1/16: Jung Ho Signed; HBD Art & Erskine; Steelers-Bucs Clash

• 1858 - IF Art Whitney was born in Brockton, Massachusetts. Known for his glove, he played for the Alleghenys from 1884-87, hitting .248 while in Pittsburgh. His lifetime BA was a paltry .223, but the slick gloveman led the league four times in fielding percentage, three times as a third baseman (1886, 1887, and 1891) and once as a shortstop (1885).
• 1890 - RHP Erskine Mayer was born in Atlanta. He only worked two seasons for Pittsburgh, from 1918-19, going 14-6 with a 3.19 ERA. In 1919, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox, becoming part of the infamous "Black Sox" team. His only appearance in the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series was a one-inning relief stint, his last in a MLB uniform. He ended his eight-year career with a slash of of 91-70-6 and a 2.96 ERA. Over that time, he had several notable moments. His best as a Bucco was going 15-⅓ shutout innings, starting the longest scoreless game in Pirate history (the Bucs beat the Braves 2-0 in 21 innings). He had a couple of lowlights, too. As a rookie for the Phils in 1912, Mayer set the MLB record for consecutive hits allowed with nine (since broken), and also was the pitcher who surrendered Honus Wagner’s 3,000th hit in 1914 while wearing the same uniform.

Erskine Mayer 1915-16 via The Sporting News Collection

• 1960 - The Steelers beat the Pirates, 22-20 in overtime, in a benefit basketball game played at the Pitt Field House to help support Children's Hospital. Former Duke All-America and Buc shortstop Dick Groat led all scorers with 14 points in the 15 minute contest.
• 2015 - The Pirates officially signed Korean SS Jung-Ho Kang to a four year, $11M contract ($2.5M, $2.5M, $2.75M & $3M with a $250K/$5.5M option for 2019). He could earn up to $750K/year in at-bat bonuses, with a guaranteed annual stipend for family travel and an interpreter. Pittsburgh also paid his club a posting fee of $5,002,015 for negotiating rights, making the deal the most expensive the Pirates ever paid out for an international signee. Kang, 27, hit .356 with 40 home runs and 117 RBIs in 501 PAs for the Nexen Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization in 2014. His slash was .287/.355/.461 in his first MLB campaign. 

Jung Ho Kang 2015 Topps Hi Tek

Notes: Arb Signings - All But Stew; Former Players Moving Into New Careers; Bunts & Names

Everyone inked but Chris Stewart, ex-Bucs starting their life's work and a couple of baseball pieces...

• Fran Cervelli agreed to a $3.5M contract with the Bucs to carry him into his walk year, according to Jon Heyman. That's a nice bump over his projected $2.5M value as calculated by Matt Schwartz of MLBTradeRumors (as are all the projections noted).

Fran Cervelli (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

• Heyman also reported that Jody Mercer inked a deal for $2.075M, pretty close to his projected value. Now if he just comes out of the box swinging this year - he's a .209 hitter through May, and a .274 batter afterward. 
• Bill Brink was first to discover that Tony Watson signed for $3.45M, well under the $4.6M value that was floated. The set-up man is in line to become the Bucco closer in the near future.
• LHP Jeff Locke has settled at $3.025M for the 2016 season per Ken Rosenthal. He was projected to have an arb value of $3.5M. Locke worked a career high 168-1/3 IP last season, and was 8-11/4.49. The staff was working on simplifying his motion during mini-camp, and a more consistent Locke would be a huge boost to the back of the Pirate rotation. 
• Ben Nicholson-Smith tweeted that Jared Hughes signed for $2.175M, almost on the nose for his estimated value. He's carved out a pretty effective notch as Clint's mid-inning fireman.
• The last guy inked: Mark the Shark. His value was estimated at $10M for 2016; Heyman says he signed for $9.65M.

Mark Melancon (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

• The Pirates have agreed to a two-year extension with C Chris Stewart, 34, according to Robert Murray of Baseball Essential (a bit prematurely, it seems). The deal also comes with a club option for a third season. No details on the amount yet; he was projected to have $1.6M value for 2016. The agreement isn't final yet; Stew did file for arb while the details are being hashed out, altho it appears everything is on track pending his physical. The proposed length indicates that Pittsburgh and Fran Cervelli aren't near agreement on a contract beyond this season, his final arb campaign. That opens the door for Elias Diaz and eventually Reese McGuire. 
• Ben Lindbergh of FiveThirtyEight charts the ebb of bunts, pitchouts and intentional walks.
• Cut Four's Chris Landers has the story behind six team names, including the Pirates; it's an interesting little slice of MLB history.
• On LSU's list of spring football walk-ons for spring: LHP Zack Von Rosenberg, 2009 6th round pick of the Bucs, since released. He was an All-State punter in HS, and many speculate that's his niche for the Tigers, the school he had committed to (for baseball) before being drafted and lured away with a $1.2M signing bonus.
• Hot Rod Barajas will manage San Diego's AAA El Paso Chihuahuas in 2016. He's managed in the Padre system since 2014 at Rookie League, then AA, levels.
• Kip Wells, 39, joined the LA Dodgers organization as the pitching coach for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.

1/15: HBD Mike, Jock & Banny; Hartenstein Deal

• 1858 - OF Mike Mansell was born in Auburn, New York. He played three seasons (1882-84) for the Alleghenys with a .251 BA. His final big league year was 1884, when he played for three teams. Mansell did have a knack for scoring - in 202 games for the Alleghenys, he touched home 164 times. His two brothers also played in the MLB, and the trio even played the outfield together, albeit for minor league Albany.
• 1868 - RHP John “Jock” (the Scottish version of Jack) Menefee was born in Rowlesburg, West Virginia. Jock tossed three not very successful campaigns for Pittsburgh (1892, 1894-95), going 5-9/5.75. But he did have a shining MLB moment: Menefee became the first NL pitcher to pull off a successful steal of home, against Brooklyn on July 15th, 1902, while with the Cubs.
• 1965 - Jeff “Banny” Banister was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Drafted in 1986, he got one at-bat with the Bucs in 1991 and singled. After going through the minor league system, he then served as a coach or manager for the franchise since 1993. He finally left the system in 2014 when he was hired as the manager of the Texas Rangers, being selected as the AL Manager of the Year in 2015. His nickname, btw, isn’t based on his surname, but is short for “bantam rooster” because of his scrappy style of play.

Jeff Banister Topps rookie card

• 1969 - The Pirates traded OF Manny Jimenez to the Cubs for minor league IF Ron Campbell and RHP Chuck Hartenstein. Jimenez played briefly for Chicago before fading into the minors, while Campbell never did make it to the show. Hartenstein made 56 appearances for the Bucs in 1969, with 10 saves and a 3.95 ERA, but slipped in 1970 and was traded to St. Louis.

Notes: Bard Aboard; Best OF; Arb; El Coffee Contract; Osuna RoY; Knudson, Sanchez; Trade Proposal; Mini-Camp

Bits n pieces heading into camp...

• The Pirates signed RHP Daniel Bard. He was a top notch set-up guy from 2009-11, then his career went south. He was converted to a starter, and ended up with thoracic outlet syndrome (nerve damage) surgery in 2014, similar to Clayton Richard and way-back Bucco prospect Craig Hansen. Bard, 30, hasn't thrown in MLB since 2013, and was inked to a minor league deal. He wasn't invited to camp; the FO expects to build him back up at Indy.
•  ESPN's Buster Olney rates the Pirate outfield as baseball's best (Insider column).
• All seven remaining arb eligible Pirates - Fran Cervelli, Jared Hughes, Jeff Locke, Mark Melancon, Jordy Mercer, Chris Stewart and Tony Watson - filed for hearings, a pro forma move. The hearings will be set up for February, and the Pirates have until then to reach an agreement with the players. Friday is when the player and club exchange salary figures, and often deals are hammered out then.
• Rob Biertemfel of The Trib says El Coffee is open to talking a long term deal (altho the Bucs haven't made any new overtures yet). He adds that CBS's Jon Heyman said the last time they talked, the money and length (8years/$75M) was right, but only $25M was guaranteed due to team options, and that was the stumbling block.

Gregory Polanco 2015 Topps Gypsy Queen

• JJ Cooper of Baseball America proposes some prospect-for-prospect trades, and suggests the Bucs move young outfielders for a promising arm...
• RHP Guido Knudson, recently removed from the 40 man roster, cleared waivers and rejoined the Bucs on a minor league deal.
• Casey Sadler, released by the Bucs after TJ surgery, was re-signed to a multi year minor league deal while he works his way back, per Adam Berry of MLB.com in his notes column.
• Jose Osuna, 23, was named the Venezuelan Winter League Rookie of the Year. He hit .330 with nine homers for the Margarita Braves. (s/o to Pirates Prospects)
• Tony Sanchez cleared waivers and was released by the Buccos. Sanchez, 27, was the fourth overall selection in the 2009 draft. He appeared in 51 games for the Pirates over the last three seasons, hitting .259, but his glove never played behind the plate.
• Partial list of guys at mini-camp: Daniel Bard, Josh Bell, Archimedes Caminaro, Juan Diaz, Pedro Florimon, Adam Frazier, Dan Gamache, Willie Garcia, Tyler Glasnow, Jake Goebbert, Alen Hansen, Luis Heredia, Jared Hughes, John Jaso, Guido Knudson, Jeff Locke, Reese McGuire, Max Moroff, Gift Ngoepe, Jon Niese, Gregory Polanco, Harold Ramirez, Jameson Taillon, Tony Watson and Trevor Williams. Jung Ho Kang was also at Pirate City, playing long toss and hitting the iron. It should be noted the camp is optional for members of the 40-man roster and most vets prefer to sit it out and get to work next month, so it's usually a get-to-know-ya for players trying to establish themselves.

1/14: HBD Billy, Chet, Hank & Steve; Bucs Select Moises, Bring Back Adam

• 1893 - Manager Billy Meyer was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was skipper from 1948-52, with a dismal 317-452 record after a promising fourth place finish in his first year. In fact, the Yankees thought so highly of him that they asked if they could hire him after that season to replace Bucky Harris. NY was rebuffed and had to settle for Casey Stengel instead. After managing, Meyer scouted for the Bucs until 1955, and later had his jersey #1 retired.
• 1907- RHP Chet Brewer was born in Leavenworth, Kansas. While he pitched for a couple of dozen teams in the black leagues and Central America, the pitcher never toiled in Pittsburgh until his playing days were done. Brewer was a Pirates scout based in LA from 1957 to 1974 (he signed Dock Ellis) and later worked for the Major League Scouting Bureau, discovering players like Willie Crawford, George Hendrick, Eddie Murray, Reggie Smith and Roy White. His Chet Brewer Rookies program was the forerunner of MLB’s RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) project.

Chet Brewer - photo via National Pastime Museum

• 1911 - RHP Hank Gornicki was born in Niagara Falls, NY. He pitched his final three seasons (1943-44, 1946) for the Bucs, with a two year break when he served during WW2. His slate as a Pirate was 14-19/3.38, and he was used primarily as a spot starter. He had a notable week in August of 1943. Gornicki won both ends of a doubleheader against Boston on the 17th, then lost both games of a twinbill on the 22nd against Brooklyn.
• 1970 - LHP Steve Cooke was born in Lihue-Kauai, Hawaii. A 35th round draft pick in 1989, he spent five years with the Pirates (1992-97), going 26-36/4.31. 1993 looked like a breakout year when he went 10-10 with a 3.89 ERA and he was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team. But he had shoulder problems that surfaced in 1994 and missed the 1995 season, and never again matched his rookie performance.
• 1986 - The Pirates selected OF Moises Alou as the second overall pick in the draft, behind pitcher Jeff Shaw. He played two games for the Pirates in 1990 before being shipped to Montreal for Zane Smith. Moises went on to have a 17 year career, with six All-Star berths and a lifetime .303 BA. He’s the nephew of former Pirate Matty Alou and the cousin of current Bucco farmhand Mel Rojas, Jr.

Moises Alou 2015 Bowman Chrome Flashback

• 2008 - The Pirates re-signed 1B Adam LaRoche to a 1-year/$5M contract. He hit .270 with 25 homers, and was sent to Boston the following year. Baseball runs in his blood - literally. He’s the son of former MLB pitcher Dave and older brother of Andy, who is still bumping around in the minors.

1/13: HBD Odell & Elmer; Murry Traded, Church Signed

• 1953 - RHP Odell Jones was born in Tulare, California. Jones had several stints with the Bucs, starting out in 1975, spending a year in the minors and returning from 1977-78, then coming back via trade in 1981. He went 9-12/4.28, splitting his time between the pen and starting. The fastballer last pitched in the show in 1988; his final hurrah was in 1992, when he finished in the Mexican League.

Odell Jones photo via Sports Memorabilia

• 1954 - The Pirates traded workhorse P Murry Dickson, a 1953 NL All-Star, to the Phils for P Andy “Swede” Hansen, IF Jack "Lucky" Lohrke and cash estimated in the $70-80,000 range. Dickson won 62 more games until he retired in 1959, while neither Hansen or Lohre ever suited up for Pittsburgh (nor any other MLB club); both were sent to the top Bucco farm team, the Hollywood Stars. Dickson was a victim of a Branch Rickey payroll dump; both he and Ralph Kiner (in June, 1953) were traded, trimming $115,000 of Bucco salary. Swede’s moniker was because of his Scandinavian heritage (although he was actually Danish). Lucky came by his nickname honestly; by the time he was 22, he had at least six close calls with the Reaper. Several were in WW2 combat, another in a plane wreck and yet another in a bus crash.
• January 13, 1971 - RHP Elmer Dessens was born in Hermosillo, Mexico. He started out with the Bucs, pitching from the bullpen from 1996-98 with a 2-8/6.12 slash. He went to Japan the following year, then came back to toss in the MLB through the 2010 season, wearing eight different uniforms (including two stops with the Mets).

Elmer Dessen 1997 Pacific Prisms

• 2010 - Ryan Church inked a $1.5M, one-year deal with the Bucs. The 31-year old outfielder was expected to be the Bucs' fourth outfielder, behind Brandon Moss, Andrew McCutchen, and Lastings Milledge. Instead, Church hit .182 and was traded to Arizona at the deadline in what was his final MLB season.

1/12: Big Date for Cap'n Willie; HBD Ed, Big Ed & Rich

• 1859 - C/1B Ed Swartwood was born in Rockford, Illinois. Swartwood played for the Alleghenys from 1882-84 and then spent his last big league season as a Pirate in 1892. He put up some good numbers, including a .322 BA in Pittsburgh. In 1882 he led the American Association with 86 runs, 18 doubles, and 159 total bases, then went on to become the league batting champion in 1883 with a .357 average. Swartwood married a Pittsburgh gal in 1883 while with the Alleghenys and became an Allegheny County sheriff when he was done with baseball (he also umped for a spell after his playing career). He was buried in Union Dale cemetery after he passed on in 1924.

Ed Swartwood 1887 Old Judge

• 1925 - 1B Big Ed Stevens (actually, a modest 6’1”, 190 lbs, but king-sized in the forties) was born in Galveston, Texas. He played in 212 games from 1948-50 for Pittsburgh, batting .253 with 14 HR. The Pirates got him from Brooklyn when he was bumped off the bag by a rookie named Jackie Robinson. Big Ed didn’t hit it big in the MLB, but was a minor league legend. In 16 farm seasons spanning 1941-61, Stevens belted 257 home runs and drove in 1,013 runs on his way to being named to the International League Hall of Fame. After his retirement, he scouted for the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s.
• 1972 - RH reliever Rich Loiselle was born in Neenah, Wisconsin. He tossed his entire career of six seasons (1996-2001) for the Bucs, and went 9-18-49/4.38 during that span. Loiselle was the Bucco closer in 1997-98 when he picked up 48 of his 49 career saves. He struggled after that, having both control and elbow problems.
• 1980 - Willie Stargell was featured on the cover of The Sporting News after being selected as TSN’s Man of the Year. Pops hit 32 homers in 1979 and added five more in the post season, winning both the NLCS and World Series MVP awards.

• 1988 - Willie Stargell was the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA‚ and the 17th player elected in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted on August 1st. In 21 Pirate seasons, his slash was .282/.360/.529 with 475 HR and 1,540 RBI. Ralph Kiner is second on the Bucco list of homers; he hit 301.

1/11: HBD Silver, Max, Lloyd, Warren; Game Boy Cutch; Boo, DH

• 1868 - P Silver King was born in St. Louis. King only played one season in Pittsburgh, but it was a big deal when he signed. King won 110 games from 1888-90 and signed with the Pirates for $5,000, becoming the highest paid player in the game. The investment fizzled; the Bucs got a 14-29 record (although he wasn’t all that bad; he made 44 starts and tossed 384 innings to a 3.11 ERA). But problems were looming. The Bucs released him, and the early sidewinder - one of the first submariners - had one more good year with the Giants before the rules committee chopped him down to size. He threw sidearm from the far right of the pitcher’s circle, making the ball appear to be launched from third base. In 1893, the rubber was introduced and he lost his territorial advantage, never posting an ERA south of four afterward. His nom de guerre is combination nickname and writer’s Anglicizing: His real name was Charles Koenig, but his prematurely white hair gave him the moniker of Silver; King was the English translation of Koenig.

Silver King photo via Robert Shaw

• 1890 - Hall of Fame OF Max Carey was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He played 17 seasons in Pittsburgh, compiling a .287 BA and stole 688 bases, leading the NL in that category 10 times. He was at his best during the 1925 World Series, hitting .458 as the Pirates dethroned the Washington Senators and Walter “Big Train” Johnson in seven games.
• 1959 - Utilityman and later manager Lloyd McClendon was born in Gary, Indiana. McClendon spent five years (1990-94) as a player in Pittsburgh where he hit .251, mainly off the bench. He was named Buc manager in 2001, and in his five seasons as skipper, McClendon compiled a 336–446 record and famously “stole” a base. A side note: In 1971, as a 12-year old, McClendon earned the nickname "Legendary Lloyd" when he hit five home runs in five at bats, all on the first pitch, and was walked in his other five plate appearances in the three games he played in the Little League World Series.
• 1973 - This is a red letter day in baseball history. The owners voted to allow the AL to use a designated hitter, drawing a line in the sand that still exists between the junior and senior circuits. On April 6th, 1973, Ron Blomberg of the Yankees became the first regular season DH in major-league history, drawing a bases-loaded walk off the Red Sox’s Luis Tiant.
• 1974 - 2B Warren Morris was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. He made his major league debut in 1999, going from non-roster invitee in spring training to starting second baseman early in the season for the Bucs. Morris had a sharp rookie campaign, hitting .288 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI and earning a spot on the 1999 Topps All-Star Rookie team at second base. It went downhill fast, and the Pirates released him before the 2002 season; his last MLB campaign was in 2003 and he formally retired in 2006.

Warren Morris 2000 Revolution

• 2013 - Andrew McCutchen was voted to be the cover athlete on the baseball video game “MLB 13: The Show.” Cutch gathered 108,147 votes from fans via Twitter and Facebook, while NY Yankees' pitcher CC Sabathia came in second place with 89,054 votes.

Notes: Haley, Feliz, Gallardo, Knudson, Sadler, National Games

Contrary to popular belief, the Steelers aren't the only newsmakers this weekend...

• The Buccos signed RHP Trey Haley, 25, who was in the Cleveland Indians' farm system. He went a combined 4-4-1/2.45 ERA at the AA/AAA levels, along with 60 K and 32 BB in 55 IP. Haley was selected in the second round of the 2008 draft. The Texan is 6'4", has a mid-to-upper-90s heater (along with a good two-seamer & curve) and no control, a perfect Pirate fit. The righty was placed on the 40-man roster, replacing RHP Guido Knudson, who the Bucs would like to keep if he gets through waivers.

Trey Haley (photo media day 2015)

• Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs really likes the pickup of Neftali Feliz. 
• Nick Cafardi of the Boston Globe: "Yovani Gallardo seems to be the next significant starter to go in free agency. Gallardo has a few teams interested, each of which are hoping to score a bargain. And it appears the teams are looking for a two- or three-year deal. Scott Kazmir’s recent three-year, $48 million deal with the Dodgers could be an indication of what Gallardo could land. Look for the Orioles, Blue Jays, Pirates, Royals, and Cubs to be in on Gallardo."
• The Pirates released 25 year old RHP Casey Sadler a couple of weeks ago without any fanfare. He had TJ surgery in October, following a forearm issue that ended his 2015 season in June. Casey will sit out this year after the TJ work and try to catch on as a depth option somewhere in 2017.
• The Bucs have a pair of 2016 home games slated to be shown by Fox: June 11th vs the Cardinals and July 9th vs the Cubs. Both are 7:15 starts.
• Jim Cheney of Uncovering PA has the story on the six HoF'ers buried in Pittsburgh; it's a good read for those who appreciate the 'Burgh's long baseball history.

1/10: HBD Cliff & Bo

• 1922 - LHP Cliff Chambers was born in Portland, Oregon. He worked for the Bucs between 1949-51, going 28-28 with a 4.33 ERA. But he had a shining moment: On May 6th, 1951, Chambers pitched a no-hitter (albeit with eight walks) for the Pirates, beating the Boston Braves 3-0 for the second no-no in franchise history (the first was Nick Maddox’s 1907 gem v Brooklyn).

Cliff Chambers with manager Billy Meyers 1951 (Acme photo)

• 1926 - SS George “Bo” Strickland was born in New Orleans. The Pirates got him from the Red Sox in the Rule V draft, and he played for the Bucs from 1950-52, helping to mentor a young Dick Groat. He hit .199 over that span, and then was traded to the Indians, where he lasted eight more seasons, several as a starting SS and manning the middle for the 1954 AL championship club. Strickland was a solid glove guy; he hit over .238 just once in his 10 year MLB career. Bo got his nickname as a kid; he was always covered with scrapes and cuts, and all those “boo-boos” earned him the moniker Bobo, which was shortened to Bo as he grew up.

Bo Strickland 1951 Topps