2/6 From 1980: Tom, Mike, Jonathan Sign; Clint, Cutch DD-MoY; RIP Ralph; HBD Petey, Luke

• 1987 - 3B Pedro Alvarez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. El Toro, who played at Vandy, was drafted in the first round (second overall) of the 2008 MLB draft. A last minute signing, complicated by some posturing by the FO and Scott Boras along with a suit filed by the MLBPA, was resolved and he joined the club, ultimately receiving a $6.4M bonus. Pedro took his bow in 2010 and tied for the NL lead in homers in 2013 with 36, also netting an All-Star berth, but spent 2014 with a bad case of the yips at the hot corner that triggered a switch to first base in 2015. That didn’t work out, and he was non-tendered in the off season. El Toro played with the O’s for three years, went briefly to the Miami organization, where was released during the 2019 camp and has been a free agent since. 
• 1991 - Mike Lavalliere avoided an arb hearing by agreeing to a $950K contract with the Bucs, with incentives based on at-bats that would push the value at $1M+. He had made a bid for $1.14M and Pittsburgh countered with $750K, eventually conceding the package toward Spanky’s asking price while adding a little protection in case his grumpy knee acted up during the season. 

Mike Lavalliere - 1991 Fleer Ultra (reverse)

• 1991 - C Luke Maile was born in Edgewood, Kentucky. Luke signed with the catching-thin club in December, 2019 after stints with the Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays for one-year/$900K ($325K minor league). He came to Pittsburgh with a rep as a glove first backstop, a Pirates priority, with a DRS of +21 and a 33% throw-out rate but also with a BA of .198. He didn’t make it out of camp; a broken finger landed him on the IL shortly before the season started. The Bucs let him go after the season and he signed with the Brewers. 
• 2013 - Two-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen was honored with the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year Award. He hit .327/.400/.533 with 31 home runs in a breakout 2012 season. A total of 18 Pirates have received the Dapper Dan SOY honor, but McCutchen was only the second in the past 20 years, and the first since Jason Kendall in 2000. 
• 2013 - The Pirates signed free agent LHP Jonathan Sanchez to a minor league deal. He broke camp as the fifth starter, but was released on May 8th after posting an 0-3/11.85 line in five outings (four starts), giving up seven homers in 13-2/3 IP. Known as “The Comeback Kid,” he was one cat who ran out of lives. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since, although he had inked minor league contracts w/the Cubs, Reds & Royals. 
• 2014 - Manager of the Year Clint Hurdle was honored as the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year. Hurdle joined Andrew McCutchen, Ralph Kiner, Danny Murtaugh, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Dave Parker as winners of the award. Cutch was the 2013 winner, and it was the first time Pirates had won back-to-back Dapper Dans since The Cobra in 1978 and Cap’n Willie in 1979. 
• 2014 - Pirate Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner passed away at the age of 91. He was the game’s greatest home run hitter following World War II, elected to six All-Star Games, led or tied for the NL lead in home runs in his first seven seasons in baseball and helped keep interest in Pirates baseball alive during a dismal stretch. Kiner hit .280 w/301 homers and 801 RBI in 7-½ Bucco campaigns (1946-53) and in his career finished with a .279 BA, 369 HRs, 1,015 RBIs, 1,451 hits while walking 100 or more times in six of his 10 MLB seasons. After his playing days, Ralph closed out his career with a 52-year gig calling NY Mets’ games.

Tom Koehler - 2020 photo/Four Seam Images 

• 2019 - The Pirates agreed on a minor league deal, including a 2020 option, with RHP Tom Koehler, 32, who spent most of the season rehabbing after having shoulder surgery last summer. The payday is $150K/$850K(MLB) w/$250K in incentives for this season; the 2020 club option is for $1.25M + $1.25M in incentives with a $50K buyout. Koehler was a six-year vet with a 36-55/4.39 line, mostly as a starter, and last tossed in 2017; he had his surgery in July of 2018 after being shut down for the season by the Dodgers. He returned in August last year, working four innings with five K but giving up six runs in the minors, returning as a Bucco NRI. He didn’t make it out of Florida, retiring in March of 2020.