OnlyBucs

26 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 26:



Howdy Groskloss, Pep Young, Oad Swigart, Joe Sullivan, Johnny Gee, Tommy O'Brian, Hank Gornicki, Elmer Singleton, Bill Koski, Clem Koshorek, Roy Face, Gail Henley, Mike Edwards, Jim Bibby, Amos Otis, Alfonso Pulido, Junior Ortiz, Neal Heaton, Steve Cook, Dennis Lamp, Jeff Robinson, Jason Phillips, Brian Smith, J.J. Davis, Chris Duffy, Joe Hernandez, Ronny Paulino, Dusty Brown, Rod Barajas, Felix Pie, Tony Sanchez, Adam Frazier, Cory Luebke, Josh VanMeter, Miguel Andujar.



Best player to wear number 26: Roy Face. Honorable mention: Jim Bibby.

I know it came out after midnight, twas busy yesterday.

55737461686473656D060 wrote: 26 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 26:



Howdy Groskloss, Pep Young, Oad Swigart, Joe Sullivan, Johnny Gee, Tommy O'Brian, Hank Gornicki, Elmer Singleton, Bill Koski, Clem Koshorek, Roy Face, Gail Henley, Mike Edwards, Jim Bibby, Amos Otis, Alfonso Pulido, Junior Ortiz, Neal Heaton, Steve Cook, Dennis Lamp, Jeff Robinson, Jason Phillips, Brian Smith, J.J. Davis, Chris Duffy, Joe Hernandez, Ronny Paulino, Dusty Brown, Rod Barajas, Felix Pie, Tony Sanchez, Adam Frazier, Cory Luebke, Josh VanMeter, Miguel Andujar.



Best player to wear number 26: Roy Face. Honorable mention: Jim Bibby.
One of my all-time favorites. Face should be in the HOF in my opinion.

Agreed.

25 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 25:



Bill Brubaker, Tommy Thevenow, Mace Brown, Nick Strincevinch, Harry Shuman, Joe Vitelli, Johnny Lanning, Ken Gables, Hugh Casey, Bill MacDonald, Bob Friend, Cal Hogue, Roman Mejias, Jack McMahan, Al Jackson, Coot Veal, Tommie Sisk, Bo Belinsky, Bob Robertson, Johnny Jeter, Bruce Kison, Pascual Perez, Jose DeLeon,  Bobby Bonilla, Kirk Gibson, Will Pennyfeather, Steve Pegues, Trey Beamon, Mark Smith, Ivan Cruz, Enrique Wilson, Luis Figueroa, Mendy Lopez, Sean Casey, Carlos Maldonado, Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche, Kevin Hart, Derrek Lee, Daniel McCutchen, Kyle Farnsworth, Gregory Polanco, Yoshi Tsutsugo.



Best player to wear number 25: Bobby Bonilla. Honorable mention: Bruce Kison.

Typed them in backwards at first. This was a tougher choice than it would appear. Bobby Bo certainly was a regular season beast, but Kison was a solid 4-1 with a 2.01 ERA in post season play for the Pirates, and was an instrumental part of two World Series winning teams and five division winning teams.



Bonilla had 53 PA for the Pirates in post season play, managing only 3 XBH, and 2 RBI.



Kison was a solid starter for the Pirates in 9 seasons going 81-63 with a 3.49 ERA.



But, in the end, Bobby Bonilla was a four time All Star, three time silver slugger, and finished in the MVP voting in 4 of his seasons, including coming in second and third in 1990 and 1991 respectively, for the Pirates.

614740555C50475159320 wrote: 25 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 25:



Bill Brubaker, Tommy Thevenow, Mace Brown, Nick Strincevinch, Harry Shuman, Joe Vitelli, Johnny Lanning, Ken Gables, Hugh Casey, Bill MacDonald, Bob Friend, Cal Hogue, Roman Mejias, Jack McMahan, Al Jackson, Coot Veal, Tommie Sisk, Bo Belinsky, Bob Robertson, Johnny Jeter, Bruce Kison, Pascual Perez, Jose DeLeon,  Bobby Bonilla, Kirk Gibson, Will Pennyfeather, Steve Pegues, Trey Beamon, Mark Smith, Ivan Cruz, Enrique Wilson, Luis Figueroa, Mendy Lopez, Sean Casey, Carlos Maldonado, Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche, Kevin Hart, Derrek Lee, Daniel McCutchen, Kyle Farnsworth, Gregory Polanco, Yoshi Tsutsugo.



Best player to wear number 25: Bobby Bonilla. Honorable mention: Bruce Kison.


Poor Adam LaRoche. Fans were expecting amazing things from him. Too bad it took him the first two months of each season to show up. He was exasperating, but not as much as Gregory Polanco. He drove me nuts more than any Pirates player ever, except for maybe Ronny Cedeno.

1F393E2B222E392F274C0 wrote: 26 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 26:



Howdy Groskloss, Pep Young, Oad Swigart, Joe Sullivan, Johnny Gee, Tommy O'Brian, Hank Gornicki, Elmer Singleton, Bill Koski, Clem Koshorek, Roy Face, Gail Henley, Mike Edwards, Jim Bibby, Amos Otis, Alfonso Pulido, Junior Ortiz, Neal Heaton, Steve Cook, Dennis Lamp, Jeff Robinson, Jason Phillips, Brian Smith, J.J. Davis, Chris Duffy, Joe Hernandez, Ronny Paulino, Dusty Brown, Rod Barajas, Felix Pie, Tony Sanchez, Adam Frazier, Cory Luebke, Josh VanMeter, Miguel Andujar.



Best player to wear number 26: Roy Face. Honorable mention: Jim Bibby.


Looking at Face’s stats is a good reminder of how pitching, especially in his case, has changed over the past 50 years. ElRoy averaged 95 innings each year from 1957 through 1962 when he was used almost exclusively as the closer. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to pitch two or more innings in a game. He did what he needed to do to help his team win that night’s game, tomorrow be damned. With the investment teams have in their players today, closers (if not most relievers) are pretty much one inning guys.

On Day 25, shouldn't Bob Friend at least get some mention? He was a standout pitcher on some bad teams (and in 1960).

44465C5A4C290 wrote: On Day 25, shouldn't Bob Friend at least get some mention? He was a standout pitcher on some bad teams (and in 1960).
I had an arbitrary requirement of a minimum of 4 seasons wearing a number. Check back when we get to 19