Meeting Notes: Rule 5 Draft Action Preceded By A Nice Nap

The Bucs were busy at the meeting, at least during the Rule 5 draft. As far as being sellers or buyers, the FO hasn't made up its mind, which doesn't sound very strategic to us. Again, they're the poster children for paralysis by analysis. But here's what did happen:

• The Pirates took RHP Jordan Milbrath from the Indians in the first round of the Rule 5 draft. Milbrath, a 35th round pick out of Augustana College in 2013, pitched at Class A Lynchburg and Class AA Akron last season. He went 2-1/2.03 ERA with two saves at Class A Lynchburg and in 26-2/3 IP, he struck out 34 and walked 14. At Akron, Milbreth went 3-2/3.90 and two saves. He struck out 29 and walked 11 in 30 innings. The 26-year-old hits 99 with the heater, but in five pro campaigns hasn't advanced past AA.
• The Phillies claimed RHP Nick Burdi from the Twins and flipped him to the Bucs for $500K in international pool money. Burdi was a second round pick in 2014 who has touched triple digits with his fastball; he's also recovering from May TJ surgery and has tossed 20 frames in 2016-17. He'll spend his 25-year-old season on the DL, but is the most highly touted of the day's newcomers if he can just stay off the injury list for a bit.
• The Pirates selected 26-year old RHP Damien Magnifico from the Angels in the AAA draft. He hasn't put up very pretty numbers, but he throws hard (we're beginning to see a trend, lol).
• And finally, they picked up 20-year old C Rafelin Lorenzo from the Tampa Bay Rays. He's played short-season ball for the past three years, but fills an organization need.
• Pittsburgh, btw, got away w/o losing any bodies during the draft.

Josh Harrison 2016 Topps

• The Jays have joined the Mets as clubs with at least some interest in J-Hay.
• As per @Buster_ESPN, Buster Olney has the Giants in gently on Andrew, not much of a surprise after the Dynamic Duo moved on to other teams. They may have to work at a match, tho, as their MiLB pipeline is fairly dry. The overall market is not so robust on Andrew; both the Fish and Cards are moving OF'ers and creating a bit of a jam.
• The Rangers, Mariners, Orioles and Yankees are reported to be looking at Gerrit Cole.
• @Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeted that the Brewers and Pirates had a Tuesday sit-down. With the Brew Crew looking for pitching and second base help, Haudricourt speculates that Gerrit Cole or Josh Harrison could have been topics of discussion between the two division rivals.
• The Bucs released good glove, bad bat IF Gift Ngoepe earlier in the year and have now replaced him with good glove, bad bat Engelb Vielma after he was waived by the Phils. Vielma is younger at 23 and a switch-hitter, but hit just .206 at AAA last year although he's had more success with the stick in the lower levels. He's a popular kid; so far this year, the Giants claimed him off the Twins, the Phils from the Giants and now the Pirates from the Phils. He's expected to land in Indy as a depth guy.

Engelb Vielma 2017 Team Issue

• Fangraphs let loose Dan Szymborski’s 2018 ZiPS projections for the Buccos. He doesn't foresee a lot of blockbuster Bucco performances.
• RHP Mitch Keller was selected to the Arizona Fall League's All-Prospect squad.
• Bucco giveaway Juan Nicasio signed a two-year/$17M contract with the Seattle Mariners.
• The Marlins released RHP Edinson Volquez, who is still rehabbing back from Tommy John surgery, even though he still has $13M left on his contract.
• C Erik Kratz, who has made a couple of stops in Pittsburgh, reupped with the Yankees.
• The Mariners have signed 1B Matt Hague to minor league deal. He hit .297 with 10 HRs/65 RBI for the Twins' AAA Rochester club last year and has 43 MLB games with Pirates and Blue Jays.

Matt Hague 2012 Topps Chrome

• Jack Morris and Alan Trammel made the Hall of Fame through the Modern Era Committee vote; ex-Buc GM Ted Simmons missed by a vote and OF Dave Parker finished well out of the money.

12/14 TRS-PNC Park Era: Cordero, Kingery, Sauerbeck & Overbay Join; Lieber Goes; Schmidt Hits Jackpot; Tax Cut, HBD Fraze

•  1991 - UT Adam Frazier was born in Athens, Georgia. He was selected from Mississippi State in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2013 draft and was signed for slot value of $240,600. Fraze was known for his 24/7 stick and it earned him a call up in 2016. He’s slashed .283/.347/.402 in 614 PA during his two campaigns. He’s proven quite versatile, playing all three OF spots along with 2B, SS & 3B for the Pirates and so far fits in the super-utility mold of Josh Harrison and Sean Rodriguez. 

Adam Frazier 2017 Topps Team

• 1993 - The State legislature cut the City’s amusement tax from 10% to 5%; one state senator said that the Pirates had informed him that without the lower rate that they could be forced to leave the City in two years. GM Mark Sauer told the Post Gazette that the team wouldn’t be cutting ticket prices (neither did the Steelers) and then ran down a financial wish list consisting of revenue sharing and a salary cap from the MLB to go with a new stadium and lease for the team. They got three-out-of-four wishes granted eventually; good luck on the cap. 
• 1995 - Pittsburgh signed 35-year-old free agent CF Mike Kingery to a two year/$1.5M contract, planning to use him as a platoon/bat & glove off the bench player. It didn’t quite work out; Kingery, who had been a .272 lifetime hitter before the deal, hit .246 in 117 games and was released after the season. He opened Solid Foundation Baseball School the year after he retired, and makes appearances with the Kingery Family, a gospel/bluegrass group. 
• 1998 - RHP Jon Lieber was traded to the Chicago Cubs for OF Brant Brown. Lieber tossed nine more years in the show, winning 20 games for the Cubs in 2001 while Brown was one and done in Pittsburgh. After his breakout campaign, workhorse Lieber had TJ surgery and only reached the 30-start, 200 IP mark once more in his career. 

Jon Lieber 1995 Leaf

• 1998 - The Pirates chose LHP Scott Sauerbeck from the New York Mets in the Rule 5 draft. Sauerbeck stuck with the Pirates until 2003, going 19-15-5/3.53 in his 4-½ year Bucco career before he was traded to Boston. Sauerbeck missed 2004 after surgery, and after a fairly ineffective campaign in 2006, the LOOGY’s MLB career ended. 
• 1999 - “Wil Cordero, a good hitter who has had difficulty staying healthy and out of trouble, signed a $9 million, three-year contract yesterday with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his fourth team in four years...” per the New York Times. Cordero in reality was a good pick up, as he banged 16 HR with 51 RBI before he was traded in late July to the Indians for Alex Ramirez (who hit .209 and was out of baseball the following year) and Enrique Wilson, a reserve infielder who hit .262 in 1-½ Pirate seasons. Cordero ended up having one more strong year left in him as a Montreal Expo in 2003. 
• 2001 - The Giants did what the Bucs couldn’t afford to do by signing RHP Jason Schmidt to a four-year, $31M contract. The Pirates had flipped him to the G-Men at the deadline of his 2001 walk year for Ryan Vogelsong. Jason wasn’t done with the art of the deal; he signed a three-year, $47M agreement with the LA Dodgers in 2006. He pulled in about $92M in his career; $8M was from his five Bucco campaigns.

Jason Schmidt 1997 Upper Deck

• 2010 - The Pirates agreed to terms with 1B Lyle Overbay on a one-year, $5M contract; he was waived in August after hitting .227. The Bucs also signed 32-year old OF Matt Diaz to a two year deal worth up to $5M. He was sent back to the Braves at the deadline for P Eliecer Cardenas after hitting .259 with no homers.

12/14 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Kitten Goes; Heinie Arrives; Barney $$$; Xmas Job; HBD Lefty, Jerry, Jeff, Willie, Charlie & Ren

• 1861 - OF James “Ren” (Renwick was his middle name) Wylie was born in Elizabeth. His moment of baseball glory happened on August 20th, 1882 when the 20-year-old center fielder from Geneva College played in his only MLB game, going 0-for-3 for the Alleghenys. He went on to bigger and better things, becoming a successful banker, realtor and two-time Pennsylvania State Representative. 

Ren Wylie as a state rep (photo PA General Assembly History)

• 1896 - C Charlie Hargreaves was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He caught for Pittsburgh at the end of his career from 1928-30, and was a solid two-way guy for the first two seasons before fading in 1930, putting up a .273 BA over that period. Charlie did rejoin the organization briefly, managing the Bucs’ Class C Keokuk Pirates squad of the Central Association in 1949. 
• 1898 - 2B Henry “Heinie” Reitz was traded by the Washington Senators to the Pirates for OF/3B Jack "Syracuse" O'Brien, IF Dick Padden and OF Jimmy “Rabbit” Slagle. It wasn’t a very good deal for Pittsburgh; Reitz played 35 games and was traded at the end of the 1899 season. O’Brien was a journeyman, Padden had three solid seasons remaining, and rookie Slagle went on to have a 10 year career, mainly with the Cubs, and a lifetime .268 BA. 
• 1911 - Pirate owner Barney Dreyfuss proposed that each team in the World Series turn over one-fourth of its share of the gate to the league, to be divided among the other teams. It marked the beginning of changes that ultimately gave players of the top finishing teams a larger share of the World Series money. Dreyfuss had actually added his owner’s cut of the 1903 World Series gate receipts to the players' share, so the Pirates earned a larger payout than the winning Boston team. 

Willie Pope (photo via NLPBA)

• 1918 - RHP Willie Pope was born in Birmingham and raised in Library. A 6’4’ hurler known as “Wee Willie,” Pope began his career as a pitcher with the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1946 but was mostly known for playing with the Grays during the 1947-48 seasons. During the 1947 campaign, the righty notched a 6-7 record, but pitched a no-hitter against the New York Cubans. In the 1948 season, he was a major contributor to the Grays team that won the last Negro National League Pennant and won the Negro Leagues World Series against the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League. He played a couple of years in the minors while his brother Dave played for Cleveland and Baltimore. Willie remained in the City after his career as a player in Pittsburgh ward politics and a local black baseball historian. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 91. 
• 1923 - LHP Paul “Lefty” LaPalme was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Lefty began his career in Pittsburgh (1951-54) and was a starter in the last two seasons, with a Pirate line of 14-33-2 and a 4.99 ERA. The knuckleballer was traded to the Cards in 1955, converted to a reliever, and put together several decent seasons from the pen. 
• 1943 - C Jerry May was born in Staunton, Virginia. May was mainly a backup catcher from 1964-70 (he started in ‘67-68) for the Bucs, hitting .237 in his seven year Pittsburgh stint. He was signed by Syd Thrift out of high school and tossed several no-hitters as an American Legion pitcher; the Bucs converted him to catcher and he was behind the dish for Dock Ellis’ infamous 1970 no-hitter. May was bumped out of the starting role by Manny Sanguillen. Jerry was a good tactician and glove guy throughout his 10 year MLB career, throwing out 43% of the base runners who tried to steal a sack on him, good for 11th on the all-time list. He led NL catchers in 1970 with a 50% caught stealing percentage. 

Jerry May 1968 Pirates Photo Pack

• 1961 - RHP Jeff Robinson was born in Ventura, California. He finished out his six year career with a few weeks as a Bucco after being claimed off waivers from Texas in June of 1992, getting seven starts (eight outings) with a 3-1, 4.46 line and then being waived again in July. Robinson went on to become the pitching director, coach and instructor with the Natural Baseball Academy in Kansas. He missed the three-year Pirates stint of fellow hurler Jeff Robinson (1987-89), and the two were often differentiated by their middle initial - Jeff M was the starter and Jeff D the reliever. 
• 1961 - Baseball players may be rolling in long green now, but for many decades, even the stars had a winter job. ElRoy Face earned a Post-Gazette sports column mention on this date by selling Christmas trees grown on his Indiana PA farm at the corner of Bouquet Street and Forbes Avenue in Oakland, a block from the ballyard. 
• 1963 - The Pirates sent P Harvey Haddix to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for SS Dick Yencha and cash. The Kitten, then 38 and a reliever, spent the last two years of his career in Baltimore, going 8-7-11/2.63 before retiring because of arm problems, while Yencha never made it past AA. Haddix later followed his rookie mentor Harry Brecheen (as St. Louis teammates, veteran Breechen was “the Cat” and his protege, the young Haddix, was “the Kitten”) as a pitching coach, working with the Mets, Reds, Red Sox, Indians, and Pirates before passing away in 1994.

12/13 Birthdays: HBD Dale, Jeff, Josh, Joe, Dave, Buckshot, Bill

• 1899 - RHP William “Buckshot” May was born in Bakersfield, California. Buckshot was a Pirates version of Archie “Moonlight” Graham. The 24-year old appeared in his one and only game in the major leagues, tossing one inning in the bigs, a scoreless two-hit, one-strikeout frame in a 10-7 loss to the Boston Braves at Forbes Field. May never got another chance (it was said that he got into a contract dispute with Barney Dreyfuss and that may have been the brake on his career) though he did work at least 13 creditable minor-league campaigns, winning 20 games three times. At age 35 in 1935, Buckshot left the mound for the rigs, retiring to a drilling supervisor’s job in the oil industry.
• 1904 - 1B Willis “Bill” Windle was born in Galena, Kansas. Windle attended Missouri University where he played football and baseball as a two-sport star, but his MLB career consisted of just three games played for the Bucs between 1928-29 with Bill going 1-for-2 with a double and run scored. He played in the minors until 1933, retiring to Corpus Christi where he became a successful apartment owner and a model citizen, with ties to the Boy Scouts, Kiwanis and different civic boards. 

Joe Christopher 1961 Topps

• 1935 - OF Joe Christopher was born in Frederiksted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. He played for Pittsburgh from 1959-61 sparingly, hitting .244 before being lost in the expansion draft to the NY Mets, although he did score twice in the 1960 World Series as a pinch runner. Christopher is thought to be the first player from the Virgin Islands to play in the majors. Joe should remember his first start. He was called up to replace an injured Roberto Clemente and made his big league debut playing right field during Harvey Haddix’s 12 inning perfect game. 
• 1947 - LHP Dave Hamilton was born in Seattle. He tossed for nine big-league seasons.splitting 1978 between the Pirates and Cards, the club the Bucs bought the lefty from in May. Dave pitched well enough, going 0-2-1, 3.42 and then signed up with Oakland after the season, returning to the squad he had won three World Series title with in 1972-74. He retired as an A in 1980 and went on to coach high school ball and work as a project manager. 
• 1956 - Dale Berra was born in Ridgewood, NJ. The SS, the first round pick of the 1975 draft (20th overall), spent eight years in Pittsburgh (1977-84) and started the last three, but his bat (.238 as a Pirate) never came around and to boot, he testified that he was a coke user during the 1985 trial. Berra still makes the highlight tapes thanks to a 1985 baserunning blooper with Bobby Meacham while with the Yankees. With Meacham at second and Berra at first, Ricky Henderson drilled a ball into the corner. Meacham slipped rounding the bases, so he and Berra came home at virtually the same time. Sadly for them, Ozzie Guillen’s relay beat them to the dish and Carlton Fisk tagged them both out - a double turned into a double play! 

Dale Berra 1983 Fleer Stamp

• 1960 - RHP Jeff Robinson was born in Santa Ana, California. He tossed for the Bucs from 1987-89. His first two seasons were strictly out of the pen, but he got 19 starts in 51 appearances in ‘89. Overall, Robinson went 20-19-17 for Pittsburgh with a 3.78 ERA. He went to the Yankees in the Don Slaught deal, but couldn’t replicate his Pittsburgh success. Robinson tossed for three teams from 1990-92 and then was out of baseball. 
• 1976 - RHP Josh Fogg was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. He pitched for Pittsburgh from 2002-05 with a record of 39-42 and a 4.79 ERA. Josh finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year vote in 2002 and won double figure games for three straight seasons, but was released after the 2005 campaign and pitched four more years before ending his career in 2010.

12/13 Happenings: J Trade; Cobra Settles; Avens, Marte, Wells Deals; Eddie Signs; Mitchell Report

• 1988 - The suits and Dave Parker settled a 2-½ year battle over the Cobra’s 1979 contract. The Pirates believed his drug involvement voided $5.3M in deferred payments; Parker disagreed. A few weeks from trial, the two sides settled with Parker getting a lump sum payment of an undisclosed amount that was less than the original total due, confirmed a week later when the team said its 1988 operating profit was impacted favorably by the settlement. 

Joe Randa 1997 Fleer Ultra

• 1996 - SS Jay Bell and 3B Jeff King were traded to the Royals for 3B Joe Randa (called "The Joker" after the grinning Batman villain), LHP Jeff Wallace, LHP Jeff Granger and RHP Jeff Martin in a salary dump, or maybe in an effort by the clubs to set a record for Jeffs (or just “J” first names in general) packaged in one deal. 
• 1999 - The Pirates sent OF Brant Brown to Florida for OF Bruce Avens. Brant hot .232 in his year as a Bucco and it would get worse in 2000, his final MLB season. Aven hit .250 for the Pirates and was flipped to the Dodgers at the deadline, having a couple of solid seasons for LA. 
• 2001 - The Pirates sent P Todd Ritchie & C Lee Evans to the White Sox for pitchers Kip Wells‚ Sean Lowe‚ & Josh Fogg. Ritchie struggled for Chicago and then was injured the following year, effectively ending his career, highlighted by his 1999 15-9, 3.49 campaign. He retired after comeback tries with the Bucs and Rockies fell short. Fogg and Wells were mainstays in the Pirate rotation for three years but never blossomed beyond journeyman status. 

Damaso Marte 2006 Upper Deck

• 2005 - The Bucs acquired LHP Damaso Marte from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for INF/OF Rob Mackowiak. It was the lefty’s second go-around with Pittsburgh, and after an injury to Matt Capps in 2006, Marte became the closer. He was traded to the New York Yankees with Xavier Nady at the deadline for José Tábata, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, and Dan McCutchen. Mack was strong for the White Sox from 2006-07 (.285 BA), but after being traded back to the NL at the 2007 deadline he faded badly, and his career ended after the 2008 campaign. 
• 2007 - The Mitchell Report was released, a 20 month investigation led by former US Senator George Mitchell into performance-enhancing drugs’ MLB inroads. The report covered the use of PEDs by players with recommendations on how to handle the epidemic. The report named 89 MLB players who were alleged to have used PEDS, including several ex-Pirates (every team had at least one played implicated). The findings stiffened the MLB’s spine, and they, along with the MLB Player’s Union, implemented a testing program with stiff penalties for violations. 
•  2013 - RHP Edinson Volquez was signed as a free agent to a one year, $5M contract. He was quite the bargain, going 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA during the season. He signed a two year, $20M guaranteed deal with the KC Royals after reestablishing his value, then went to KC on a two-year, $22M deal.

Rey Kremer: The Best Bucco Righty You Don't Know

Ray Kremer spent his prime pitching years tossing in the Pacific Coast League, and after a decade was beginning to doubt that he would ever get the call to the show.

He twirled mainly for his hometown Oakland Oaks, tossing over 2,100 frames with 214 wins. But our Golden State (and ager!) was considered a "warm weather" pitcher due to his rheumatism, which was easier to deal with in the sunny climes of California. Eventually he was spotted by scout Joe Devine, who sold Kremer's arm to Barney Dreyfuss and then it was off to Pittsburgh.

(from Pittsburgh Baseball Hero Deck)

The Pirates sent IF Spencer Adams with pitchers Earl Kunz & George Boehler and the tidy sum of $20,000 to Oakland for the righty. He started out on a rocky road, bumping heads with Dreyfuss because Kremer thought, as did many players of the era, that he deserved a cut of any sales price. But the team and he got over it; Ray spent the next decade (1924-33) as a Pirate.

Kremer had a great beginning to his big-league career as a 31-year-old rookie. He posted an 18-10 slate in 1924, then followed that with seasons of 17-8, 20-6 and 19-8. He was third in the vote for the NL's most valuable player in 1926 and led the NL in ERA from 1926-27.

The Pirates won a pair of pennants during that stretch. Kremer split two complete games in the 1925 World Series against the Washington Senators. After winning Game Six behind a six-hitter, Ray followed with 4-1/3 IP of scoreless relief in Game Seven, allowing the Pirates to rally in the rain against Walter "Big Train" Johnson and take a 9-7 win, with Ray credited with the victory. He had less luck in 1927, as did the team, which was swept by the "Murderer's Row" Yankees.

Ray Kremer 1933 Goudey

Kremer was on top of his game in 1930 at the age of 37, leading the league in wins (20), games started (38) and innings pitched (276) even though his ERA (5.26) was the worst of his career. Baseball, go figure. He bounced back with a 3.33 ERA the nest season, but just 11 wins as run support was hard to find. But in 1932, age caught up with Remy, and in 1933 he was kept around for seven games and was done in July. He went back to the Oakland Oaks for a couple of seasons before retiring and taking a mailman's route while waiting for a coaching call that never came.

For his Bucco career, he compiled an 143–85/3.76 slash in 308 appearances (247 starts). Kremer's 143 wins with rank him eighth in franchise history, his .627 winning percentage ranks seventh, and his 1,954- 2⁄3 innings pitched rank tenth. And on a final note, he was a man of many names in Pittsburgh - "Ray" was short for Remy, the newspapers called him the “Frenchman” because of his ancestry (both parents were born in France), and he also went by “Wiz”/”Bush Wiz” as a nod to his long and impressive minor-league career. In fact, he was called just about everything but Remy.

(main research credits: Wikipedia, Gregory Wolf/SABR, and Baseball Reference)

12/12 TRS-PNC Park Era: Helms, Hendricks, Santiago, McGehee, Vazquez Come; Charlie, Matt Go; HBD Jose; Frankie Signs; '06 Arb Class

• 1975 - Houston sent veteran IF Tommy Helms to the Pirates for a PTBNL (IF Art Howe). Helms was at the end of his days here, while Howe went on to have a solid career with the Astros and Cards, playing for 11 years with a .260 career BA. Afterward, Art scouted, coached and managed the Astros (1989–93), Oakland Athletics (1996–2002), and New York Mets (2003–04). 

Tommy Helms 1976 Topps Traded

• 1984 - The Bucs traded LHP John Tudor and OF Brian Harper to the St. Louis Cardinals for UT Steve Barnard and OF George Hendricks. Tudor won 21 games with the Cards while tossing ten shutouts the next season and won two World Series games. Hendricks hit .230 and lasted until August, when he was sent to the California Angels. Barnard never made it out of A ball. 
• 1992 - OF/1B Jose Osuna was born in Trujillo, Venezuela. He made his MLB debut in 2017, appearing in 104 games for the Pirates and hitting .233 with seven homers. Jose has power - 24 of his 50 hits were for extra bases - and the Pirates are trying to work third base into his resume to build up bench versatility. 
• 2004 - Pittsburgh was on the verge of a deal with Colorado for C Charles Johnson, but it fell through when Johnson wanted an extra year added to his contract. The Bucs shifted gears and traded for Benito Santiago instead. He caught six games before he was released, not that Johnson would have been much of an upgrade - 2005 was his last MLB season, too. He lasted just 19 games with Tampa Bay, hitting .196. The club ended up using Humberto Cota, Ryan Doumit and David Ross during the campaign with Ronny Paulino on the horizon. 

Not much of a shelf life for Benito in 2005

• 2006 - The Pirates had a class of eight arb-eligible players and tendered them all. They were IF’s Freddy Sanchez & Jose Castillo, OF’s Xavier Nady & Jody Gerut, and hurlers Mike Gonzalez, John Grabow & Shawn Chacon along with C Humberto Cota. Six stuck with the team; Gonzo was traded in January and Gerut was cut during camp. 
• 2008 - The Pirates signed 32-year-old IF Ramon Vazquez during the winter meetings to a two-year deal worth $4M after he had hit .290 for the Rangers. Alas, he batted .230 in 2009, then was released the following April, ending his nine year MLB career while the Pirates ate $2M in salary. 
• 2009 - The Bucs non-tendered RHP Matt Capps, allowing the closer to walk as an uncompensated free agent. He signed a one year deal with Washington for $3.5M and became an All-Star. Capps then went to the Twins and closed, but shoulder inflammation derailed him there in 2012, and a year later he had surgery. He hasn’t pitched in MLB since that time. 
• 2011 - The Milwaukee Brewers traded 3B Casey McGehee to Pittsburgh for RHP Jose Veras with the dominoes falling after the Brew Crew signed FA Aramis Ramirez. Veras put together a workmanlike campaign for Milwaukee while McGehee hit .230 and was swapped to the NYY for RHP Chad Qualis at the deadline. Casey went on to trip the light fantastic afterward, playing ball in the bigs, AAA and Japan, where he spent 2017. 

Casey McGehee 2012 (photo Mike McGinnis/Getty)

• 2014 - The Pirates officially announced Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39M contract, the biggest FA contract in franchise history, after Frankie passed his physical. The financial terms of the deal were: $2M signing bonus, $11M in '15, $13M in '16, $13M in '17 plus sundry bonuses. The free agent had been 2014’s opening-day pitcher for the Bucs, winning 23 games in 2013-14 for the Bucs. He went 41-36, 3.67, during his four campaigns with Pittsburgh with 659 K in 623+ IP before being moved to Toronto. He tossed in the playoffs for the Jays and then worked the postseason in 2017 with the Astros, taking home a WS ring.
• 2015 - Pittsburgh sent RHP Charlie Morton to the Phils for minor league RHP David Whitehead. Charlie was one of the league’s better ground ball pitchers (55.3% in his career), earning him the nickname “Ground Chuck,” but was often hurt and underperformed as a Bucco, though he possessed some great stuff. In seven seasons with Pittsburgh, he went 41-62/4.39 and never made 30 starts in any single campaign. The move was made to free up some money for the 2016 season; Morton was due $8M in 2016. It worked out for Charlie, too - in 2017, he went 14-7 for Houston and beat the Yankees in the ALCS and the Dodgers in the WS.

12/12 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Lindstrom, French, Kremer, Harmon Join; McCarthy, Arky Go; HBD Phenomenal, Diamond Joe, Mike, Hank, Clyde & Bill

• 1864 - P Phenomenal Smith was born in Philadelphia. He had a couple of brief stops in Pittsburgh in 1884 & 1890, compiling a 1-4 record. He was actually born John Francis Gammon, but got his nickname when he struck out 16 batters in a no-hit game in 1885 while pitching for minor league Newark, with no batter hitting the ball out of the infield. Only two runners reached base, one on a walk and one on a dropped third strike – and Smith picked both of them off. 

Phenomenal Smith 1888 Old Judge

• 1876 - OF “Diamond Joe” Rickert was born in London, Ohio. Joe played long and hard in the minors, from 1896-1915. Pittsburgh noticed him in 1898 when he was 21-years-old and playing for the New Castle Quakers of the Interstate League, giving him a look. He went 1-for-6 in two games. He didn’t impress the Bucs nor the Boston Beaneaters in a later 1901 audition of 16 games. Diamond Joe did put his years of baseball knowledge to use, managing the New Orleans Pelicans and the University of Tulane. 
• 1879 - OF Mike Mitchell was born in Springfield, Ohio. Mike played for eight years in the show, closing out in 1913-14 with the Pirates. He hit .250 in a pair of half seasons, claimed in 1913 off waivers from the Cubs and lost midway through the next season when he was sold to the Senators. Mitchell retired in 1915 rather than report to the Yankees which had purchased his contract. 
• 1899 - The Pirates sold OF’er Jack McCarthy to the Chicago Orphans for $2,000. McCarthy hit .276 for Cincy in his first two campaigns and .286 as a Pirate from 1898-99. After being sold, he put in eight more big league seasons, finishing his 12-year career with a .287 BA. 

Bob Harmon 1916 Standard Biscuit

• 1913 - The Pirates traded P Hank Robinson, OF’ers Chief Wilson & Cozy Dolan and IF’ers Art Butler & Dots Miller to the St Louis Cardinals for P Bob Harmon, 1B Ed Konetchy and 3B Mike Mowrey. The Cards got two or three good seasons out of their new acquisitions, but the Bucs weren’t so lucky. Harmon was keeper, tossing for four seasons and going 39-52 with a 2.60 ERA. But Konetchy and Mowrey both had so-so 1914 seasons for the Pirates, skipped to the outlaw Federal League’s Pittsburgh Rebels in 1915 and then signed with different clubs in 1916. 
• 1914 - C Hank (Comolli) Camelli was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Hank spent 1943-46 with the Bucs and during that time he got into 108 games, hitting .229. He finished his big-league time with the Boston Braves and did a spot of minor-league coaching, too. 
• 1917 - C Clyde Kluttz was born in Rockwell, North Carolina. Clyde spent 1947-48 with the Pirates with a .258 BA, hitting well in his first season and not so well in the next. He had a nine-year career in the show, afterward becoming a longtime scout with the Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees. He was later director of player development of the Baltimore Orioles, serving the Birds from 1976 until he passed away three years later. 

Bill Howerton 1952 Topps

• 1921 - OF Bill Howerton was born in Lompoc, California. He spent four years in the majors, joining the Pirates in 1951 as part of a big swap with the Cards. Bill hit .279 as a Bucco, leaving the club in May of 1952 to join the NY Giants. He closed out his big league career there and spent a couple of seasons in the PCL until retiring to become a trucker. 
• 1923 - The Pirates traded IF Spencer Adams, along with pitchers Earl Kunz and George Boehler, to the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League in exchange for RHP Remy "Ray" Kremer. Kremer was a Pirate lifer, pitching from 1924-33 with a 143-85-9 slate and 3.76 ERA. The workhorse went 200+ IP, won double-digit games (hitting 20 wins twice) for eight straight years (1921-34) and was the NL ERA leader twice. "The Frenchman" went 2-2 with a 3.12 ERA in 1925 & 1927 World Series games and was the hero in ‘25, winning games six and seven, the former as a starter and the finale with 4-⅓ scoreless IP from the pen. He spent much of 1933-34 with Oakland before retiring and become a mailman. Fun fact: Kremer didn’t pitch in the majors until he was 31. He spent eight years in the PCL (1916-23) and was considered by the east coast/heartland-based big league clubs to be a warm weather pitcher.
• 1928 - The Pirates bought LHP Larry French from Portland of the Pacific Coast League. From 1929-34, the knuckleballer went 87-83 with a 3.50 ERA for Pittsburgh and in a 14 year MLB career won 197 games. French, like a lot of players, joined the Navy in 1942. Unlike most, he became a career swabbie, retiring in 1969 with the rank of Captain. 

Larry French 1930 (photo NEA/Historic Images)

• 1932 - Giant CF Freddie Lindstrom ended up a Bucco in a three-way deal. New York sent CF Chick Fullis to the Phillies. Pittsburgh sent RHP Glenn Spencer to the Giants and OF Gus Dugas to Philadelphia, who shipped OF Kiddo Davis to New York. Lindstrom hit .302 in two seasons at Pittsburgh, playing between Lloyd and Paul Waner. For the cost of two reserves, the Bucs got two years of a Hall-of-Famer. 
• 1941 - The Bucs traded SS Arky Vaughan to the Brooklyn Dodgers for IF Pete Coscarart, RHP Luke Hamlin, C Babe Phelps and OF/1B Jimmy Wasdell. Only reserve infielder Coscarart stuck with the team past 1942. In 10 seasons, Hall of Famer Vaughan hit .324 for Pittsburgh. He later had a couple of strong seasons for Brooklyn, then left the team and worked his ranch for three years because of, according to baseball lore, a dispute with manager Leo Durocher (although his family said he ran the spread because his brother Glenn was drafted and there was no one else to do the job.) Whatever the reason, he didn’t return to baseball until 1947, after Durocher was suspended for gambling.

12/11 From the 80s Forward: Lawton, Harper, Buechele, Kelley Join; Morton & Bo Extend; Bream Wins Hutch; HBD Joe

• 1980 - RHP Joe Blanton was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Pirates bought the veteran reliever from Kansas City at the 2015 deadline and he went 5-0, 1.57, in his time with the Bucs, turning that strong 21-game stretch run into a $4M free agent contract with the Dodgers. 

Joe Blanton 2015 (photo Getty Images)

• 1981 - SS Tim Foli was traded to the California Angels for Brian Harper. Foli was on the downside of his career while Harper spent three years in Pittsburgh as a utilityman, hitting .243. Crazy Horse (he was a fiery 100%'er) Foli returned in 1985 in a trade with the Yankees, but hit just .189 and was released in June. 
• 1990 - Sid Bream, who overcame three knee operations to help the Pirates capture the NL East championship, was named the winner of the 26th annual Hutch Award. The award goes to a player who overcomes adversity to go on to further accomplishments, named in honor of Fred Hutchinson. Bream hit .270 and drove in 67 runs after sitting out most of the 1989 campaign. It was his last bow as a Buc, as Bream had signed with the Atlanta Braves as an off-season FA the week before. 
• 1991 - The Pirates signed 3B Steve Buechele, a free agent they had traded for late in the season, to a four year/$11M contract. He played 111 games/.248 BA in Pittsburgh before being sent to the Cubs in a 1992 deadline deal for LHP Danny Jackson, who in turn was lost to the Marlins in the following off season during the expansion draft. 

Bo 2003 Topps Total

• 2002 - Pittsburgh brought back RHP Brian Boehringer, 33, inking the reliever to a two-year with an option and $3.8M guaranteed. Boehringer was coming off a 4-4-1, 3.39 campaign and appearing in 70 games, but he didn’t have to worry about that option being exercised. BB went 6-5, 5.42 in 2003-04 and was bought out, ending his MLB career. 
• 2004 - The Bucs swapped out LHP Arthur Rhodes to the Indians for OF Matt Lawton less than a month after they had acquired him. Cleveland sent the Pirates an undisclosed amount to help offset Lawton’s $7.2M salary; the Bucs returned the favor in 2006 when they promised to chip in on Rhode’s guaranteed $4.8M payday. Lawton hit .284 with 10 HR and 44 RBIs before being flipped for Jody Gerut at the 2005 trading deadline. 
• 2006 - Pittsburgh signed hometown utility guy Don Kelley, born in Butler and a Mt. Lebanon HS grad, to a minor league deal. But sometimes you just can’t go home again. He got into just 25 games with the Bucs during the 2007 campaign, and hit .148 during his only local stint. 

Don Kelley 2007 Fleer Ultra

• 2013 - RHP Charlie Morton signed a contract extension for three years plus an option. He received $4M for 2014 (his last arb year), $8M in 2015 & 2016 plus a club option for 2017 of $9.5M and a $1M buyout, with $500K in possible bonuses. Morton went 15-21/4.21 the next two seasons, was traded to Philly, got hurt and inked a deal with the Astros.

12/11 Through the 70s: Doc, Silver Fox & Abby Deals; Haney Mgr; HBD Jay, O'Brien Bros, Dutch & Derek; Clemente Complex Games

• 1885 - C Art “Dutch” Wilson was born in Macon, Illinois. The 14-year vet spent half a season with the Bucs in 1916, batting .258 in 53 games. The Bucs had purchased him from the Federal League’s Chicago Whales in February and traded him and 2B Otto Knabe to the Chicago Cubs for C Bill Fischer and OF Frank Schulte in July. 

Abby 1909-11 Colgan All-Stars

• 1906 - The Pirates traded veterans OF Ginger Beaumont, P Patsy Flaherty and 2B Claude Ritchey to the Boston Beaneaters for 2B Ed Abbaticchio. Beaumont had a great 1907 for Boston and followed with a pair of solid seasons. Flaherty and Ritchey also had two workmanlike years left in them. Abby stuck with the Pirates until 1910. He started for two years, but was a sub on the 1909 championship team and hit .253 in Pittsburgh. 
• 1928 - SS Glenn “Buckshot” (his arm was strong but not entirely accurate) Wright was sent to the Brooklyn Robins for LHP Jesse “The Silver Fox” (because he didn’t really make it in the big leagues until his 30s) Petty and IF Harry Riconda. Wright, one of the top SS of the era, suffered a major shoulder injury in 1929 which affected his play in the field, but didn’t hang up the spikes until 1935 with a lifetime .294 BA after 11 big league seasons. Petty was workmanlike in 1929, but the wheels fell off in 1930, his final MLB season. 
• 1930 - The O’Brien twins, Eddie and Johnny, were born in South Amboy, New Jersey. Utility man Eddie - he played SS, 3B, OF and even pitched 16 innings - spent five years (1952, 1954-57) with the Bucs, hit .236 and had a 3.31 ERA with a 1-0 record. Johnny was a Pirate for five years (1953, 1955-58) and was a middle infielder/pitcher. He put up a .260 BA and went 1-3 with a 5.61 ERA. The O'Briens were the first twins in major league history to play for the same team in the same game. On a side note, the brothers were also strong basketball players at Seattle University, and scored 84 points between them when SU beat the barnstorming Harlem Globetrotters in 1952. 

Ed & John O'Brien (photo via Seattle University)

• 1952 - Fred Haney was named as manager, replacing Billy Meyer. It was an unusual job search; Haney, the PCL Hollywood coach, was happy there (it was his home), but was the fall-back man if Branch Rickey couldn't land anyone on his short list. The Bucs finished in last place each season under Haney’s three year reign, compiling a 163-299 (.353) record. But that was more an indictment of the Pirates talent than Haney’s leadership. In 1957, he took a Milwaukee team that featured Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn to the World Series title. 
• 1965 - SS Jay Bell was born at Elgin AFB (Pensacola), Florida. Jay played SS for Pittsburgh from 1989-96, hitting .269, anchoring the infield of Jim Leyland’s 1990-92 division championship clubs and earning an All-Star spot in 1993. Bell also won a Gold Glove in 1993, breaking a string of thirteen straight NL Golden Gloves by SS Ozzie Smith. It was the first GG by a Pirate SS since Gene Alley's back-to-back honors in 1966 and 1967. 
• 1968 -OF Derek Bell was born in Tampa, Florida. The Pirates signed Bell to a two year deal in 2001; he hit .173 in the first campaign and felt slighted when newswriters told him that he was in competition while in camp to play in 2002. Per Wikipedia, Bell replied “If it is [a competition], then I'm going into 'Operation Shutdown.' Tell them exactly what I said. I haven't competed for a job since 1991." Bell left the team on March 29th, was released on March 31st, and never played in the majors again. The Pirates ate the $4.5M still due to him and Bell pulled anchor on his yacht and sailed away. New York Post writer Tom Keegan described the incident by calling Bell "the perfect Pirate given that he lives on a boat and steals money." 

"The Perfect Pirate" 2002 Topps Heritage

• 1973 - The Pirates agreed to play two exhibition games in San Juan for the next five years to help fund a Roberto Clemente Sports Complex. It was a team effort - the Expos, Yankees, Mets and Red Sox (twice) agreed to play the series and Eastern Airlines picked up the travel arrangements. General manager Joe Brown said “We are overwhelmed by the cooperation.” The Sports City opened in Carolina, a suburb of San Juan, on land donated by Puerto Rico in 1974 with upkeep and upgrades supported by the games. 
• 1975 - The Yankees acquired RHP Dock Ellis, LHP Ken Brett and 2B Willie Randolph from the Pirates for RHP Doc Medich. Randolph suited up for 17 more seasons, was named to six All-Star teams and played in four World Series, but was blocked in Pittsburgh by Rennie Stennett, who, as fate would have it, broke his leg in 1977 and left Pittsburgh after 1979.