Weekend Notes: Frankie's Back; RIP Bob; ZiPS; Payroll; Jamo & Cervy, Camp & Fireworks

The equipment vans are on the way to Bradenton...pitchers and catchers report Monday, position players on Sunday and the Grapefruit League Opener is on the 23rd.

• Not exactly on the radar: Robert Murray, The Athletic's Baseball Insider writer, reported that the Bucs have brought back LHP Frankie Liriano and that the "Pirates' agreement...is a minor-league deal (w/NRI) worth $1.8 million with an additional $1.5 million available in incentives." He also reportedly has opt-out dates. Francisco has posted a 19-32/4.89 line since 2016, his final Bucco campaign, though he has developed as an effective LOOGY, limiting lefties to a .210 BA in 2017-18. He's being brought in to audition as a reliever and maybe as another guy who can fill in as an opener if the Bucs go that route.

He's back...

• Dan Szymborski of Fangraphs has the Bucco ZiPS for 2019. Lotta 1-2 WAR guys; not so many 2-3.
• Matt Kelly of MLB.com takes a stab at choosing 12 dark horse candidates for the Cy Young; Jamo is among them.
• Fran Cervelli was named as a member of MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince All Under-Rated Team.
• Jonah Keri of CBS Sports takes a look at the Bucco payroll; he's not a fanboy of the thrifty approach.
• Bob Friend, righty workhorse and partner of Vern Law in the 50's and mid-sixties, passed away Sunday at the age of 88. His SABR bio is here.

A Bucco through and through 1963 Topps

• Need fireworks with your ballgame tickets? Then u need to get seats for Friday, May 24th (Dodgers); Friday, June 21st (Padres); Saturday, August 3rd (Mets); Friday, August 23rd (Reds) and/or Friday, September 27th (Reds) for your Zambelli/Bucco twin bills.

2/5: Steady Freddy Signs; GM Ted; RIP Barney; HBD Tiger, Javier, Lick, Jack & Charlie

• 1852 - 1B Charlie Hautz was born in St. Louis. Charlie got his start in 1875 with his hometown Red Stockings when he hit .301 in 19 games. Then he took a circular route back to the show, flipping between umpiring (for three seasons) and minor league gigs until the Alleghenys gave him another shot a decade later at age 32 in 1884. He hit .208 in a seven-game audition, playing mostly first and a little center, and that was the last entry on his big league resume. Hautz returned to St. Louis and went on to a series of blue collar jobs. 

Lick Carlisle chuggin' (photo via Basebakk Hall of Fames)

• 1910 - Matthew “Lick” Carlisle was born in Wenonah, Alabama. After spending several seasons in the south playing SS for Montgomery, New Orleans, Birmingham and Memphis, Lick joined the Homestead Grays in 1935. A very good gloveman and dangerous base stealer, he mainly started and batted second for the Grays through 1943, then closed out his career with as a bench player, retiring after the 1946 campaign following a tour in the Navy. He remained in Pittsburgh until he passed away at age 62 in 1972. 
• 1925 - OF Jack Maguire was born in St. Louis. His early career started a bit late when he was in the service from 1943-45, but he returned to the Giants system and in 1950 made his big league debut. Unfortunately for him, the G-Men had another young OF’er coming up who bumped Maguire out of his slot: Willie Mays, who not only took his position but his number 24. He was waived in May of 1951, claimed by the Pirates, who kept him for a month as mainly a pinch runner and pinch hitter (he went one-for-five in nine games) and then released again, this time to the St. Louis Browns where he finished out a hectic year. St. Louis sent him to the minors in 1952 and he retired after the year, tiring of the travel and ready for some family time. He did drop one of the great baseball nicknames on an American Legion teammate of his after joining him & a pal at the movies. One of the shorts was a travelogue on India that showed its mystics, and they reminded him of his bud beside him, Lawrence, whom he dubbed “Yogi” Berra.
• 1928 - 3B Don Hoak was born in the Potter County town of Roulette. The Tiger played four years for the Pirates (1959-62), hitting .281 and was renowned for his scrappy play on the diamond, living up to his resume as an ex-boxer and Marine. After his playing days ended, Hoak was a Pirates' broadcaster for two years and managed a couple of seasons in the Pirate farm system; he was one of the final candidates for the 1970 skipper’s position that Danny Murtaugh won. 

Tiger 1962 Topps

• 1932 - Longtime owner and one of baseball’s early pathfinders, Barney Dreyfuss, died at 66, leaving Pirate ownership to his widow Florence and his son-in-law Bill Benswanger. Not only was he influential in Pittsburgh, building a solid franchise and a signature park, but he was also a sturdy rudder for baseball as it sailed some stormy seas in its early decades. In Dan Bonk’s Story of Forbes Field, it was noted that “Between 1895 and 1932, Dreyfuss was in the middle of every important decision facing professional baseball including syndication, contraction, league conflicts, the Federal League, schedules, and of course, the scandal arising out of the 1919 World Series.” 
• 1977 - RHP Javier Martinez was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Martinez was a third-round pick of the Cubs in 1994 who was claimed as a Rule 5 player in 1997 by the A’s; the Pirates bought him from Oakland and he lasted through the campaign, going 0-1/4.83 in 37 games. After two years in the minors, he couldn’t work his way back to the show and was released by Pittsburgh. His career in the states ended after the 2005 season which he spent tossing for an indie club.
• 1992 - The Pirates hired Ted Simmons as General Manager. He served in that position for only a year, retiring after suffering a heart attack in June 1993. He was under a lot of job-related stress, as ownership wanted to trim payroll, resulting in an antsy locker room as players such as Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Doug Drabek were lost to greener pastures. 

Steady Freddy 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter

• 2008 - 2B “Steady” Freddy Sanchez inked a two-year/$11M contract with an option for $8M in 2010. He lasted half way through it before being traded at the 2009 deadline to the Giants for RHP Tim Alderson. Sanchez played only one full season for the G-Men, the 2010 World Series campaign, as knee and shoulder injuries eroded his career. Alderson never cashed in as a Pirate prospect and has been out of baseball since the 2016 campaign, which was spent tossing indie ball.

2/4 Through the 1960s: Hans the Hooper; Hi Joe, Bye George; Roberto DD; HBD Sacman, Schoolboy, Possum & Lefty

• 1875 - OF Alfonzo “Lefty” Davis was born in Nashville. Between 1901-02, he went to the plate 675 times for the Pirates and hit .300 w/.399 OBP, scoring 139 runs in 146 games played while swiping 41 bases. Despite that production, he would only play two more big league seasons, spending most of his career toiling in the minors as both a player and manager. Lefty passed away on his birthday in 1919. 

Possum 1921 Exhibits

• 1890 - UT George “Possum” Whitted (he picked up his nicknamed because of his tales of backwoods possum hunting) was born in Durham, North Carolina. Possum played in Pittsburgh from 1919-21, hitting .286 while manning first, third and left field. He was at the back end of an 11-year career, and after one game for the Dodgers in 1922, his MLB days were done. His versatility was a big part of his longevity. Possum was the first rookie in history to start at every position except pitcher and catcher during a season, and over the course of his career started at least 39 times at every non-battery position. 
• 1902 - The Hans Wagner basketball team made its debut, defeating a five from McDonald by a 9-5 score. It was common for players to work or tour in some fashion during the off-season to augment their meager pays, wrote Max Bultman of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette (per Baseball Reference, The Flying Dutchman made just $138,500 during his 17-year career, topping out at $10K per season). Barnstorming was an especially popular practice for star players, who could trade in on their name for cash to carry them through the winter; the Pittsburgh Press of 2/5/1902 noted that pitcher Deacon Phillippe cancelled a trip to Virginia because he was too busy practicing for manager Fred Clarke’s hockey team. Wagner was an all-around athlete - Hans’ hoopsters were an off season tradition and Wagner himself helped coached basketball at Carnegie HS and Carnegie Tech during the off-season and his post-baseball years. 
• 1916 - RHP “Schoolboy” (he was a high school whiz on the mound, once striking out 25 opponents) Johnny Taylor was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Schoolboy began his pro career in the Negro/Latin Leagues in 1935 and joined the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1938, going 11-2. Like many on the team, he jumped to Mexico the following year and played there until 1942 when he entered the Army during WW2. He played ball sporadically after the war, tossing his last game in 1948. 
• 1927 - The Bucs claimed veteran 1B/OF Joe Harris for the waiver price from Washington, where he was made expendable by the acquisition of Tris Speaker even though Joe had hit .306. Harris, an Allegheny County native from Coulter on the Yough, was pleased with the deal, and the Bucs were, too. He started 116 games in Pittsburgh as a 36-year-old, hitting .326 in ‘27 and batting .391 in June of 1928 when he was flipped to the Brooklyn Robins for Charlie Hargreaves in what became the 37-year-old’s last of 10 MLB seasons.

Joe Harris 1927 (photo George Rinhart/Detroit Public Library)

• 1932 - The Pirates sold 31-year-old 2B George Grantham to the Reds. Grantham was the Bucco second sacker for the 1925 and 1927 World Series clubs and put up seven straight .300+ seasons for Pittsburgh, with a BA of .315 between 1925-31. The FO must have had a glimmer that his tank was running low; his .300 streak ended at Cincinnati (.294) while his Pirates replacement Tony Piet hit .282 and then .323 the following campaign. George became a sub for the Reds in 1933 and left the game following the next campaign. 
• 1962 - LHP Dan “Sacman” Plesac was born in Gary, Indiana. He tossed for Pittsburgh from 1995-96, somewhere in the middle of his 18-year career in the show, and slashed 10-9-14/3.86. He was part of the deal that brought Jose Silva, Craig Wilson and Abraham Nunez to the Pirates from Toronto after the 1996 campaign.
• 1962 - Roberto Clemente was given the Dapper Dan Man of the Year Award after hitting .351 in 1961 to claim the NL batting title, his first of four crowns. Ex-Pittsburgh mayor and then Pennsylvania governor David Lawrence presented Clemente with his plaque to a standing ovation from the 2,000+ fans packed into the room. The Great One gave a humble acceptance speech, saying that “This award belongs to the fans and my teammates as much as it does to me." Dick Stuart also was presented with a DD award after hitting .301 with 35 HR’s and 117 RBI’s.

2/4 From 1970: Danny, Arquimedes Sign; Bronson, Bo Go; Matt HoF; HBD Doug & Dennis

• 1970 - The Bucs sent noted bon vivant and so-so hurler Bo Belinsky to the Reds for RHP Dennis Ribant. Belinsky went 0-3 in eight games as a Pirate with a 4.58 ERA, and 1970 was his last MLB year; Ribant lasted a season for Pittsburgh, with a 9-8 record and a 4.08 ERA as a swingman before moving on to the AL where he was converted to the bullpen full-time. 

Dennis Konuszewski (photo Jeff Schrier/MLive.com)

• 1971 - RHP Dennis Konuszewski was born in Bridgeport, Michigan. Dennis was chosen in the seventh round of the 1992 draft out of the U of Michigan by the Pirates and got called up in August of 1995. He came very close to having an ERA of infinity - he faced five batters, four of them reached (he wasn’t smacked around so much as unlucky - a walk, two ground ball singles through the infield and a flare were the damage) and two scored, leaving him with a 54.00 ERA in 1/3 IP. He was sent down, with Jim Leyland telling Dennis he’d return (spoiler alert: Leyland fibbed). Konuszewski played from 1995-97 in the Pirates system, mostly at AA, and left baseball to become a sales rep and little league coach. 
• 1980 - LHP Doug Slaten was born in Venice, California. Slaten had spent four years in Arizona and two more in Washington before joining the Pirates in 2012 as a minor league free agent. The 32-year-old spent most of his time at Indianapolis, but was called to work 10 games for the Bucs and acquitted himself well with a 2.77 ERA in 10 outings. Still, he was released at the end of the year, ending his MLB career. He did provide a bright spot for the Tribe in AAA - In April, Doug collected the last three outs of a combined no-hitter started by Justin Wilson and carried on by Jose Diaz in the eighth. 
• 1996 - RHP Danny Darwin signed with the Pirates after a couple of dismal seasons at Boston, Toronto and Texas. He went 7-9 with a sparkling 3.02 ERA and was flipped at the deadline to Houston for reliever Rick Loiselle. Darwin was dubbed "Doctor Death" by Houston’s Nolan Ryan because Danny was always ready to rumble. He got into two famous bouts with teammates Orel Hershiser and Barry Bonds, though Bonds was just a raucous verbal altercation. 
• 2003 - The Red Sox claimed Bronson Arroyo off waivers from the Pirates. After three seasons and a 9-14/5.44 ERA for Pittsburgh, he worked an additional 15 years in the show, winning 100+ games while going 10 straight years with 32+ starts and tossing 200 or more IP in nine of those campaigns. After a stint with the Arizona D-Backs in 2014 after an eight-year run with Cincinnati, he returned to the Reds organization in 2017 after taking a nearly three-year big league hiatus due to TJ surgery and elbow issues. He officially retired in September, getting a guitar and rocking chair as parting gifts before the contest and then performing 40 minutes of Pearl Jam hits with his band, post-game. 

Arquimedes Caminero 2015 Topps

• 2015 - The Pirates purchased the contract of RHP Arquimedes Caminero from the Miami Marlins. The hard-throwing righty got into 112 games for the Pirates in 2015-16, slashing 6-3-1 (his only big league save)/3.58 with 23 holds, but his 1.66 WHIP got him sent to Seattle for a pair of minor leaguers during his second year. He finished out his MLB stay there, tossing in the Japanese and the Dominican Leagues since then. 
• 2015 - Ex-Bucco (and ex-just-about-everyone-else) 1B/OF Matt Stairs was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. He joined old Pirates C George “Mooney” Gibson and 1B Glenn “Rocky” Nelson, who was US-born but an All-Star for the minor league Montreal Royals and Toronto Maple Leafs, on the Great White North honor roll.

2/3: Plan B; Rip & Mike Sign; Angel No Angel; Billy, Martin, Roberto HoF; Willie DD; RIP Tom; HBD Joe & Freddie

• 1901 - Pirate utility man Tom O’Brien, who was born in Verona, died from pneumonia contracted while weak from typhoid, at the age of 27 (buyer beware - we’ve also seen the 4th and 9th cited as his final day). It’s said that the fatal combo was brought on by drinking seawater as a seasickness remedy while on a Cuban barnstorming trip. He was ready to claim a starting spot after consecutive strong seasons, and his untimely death left a void in the Buc lineup which was eventually filled by rookie Kitty Bransfield. 
• 1947 - RHP Joe Coleman was born in Boston, Massachusetts. It took Joe 15 years of big league pitching before he landed with the Bucs in 1979. Though just 32, the mileage on his arm showed as he went 0-2/6.10, after being called up from the minors in mid-July. Coleman appeared in his final major league game on September 24th as he didn’t make the cut for the postseason roster, then twirled for three more seasons in the PCL. Joe’s been a scout, coach and manager at the minor and major league levels for a variety of clubs since he hung up his mitt. He’s the middle man of an MLB baseball family - his dad Joe pitched in the forties & fifties while his son Casey tossed from 2010-14. 

Joe Coleman 1980 Topps

• 1949 - RHP Rip Sewell agreed to his 12th Bucco contract, signing for an undisclosed sum. The 41-year-old was coming off a 13-3/3.48 campaign, but 1949 would be his last hurrah, though it was successful - he went 6-1/3.91, with his ERA still around league average. He and the ol’ eephus pitch retired with 143-97/3.48 line, 137 complete games and 2,119-1/3 IP for the Pirates.
• 1961 - RHP Freddie Tolliver was born in Natchez, Mississippi. Tolliver worked 78 games in seven MLB years with his last big league stint as a Pirate in 1993 when he went 1-0/3.74 in 12 outings. Freddie truly lived out of a suitcase: he played for 10 different teams bouncing between the minors and the show from 1989-93; no wonder he called it a day after that season. 
• 1975 - The Special Veterans Committee selected 2B Billy Herman (Cubs, Dodgers, Braves and Pirates) for the Hall of Fame. He spent his final season in 1947 as a Bucco player/manager, getting into 15 games and hitting .213. Billy played 15 years, hit .304 and was considered the best defensive second sacker of his time. He was inducted into the Hall on August 18th. 
• 1977 - The Hall of Fame's Special Committee on the Negro Leagues selected Cuban star Martin Dihigo into the Hall, where he was inducted on August 8th. Dihigo, who at one time or another played every position on the field, was with the Homestead Grays from 1927-28 and is the only man who’s been selected to the Cuban, Mexican, and United States Baseball Halls of Fame.

• 1980 - Willie Stargell was given the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year honor for 1979. Cap’n Willie was the World Series MVP and NL’s co-MVP (with the Cards’ Keith Hernandez) in ‘79. It was his second DD award - he shared the 1971 honor with Danny Murtaugh and Roberto Clemente.
• 1982 - Minor league C Angel Rodriguez‚ 20, who played for the Pirates' Alexandria club (Carolina League), was suspended from organized baseball for one year for telling opposing Latino batters what pitches were coming, tipping them off in Spanish. Rodriguez had been suspended by the Pirates during an August 19th game against Lynchburg, and baseball added its punishment after investigators had obtained written statements from eight umpires and several managers. He returned in 1984, but never got past the AAA level. 
• 1999 - “Plan B” passed the Pennsylvania legislature, assuring state money to complete new stadiums in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, a process that began for Steel City leaders back in 1991. It locked in some team payback (one state aide said the deal was neither a grant nor a loan, but a “groan”) after suffering setbacks in both Harrisburg back rooms and Pittsburgh voting booths. As a result, the cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all TRS was replaced with PNC Park & Heinz Field, both of which opened in 2001. 
• 2001 - RHP Mike Lincoln joined the Pirates from the Twins after being released by Minnesota in the off season. The Bucs converted the starter to a bullpen role, and in three years with Pittsburgh (2001-03), he went 7-9-5 with a 3.50 ERA, closing briefly in 2003. He had a bruised shoulder in his last season, working just 36-⅓ IP, and was non-tendered after the campaign. Lincoln went to the Cards, but had TJ surgery during the 2004 season. It took four years for him to bounce back, but he did rally for three final campaigns with the Reds from 2008-10 before retiring. 

Mike Lincoln 2002 Upper Deck

• 2015 - The Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame inducted six new members, including Roberto Clemente. He joined other former Buccos Manny Mota, Tony Armas Sr., George Brunet, Juan Pizarro, Vicente Romo, and Luis Arroyo as members. The following year, ex-Bucco catcher Tony Pena was also inducted into the Hall.

Spring-On-The-Way Notes: Fringy Signings, Tenuous Tenure, Guys on the Move

Polar vortex to Pirate City...

• The Pirates senior player? It's now CF Starling Marte (as noted by the Trib's Chris Adamski), who debuted in late 2012 and then RF Gregory Polanco, who reached the show in 2014. That pair, along with Fran Cervelli and Jung-Ho Kang, are the only remaining holdovers from the 2015 playoff club. Clint's had more tenure from his coaches than players - Uncle Ray has been with him from the start, along with Heberto Andrade and Euclides Rojas in the bullpen. Banny left and returned as an operations advisor, joining Nick Leyva, who we believe is still bumping around the front office.

On top of the seniority list... (image via Pirates)

• RHP Brandon Maurer, a six-year MLB vet, signed a minor league/NRI deal with the Bucs. It's worth $1.5M at the MLB level w/$1.5M in extra incentives (based on appearances) and opt-out dates per MLB.com's Jon Heyman. The 28-year-old Padres' ex-closer is 3-15-36/5.89 in the past three years, although he has peripherally averaged a K per inning and posted a 4.24 FIP in that span. Oddly, he's only had one season that his ERA has outperformed his FIP, and it's not close - his FIP is usually at least a run lower than ERA. He is a converted starter, but doesn't look like a risk to leave the pen as he hasn't started a game at any level since 2014 and looks like a depth/reclamation addition. 
• Also signing a minor league contract w/NRI was OF JB Shuck, 31, who's played for five MLB teams in parts of six seasons, starting back in 2011, posting a .244 BA/73 OPS+ while manning all three pasture spots.The Pirates were busy, inking RHP Vicente Campos, 26, who had a cup of coffee w/Arizona, to a straight minor league deal. He once was a highly touted prospect who's been injury-bit but pitched well (and healthily) in the winter leagues. 
• Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that the Bucs aren't done checking the FA shelves, posting that the "...Pirates still looking at other OFs - Brandon Guyer, Cameron Maybin, etc. - on similar deals."
• Forget the Freddy Galvis for SS thing. The Blue Jays announced that they signed him on a one-year/$4M deal that includes a $5.5M club option for 2020 with a $1M buyout if not tendered.
• Oh, and LHP Wade Miley is off the boards, too - he went to the 'Stros on a one-year/$4.5M deal *sigh* 

Neil's got a new gig 2015 Elite

• The Marlins signed 2B Neil Walker, 33, to one-year/$2M contract. The Pittsburgh Kid had a strong year after he went to the Mets in 2016, a solid campaign in 2017, and is ISO a bounce-back after a pretty weak 2018 season.
• RHP Casey Sadler, who had signed a minor league deal with Tampa earlier in the year, got a camp invite this week. The 28-year-old, coming back from TJ surgery, worked at Indy last year (6-5/3.39) and had spent his nine-year pro career with the Pirates before heading south as a FA during the off season.
• OF Bryce Brentz is back home. The Pirates bought him from Boston last year before the Corey Dickerson deal; he was a late cut by the Bucs in camp and was claimed by the Mets. He got into 55 AAA games as he got hurt in May - his career has been a litany of ouchies - and NY let him go at the end of the year. The 30-year-old was just re-signed by the BoSox; sometimes you can go home again.
• LHP Zach Duke, 36, agreed to a deal with the Reds pending a physical. Another ex-Bucco lefty, Dan Runzler, who tossed eight times for the Bucs in 2017, signed a MiLB deal with the Red Sox after spending 2018 pitching in an indie league. He's also a bit on the gray side at 34, with parts of five big league seasons on his resume.
• Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on 2/13 and position players on 2/18 *yay*

2/2 Through the 1960’s: Contract Blues; NL Forms; Burleigh, Heinie, Schoolboy HoF; Blass DD MoY; HBD Big Bill, Fred, John, Manny & Pat

• 1876 - The National League was formed in New York City, replacing the old National Association. The Pirates were not among the original group and the franchise didn’t join the NL until 1886 when the Alleghenys bolted from the American Association, but they’ve settled in nicely since then. They’re presently sixth in all-time NL wins with 18 NL/Divisional pennants, seven World Series appearances and five Fall Classic titles. 

Big Bill 1909-11 Piedmont Cigarettes

• 1882 - 1B “Big Bill” Abstein was born in St. Louis. He was a Pirates backup in 1906 and returned as a starter in 1909, batting .258 for the Bucs and playing all seven games during Pittsburgh’s World Series win over Detroit. He closed out his brief career the following season with his hometown St Louis Browns. Bill was a two sport star; he also played soccer for a couple of St Louis clubs when he wasn’t swatting baseballs. 
• 1927 - LHP Fred Waters was born in Benton, Mississippi. He came to Pittsburgh in the Danny O’Connell blockbuster and tossed from 1955-56, going 2-2, 2.89 mainly from the pen. Fred was injured in winter ball and never made it back to the bigs, although he did spend 13 years toiling in the minors. He became a long-time coach and manager, primarily in the Twins organization. 
• 1951 - Eight Pirates rejected contracts offered by Bucco GM Branch Rickey - pitchers Cliff Chambers, Murry Dickson and Vic Lombardi; catchers Clyde McCullough and Ed FitzGerald, 1B Jack Phillips, IF Pete Castiglione and OF Wally Westbrook. They all settled before the season except for Lombardi, who had his salary offer cut by the 25% maximum allowed by the league, and instead signed with Hollywood of Pacific Coast League. He never earned another MLB job after finding a home in the PCL. Except for a stint with Toronto of the International League, he tossed on the coast through the 1959 season, retiring at age 36 after 17 pro campaigns.
• 1954 - LHP John Tudor was born in Schenectady, New York. He went 12-11/3.27 in his only Bucco season, 1984, with the team scoring two or fewer runs in nine of his losses. That December, the Bucs traded him & Brian Harper to the Cardinals for George Hendrick & minor-leaguer Steve Barnard. Tudor said of the deal “I’ll miss the parrot” and then went on to win 21 games for the Redbirds to lead them to the NL title and World Series in 1985.

John Tudor 1985 Fleer

• 1956 - RHP Manny Sarmiento was born in Cagua, Venezuela. The Bucs purchased the five-year vet from the Red Sox and Manny tossed a pair of strong campaigns in 1982-83, going 12-9-5 with a 3.25 ERA as a starter (he got 17 of his 22 MLB starts in 1982) and reliever (he was sent back full-time to the pen in 1983). He blew out his elbow during camp in 1984 and though only 28-years-old, he never pitched in the majors again. 
• 1962 - LHP Pat Clements was born in McCloud, California. He was in Pittsburgh early in his career from 1985-86, going 0-6-4/3.12. He then became a piece of the 1986 deal with the Yankees that landed Doug Drabek for the Pirates. He worked through the 1992 season for NY, San Diego and Baltimore as a bridge reliever. 
• 1964 - P Burleigh Grimes was selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee and was inducted on July 27th. The 270 game winner began, ended, and played some during the middle of his career with the Pirates. Also chosen was OF Heinie Manush, who spent his last two seasons (1938-39) in Pittsburgh, getting 25 at-bats. Heinie finished a 17-year MLB run with a lifetime average of .330, then managed in the minors, scouted, and coached. 
• 1969 - Steve Blass shared the Dapper Dan Award with Steelers running back Dick Hoak after they were tied with 25-1/2 votes each. Blass put together a line of 18-6/2.13 in his breakout campaign, becoming the ninth Pirate since 1943 to claim a piece of the DD. The annual awards dinner was held at the Hilton Hotel. 

Steve Blass 1968 Topps

• 1969 - RHP Waite "Schoolboy" Hoyt was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. He spent 4-1/2 seasons in Pittsburgh between 1933-37, going 35-31, topped by a 15-5 record in 1934. Schoolboy had a 21-year career, played on three World Series championship clubs and then retired to the broadcasting booth. He was inducted on July 28th.

2/2 From 1970: Dale Signs; Vested; Joel Lost; Freddie HoF; RIP Lenny & Ed; HBD Ronny & Lunchbox

• 1976 - The Special Veterans Committee selected OF Freddie Lindstrom to the Hall of Fame. He played two of his 13 big league campaigns for Pittsburgh, hitting .302 and driving in 147 runs. Freddie hit .311 over his big league days and was considered the top third baseman of his era until he broke his leg and had to move to the OF. He was inducted on August 9th.

Freddie Lindstrom 1933 DeLong

• 1982 - The Pirates lost Joel Skinner when the Chicago White Sox picked the catcher as compensation for relief pitcher Ed Farmer signing with the Phillies. It was an early and hare-brained system developed in the early days of free agency that was scrapped in 1985 after a five-year run. Teams could protect 26 players and the rest ended up in a compensation pool to replace lost players, so the Pirates didn’t participate but still lost a prospect. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt anything but Bucco depth as Joel, OF Bob Skinner’s son, ended up bouncing between the majors and minors with the Yankees and Indians until his retirement in 1994, making more of a name for himself as a minor league manager than big league player. 
• 1983 - SS Ronny Cedeno was born in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. He manned the spot for Pittsburgh from 2009-11, hitting a streaky .254 and never showing any consistency in the field, flashing the good, the bad & the ugly with both his stick and leather. He last played for the Phils in 2013 and is now in the Mexican League. 
• 1988 - OF Travis Snider was born in Kirkland, Washington. He came to the Bucs from Toronto in the 2012 Brad Lincoln deal. After sputtering for a couple of years, he had a solid 2014 season with 13 HR and a .264 BA, which earned him an offseason ticket to Baltimore for a pair of minor league prospects. Snider returned to the Bucs in August, 2015, was released after the year and signed with KC. He’s now with the Texas organization. He was known as “Lunchbox Hero” due to his team cookouts and hearty lunch grab-bags, always featuring his favorite, red meat. Earlier in his career, fans in Toronto also called Snider “Moonraker” because of the towering home runs he launched. 

Lenny Levy 1950 (photo Squirrel Hill News)

• 1993 - Len Levy, who did a little bit of everything for the Pirates outside of playing, passed away at age 79 in Palm Desert, California. A Pittsburgh kid who went to Taylor Allderdice HS, Len started with the Bucs as a ticket taker, bat boy, and briefly as a minor league catcher - he had been signed to a contract by Pie Traynor in 1936 - before joining the Marines. Five years of service as a leatherneck ended his big league dreams and he began farm club/bullpen coaching in 1947. He became a Pittsburgh-area scout from 1951-56, bird dogging Maz, Dick Groat and Frank Thomas, then became a Pirates coach from 1957-63. He ran an auto dealership on Forbes Avenue in Oakland for 30+ years and was inducted into the Western PA Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. 
• 1996 - The Pirates re-signed free agent IF Dale Sveum after he he had been rostered at AAA Calgary for the 1995 campaign. Dale again spent most of ‘96 at AAA Calgary, getting into just 12 games, but was back in the show for ‘97, appearing in 126 contests and batting .261 with a dozen dingers. He left after that, to return in 1999 for his last hurrah before beginning his coaching odyssey by managing at AA Altoona for a couple of seasons. 
• 2001 - The Pirates proved that everything old is new again when they modeled their new, PNC Park sleeveless tops, introducing them to the fans at Pirates Fest at the Carnegie Science Center. It was part of their “New Era of Baseball” promo and a nod to the old days of flannels; the Bucco singlet look began in 1957 and lasted until the final game at Forbes Field in 1970, before the TRS era ushered in a switchover to the new Bucco double knits. The vests lasted until 2009, with an additional season of sleeveless Sundays; now they make an appearance during an occasional throwback game. 

Sweeeeet! (image Heritage Sports Art)

•  2008 - Ump Ed Vargo died of heart failure at age 79 in his hometown of Butler. Ed was a minor league catcher who took to umpiring while in the service. After eight years of arbitrating in the bushes, he became an NL ump from 1960-1983, then umpire supervisor from 1984-1997. Vargo worked the first night World Series game in 1971, Sandy Koufax's perfecto, eight no-no’s, the last series at Forbes Field and the Polo Grounds, the game when Henry Aaron tied the Bambino’s HR mark, four All-Star Games, four NLCS’s, and four World Series. Ed was inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

2/1 Through the 1940’s: War Tax; HBD Rosey, Candy Jim, Jim & Jim, Dixie, Chuck & Bob

• 1884 - Pirate announcer Rosey Rowswell was born in Alton, Illinois and raised in Tarentum. In 1936, he joined WWSW as a Pirate broadcaster and remained there until his death in 1955. His last on-air partner was Bob Prince from 1948-54, who called Rowswell his mentor. Rosey was an unabashed homer, and known for his home run call of “Open the window, Aunt Minnie, here she comes” followed by the sound of shattering glass. He also coined the term “Buccos” and “FOB” (when the bases were loaded, they were Full Of Buccos). Roswell died in Pittsburgh in 1955 at the age of 71 and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery. 

Candy Jim "Salute to Columbus" series

• 1884 - 3B/manager “Candy Jim” Taylor was born in Anderson, South Carolina. Taylor spent three decades playing in the Negro Leagues and another three decades managing. He took the reins of the Homestead Grays from 1943-44 when their manager, Vic Harris, was working in the war industry. The Grays claimed the title and the Negro League World Series both seasons under Taylor. During his career, he played/coached for 25 different teams and became the winningest manager in Negro League history with 1,049 victories while batting .285 lifetime. Per “Forgotten Heroes” by Dr. Layton Revel & Luis Munoz, Taylor got his nickname of “Candy Jim” because he played third base as sweet as candy. 
• 1884 - RF Jim Kelly was born in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He didn’t have much a pro career, spending two of his three MLB seasons in Pittsburgh, batting .227 as a part-time Pirate in 1914 and .294 as a starting outfielder for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federation League the following year. He was a sly one - born Robert John Taggert, he used the name James Robert Kelly and trimmed six years off his age (he changed his B-Date to 1890) to muddy the fact that he was beginning his minor league career as a 27-year-old. 
• 1892 - RHP Oland “Dixie” McArthur was born in Vernon, Alabama (hence the nickname Dixie). His major league career consisted of one inning tossed for the Bucs in 1914. The 22-year-old did well, giving up just a hit with a whiff and no runs. He was a football star at Texas A&M before the Pirates signed him, and Dixie stayed with the organization for five years, pitching well in the minors but never making it back to the show. He moved on to the real world, where he was a success as an auto dealer and later in real estate before passing away at age 94. 
• 1918 - Baseball joined the war effort when a 10% tax was levied on its ticket sales, which was expected to raise $200,000 during the 1918 season. The tax was even imposed on homeowners who sold rooftop or treetop seats, and scalpers (if caught) had to pay 50% on any charge beyond face value. 

Chuck Churn 1957 (photo via Baseball Birthdays)

• 1930 - RHP Chuck Churn was born in Bridgetown, Virginia. The Pirates signed him in 1949 out of HS, and he was moving up in the system when the service called him during the Korean War. He came back, continued to impress and got a five-game audition with Pittsburgh, going 0-0, 4.32, as a 27-year-old rookie. From there, he played for four different organizations over the next two years after Boston claimed him in the Rule 5 draft, getting cups of coffee in the show with the Indians and Dodgers. He tossed in the minors for all or parts of 18 campaigns and retired after the 1967 season. His highlight big league moment came in 1959 with the Dodgers, when he defeated ElRoy Face and the Pirates 5-4 in relief for his last MLB win. It was the only loss of the year (18-1) for the Baron of the Bullpen, and ended his 22-game winning streak. 
• 1931 - LHP Bob Smith was born in Woodsville, New Hampshire. The journeyman worked out of the Pirate bullpen from 1957-59, where he went 8-19-1 with a 3.74 ERA in 75 appearances. Smith’s everyday name played havoc with him. While with the Boston system, a similarly built lefty of the same name was often confused with him, and the Sox had to revert to using initials to differentiate the pair. In Pittsburgh, he suffered a more embarrassing fate - Smith’s 1958 Topps card, he claims, has the picture of Cardinal outfielder Bobby Gene Smith rather than his, and he has never autographed that particular card because of the mix-up. 
• 1947 - RHP Jim McKee was born in Columbus, Ohio. Jim tossed briefly for the Pirates in 1972-73, going 1-1/4.17 in 17 outings. He was a life-long Bucco, selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 1969 draft out of Otterbein College (he was the first Cardinal baseball player ever drafted) and closed out his career in 1974 at AAA Charleston. He died at age 55, the victim of an auto wreck

2/1 From 1950: Cruz, Armas Signed; Gotay Traded; HBD Ernie, Jim, Cecilio & Stolmy

• 1955 - RHP Ernie Camacho was born in Salinas, California. He send 10 years in the show, stopping off in Pittsburgh early in his voyage in 1981 when the Bucs sent Bob Owchinko to Oakland to get him. He spent most of his time with AAA Portland, getting into seven Pirates games with an 0-1, 4.98 slash. He was swapped, along with SS Vance Law, to the Chicago White Sox for P Ross Baumgarten and minor-leaguer Butch Edge in April of the following campaign. Ernie was a guy the Bucs had wanted; they drafted him as a 14th round pick back in 1975 out of Hartnell College, but he didn’t sign with them and instead went to the Athletics in the first round the next year. 

Ernie Camacho (photo via Mainline Autographs)

• 1960 - RHP Cecilio Guante was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The righty was a bridge guy for Pittsburgh for five seasons (1982-86) and went 13-17-20/3.06 in that role before being traded to the Yankees as part of the Doug Drabek deal. Cecilio was a tough guy to miss on the mound - he had a big “G” (for Guante) covering the web of his glove. It was fitting, though - guante, in Spanish, translates as glove. 
• 1961 - Pitching wizard Jim Benedict was born in Burbank, California. After tossing in the KC system, he managed and coached in the college ranks. In 1990, he joined the Rangers, then from 1994-2000 was the minor league pitching coordinator for the Expos and Dodgers. Jim became a scout and Special Assistant to the GM for the Yankees for five years. In 2007-2008, he scouted for the Indians. In late 2008, he joined the Pirates as Special Assistant to the GM. He helped turn around the pitching and in 2015 was hired away by the Miami Marlins as the VP of pitching; now he’s with the Cubs. 
• 1965 - The Pirates traded IF Julio Gotay to the California Angels for CF Bob Perry. Gotay would go on to play for five more years as a backup infielder, mainly with Houston, batting .263, while Perry spent the next six years in the minors, suiting up for four organizations before hangin’ ’em up after the 1970 campaign at age 35. 
• 1990 - RHP Stolmy Pimentel was born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. He was a Buc from 2013-14, coming over from the Red Sox and going 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA. The old Sox Prospects scouting report on him held true: “Excellent overall stuff, but struggles with the consistency...” He was released, tossed briefly for Texas in 2015, and was out of MLB after a season in the Mets farm system/Mexico. He tossed some morer in the Latino leagues and was out of baseball after 2017. 

Tony Armas Jr. 2007 Upper Deck

• 2007 - The Pirates signed free agent RHP Tony Armas Jr., 28, for $3.5M, with a 2008 option for the same amount w/$500K buyout. He was the first MLB FA signing of the offseason for the Bucs. Hoped to be a veteran back-ender for a young staff, he instead started the season 0–3/8.92 and was dropped from the rotation. The Pirates got a 4-5, 6.03 line from him with just 97 IP and bought him out after the year. Tony tossed three times for the Mets in 2008, and that ended his MLB career after 10 seasons. 
• 2012 - 33-year-old RHP Juan Cruz agreed a $1.25M contract with the Pirates, earning a spot on the team as a non-roster invitee and finishing the campaign with a solid 1-1-3/2.78 line with 14 holds. But his 4.19 FIP, 1.626 WHIP and five walks per nine painted a clearer picture of his performance and he was released in late August to end his last season in the majors.