OnlyBucs

23 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 23:



Val Picinich, Bill Brubaker, Burleigh Grimes, Pep Rambert, Frank Kalin, Johnny Wyrostek, Arthur Cuccurullo, Frank Colman, Lou Tost, Mel Queen, Cliff Chambers, Paul Pettit, Jim Waugh, George O'Donnel, Laurin Pepper, Gene Baker, Harry Simpson, Joe Christopher, Cal Neeman, Johnny Logan, Julio Gotay, Steve Blass, Don Bosch, George Spriggs, Luke Walker, Ed Kirkpatrick, Grant Jackson, Tom Griffin, Randy Niemann, Steve Kemp, R.J. Reynolds, Bobby Bonilla, Lloyd McClendon, Robinzon Diaz, John Bowker, Matt Diaz, Travis Snider, Pedro Florimon, Steve Lombardozzi, David Freese, Mitch Keller.



Best player to wear number 23: Grant Jackson. Honorable mention: Luke Walker, R.J. Reynolds.

22 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 22:



Tony Piet, Earl Browne, cookie Lavagetto, Lee Hundley, Tommy Thevenow, Frankie Gustine, Red Juelich, Danny MacFayden, Lloyd Dietz, Hank Camelli, Nick Strincevich, Bill Werle, Murry Dickson, Ron Kline, Joe Gibbon, Woody Fryman, Gene Alley, George Brunet, Chuck Hartenstein, Orlando Pena, Mudcat Grant, Nelson Briles, Richie Zisk, Jerry Hairston, Bert Blyleven, Odell Jones, Lee Tunnell, John Cangelosi, Al Pedrique, Logan Easley, Dann Bilardello, Lloyd McClendon, Steve Buechele, John Wehner, Gary Varsho, Freddy Garcia, Jason Schmidt, Gary Matthews, Ryan Vogelsong, Xavier Nady, Andrew McCutchen.



Best player to wear number 22: Andrew McCutchen. Honorable mention: Richie Zisk.

I must say, there were some interesting 22's with Nick Strincevich, Murry Dickson, Ron Kline, and Joe Gibbon. They all had a good couple of seasons, and long careers with the Bucs, with a lot of innings and starts, and pretty good overall ERA's. Dickson even had MVP votes in a season he lost 21 games. So these guys were really on the bubble with me for HM nods, and would be interesting to read any thoughts about them.

0E282F3A333F283E365D0 wrote: 22 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 22:



Tony Piet, Earl Browne, cookie Lavagetto, Lee Hundley, Tommy Thevenow, Frankie Gustine, Red Juelich, Danny MacFayden, Lloyd Dietz, Hank Camelli, Nick Strincevich, Bill Werle, Murry Dickson, Ron Kline, Joe Gibbon, Woody Fryman, Gene Alley, George Brunet, Chuck Hartenstein, Orlando Pena, Mudcat Grant, Nelson Briles, Richie Zisk, Jerry Hairston, Bert Blyleven, Odell Jones, Lee Tunnell, John Cangelosi, Al Pedrique, Logan Easley, Dann Bilardello, Lloyd McClendon, Steve Buechele, John Wehner, Gary Varsho, Freddy Garcia, Jason Schmidt, Gary Matthews, Ryan Vogelsong, Xavier Nady, Andrew McCutchen.



Best player to wear number 22: Andrew McCutchen. Honorable mention: Richie Zisk.


Cookie Lavagetto, yet another great baseball name.

775156434A4651474F240 wrote: I must say, there were some interesting 22's with Nick Strincevich, Murry Dickson, Ron Kline, and Joe Gibbon. They all had a good couple of seasons, and long careers with the Bucs, with a lot of innings and starts, and pretty good overall ERA's. Dickson even had MVP votes in a season he lost 21 games. So these guys were really on the bubble with me for HM nods, and would be interesting to read any thoughts about them.


I’m most familiar with Kline and Gibbon, neither being above average, but who were acceptable in the bottom half of a rotation. I thought your choice for Zisk was a good one.

426463767F7364727A110 wrote: Dann Bilardello


Dann Bilardello is currently a coach with the Rocket City Trash Pandas (LAA's Double-A affiliate).



https://www.milb.com/news/dann-bilardel ... am-feature

3264726669736368657240676D61696C2E63000 wrote: I must say, there were some interesting 22's with Nick Strincevich, Murry Dickson, Ron Kline, and Joe Gibbon. They all had a good couple of seasons, and long careers with the Bucs, with a lot of innings and starts, and pretty good overall ERA's. Dickson even had MVP votes in a season he lost 21 games. So these guys were really on the bubble with me for HM nods, and would be interesting to read any thoughts about them.


I’m most familiar with Kline and Gibbon, neither being above average, but who were acceptable in the bottom half of a rotation.  I thought your choice for Zisk was a good one.


Gibbon had a very good season in 1961. 13 wins and led the full-time starters in ERA (3.03), strikeouts (145), shutouts (3) and best hits/IP rate (8.5) while walking only 2.6 per 9 IP. That year, he was 6th in the NL in ERA, 6th in WHIP, 5th in strikeouts per 9 IP, 3rd in shutouts and 10th in strikeouts.



Gibbon was an All-American basketball player at Mississippi. In 1956-57 he averaged 30 points per game, which was 2nd in the nation. Elgin Baylor was 3rd and Wilt Chamberlain was 4th. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics but chose to play baseball instead.

527F72636475622221100 wrote: I must say, there were some interesting 22's with Nick Strincevich, Murry Dickson, Ron Kline, and Joe Gibbon. They all had a good couple of seasons, and long careers with the Bucs, with a lot of innings and starts, and pretty good overall ERA's. Dickson even had MVP votes in a season he lost 21 games. So these guys were really on the bubble with me for HM nods, and would be interesting to read any thoughts about them.


I’m most familiar with Kline and Gibbon, neither being above average, but who were acceptable in the bottom half of a rotation.  I thought your choice for Zisk was a good one.


Gibbon had a very good season in 1961. 13 wins and led the full-time starters in ERA (3.03), strikeouts (145), shutouts (3) and best hits/IP rate (8.5) while walking only 2.6 per 9 IP. That year, he was 6th in the NL in ERA, 6th in WHIP, 5th in strikeouts per 9 IP, 3rd in shutouts and 10th in strikeouts.



Gibbon was an All-American basketball player at Mississippi. In 1956-57 he averaged 30 points per game, which was 2nd in the nation. Elgin Baylor was 3rd and Wilt Chamberlain was 4th. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics but chose to play baseball instead. 


I wonder if he ever regretted not signing with the Celtics with all the success they enjoyed during the years he would’ve played with them. If he would’ve been as good in the pros as he was in college, he may have had a Hall of Fame career.

21 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 21:



Arky Vaughan, Joe Bowman, Bill Clemensen, Wally Hebert, Fritz Ostermueller, Elmer Riddle, Gus Bell, Tom Saffell, Murry Dickson, Dino Restelli, Ted Beard, Ron Necciai, Paul Smith, Earl Smith, Roberto Clemente.



Best player to wear number 21: Roberto Clemente. Honorable mention: Arky Vaughan.

Two HOF players wearing the same number. Vaughan is a HOF player I don't hear talked about much in Bucs lore. I wonder if it's because he didn't play in a WS for the Bucs, and didn't have the nice round numbers like 3,000 hits. Looking at his stats, he was quite an all around player. Led the league at least once in walks, triples, OBP, slugging, OPS, stolen bases (with the Dodgers), runs, batting average. His 78 WAR is 70th all time in MLB. He was selected to the HOF by the Veteran's Committee in 1985. He barely cracked the balloting his first year of eligibility, with 0.4%, a number which would get you removed today. His best balloting number was his final year in 1968, only getting 29% of the vote. Three times his vote total went DOWN from the previous year vote.



Once again, we see a discrepancy between baseball almanac and baseball reference, as BA does not list Vaughan having worn number 3 or 5, but BR does. BA shows Vaughan to have worn 21 for 1940 and 1941, the years that BR has him having worn 3 and 5.



All in all, it's odd. He didn't play for bad teams, in his years with the Pirates, 1932-1941, they had only two losing seasons and finished second three times and third once. He had an All Star season as a Dodger towards the end of his career.



Glad I got the chance to get familiar with him.