Wednesday, March 19, 2014

3/19: Paul Smith, the O'Brien Twins, Jose Castillo, Bill Landrum...

Paul Smith, the O'Brien Twins, Jose Castillo, Bill Landrum...

  • 1931 - 1B/OF Paul Smith was born in New Castle. He was used sparingly in his Buc career (1953, 1957-58), though his stick was solid, hitting .275 for Pittsburgh. 

 Topps series 1954

  • 1953 - The Pirates signed bonus baby twins Eddie and Johnny O’Brien, two-sport (basketball and baseball) stars at Seattle University for $25,000 each. They could pitch and play infield, but neither made much of a mark with the Bucs. 
  • 1981 - 2B Jose Castillo was born in Las Mercedes, Venezuela. He was considered the long-term answer at second, but after four Bucco years (2004-07) and a .256 BA, he was released and replaced by Freddy Sanchez. 
  • 1992 - The Pirates released RHP Bill Landrum, who had saved 56 games over the past three seasons. 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. Landrum only lasted two years after his release, so performance as well as payroll issues may have played into the decision.

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