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:

Barney Dreyfuss

Second Basemen:

Max Carey

George Grantham (15.11) - 43

Burleigh Grimes

George Cutshaw (2.44) - 11

Lloyd Waner

Cotton Tierney (4.1) - 10

Paul Waner

Eddie Moore (4.83) - 9

Pie Traynor

Kiki Cuyler

ShortStop:

Joe Cronin

Glen Wright (16.46) - 44

Rabbit Maranville

Rabbit Maranville (11.5) - 34

Bill McKechnie

Dick Bartell (1.82) - 9

Joe Cronin (0.2) - 0

No Hitters:

None

Third Base:

Pie Traynor (23.05) - 72

MVP

Paul Waner (1927)

Outfield:

Max Carey (23.97) - 92

Notable Events:

Paul Waner (23.8) - 56

Kiki Cuyler (17.49) - 50

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

Carson Bigbee (8.41) - 33

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

Lloyd Waner (8.41) - 32

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

Clyde Barnhart (8.82) - 31

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

Billy Southworth (2.56) - 10

useful players moving forward:

Adam Comorosky (1.92) - 10

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

Possum Whitted (2.26) - 7

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

Reb Russell (4.09) - 7

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

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

Notable Events:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cronin from New Haven

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

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

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

after an altercation with manager Donie Bush. Owner Barney

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

Dreyfuss would not tolerate player insubordination

Portsmouth

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

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

drop eleven games in the standings into third place.

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

A big reason for their dropoff is their starting rotation went

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

from a big five to a big two.

the first to build a concrete and steel stadium.

They all flocked to follow.

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

after an altercation with manager Donie Bush. Once again owner

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

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

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

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.

Waner was acquired from San Francisco of the PCL

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

brought up from Bay City

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

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

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

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

from the Braves in a salary dump.

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

It must be noted that incumbent shortstop Glenn Wright was looking

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

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

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

unloading Cronin?

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

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

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

presence of Maranville.

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

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

1922 - Bill McKechnie is hired as manager

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

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

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

salary dump.

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

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

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

as they have an all thirty-something starting rotation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

baseman George Grantham and righthander Vic Aldridge due to frivilous

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

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

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

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

earlier. Heinie was one of those colorful characters who populated

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

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

to being an old fart.

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

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

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

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,

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

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

He is acquired from Portland of the PCL.

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

French would win 197 games in his career.

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