11/10: Alleghenys Dealin', Pops, Hot Rod & Starling, Turf Try-Out

• 1888 - The disbanding Detroit Wolverines sold Jack Rowe and Deacon White to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. Both players had solid resumes, but were on the downside of the hill and lasted just a year with the Alleghenys. White, 41, was a Hall-of-Famer who hit .253 in 55 games playing 3B/1B for Pittsburgh, while Rowe, 32, played 75 games at SS, batting .259.

Pop Schriver 1900 (photo Moller/Detroit Public Library)

• 1897 - The Pirates sent solid veterans OF Elmer “Mike” Smith and RHP Pink Hawley along with $1,500 to the Reds for five players - C/1B Pop Schriver, OF Jack McCarthy, P Billy Rhines, 3B Bill Gray and 2B Ace Stewart. Of the players the Bucs received, Stewart never played a game, McCarthy, Gray and Rhines lasted a season or two in Pittsburgh, and Pop stayed with the Pirates for three years, batting .260 as a part timer. Smith hit .342 for the Reds and Hawley went 27-11 in 1898 for the Reds. That would be their last hurrahs as neither had a strong campaign afterward and retired after the 1901 season.
• 1967 - The Pirates announced a deal with Monsanto Corporation to cover the field of the Bucs’ Eastern League affiliate York with artificial grass. The experiment would determine if Astroturf would be an acceptable alternative to grass for the proposed Three Rivers Stadium, as the co-tenants of TRS, the Steelers, indicated that they would favor an artificial surface.
• 1971 - Willie Stargell (.295/48/125) was MVP runner-up to Joe Torre‚ who led the NL in RBI (137) and batting (.363) while hitting 24 HR. Torre received 318 points to Stargell's 222. However, Pops did win the WS and HR title.

Rod Barajas 2012 Topps

• 2011 - The Pirates signed free agent C Rod Barajas to a 1 year/$4M contract with club option for 2013 ($3.5 million with no buyout). Hot Rod hit .206 and threw out just a half dozen baserunners all year. His option wasn’t exercised, marking the end of his MLB road, and he’s now a minor-league manager.
• 2015 - Starling Marte was named a Gold Glove Award winner for the first time. Marte led all NL left fielders in fielding percentage (.995), making just one error in 196 total chances. He also led all National League outfielders with 16 assists, the most by a Pirates OF’er since Jose Guillen (also 16) in 1998, with 15 coming without a relay man. Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole were also GG finalists, but lost out to AJ Pollock and Zack Greinke.

11/10: Cap'n Willie MVP Runnerup; Hot Rod; Bucs Play the 19th Century Market

• 1888 - The disbanding Detroit Wolverines sold Jack Rowe and Deacon White to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. Both players had solid resumes, but were on the downside of the hill and lasted just a year with the Alleghenys. White, 41, was a Hall-of-Famer who hit .253 in 55 games playing 3B/1B for Pittsburgh, while Rowe, 32, played 75 games at SS, batting .259.
• 1897 - The Pirates sent solid veterans OF Elmer “Mike” Smith and RHP Pink Hawley along with $1,500 to the Reds for five players - C/1B Pop Schriver, OF Jack McCarthy, P Billy Rhines, 3B Bill Gray and 2B Ace Stewart. Of the players the Bucs received, Stewart never played a game, McCarty, Gray and Rhines lasted a season or two, and Pop stayed with Pittsburgh for three years, batting .260 as a part timer. Smith hit .342 and Hawley went 27-11 in 1898 for the Reds. That would be their last hurrahs as neither had a strong campaign afterward and retired after the 1901 season.

Pop Schriver (photo Moller/Detroit Public Library)

• 1971 - Willie Stargell (.295/48/125) was MVP runner-up to Joe Torre‚ who led the NL in RBI (137) and batting (.363) while hitting 24 HR. Torre received 318 points to Stargell's 222. However, Pops did win the WS and HR title.
• 2011 - The Pirates signed free agent C Rod Barajas to a 1 year/$4M contract with club option for 2013 ($3.5 million with no buyout). Hot Rod hit .206 and threw out just a half dozen base runners all year; his option wasn’t exercised.

Rod Barajas 2012 Topps series

11/10: 19th Century Wheelin' & Dealin', Cap'n Willie Is Runner-Up, Hot Rod...

19th Century Wheelin' & Dealin', Cap'n Willie Is Runner-Up, Hot Rod...

• 1888 - The disbanding Detroit Wolverines sold Jack Rowe and Deacon White to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. Both players had solid resumes, but were on the downside of the hill and lasted just a year with the Alleghenys. White, 41, was a Hall-of-Famer who hit .253 in 55 games playing 3B/1B for Pittsburgh, while Rowe, 32, played 75 games at SS, batting .259.

Deacon White 2012 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions series

• 1897 - The Pirates sent solid veterans OF Elmer “Mike” Smith and RHP Pink Hawley along with $1,500 to the Reds for five players - C/1B Pop Schriver, OF Jack McCarthy, P Billy Rhines, 3B Bill Gray and 2B Ace Stewart. Of the players the Bucs received, Stewart never played a game, McCarty, Gray and Rhines lasted a season or two, and Pop stayed with Pittsburgh for three years, batting .260 as a part timer. Smith hit .342 for the Reds and Hawley went 27-11 in 1898 for the Reds. That would be their last hurrahs as neither had a strong campaign afterward and retired after the 1901 season.
• 1971 - Willie Stargell (.295/48/125) was MVP runner-up to Joe Torre‚ who led the NL in RBI (137) and batting (.363) while hitting 24 HR. Torre received 318 points to Stargell's 222.

Willie Stargell artwork by Cliff Spohn via Fine Art America

• 2011 - The Pirates signed free agent C Rod Barajas to a 1 year/$4M contract with a club option for 2013 ($3.5 million with no buyout). Hot Rod hit .206 and threw out just a half dozen baserunners all year; his option wasn’t exercised.

11/10-11: Big Trade, Alleghenys, Cap'n Willie, Hot Rod, Rabbit, Jake Stenzel, Pie Traynor, George deTore, Jason Grilli...

Big Trade, Alleghenys, Cap'n Willie, Hot Rod, Rabbit, Jake Stenzel, Pie Traynor, George deTore, Jason Grilli...

• November 10, 1897 - The Pirates sent established veterans OF Elmer “Mike” Smith and RHP Pink Hawley along with $1,500 to the Reds for five players - C/1B Pop Schriver, OF Jack McCarthy, P Billy Rhines, 3B Bill Gray and 2b Ace Stewart. Of the players the Bucs received, Stewart never played a game, McCarty, Gray and Rhines lasted a season or two, and Pop stayed with Pittsburgh for three years, batting .260 as a part timer. Smith hit .342 for the Reds and Hawley went 27-11 in 1898 for the Reds. That would be their last hurrahs as neither had a strong campaign afterward and retired after the 1901 season.
• November 10, 1888 - The disbanding Detroit Wolverines sold Jack Rowe and Deacon White to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. Both players had solid resumes, but were rolling downhill and lasted just a year with the Alleghenys. White, 41, was a Hall-of-Fame 3B, and hit .253 in 55 games, while Rowe, 32, played 75 games at SS, batting .259. 
• November 10, 1971 - Joe Torre‚ who led the NL in RBI (137) and batting (.363) while hitting 24 HR‚ won the MVP Award over Willie Stargell (.295/48/125). Torre received 318 points to Stargell's 222. 
• November 10, 2011 - The Pirates signed free agent C Rod Barajas to a 1 year/$4M contract with club option for 2013 ($3.5 million with no buyout). Hot Rod hit .206 and threw out just a half dozen baserunners all year; his option wasn’t exercised. 
• November 11, 1891 - IF Walter “Rabbit” Maranville was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Hall of Famer spent four (1921-24) of his 23 big league seasons in Pittsburgh, hitting .283 during his stay. In 1922, he led the league with 746 PA and 672 AB, scoring 115 times. 
• November 11, 1896: CF Jake Stenzel was traded along with bench players RHP Elmer Horton, OF Tom O'Brien and IF Harry Truby to the Baltimore Orioles for CF Steve Brodie and 3B Jim Donnelly. Stenzel, who had a .360 BA over five years with the Bucs, hit .353 with 116 RBI for the O’s in 1897. Brodie was released after 1-1/2 years in Pittsburgh and Donnelly only lasted one season. Brodie was re-signed by Baltimore after the Bucs let him go and hit .308 for them through 1899, replacing Stenzel who was traded to the St. Louis Browns after his big 1897 season. 
• November 11, 1898 - Pie Traynor was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. The HoF 3B played 17 seasons (1920-35, 1937) for the Pirates with a career .320 BA. He hit over .300 ten times, had over 100 RBI in a season seven times, and was considered the top third baseman of his era. 
• November 11, 1906 - Scout George Detore was born in Utica, New York. He served on Danny Murtaugh's MLB coaching staff during 1959 season, taking the place of Jimmy Dykes when he left the Pirates to become the manager of the Detroit Tigers. Detore joined Pittsburgh in 1950 as a New York based scout/scouting supervisor from 1955–58, 60-63 and then 69–86. 
• November 11, 1976 - RHP Jason Grilli was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. Since signing as a minor league FA in 2011 out of the Philadelphia system, the veteran righty has successfully reinvented himself as a dominating back-end reliever, serving as Joel Hanrahan’s set-up man before taking control of the closer reins in 2013.