11/13: Jack Hallett, A Quiet Threat, Starg Splits MVP, Bucs in Black & White, Charlie Morton...

Jack Hallett, A Quiet Threat, Starg Splits MVP, Bucs in Black & White, Charlie Morton...

• 1914 - RHP Jack Hallett was born in Toledo, Ohio. He tossed for the Bucs from 1942-43, and then after wartime service returned in 1946. Working mostly from the pen, Hallett went 6-10 with a 3.06 ERA for Pittsburgh. He was a solid stick, hitting .238 with one home run in 80 lifetime at-bats, and a perfect fielder, handling all 60 of his career chances flawlessly.
• 1956 - The Pirates announced that they would consider moving out of town if a new stadium wasn’t built to replace Forbes Field, the second oldest yard in baseball after Shibe Park in Philly. Buc VP and co-owner Tom Johnson said in the Pittsburgh Press that “What we need is a municipal stadium in Pittsburgh we both (Pirates & Steelers) can use. If we don’t get one, there’s a chance the Pirates will have to leave this city.” They got their wish, though it took some time. The political football was kicked around for years until Three Rivers Stadium opened in July of 1970.

Tom Johnson - attorney, Pirate VP, team co-owner

• 1979 - For the first time in MLB history, two players shared the MVP. The NL co-winners were Willie Stargell, who hit .281 with 32 HRs, and the Cards 1B Keith Hernandez, who led the NL in runs scored (116), doubles (48), and batting average (.344). With the win, the Pirates had taken (or shared) all four "MVP" awards for the season (All-Star Game, NLCS, World Series, and NL regular season) for the first award sweep in MLB history. Stargell took the honors for the NLCS, World Series, and NL regular season, while Dave Parker won the All-Star Game MVP.

Willie Stargell - Dick Perez art

• 2010 - Beat ‘Em, Bucs! The Byham Theater hosted a sneak preview of a 50-year-old B&W movie, copied from TV for owner Bing Crosby, of NBC's telecast of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series. Dick Groat and Bob Costas were the event hosts of The MLB Network production, later aired on TV and then made available on DVD. The Post Gazette’s Bob Hoover wrote “Fans hailed the eight members of the '60 team invited for the showing, clapped rhythmically to start rallies, reacted loudly every time Roberto Clemente appeared on the screen and leapt to their feet for the two clutch home runs in the eighth (Hal Smith) and ninth (you know who) innings.”

And yesterday's news:

• November 12, 1983 - Charlie Morton was born in Flemington, New Jersey. The promising righty came to Pittsburgh in 2009 as part of the Nate McLouth trade with Atlanta, and despite excellent stuff, has been in-and-out of the rotation ever since because of various injuries.

Charlie Morton - Dilip Vashwanat/Getty Images

11/11: Rabbit, Jake, Pie, Grilled Cheese & More...

Rabbit, Jake, Pie, Grilled Cheese & More...

• 1870 - RHP Charlie Hastings was born in Ironton, Ohio. Working mostly as a fourth starter in the days when two or three were the norm, he put up a 11-14 record with a 4.51 ERA between 1896-98. 
• 1891 - IF Walter “Rabbit” Maranville was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Hall of Famer spent four (1921-24) of his 23 big league seasons in Pittsburgh, hitting .283 during his stay. In 1922, he led the league with 746 PA and 672 AB, scoring 115 times. There are a couple of tales as to the origin of his nickname. One is that he earned it because of his big ears. He begged to differ, claiming that the daughter of a family friend came up with it after watching him bounce around like a rabbit on the field.

Rabbit Marnville 1924 Conlon Collection

• 1896: CF Jake Stenzel was traded along with bench players RHP Elmer Horton, OF Tom O'Brien and IF Harry Truby to the Baltimore Orioles for CF Steve Brodie and 3B Jim Donnelly. Stenzel, who had a .360 BA over five years with the Bucs, hit .353 with 116 RBI for the O’s in 1897. Brodie was released after 1-1/2 years in Pittsburgh and Donnelly only lasted one season. Brodie was re-signed by Baltimore after the Bucs let him go and hit .308 for them through 1899, and in a bit of karma replaced Stenzel, who was traded to the St. Louis Browns after his big 1897 season. 
• 1898 - Harold "Pie" Traynor was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. The Hall of Fame 3B played 17 seasons (1920-35, 1937) for the Pirates with a career .320 BA. He hit over .300 ten times, had over 100 RBI in a season seven times, and was considered the top third baseman of his era. The ensuing generations may remember him for his “Studio Wrestling” promos, when he touted American Heating with his “Who Can? Ameri-Can!” line. Traynor became a scout for the Pirates when his career ended (he held that post for the rest of his life) and hosted a radio program six days a week for 20 years on KQV called "The Pie Traynor Club" where he talked baseball with local kids. Pie passed away in 1972 and is buried in Homewood Cemetery. There are several stories involving his nickname. A couple revolve around his love of pie when he was a kid, and another because his round puss made him "pie-faced" - take your pick.

Pie Traynor Hall of Fame photo

• 1906 - Scout George Detore was born in Utica, New York. He served on Danny Murtaugh's MLB coaching staff during 1959 season, taking the place of Jimmy Dykes when he left the Pirates to become the manager of the Detroit Tigers. Detore joined Pittsburgh in 1950 as a minor league coach, then as a New York based scout/scouting supervisor, serving in that role from 1955–58, 60-63 and once again from in 69–86. 
• 1976 - RHP Jason Grilli was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. After signing with Pittsburgh as a minor league FA in 2011 out of the Phil’s system, the vet known as "Grilled Cheese" reinvented himself as a back-end reliever, serving as Joel Hanrahan’s set-up man before taking the closer reins in 2013 and winning an All-Star berth. In 2014, he was sent to Angels after putting up a 3-11-47 slash during his stint with the Bucs with a 3.01 ERA and 12.4 K per nine innings.

Jason Grilli - photo by Jeff Roberson of Associated Press

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

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

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

Deacon White 2012 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions series

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

Willie Stargell artwork by Cliff Spohn via Fine Art America

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

11/9: Billy Sunday, Nick Maddox, Johnny Gooch, Fred Brickell, Red Witt, Scott Sauerbeck...

Billy Sunday, Nick Maddox, Johnny Gooch, Fred Brickell, Red Witt, Scott Sauerbeck...

• 1862 - OF Billy Sunday was born in Ames, Iowa. Sunday spent three seasons (1888-90) with the Alleghenys before being traded for two players and $1,100 as an early salary dump because the team was broke. He was a flashy outfielder and speedster, supposedly the fastest player of his era, but hit just .243 for Pittsburgh. His true calling was as an evangelical preacher, and from the turn of the century until his death in 1935 he was renown for preaching non-denominational Christianity across the country. He used his reputation as a ballplayer to promote his tent revivals during his early years of spreading the Good Word. 

Billy Sunday 1886 Goodwin & Company

• 1886 - RHP Nick Maddox was born in Govanstown, Maryland. He tossed four years (1907-10) for Pittsburgh, his entire MLB career, with a 43-20/2.29 line. He threw a no-hitter as a rookie, won 23 games in 1908 and a World Series contest in 1909. Maddox won his first four starts, something no other Pirate would match until Gerrit Cole in 2013. He stayed in Pittsburgh after his brief career ended due to arm problems, raising nine kids in Millvale while holding down a job at the Fort Pitt Brewery. 
• 1897 - C Johnny Gooch was born in Smyrna, Tennessee. He caught eight years (1921-28) for the Pirates, hitting .286 in a part-time role and was part of the 1925 and 1927 World Series clubs. He was a Pirate pitching coach and scout from 1937-42 and a lifelong friend of Pie Traynor, who he had played with in the minors. 

Johnny Gooch American Caramel series, unknown date

• 1906 - OF Fred Brickell was born in Saffordville, Kansas. Brickell played for Pittsburgh from 1926-30, hitting .312 as a reserve outfielder. His son Fritz also played in the major leagues from 1958 to 1961. 
• 1931 - RHP George “Red” Witt was born in Long Beach, California. Red tossed for the Bucs from 1957-61, going 10-13/3.93 as a starter/long man, and worked three games in relief against the Yankees in the 1960 World Series without surrendering a run. Witt went 11-16 with a 4.32 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 66 career games after spending 1962 with Houston and the Los Angeles Angels.

Red Witt via the Laguna Beach Independent

• 1971 - LHP Scott Sauerbeck was born in Cincinnati. The lefty spent the first five years (1999-2003) of his MLB career with Pittsburgh after being selected as a Rule 5 pick from the Mets. He went 19-15-5/3.56 in his Pirate time.

11/8: Wally, T (For Two Sport) Rex & RoY Jay...

Wally, T (For Two Sport) Rex & RoY Jay...

• 1920 - 1B Wally Westlake was born in Gridley, California. He played 4-1/2 seasons for the Pirates (1947-51) and hit .281 with 97 HR in that span as an everyday player. Wally was an All-Star in 1951, a year he split between the Pirates and the Cardinals.

Wally Westlake 1947 Exhibits series

• 1937 - PH Rex Johnston was born in Colton, California. Rex only played briefly for the Bucs, going hitless in seven at-bats in 1964. In 1960, the former two-sport Southern Cal star played as a kick returner for the Steelers (he was behind John Henry Johnson & Tom “The Bomb” Tracy in the backfield) during the minor league off-season and thus became the only athlete to date who suited up for both the Bucs and the Steelers. He was also a teammate of Philly Hall of Fame GM Pat Gillick, who was a lefty pitcher when USC won the 1958 College World Series.
• 2004 - Jason Bay, who hit .282 with 26 HRs and 82 RBI, became the first Pirate (and Canadian) player to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Although he didn't begin his year until May while recovering from shoulder surgery, Jay led all NL rookies in slugging percentage (.550), extra base hits (54) and total bases (226).

Jason Bay 2006 Allen & Ginter's series

MiLB Free Agents - A Trip Down Bucco Memory Lane

Minor league free agent season is upon us, one of GW's favorite times of year. Not only do we get to see who the Bucs will pick from to stockpile at Indy - is there possibly another Mike Martinez in this class? - but a lot of guys who came through the system are still looking for that green pasture, some who even pre-date Frank Coonelly and company. (guys in italics actually appeared for the Pirates):

RHP: Tim Alderson, John Axford, Jeff Bennett, Chris Bootcheck, Jake Brigham, Matt Capps, Mike Colla, Emanuel DeLeon, Jeanmar Gomez, Kenn Kasparek, Logan Kensing, Josh Kinney, Brad Lincoln, Kyle McPherson, Daniel McCutchen, Evan Meek, Quinton Miller, Wirfin Obispo, Ryan Reid, Virgil Vasquez, Josh Wall.

LHP: Brian Burres, Dana Eveland, Rudy Owens, Raphael Perez, Jhonathan Ramos, Daniel Schlereth, Donnie Veal, Adam Wilk.

C: Nevin Ashley, Dusty Brown, Luke Carlin, Francisco Diaz, Robinzon Diaz, Hector Gimenez, Ralph Henriquez, Brian Jeroloman, Steve Lerud, Lucas May, Carlos Paulino, Rudy Pena, Miguel Perez, Omir Santos, Ali Solis.

1B: Jamie Romak, Stefan Welch.

2B: Robert Andino, Ray Chang, Blake Davis, Ivan DeJesus Jr, Tommy Field, Benji Gonzalez, Greg Picart.

SS: Dean Anna, Brian Bixler, Brian Bocock, Chase d'Arnaud, Argenis Diaz, Brent Lillibridge, Ray Olmedo.

3B: Jarek Cunningham, Jared Goedert, Andy LaRoche

OF: Brandon Boggs, Miles Durham, Quincy Latimore, Austin McClune, Anthony Norman, Andy Vasquez.

Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the full list of minor league free agents at this link.

11/7: Ed Mensor, Bill Brubaker, Don't Boo Stu, Todd Ritchie, Kris Benson...

Ed Mensor, Bill Brubaker, Don't Boo Stu, Todd Ritchie, Kris Benson...

• 1885 - OF Ed Mensor was born in Woodville, Oregon. He played three years for Pittsburgh (1912-14) and hit .221 from the bench. Baseball players weren’t exactly noted for politically correctness back in the day; the 5’6” Mensor’s nickname was “The Midget.” 

Ed Mensor - 1913 Brain News Service photo via Library of Congress

• 1910 - 3B Bill Brubaker was born in Cleveland. He played nine years for the Bucs, from 1932-40, and batted .264 as a Pirate, earning most of his starts in 1936-37. After a couple of years in the service, he ended his career in 1943 with the Boston Braves. 
• 1932 -1B Dick Stuart was born in San Francisco. “Dr. Strangeglove” played in Pittsburgh from 1958-62, hitting .273 with 117 bombs as a Bucco, and was a 1961 All-Star after losing 35 baseballs. The slugger’s inability to field was legendary; he was once hit in the back when Roberto Clemente threw behind a runner, and received an ovation for spearing a hot dog wrapper blowing past him at Forbes Field. He led the league in errors a record seven years in a row (1958-64), drove a car with the license plate "E3" and his 29 errors at first base in 1963 remain the major-league record for the position. But oddly enough, he was the first first baseman to record three assists in one inning; go figure. Stu also mashed 66 home runs for the Lincoln club of the Class A Western League in 1956, so his glove wasn’t the main reason he got a paycheck.

Dick Stuart - 1959 Home Run Derby series

• 1971 - RHP Todd Ritchie was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Ritchie went 35-32/4.29 for the Bucs from 1999-2001, winning 15 games in ‘99. In 2001’s off season, he was traded to the White Sox for Kip Wells, Josh Fogg and Sean Lowe.
• 1974 - RHP Kris Benson was born in Kennesaw, Georgia. The first overall selection of the 1996 draft, the Clemson grad pitched for the Pirates from 1999-2004 (missing 2001 after TJ surgery) with a line of 43-49/4.26. His off-the-field antics with wife Anna were sports page fodder throughout his career.

Kris Benson - 2001 Fleer Tradition series

11/6: Tommy Thevenow, Branch Rickey, Candy Man, Adam LaRoche...

Tommy Thevenow, Branch Rickey, Candy Man, Adam LaRoche...

• 1930 - SS Dick Bartell was traded away by the Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies for SS Tommy Thevenow and P Claude Willoughby. Thevenow spent six season with the Bucs and hit .251 while Willoughby went 0-2 for Pittsburgh in his final MLB season. Bartell played 14 more seasons and ended up with a .281 lifetime BA. But the seemingly one-sided swap of SS’s worked out OK - Thevenow hurt his leg in 1931, and in 1932 was replaced by Hall-of-Famer Arky Vaughan. A Tommy Thevenow factoid: he didn't homer in his final 3,347 at-bats, the most consecutive at bats without a home run in MLB history. 

Tommy Thevenow from The Sporting News Conlon Collection

• 1950 - Branch Rickey signed a five-year contract with the Pirates to become the team executive vice president/GM, replacing Roy Hamey. His son, Branch Jr., assumed the post of Pittsburgh's VP and farm system director. 
• 1953 - LHP John Candelaria was born in New York. The Bucs selected the LaSalle Academy (Brooklyn) star in the second round of the 1972 draft. In 12 years (1975-85, 1993) with the Pirates, his line was 124-87-16/3.17, with a 1-1, 3.91 ERA mark in his four post-season starts. The Candy Man earned one All-Star nod in his 19 year MLB career.
•  1979 - 1B Adam LaRoche was born in Orange County, California. He played for the Bucs from 2007-09, hitting .265 with 58 HR. During his last Pirate season, he got to play with his brother Andy and also became the first player in major league history to have a home run taken away through the use of video replay. 

Andy (back turned) & Adam LaRoche - Gene Pukar Associated Press

11/5: Lefty, Manny-for-Chuck, Syd, Hot Rod, John Russell Hired, Frankie Wins Comeback Award...

Lefty, Manny-for-Chuck, Syd, Hot Rod, John Russell Hired, Frankie Wins Comeback Award...

• 1908 - LHP Ralph “Lefty” Birkofer was born in Cincinnati. Lefty worked for the Bucs from 1933-36 and went 31-26-2/4.04, splitting time between starting and the pen. 

Ralph "Lefty" Birkofer via Out of the Park Developments

• 1976 - The Pirates sent catcher Manny Sanguillen and $100,000 to Oakland to land manager Chuck Tanner. It was the second player-for-skipper deal in MLB history (excluding player/managers), the first occurring in 1967 when the Mets sent RHP Bill Denehy and cash to the Washington Senators in exchange for manager Gil Hodges. 
• 1985 - The Pirates hired Syd Thrift as their GM, replacing Harding Peterson. Syd only lasted until 1988 after a contentious relationship with the owners, but laid the groundwork for the powerhouse early-ninety clubs. Thrift traded for Doug Drabek, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke and Mike LaValliere, then hired Jim Leyland to stir the pot. 

Syd Thrift - Associated Press photo

• 1992 - Rod Scurry, one of the main figures of the infamous Coke trials in Pittsburgh during the eighties, died of a heart attack in Reno, Nevada. He was 36 years old. Scurry pitched for the Bucs from 1980-85, going 17-28-34 with a 3.15 ERA. 
• 2007 - The Pirates named third base coach John Russell as manager, replacing Jim Tracy. The Bucs' new skipper was the 2006 International League Manager of the Year at Scranton, but was never given much to work with in Pittsburgh. In 2010, he was fired as the Pirates manager after a 105 loss season and an overall record of 186-299, replaced by Clint Hurdle. 

John Russell - Jared Wickersham.Getty Images photo

• 2013 - LHP Francisco Liriano was named the Baseball Writer’s “Comeback Player of the Year,” the second time he took that 2013 honor, having earlier won the same recognition from The Sporting News after a 16-8, 3.02 ERA, 9.1K/game campaign.

Qualifiers For Russ, Frankie

The Pirates made qualifying offers of $15.3M to their top two FA's, Russ Martin and Frankie Liriano, the first time that the club has ever made qualifying offers since the this version of free agent roulette began in 2012.

First, a quick QO primer: teams can offer their free agents the average salary of the top 125 contracts in baseball ($15.3M this year); their FA's have a week to accept the salary for one year or try the market. So far, all have elected to enter the marketplace. If they refuse, their original team gets a sandwich pick between the first and second round of the draft if their FA signs elsewhere.

The cost of signing a guy who rejected his QO is a first round pick (the first 11 spots are protected to give struggling teams an advantage in the market; those clubs lose a second round pick). And that pick sometimes counts: while QO's have been offered 22 times prior to this season and never been accepted, the addendum that's often forgotten is that five of those players ended up returning to their original team largely due to that draft pick being a deal-buster and others like Kyle Lohse and Kendrys Morales were hung out to dry by the process.

In Russ' case, the QO was a no-brainer. He's looking at up to $15M per yseason on a multi year deal on the market; he's not only an elite catcher, but coming out in a year that's thin for catching. If the Pirates don't get him to ink a deal, and it sure looks like they won't, at least they'll get a sandwich pick as a parting gift.

Francisco is an entirely different situation. His QO is, like Martin's, about the right value. But he's had injury an consistency problems that may make teams leery of singing him over a long term, the loss of a draft pick may scare away a couple more clubs, and so Frankie may be looking at a limited market. The Bucs have three potential outcomes with Liriano.

He accepts, in which case the team has a guy who slots into the upper rather than back end of their rotation at roughly market value for one year, which should fill in the gap before Jameson Taillon and company arrive. He doesn't accept and signs elsewhere, in which case the Pirates get a sandwich pick. Or he turns down the QO to check out the market, and returns to the Bucco fold with a contract that could be configured in several ways. Liriano could easily choose any of the three routes as a solid but not elite player; the Lohse syndrome could come into play for a Liriano-type talent.

It will be interesting, at least in Francisco's case, but the Pirates chose wisely to make him an offer; the FO set up what is pretty much a win-win situation in his situation.