Sam Leever played the entirety of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team he first joined in 1898.

After playing five Games in 1898, at age 27, Leever had a good rookie year in 1899, leading the NL in Games Pitched (51) and Innings Pitched (379), though he had a losing record (21-23) and had a 3.18 ERA.  Leever never had a season where he pitched over 300 Innings again, and he was far more effective, never having an ERA over three and winning the ERA Title in 1903.  He had four 20-Win seasons, winning 194 Games against only 100 Losses, an excellent record even if you don’t hold a Pitcher’s winning percentage in high regard.

Although he did not pitch in the Series, he was a member of the Pirates team that won it all in 1908, their first championship.  Leever retired after the 1910 season with 847 Strikeouts and a 2.47 ERA and is one of the most forgotten stars in Pirates history.

Fred Clarke was one among the herd of players who was traded from the Louisville Cardinals to Pittsburgh at the turn of the century, but unlike the others, Clarke was brought in to serve as both a player and Manager.

Clarke was Pittsburgh's starting Leftfielder for the first 12 years, and he provided 1,638 Hits with a .299 Batting Average with 261 Stolen Bases.  His best season as a player was 1903, where Clarke led the NL in Doubles (32), Slugging Percentage (.532), and OPS (.946), with a career-high .351 Batting Average.  Clarke would lead the Pirates to their first World Series Championship in 1909, the same season he also topped the NL in Walks (80).

After the 1911 Season, Clarke rarely played but stayed on as their Manager until 1915.

He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Old Timers Committee in 1945.

With the nickname of "The Cobra" and a look that screamed, "badass," Dave Parker was one of the most popular baseball players of the late 70s and early 80s, and that was not just in Pittsburgh.

Parker debuted in 1973 and was the Pirates starting Rightfielder two years later, with his first 20 HR, 100 RBI, .300 year. Parker was third in MVP voting that season and was third again in 1977, where he won the Gold Glove and won the Batting Title (.338), led the NL in Hits (215) and Doubles (44).  He won his second Batting Title (.334) and Slugging Title in 1978 (.585), captured a second Gold Glove, and won the coveted MVP.  As good as this was, there were more peaks to come.

The Cobra helped lead the Pirates to a World Series win in 1979, with Parker delivering another All-Star and Gold Glove year.  While Parker was voted into the All-Star Game the next two years, the bloom was off the rose.  He was beset by injuries, weight problems, but mostly excessive cocaine use, which cost him Games as well as Hits.  Parker arguably did not have a great year as a Pirate in the 1980s.

Parker signed with the Reds as a Free Agent with Cincinnati before the 1984 Season, and he had an up-and-down career after that, often brilliant, and often disappointing.  With the Pirates, he had 1,479 Hits, 166 Home Runs, 758 RBIs, and a Slash Line of .305/.353/.494, though the common belief is that he should have had more.

In 2025, Parker received the long-awaited call and was chosen by the Veteran's Committee for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Andrew McCutchen was a former First Round Pick (11h Overall in 2005), and four years later, after tearing it up at every Minor League level, he took over in Centerfield for the Pirates.

McCutchen finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, and two years later, he went to the first of five consecutive All-Star Games.  Growing into the top Centerfielders in the National League, McCutchen showed power, with seven straight 20-Home Run years, speed with five consecutive 20-Stolen Base seasons, and he hit over .300 three times, including winning an On Base Percentage in 2014 (.410). 

A four-time Silver Slugger, McCutchen had four top-five finishes in MVP voting and won the MVP in 2013 when he had a 24-HR year with a Slash Line of .314/.404/.508.  

McCutchen's stats slipped after 2015, but he was still a very good player and the heart and soul of the Pirates.  Fans were stunned when he was traded to San Francisco before the 2018 Season, ending the popular player's stay in Pittsburgh, at least for a while.  The Pirates brought McCutchen back as a veteran in 2023, where he remains today, adding to his legacy.  

Bob Friend played most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951-63), where he quietly had one of the better decades of the National League's Pitchers.

Friend cracked the Majors in 1951, but it was not until 1955 where he proved himself as a bona fide Starting Pitcher.  While his record was only 14-9, he led the NL in ERA (2.83) and bWAR for Pitchers (6.0).  Over the next three seasons, Friend was a workhorse leasing the league in Games Started in the first three years and Innings Pitched in the first two.  The three-time All-Star had his most decorated season in 1958, where he led the NL in Wins (22) and finished third for the Cy Young and sixth for the MVP.  Two years later, Friend was a large part of the Pirates surprise World Series win over the New York Yankees.

Friend played for Pittsburgh until 1965, and he had quick stops with both New York teams before retiring after 1966.  He would have a losing record of 197-230 but was still highly regarded.

Despite his accomplishments, Friend was left off the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot when he was first eligible in 1972.

Barry Bonds might be one of the most controversial figures in baseball, but other than attitude, that wasn’t the story when he was a Pittsburgh Pirate.

A First Round Pick (Sixth Overall) in 1985, Barry Bonds had the pedigree of a superstar, as the son of Bobby Bonds. Bonds made it to the Pirates the following year, and began 1987 as a starter in Left.  It was evident to anyone watching the Pirates that Bonds was a rare five-tool player, though it was equally apparent that he could be a handful for those who had to deal with him.

Bonds had good years from '87 to '89, but they underwhelmed compared to what was expected of him.  This changed in 1990 when he finally made his first All-Star Game, led the NL in Slugging (.565), OPS (.970), and won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.  Bonds also won his first MVP and took the Pirates to the NLCS, a pattern that he repeated over the next two years.

The star had another great year in 1991, leading the NL in OBP (.410), with 25 Home Runs and 116 RBI, and was the runner-up for the MVP.  Bonds followed that with his best season in Western Pennsylvania, securing a second MVP with 34 HR, 103 RBI, and a league-leading 127 Walks.  Bonds also was first in the NL in OBP (.456), Slugging (.624), and OPS (1.080).  The awards continued with a third Gold Glove and third Silver Slugger.  

As great as he was, the Pirates fans and media were not enamored with Bonds, and with impending free agency, it was expected that the slugger would leave small-market Pittsburgh.

Bonds signed with San Francisco in1993, and he became the most feared offensive player, perhaps ever.  Over his tenure in Pittsburgh, Bonds smacked 176 Home Runs, 556 RBI, with a Slash Line of .275/.380/.503.  As of this writing, Bonds is the only two-time MVP in franchise history.

Max Carey made his Major League debut with the Pirates for a pair of Games in 1910, and while they did not know it then, they acquired the best base stealer in franchise history.

Carey played in the Outfield, where he would have likely won a few Gold Gloves had they existed when he played.  Carey was not a power hitter but was a competent contact hitter, who batted over .300 six times, was a two-time leader in Walks, and collected 2,665 Hits over his career, most of which as a Pirate.  Once Carey got on base, that was where the real magic began.

In 1913, Carey led the NL in Stolen Bases (61), and he would lead the league in this fleet-footed metric nine other times. Carey swiped 688 bags as a Pirate, which as of this writing, is a team record.  In his last full year in Pittsburgh, Carey led Pittsburgh to a World Series win, though he was released during the following year following a conflict with management.

Carey was chosen by the Veterans Committee in 1961 for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A Pittsburgh Pirate throughout his entire MLB career, Pie Traynor is one of the names that come up when discussing the best Third Baseman of the first half of the 1900s.

Traynor played a handful of games for Pittsburgh in 1920 and 1921, and from 1922 to 1935, he was their starting Third Baseman.  Traynor did not hit a lot of Home Runs (58), but he hit in the clutch, exceeding 100 RBIs six times.  He never won a Batting Title but was often in the hunt, finishing over .300 ten times, and he concluded his career with a lifetime .320 Batting Average and 2,416 Hits.  He also was in the top ten in MVP voting seven times.  The most important thing that Traynor did was take the Pirates to a World Series win in 1925.

This rank might seem a little low, but his advanced metrics are lower than you would expect, and he had minimal power. Subsequently, the Pirates have had many Hall of Famers.

Traynor was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1948, and his number 20 was retired by the team in 1972.

Of all of the phenomenal Home Run hitters that the game of Baseball has seen, only one of them led their league in going deep seven times in a row.  That man is Ralph Kiner.

Kiner won his first Home Run crown as a rookie in 1946, albeit with only 23, but he also led the NL in Strikeouts (109) and had a Slugging Percentage of .430, which is not exactly a number befit for a Home Run titlist.  As weird as it is to say, the numbers of the 1946 National League HR winner were an aberration and not a pattern.

Kiner won the HR crown with numbers over at least 40 in the next five wins, with two of them exceeding the magical 50 plateaux.  The Leftfielder brought his Strikeouts down and increased his free passes, with three .400 OBP years and a league-lead in 1951 (.452).  Kiner also won three Slugging Titles, three OPS Titles, led the NL in Walks three times, and from 1947 to 1951, and he finished in the top ten in MVP votes.

As good as Kiner was, the rest of the team was average or mediocre.  Only once during the Kiner's time in Pittsburgh did they have a winning record, and for the most part, they were basement dwellers.  There were salary disputes between Kiner and Pirates GM Branch Rickey, who allegedly told Kiner, "We finished last with you; we can finish last without you."  Whether or not that was true, Rickey traded Kiner in a ten-player trade to the Cubs, though Kiner's career fell off quickly due to back problems, and he was out of baseball after 1955.

With the Pirates, Kiner smacked 301 Home Runs, 801 RBIs and had a Slash Line of .280/.405/.567.

Kiner would become a very successful broadcaster, and in 1975, on his 13^th year on the ballot, he entered the Baseball Hall of Fame.  The team would also retire his number 4 in 1987.

Playing all but one game of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Babe Adams was one of the best control Pitchers of his day.

Adams played in one game for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1906, and his contract would be traded to the Pirates shortly after.  1909 was the year he stuck, and in that year's World Series, he was their shining star, where he won three Games, posting a 1.33 ERA and a 0.889 WHIP.   

Over the next few years, Adams was a high-end starter for the Pirates, and he would lead the NL in WHIP in 1911 and 1914, and he was a 20 game-winner in both 1911 and 1913.  Sadly for Adams, shoulder trouble resulted in a subpar 1916 season, and he spent 1917 in the minors and most of 1918.  It looked like it was over for Adams, but he got healthy and had there been a Comeback Player of the Year Award, he likely would have won it (although the players coming back from World War I might have had something to say about that). 

From 1919 to 1921, he led the National League in WHIP, and from '19 to '22, he was the first place finisher in BB/9 and SO/BB.  Adams would also lead the NL in FIP four times in his career.  

His play fell off by 1924, but he was in his 40s by this time.  Adams did play in the 1925 World Series, and although he did not play much, he was a member of that championship team, making him the only player on both Pittsburgh's 1909 and 1925 World Series Titles.  His last season was 1926, and he retired with a record of 194-139 and a WHIP of 1.090.

Willie Stargell was a Pittsburgh Pirate for all 21 of his Major League seasons, and he lived up to the first four letters of his last name.

Signing in 1958 and debuting for Pittsburgh in 1962, Stargell became a starter in Leftfield in 1964, and he was a fixture in the Pirates starting lineup over the next 16 years.  A seven-time All-Star, Stargell was blessed with a phenomenal power game, blasting 475 Home Runs over his career, and was a two-time National League leader twice (1971 & 1973) in both of those years, he was the runner-up for the MVP.  Stargell was a massive component of the Pirates 1971 Championship, but what he did later on in his career would become his opus.

In the late 70s, the Pirates had their pillbox-style baseball cap, and Stargell, the team captain, began awarding stars on the cap following an outstanding performance.  In 1979, Stargell was the co-MVP (with Keith Hernandez), and under his guidance, the team adopted Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” as the team anthem.  The Pirates won the World Series that year, with Stargell leading the way, winning the NLCS MVP and World Series MVP, making him the first player to win those three MVPs in the same season.  His body broke down afterward, and he retired after the 1982 season but remains one of the most beloved players in Pittsburgh history, and the Pirates retired his number 8 immediately.

Stargell’s 475 Home Runs and 1,540 RBIs remain team records, and he entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.  

Arky Vaughan played the bulk and best of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team he debuted in the Majors for in 1932 as a backup Shortstop.

Vaughan took over for good as their starter the following year, leading the NL in Triples (19), and in 1934, he began a nine-year run (eight in Pittsburgh) of All-Star Game appearances.  The infielder had his best year in 1935, sweeping the league-lead in Slash Line (.385/.491/.607), and would belt a career-best 19 Home Runs.  Vaughn would finish third in MVP voting, a finish that would be his best.

Vaughan remained one of the top Shortstops in the National League, both in offense and defense and in the ten years he was a Pirate, he never batted below .300, completing his run with Pittsburgh batting .324.  Traded to Brooklyn in 1942, Vaughan had 1,709 Hits for the Pirates, with an OPS of .887.

Vaughan was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 via the Veteran's Committee.  The Pirates retired his number 11 in 2007.

Although Wilbur Cooper is considered one of the best pitchers in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was so long ago, and his legacy is often forgotten. From 1917 to 1924, Cooper was at his best and regularly in the top ten in virtually every pitching category in the National League. He was the first left-hander in the NL to hit 200 wins, but his overall total in that department did not exceed much more than that. 

Advanced metrics have given Cooper a bit more of a look again, but at the very least, he should be remembered with greater fondness in the Steel City than he is currently. Had he played for a World Series team, he probably would be.

The 1920s brought us the Home Run era that we still enjoy today, but spray hitters have never gone out of style.  One of the best was Paul Waner.

Waner learned how to bat by hitting corncobs from Oklahoma, but that is not the most unique part about developing his skills.  Waner had poor eyesight, specifically due to astigmatism, and he learned how to hit the blurry baseballs in the middle.  Unique as it was, it worked, and he tore it up in the Minors and would land a job in Pittsburgh in 1926 as their Rightfielder.

Waner had a terrific rookie year, leading the NL in Triples (22) with a .336 Batting Average.  As an MLB sophomore, Waner had his best year as a professional, topping the league in Hits (237), Triples (18), RBIs (131), and Batting Average (.380).  Waner rightfully won the MVP, and although we will argue this was his peak campaign, it was not his last excellent one.

Over the next ten years, Waner could be counted on to produce Hits, Runs, and a high Batting Average.  From his rookie year in '26 until 1937, Waner never finished a year with a Batting Average lower than .300, and he won two more Batting Titles (1934 & 1936) to add to the one he captured when he was an MVP.  Waner had nine years with over 100 Runs (including two league-leading years), was a two-time Hit leader, and two-time leader in Doubles.  He never did capture a second MVP, but he was in the top five three times.

As Waner got older, his skills slipped, and the Pirates traded him to Brooklyn during the 1940 Season.  He played five more years, but had he never played baseball after Pittsburgh, Waner would have been Cooperstown-worthy.  With the Pirates, he had 2,868 Hits, with a Batting Average of .340.

Waner was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952, his seventh year on the ballot.

If there were going to be anyone who would have supplanted Honus Wagner as the greatest Pittsburgh Pirate of all time, it would have been Roberto Clemente.

The Pirates did not discover Clemente, as he was signed initially by the Brooklyn Dodgers.  The Pirates plucked him in 1954 via the Rule 5 Draft, and he played all 18 of his MLB seasons in Pittsburgh.  Capturing the starting Rightfield job as a rookie, Clemente blossomed into a star and was one of the top Outfielders in baseball throughout the 1960s.  From 1960 to 1967, the Puerto Rican was a perennial All-Star, and he began a new streak in 1969, with four more appearances.  He would take the Pirates to a World Series win in 1961, and he would have the first of four Batting Titles, with the others coming in 1964, 1965, and 1967.  Finishing in the top ten in MVP voting eight times, he won the coveted trophy in 1966; in a year, he batted .317 with a career-high 29 Home Runs and 119 RBIs.

Clemente was as good with his glove as he was with his bat.  From 1961 to 1972, Clemente was a Gold Glove winner, and he was a four-time league leader in Total Zone Runs.  The Pirates won it all again in 1971, mainly because of Clemente, making him a two-time champion.  

By the end of the 1972 season, Clemente accumulated an even 3,000 Hits (a franchise record) with 240 Home Runs and 1,305 RBIs, and a Slash Line of .317/.359/.475.  It should have been more.

On December 31, 1972, he died in a plane crash while on route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Following his death, the Baseball Hall of Fame waived the five-year wait, and he was inducted into the Class of 1973, and the Pirates retired his number 21 the same year.  He is considered by many to be the most important Hispanic athlete in American history.

Honus Wagner is not just the man on the most elusive and most valuable baseball card in history; he is also the best player in Pittsburgh Pirates history.

Playing his first three years with the Louisville Colonels, Wagner was dealt to Pittsburgh as part of the firesale that saw the end of the Colonel's existence.  Wagner would play for 17 years in Pittsburgh, and the case can be made that he was the top man in the first decade of the 1900s.

Wagner won the National League Batting Title in 1900, and he set the tone for the decade, leading the NL in Batting Average seven more times, which is a record that he still holds today.  “The Flying Dutchman” did everything, and history is even kinder with a look through sabermetric eyes.   Wagner led the NL in bWAR 11 times, and from 1900 to 1912, he never finished lower than third.  

The 1900s were in the heart of the deadball era, but Wagner was a top slugger in the decade, leading the NL in Slugging Percentage six times and OPS eight times in his career.  Wagner was also an excellent baserunner, leading the NL in Stolen Bases five times, and is tenth all-time in that stat (723).  Defensively, Wagner was incredible and would have been a multi-time Gold Glove winner had that award existed.  

Wagner was also a champion, leading the Pirates to a World Series win in 1909, the first in franchise history.  He played until 1917, and is the all-time team leader in bWAR (120.1), Runs Scored (1,521), and Triples (232).

Wagner entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 as part of the first-ever class, and the Pirates retired his number 55 in 1956

Debuting for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1929, Larry French was a top knuckleball pitcher of the 1930s.

Ed Morris is described by some baseball historians as one of the first great lefthanders.  That may or not be accurate, but he was the ace of a professional baseball team, and that can't be disputed.

Dick Groat was one of the greatest college athletes ever at Duke University, where he was so good at both basketball and baseball that he is in both of those sports colligate Halls of Fame.  Professionally, Groat opted to play baseball…well at first anyway.

A Louisville Colonel for the first season of his career (1899), Deacon Phillippe was one of many players to be transferred to the Pittsburgh Pirates when the Colonels folded before the century's turn.  In Western Pennsylvania, Phillipe played the rest of his professional career, which as it turned out to be a pretty good one.