OnlyBucs

426463767F7364727A110 wrote: 19 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 19:



Max Butcher, Maurice Van Robays, Jimmy Bloodworth, Gene Mauch, Hugh Mulcahy, Jack Cassini, Bill Werle, Harry Fisher, Red Munger, Bob Friend, Pete Mikkelsen, Bruce Dal Canton, Joe Gibbon, Pedro Ramos, Jim Shellenback, Mudcat Grant, Jim Rooker, Rod Scurry, Terry Harper, Houston Jimenez, Gary Redus, Albert Hall, Wally Backman, Curtis Wilkerson, Dan Plesac, Emil Brown, Luis Sojo, Reggie Sanders, Ty Wigginton, Jose Bautista, Neil Walker, Ryan Church, Chris Snyder, Jeff Clement, Mike McKenry, Chris Stewart, Colin Moran, Daniel Vogelbach.



Best player to wear number 19: Bob Friend. Honorable mention: Max Butcher, Jim Rooker.


Bob Friend, one of the most durable, most dependable pitchers ever.

18 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 18:



Maurice Van Robays, Debs Garms, Paul Waner, Johnny Barrett, Hank Behrman, Al Gionfriddo, Eddie Bockman, Murry Dickson, Tom Saffell, Gus Bell, Dick Hall, Cal Abrams, Laurin Pepper, Jerry Lynch, Bobby Del Greco, Bill Virdon, Matty Alou, Vic Davalillo, Willie Randolph, Omar Moreno, Gene Tenace, Bob Walk, Andy Van Slyke, Jason Kendall, Masumi Kuwata, Steve Pearce, Jason Michaels, Craig Monroe, Jeff Salazar, Neil Walker, Pedro Florimon, Jonathon Niese, John Ryan Murphy, Ben Gamel.



Best player to wear number 18: Andy Van Slyke. Honorable mention: Bill Virdon, Matty Alou, Omar Moreno, Jason Kendall, Neil Walker.

Number 18 certainly had some notable performers.

567077626B6770666E050 wrote: 18 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 18:



Maurice Van Robays, Debs Garms, Paul Waner, Johnny Barrett, Hank Behrman, Al Gionfriddo, Eddie Bockman, Murry Dickson, Tom Saffell, Gus Bell, Dick Hall, Cal Abrams, Laurin Pepper, Jerry Lynch, Bobby Del Greco, Bill Virdon, Matty Alou, Vic Davalillo, Willie Randolph, Omar Moreno, Gene Tenace, Bob Walk, Andy Van Slyke, Jason Kendall, Masumi Kuwata, Steve Pearce, Jason Michaels, Craig Monroe, Jeff Salazar, Neil Walker, Pedro Florimon, Jonathon Niese, John Ryan Murphy, Ben Gamel.



Best player to wear number 18: Andy Van Slyke. Honorable mention: Bill Virdon, Matty Alou, Omar Moreno, Jason Kendall, Neil Walker.


Wow, quite a few really good players to wear that number. I’m surprised you left out Paul Waner, though.

Waner only wore the number one season.

062027323B3720363E550 wrote: Waner only wore the number one season.


I should’ve thought of that.

5F797E6B626E796F670C0 wrote: 18 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 18:



Maurice Van Robays, Debs Garms, Paul Waner, Johnny Barrett, Hank Behrman, Al Gionfriddo, Eddie Bockman, Murry Dickson, Tom Saffell, Gus Bell, Dick Hall, Cal Abrams, Laurin Pepper, Jerry Lynch, Bobby Del Greco, Bill Virdon, Matty Alou, Vic Davalillo, Willie Randolph, Omar Moreno, Gene Tenace, Bob Walk, Andy Van Slyke, Jason Kendall, Masumi Kuwata, Steve Pearce, Jason Michaels, Craig Monroe, Jeff Salazar, Neil Walker, Pedro Florimon, Jonathon Niese, John Ryan Murphy, Ben Gamel.



Best player to wear number 18: Andy Van Slyke. Honorable mention: Bill Virdon, Matty Alou, Omar Moreno, Jason Kendall, Neil Walker.
Tough choices there for the best player to wear 18. Looking solely at Baseball Reference stats, I would lean towards Kendall, but you couldn't go wrong with Van Slyke, Matty, or Moreno depending on your preference for the contrasting styles. What is interesting is that 4 of the players you selected all played center field!

173C2B245D0 wrote: 18 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 18:



Maurice Van Robays, Debs Garms, Paul Waner, Johnny Barrett, Hank Behrman, Al Gionfriddo, Eddie Bockman, Murry Dickson, Tom Saffell, Gus Bell, Dick Hall, Cal Abrams, Laurin Pepper, Jerry Lynch, Bobby Del Greco, Bill Virdon, Matty Alou, Vic Davalillo, Willie Randolph, Omar Moreno, Gene Tenace, Bob Walk, Andy Van Slyke, Jason Kendall, Masumi Kuwata, Steve Pearce, Jason Michaels, Craig Monroe, Jeff Salazar, Neil Walker, Pedro Florimon, Jonathon Niese, John Ryan Murphy, Ben Gamel.



Best player to wear number 18: Andy Van Slyke. Honorable mention: Bill Virdon, Matty Alou, Omar Moreno, Jason Kendall, Neil Walker.
Tough choices there for the best player to wear 18. Looking solely at Baseball Reference stats, I would lean towards Kendall, but you couldn't go wrong with Van Slyke, Matty, or Moreno depending on your preference for the contrasting styles. What is interesting is that 4 of the players you selected all played center field!
It came down to AVS and Kendall, so I went with Van Slyke based because he was a major contributor to a winning team. It could even be said the Pirates don't win without him. They turned a platoon guy into a border line HOF player.

17 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 17:



Johnny Dickshot, Fern Bell, Dick Lanahan, Maruice Van Robays, Vic Barnhart, Jim Russell, Ted Beard, Grady Wilson, Phil Masi, Marv Rackley, Bobby Rhawn, Tom Saffell, Brandy Davis, Carlos Bernier, Dick Hall, Hardy Peterson, Danny Kravitz, Red Swanson, Donn Clendenon, Dock Ellis, Phil Garner, Lee Lacy, Mike Brown, Trench Davis, Jerry Dybzinski, Scott Loucks, Bob Walk, Mackey Sasser, Charlie Hayes, Dale Sveum, Doug Strange, Joe Oliver, Emil Brown, Armando Rios, Medy Lopez, Bobby Hill, Sean Burnett, Eric Hacker, Pedro Alvarez, Drew Sutton, John McDonald, Gaby Sanchez, Pedro Florimon, Aramis Ramirez, Matt Joyce, Phil Gosselin, Austin Meadows, J.B. Shuck.



Best player to wear number 17: Dock Ellis. Honorable mention: Donn Clendenon, Lee Lacy, Bob Walk.

No offense.  Don't want to bang on Van Slyke.  Dave Parker's a borderline HOF.  Van Slyke, a little less so.  He was a fine player, not as good as that.  That's a stretch.  What % of votes has he received?



Conclusion seems legit to me, though.