MLB
Top 5 Pirates Players of All-Time + Fan Rankings
Create your own all-time rankings of the top 5 greatest players in Pirates history from Roberto Clemente to Honus Wagner to Willie Stargell
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March 20, 2022 marks the 49th anniversary of Roberto Clemente becoming the first Latin-born player to be inducted into the HOF so it’s a great time to look at the top 5 greatest Pittsburgh Pirates players of all time with him topping the list.
Founded in 1882 as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, the team switched their name to the Pirates nearly a decade after their establishment. The Pirates have been pretty successful over the years, racking up nine NL Pennants and five World Series rings, their most recent in 1979, but have struggled during the 21st century with 0 NLCS appearances. Honorable mention includes: LF Barry Bonds, SS Arky Vaughan, CF Andrew McCutchen, & RF Paul Waner, with many fans hoping 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes joins this list as well one day.
Here are the top 5 greatest Pittsburgh Pirates Players of all time. Create your own rankings below!
– 15x All-Star, 1966 NL MVP, 2x WS Champ (1971 MVP)
– 12x Gold Glove (straight); 2x NL Hits & 4x NL AVG leader
– Most career TB (4,492) & Hits (3,000) in Pirates history
One of the greatest right fielders ever, Roberto Clemente had a rifle of an arm that could fully make the throw from right field to home plate on a rope. Coupled with his outstanding hitting, The Great One was one of the best to grace the Pittsburgh diamond and his legacy is cemented as the greatest humanitarian in baseball history.
Roberto Clemente’s HOF resume:
– 15x All-Star
– 12x Gold Glove
– 2x World Series Champ
– 1966 NL MVP
– 1971 WS MVP
– 3x MLB Batting Title, 1961 NL Title
– 1967 MLB Hits Leader, 1964 NL Leader
– #21 retired by #Pirates
– T-most Gold Gloves (12) by an OFpic.twitter.com/FnxMEs3msd— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) August 18, 2021
– MLB All-Time Team, 1909 World Series Champ
– 8x AVG, 5x RBI, 5x SB, & 6x SLG leader in the NL
– Most Runs (1,521), 3B (232), & PA (10,228) in Pirates history
No stranger to the leaderboards throughout his career, Honus Wagner was a hitting machine who could always be counted on to produce when it mattered most. Wagner hasn’t played in over 100 years but is still regarded as the greatest MLB SS ever.
Honus Wagner's HOF resume:
– 1909 World Series Champ
– 8x NL Batting Champ
– 5x NL RBI leader
– 5x NL SB leader
– MLB All-Time & All-Century team
– #33 retired by #Pirates
https://t.co/ETI4cdq49J— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 4, 2022
– 7x All-Star, 1979 NL/NLCS/WS MVP, 2x WS Champ
– 2x MLB HR, 1973 NL RBI (119), & 2x MLB OPS leader
– Most career HR (475) & RBI (1,540) in Pirates history
The first player to win the NL MVP, NLCS MVP, and World Series MVP in one season, Willie Stargell was a power-hitting menace at the plate, etching his name in the Pittsburgh history books.
– 5x All-Star, 6x MLB HR leader, 1951 MLB Runs (124) leader
– 3x MLB SLG leader; 2nd most HR (301) in Pirates history
– 1st & 2nd most single-season HR (54/51) in PIT history
Slamming the second-most career home runs is an extremely admirable feat, considering Ralph Kiner only spent a brief seven and a half years in the Steel City, averaging 42 home runs per season. Kiner’s power-hitting peak was among the best Pittsburgh had ever seen.
Ralph Kiner’s HOF resume:
– 6x All-Star
– 7x NL HR leader
– 5x finished top-10 MVP
– 3x MLB SLG leader
– 1949 NL RBI (127) leader
– 1951 MLB Runs, SLG, & OPS leader
– Only player to lead AL/NL in HR 7+ consecutive years
– #4 retired by #Piratespic.twitter.com/xSiqqkt3Gr— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 4, 2022
– 2x All-Star, 1925 WS Champ, #20 retired by Pirates
– T-4th most Hits (2,416) in Pittsburgh Pirates history
– 10 seasons with .300+ AVG, T-most seasons (7) of 100+ RBI
Pie Traynor was truly a powerhouse on both sides of the game, accumulating the fifth-most putouts (2,289) by any MLB third baseman and becoming the only player to steal home during an All-Star Game.
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