Pittsburgh Pirates - The Roaring Twenties (1920-1929)

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1920

Decade

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Titles:

Top Pirates Players of the Twenties

1925 World Champs (Beat Washington)

1927 NL Champs (Lost to Yankees)

Pitchers:

Wilbur Cooper (23.24) - 79

Ballpark:

Ray Kremer (23.96) - 67

Forbes Field

Specs Meadows (15.53) - 55

Johnny Morrison (20.85) - 49

Team Name:

Babe Adams (13.95) - 32

Pirates

Burleigh Grimes (10.97) - 29

Carmen Hill (9.86) - 24

Owners:

Emil Yde (3.62) - 23

Barney Dreyfuss

Vic Aldridge (7.11) - 22

Earl Hamilton (8.82) - 21

General Managers:

Whitey Glazner (6.14) - 16

None

Catchers:

Managers:

Johnny Gooch (4.27) - 18

George Gibson (1920-1922)

Walter Schmidt (1.86) - 15

Bill McKechnie (1922-1926)

Earl Smith (6.82) - 13

Donie Bush (1927-1929)

Jewel Ens (1929)

First Basemen:

Charlie Grimm (3.04) - 21

Hall of Famers:

Max Carey

Second Basemen:

Burleigh Grimes

George Grantham (15.11) - 43

Lloyd Waner

George Cutshaw (2.44) - 11

Paul Waner

Cotton Tierney (4.1) - 10

Pie Traynor

Eddie Moore (4.83) - 9

Kiki Cuyler

Joe Cronin

ShortStop:

Rabbit Maranville

Glen Wright (16.46) - 44

Bill McKechnie

Rabbit Maranville (11.5) - 34

Dick Bartell (1.82) - 9

No Hitters:

Joe Cronin (0.2) - 0

None

Third Base:

MVP

Pie Traynor (23.05) - 72

Paul Waner (1927)

Outfield:

Notable Events:

Max Carey (23.97) - 92

Paul Waner (23.8) - 56

1920 - The Bucs enter the Roaring Twenties a mediocre ballclub having finished

Kiki Cuyler (17.49) - 50

fourth in both 1918 and 1919. However, things are beginning to look up as Barney

Carson Bigbee (8.41) - 33

Dreyfuss and Fred Clarke are beginning to recover from their lost decade, the teens.

Lloyd Waner (8.41) - 32

There were a number of young players on the Pittsburgh roster that would be

Clyde Barnhart (8.82) - 31

useful players moving forward:

Billy Southworth (2.56) - 10

□ 1B - Charlie Grimm, 21, had been in the A's organization previously

Adam Comorosky (1.92) - 10

□ 2B - Cotton Tierney, 26, originally signed by the Pirates

Possum Whitted (2.26) - 7

□ 3B - Clyde Barnhart, 24,originally signed by the Pirates

Reb Russell (4.09) - 7

□ OF - Homer Summa, 21, one that got away - to Cleveland

□ OF - Billy Southworth, 27, had been with Cleveland previously

Notable Events:

□ OF - Carson Bigbee, 25, originally signed by the Pirates

□ OF - Max Carey, 30, HOFer in his prime

1926 - Future Hall of Famers Paul Waner and Joe Cronin come up as

□ LHP - Wilbur Cooper, 28, originally signed by the Pirates

rookies. Waner, an outfielder, is twenty three. Cronin, a shortstop,

□ RHP - Babe Adams, 38, plenty of gas still left in the tank

is nineteen. Waner was acquired from San Francisco of the PCL.

□ RHP - Hal Carlson, 28, originally signed by the Pirates

Cronin from New Haven

□ LHP- Earl Hamilton, 28, picked up from the Browns

1926 - Hall of Famer Max Carey is dealt away to the Dodgers

1920 - Future Hall of Fame Third baseman Pie Traynor, 21, is obtained from

after an altercation with manager Donie Bush. Owner Barney

Portsmouth

Dreyfuss would not tolerate player insubordination

1921 - The first major league game is broadcast on radio. The Pirates on

1926 - Pittsburgh suffers a hangover from their title season as they

KDKA with Harold Arlin as the announcer. You'll note that owner Barney

drop eleven games in the standings into third place.

Dreyfuss was ahead of the curve on a lot of things. In 1909 he was one of

A big reason for their dropoff is their starting rotation went

the first to build a concrete and steel stadium.

from a big five to a big two.

They all flocked to follow.

1927 - Hall of Famer Kiki Cuyler, only 28, is dealt to the Cubs

1921 - Twenty five year old righthander Johnny Morrison is a rookie.

after an altercation with manager Donie Bush. Once again owner

He came up from Birmingham. A late bloomer, he had done nothing in the

Barney Dreyfuss trades away a Hall of Famer due to Bush.

minors for five years before catching fire and winning 26 games in 1920

1927 - Future Hall of Fame outfielder Lloyd Waner, 21, is a rookie.

1921 - Future Hall of Fame outfielder Kiki Cuyler, 22, is a rookie. He was

Waner was acquired from San Francisco of the PCL

brought up from Bay City

1927 - Twenty year old future Hall of Famer Joe Cronin is inexplicably

1921 - Future Hall of Fame shortstop Rabbit Maranville, 29, is acquired

let go to the Senators (via Kansas City). Cronin was the Dudley Do-right

from the Braves in a salary dump.

of the era and seemed like the re-incarnation of Fred Clarke who

Dreyfuss had had so much success collaborating with thirty years earlier.

1921 - The Pirates move up to another level and stay there for the rest of

It must be noted that incumbent shortstop Glenn Wright was looking

the decade, averaging an 89-65 mark. They are in the conversation for

like a future Hall of Famer at the time, but what was the rush in

the next nine seasons. The Bucs gained eleven games in the standings

unloading Cronin?

and the only real difference between the '20 and '21 clubs was the

presence of Maranville.

1927 - Shortstop Dick Bartell, 19, is brought up by the Bucs. His presence

was a big reason why the Pirates were able to deal Glenn Wright to the

1922 - Bill McKechnie is hired as manager

Dodgers in 1929. Pittsburgh was a shortstop factory producing Wright,

then Cronin, then Bartell and. finally, Arky Vaughn in a seven year span

1923 - Righthander Specs Meadows is obtained from the Phillies in a

salary dump.

1927 - The Pirates win the pennant but are routed in the World

Series by the Yankees. The Bucs ride the wave of great hitting from

1924 - Righthander Ray Kremer, 31, is enticed to leave the Pacific Coast

the Waners, Traynor and Wright. They are a bit vulnerable, however,

League, where he was a career minor leaguer, for the Bucs. Who would have

as they have an all thirty-something starting rotation.

guessed that Kremer would go on to be a mainstay of the Pirates rotation

for the next eight seasons at this stage of his career?

1928 - The Bucs obtain pitcher Burleigh Grimes from the Giants for

Vic Aldridge. Grimes wins 25 games. It must have been sticking in

1925 - Owner Barney Dreyfuss unloads three of his best players: Wilbur

Dreyfuss's craw that he had let Grimes go as a youngster ten years earlier.

Cooper; Charlie Grimm; and Rabbit Maranvile to the Cubs for second

baseman George Grantham and righthander Vic Aldridge due to frivilous

1929 - The Duke of Luxemburg is signed by the Pirates from Kansas City.

behavior (Grimm and Maranville had started a musical quartet). Dreyfuss

Thirty three year old right hander Heinie Meine, that is. Meine is a

had garnered a great deal of respect for his classiness over the years,

rookie altho' he appeared in one game with the Browns seven years

however, this one showed that he crossed the line from being a class act

earlier. Heinie was one of those colorful characters who populated

to being an old fart.

baseball rosters in those days. He owned a couple of successful

businesses and didn't need the money. He bounced in and then

1925 - Shortstop Glenn Wright, 23, is brought up rrom Kansas City

out of baseball when he didn't get what he wanted.

And, he turned into an effective big league starter into his late thirties.

1925 - The Bucs win the World Series despite the losses of Cooper,

Grimm and Maranville. Altho' on the surface Dreyfuss's deal seemed to

1929 - Twenty one year old lefthander Larry French is a rookie.

be impulsive, the team obviously responded. Aldridge and Grantham were

He is acquired from Portland of the PCL.

big contributors and rookie Wright had a huge season.to mitigate their losses.

French would win 197 games in his career.