Venezuela. He and Hunter Strickland came over from the Red Sox in 2009 for Adam LaRoche and Diaz got his only big league time in 2010 as a 23-year-old with the Buccos, hitting .243 in 22 games. Argenis, with a reputation as an excellent defensive guy, has bounced around among several organizations as AAA depth since while a regular in Venezuelan League winter play, and after a couple of years of minor league ball coached at Indy in 2020 and is now the owner/coach of 5pro Baseball Instruction. 
• 1993 - The Bucs signed RHP John Ericks, who was the Cards top draft pick in 1988, to a FA deal. After a couple of seasons on the farm, the 6’7” Ericks worked 57 games for the Bucs between 1995-97, going 8-14-14 with a 4.78 ERA. The Pirates liked the Fighting Illini as a starter, but after shoulder surgery, he was switched to the pen (and was penciled in as the closer in ‘97). He worked 10 games in ‘97 before going under the knife. He never recovered entirely after the second surgery and those appearances in ‘97 would be the last of his pro career. 
• 2004 - Jack Wilson won his arbitration hearing and the fourth-year shortstop was awarded a salary of $1.85M, a hefty bump over the $335K he had earned in his last year of pre-arb. He had hit .256 and provided steady play in the field while getting into 150 games, and the arbitrators picked his number over the $1.4M offered by the Bucs. Jack was the first Pirate to go to arbitration since 1993 and the first to win against the club since Jose Lind in 1992. 
• 2020 - With a void in CF after the trade of Starling Marte, the Pirates signed 10-year vet Jarrod Dyson to a one-year/$2M contract, pending his physical, which he passed the next day. The 35-year-old played for Kansas City, Seattle, and Arizona, featuring good defense and fleet feet but an indifferent bat - in 2019, he slashed .230/.313/.320 (66 OPS+) but with 30 swiped bases and 13 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved). Dyson hit .157 and in August was sent to the White Sox for future considerations. He hasn’t played since 2021 stops in KC and Toronto.

2/11 Through the 1990s: Cecil, Pops & Groat Sign, Bell & Brett Lose Arb, Priddy - Crandall, Vic - Burleigh, Starg Hired, Jay Dapper; RIP Kiki, HBD Trey, Hoot & Leon

• 1912 - C Leon Ruffin was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Leon spent three seasons (1931-33) of his 14-year Negro/Mexican League career with the Pittsburgh Crawfords, with the first campaign serving as a backup, the next as a starter, and the final year as trade bait, being shipped to Newark in May. That was a recurrent theme in his ball playing days; he served four different tours of duty with the Jersey nine, including his one All-Star year. Leon was a defensive specialist behind the dish with a rifle arm who made up for his quiet bat by mastering small ball, becoming an expert bunter and hit & run guy, a unique skill set for a backstop. 
• 1924 - OF Hal “Hoot” (his middle name was Housten) Rice was born in Morganette, West Virginia. After several seasons with the St. Louis Cards serving as Stan Musial’s backup, he joined the Bucs for the 1953-54 seasons and started in left field for Pittsburgh after the Ralph Kiner trade. He hit .311 in that year’s audition, but was batting under .200 in June of 1954 and was shipped to the Chicago Cubs in what was his last MLB campaign. Rice gave up three years of baseball during WW2, winning a Purple Heart as a tank commander. 
• 1928 - Pittsburgh sent RHP Vic Aldridge, who was fishing for a raise from owner Barney Dreyfuss, to the NY Giants for RHP Burleigh Grimes. Old Stubblebeard won 42 games in 1928-29 for the Pirates before being sent to the Braves after reaching a contract impasse. He returned in 1934 for his third Pittsburgh stint to finish his MLB career as a Pirate, the team he started with in 1916. The Hall of Famer won 48 of his 270 career victories as a Buc. Aldridge held out until late May, then put up a mediocre line (4-7/4.83) for Boston and was sent to Brooklyn in August. He refused to report to the Dodgers, opting to retire instead. 
• 1950 - 51-year-old RF Hazen “Kiki” Cuyler passed away from a heart attack in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Kiki spent the first seven seasons of an 18-year Hall of Fame career as a Pirate, but left on salty terms. He and manager Donie Bush banged heads battling over attitudes; his contract was also weighing heavily on the Bucco purse strings, and the two issues created a perfect storm that got him benched and traded. After his playing days, Kiki managed in the minors and coached for the Cubs & BoSox. He also ran a still-existent restaurant, Ki Cuyler’s Bar & Grill, in his hometown of Harrisville, Michigan. 

Dick Groat - Helmar This Great Game/1960s

• 1960 - Dick Groat signed his contract after several meetings with GM Joe Brown, whose first offer was a 25% cut, surprising as Groat was an All-Star who batted .275 in ‘59. The ultimate figure wasn’t released, but the Post-Gazette guessed he had been “nicked” while the Press believed he signed for the same $27,500 salary he had last season. Whatever the number ended up as, it was a good deal for the Bucs - the Swissvale native was named the National League’s MVP, was an All-Star again after leading the NL with a .325 BA and posted a 5.8 WAR in 1960. 
• 1965 - The Pirates traded youngsters 1B/OF Bob Burda & RHP Bob Priddy to the San Francisco Giants for veteran backstop Del Crandall. Burda played for six MLB seasons, primarily off the bench, hitting .227 in 381 games while Priddy tossed for seven more seasons for five clubs as a long man/spot starter with a slash of 22-36/4.01. Crandall was about at the end of the road at age 35, and hit .214 in 60 games. He was released at the end of the season and played through 1966 with the Indians to end a 16-year career. 
• 1974 - Willie Stargell eclipsed Roberto Clemente to become the Pirates highest paid player to date when he inked a one-year/$165K deal. Captain Willie was worth the dinero - he was the MVP runner-up after hitting .299 with 44 homers and 119 RBI in ‘73 and slashed .301/25/96 in ‘74. 
• 1974 - OF Trey Beamon was born in Dallas. The Bucs took him out of high school in the second round of the 1992 draft, and he was named the organization’s top prospect in 1995. But Trey never made much of a dent in MLB, spending 24 games with the Bucs in 1996 (.216 BA) before being traded to the Padres as part of the Mark Smith package. He got into a few dozen games with San Diego and was shipped to the Tigers, and that 1998 season would be his last in the bigs. He appeared in 98 games and hit .253 in Motown without a long ball. He played in the minors and indie leagues until 2006. 
• 1974 - 48 players filed to settle their contracts through the newly instituted arbitration system, but the only Pirate player to argue his case at a hearing was pitcher Ken Brett, who asked for $45,000 while the Bucs countered with $35,000. Brett lost but bore no grudge; he went on to have his only All-Star season in ‘74 and re-upped with the Pirates in 1975. 

Cecil Espy - 1992 Fleer Ultra

• 1991 - OF Cecil Espy signed with the Bucs as a NRI free agent for an undisclosed amount. He spent two seasons in Pittsburgh as a reserve outfielder, hitting .254, with much of 1991 spent on the farm at Buffalo. He was a first round pick of the White Sox in 1980 (eighth overall) but was an everyday player for just one year during his eight big league seasons before his last MLB campaign of 1993. He played in the minors afterward and retired after spending 1996 in the Mexican League. Utilityman Lloyd McClendon signed before his contract reached an arb judge. He had asked for $295K, the Bucs countered with $170K, and Lloyd won the bidding battle by settling for $260K. 
• 1992 - The Bucs won their arb case against SS Jay Bell, who had to accept an $875K paycheck rather than the $1.45M he was after. Bell turned down a reported settlement of $1.175M a few days prior, calling it a “great offer” but deciding to go through the process. The infielder felt his .270 BA, 16 homers and 96 runs scored would help carry the day; the Pirates countered that his batting stats were pretty much league average, and that his 24 errors were tops among NL shortstops. 
• 1994 - SS Jay Bell took home the Dapper Dan Sportsmen of the Year award at the annual dinner at the Hilton Hotel after hitting .310 and scoring 102 runs during the 1993 season. It was a very good year for Jay - he also was named an All-Star for the first time, won a Golden Glove award for his fielding, and started it off by signing a five-year/$20.1M deal in April. Bell played for the Bucs from 1989-96, and returned in 2013 as the hitting coach before joining the Reds as their bench coach the following year. He later managed in the Yankee and Angel systems. 
• 1997 - Willie Stargell came back home when he was named a special assistant to GM Cam Bonifay and later became an advisor to owner and CEO Kevin McClatchy. He had a general portfolio in the FO, but was most active in player evaluation, both prospects and big leaguers. Unfortunately, he was beset with health issues and passed away in 2001 as PNC Park opened.

2/11 From 2000: Yasmani, Tony, Brian, Eric, Doug & Danny Sign, Manny Latino HoF, Garth, Scouts Scoops, Boom TRS; RIP Chuck

• 2001 - Three Rivers Stadium, the home of the Pirates since 1970, was imploded before a full complement of TV cameras and thousands of onlookers. Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit, Mike Schmidt's 500th home run, the 1994 All Star game and a couple of World Series championships were part of the sometimes unappreciated park's 30-year baseball legacy. 
• 2003 - New GM Dave Littlefield cleaned house in his scouting department by firing Mickey White, Brandon Bonifay, Ken Parker and George Zuraw, who were all top guns under former GM Cam Bonifay. It didn’t take a fortune-teller to predict their time was short; Littlefield had raided the Marlin staff for three scouts earlier and brought in a fourth Fish, Doug Strange, a former Bucco, to replace them. The Florida scouts were in a state of flux as the team was in the process of being sold to Jeffrey Loria and Littlefield swooped in to give them a new home. 
• 2006 - Jackie Bowen was hired for a second stint in Bucco scouting, becoming an assistant to Dave Littlefield before moving up to national scouting supervisor after working from 1985-90 as a Bucco area scouting supervisor. He progressed from there to work for the Reds, Giants and Mets before returning home. And home it was as Jackie was the grandson of super scout Rex Bowen and was raised in the City’s South Hills, graduating from Mt. Lebanon HS and Pitt. 
• 2007 - The Pirates inked eight-year veteran righty Danny Kolb (Gary’s cousin) to a minor league deal. He pitched three games for the Pirates in June, each with a one inning-two hits-one earned run line, and he spent the rest of the season with AAA Indianapolis before being released, pitching briefly for the New York Mets in 2008 before taking his final MLB bow. 

Eyechart - 2008 Topps Heritage

• 2008 - IF Doug Mientkiewicz (aka “Eye Chart” thanks to his last name) signed on as a free agent for $750K. The 34-year-old utility guy had a fairly solid year, hitting .277 in 125 games, then moved on to LA in 2009 to close out his 12-year career. He managed in the Tigers minor league system after stints with the Dodgers and Twins, and now operates a chartered boating business in the Florida Keys while helping out with some local amateur coaching.
• 2011 - Manager Chuck Tanner died at the age of 82 in New Castle. Captain Sunshine led the club from 1977-85 (the Bucs traded Manny Sanguillen to the A’s for Chuck’s services), winning the World Series in 1979 with the “We Are Family” gang and spending 10 more years as skipper for the White Sox, Athletics and Braves. The Coke Trials and consecutive last-place finishes in 1984-85 pushed him out of town, but he came back in 2007 as a Special Assistant to the GM. 
• 2011 - C Manny Sanguillen was part of the second class to be inducted into the Latino Hall of Fame, located in La Romana, Dominican Republic. He was joined by Fernando Valenzuela, Luis Tiant, Edgar Martinez, Dennis Martinez, Andres Galarraga and Rico Carty. Beisbol is a big deal in the DR; the ceremony was conducted by Dominican president Dr. Leonel Fernandez Reyna. 
• 2016 - The Pirates signed veteran LHP Eric O’Flaherty, 31, to a minor league deal with a camp invite that was worth $1.75M if he made the roster. He had been a strong bullpen piece until a 2013 elbow injury laid him low. The lefty didn’t make the Bucco 25-man list, but he did break camp with a MLB deal after the Pirates sold him to Atlanta in late March. O’Flaherty had enjoyed his best years there, going 13-7/1.99 in 295 games for the Bravos between 2009-13, but the reunion tour was less successful - in two seasons, he got into 61 games with a line of 1-4/7.28, was released in July of 2017, and retired before the 2018 campaign. 

Garth suits up - 2020 Pirates photo

• 2019 - The Bucco pitchers and catchers reported to camp with a surprise addition: singer Garth Brooks, who became a Bucco fan as a boy in Oklahoma, also showed up to shag some flies and take a couple of swings. Brooks spent a week in camp to mark the 20th anniversary of his Teammates for Kids Foundation, which has raised millions of dollars for children's charities while pairing children with pro athletes. Garth played high school ball and the Pirates were the fourth camp he visited over the years to play some ball and promote his charity. 
• 2021 - Pittsburgh filled a couple of bench holes by signing FA’s C Tony Wolter and OF Brian Goodwin to minor league/NRI deals. Wolters, 28, started for the Rockies in 2019-20 and hit .230. A lefty batter with a .238 lifetime BA in five MLB campaigns, he signed for $1.4M, but didn’t make the cut - he was released at the end of camp and was claimed by the Cubs; he announced his retirement this year. Goodwin, 30, played five big league seasons with a .250 career BA and was another left-handed swinger. He had played all three OF spots and was with the Angels and Nats in 2020, hitting a combined .215 for the two clubs. His contract was worth $1.6M w/$900K in possible bonuses. He lasted until May as a AAA insurance policy, was released and went to the White Sox. He started ‘22 in the Mexican League and then played ball in China and the indie leagues before hanging up his mitt. Tony’s now a minor league coach in the Rockies organization. 
• 2024 - While the rest of the nation was watching the Super Bowl, Ben Cherington and Yasmani Grandal were talking contract as the White Sox backstop agreed to a one-year/$2.5M plus incentives deal with the Bucs. The Pirates were rumored to be after Gary Sanchez to provide a veteran mentor for a young crew of catchers, but Milwaukee had the same idea and signed him for $7M, leaving Yasmani as the Bucs Plan B. For the 35-year-old, Pittsburgh was his fifth team as he entered his 13th year in the show. He caught 72 games with a line of .228 BA/9 HR/27 RBI and was Paul Skene’s caddy, but lost his job to mid-year pickup Joey Bart, spent 2025 with Boston’s AAA club and is now a free agent.