Pittsburgh Pirates - The Golden Years (1950-1959)
 
   
 

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    Yr   P W L     Yr   P W  L   Yr   P W L              
    1950   8 57 96     1953   8 50 104   1957   7 62 92           1950  
    1951   7 64 90     1954   8 53 101   1958   2 84 70           Decade  
    1952   8 42 112     1955   8 60 94   1959   4 78 76           Click  
                  1956   7 66 88                       on Logo  
                                                       
                                                             
   
  Titles: Top Pirates Players of the Fifties  
  None  
    Pitchers:  
  Ballpark: Bob Friend (21.74) -   70  
  Forbes Field   Vernon Law (14.48) -   50  
    Murry Dickson (14.82) -   39  
  Team Name: Ron Kline (10.36) -   35  
  Pirates ElRoy Face (10.45) -   33  
    Max Surkont (1.47) -   11  
  Owners:  Bill Werle (0.83) -   10  
  John Galbreath Cliff Chambers (2.7) -   9   
    Dick Littlefield (1.68) -   9  
  General Managers: Harvey Haddix (3.79) -   8  
  Roy Hamey (1950) Bob Purkey (2.18) -   7  
  Branch Rickey (1951-1956) Howie Pollet (2.44) -   6  
  Joe Brown (1956-1959) Paul LaPalme (0.62) -  5  
    Red Witt (2.49) -   4  
  Managers: Ted Wilks (3.81) -   3  
  Billy Myer (1950-1952) John Hetki (2.05) -   3  
  Fred Haney (1953-1955) Johnny Lindell (1.47) -   3   
  Bobby Bragan (1956-1957) Bill MacDonald (1.07) -   3  
  Danny Murtaugh (1957-1959) Curt Raydon (0.92) -   3  
    Mel Queen (-0.34) -   3  
  Hall of Famers: Nelson King (2.7) -   1  
  Ralph Kiner Dick Hall (1.73) -   1  
  Roberto Clemente Woody Main (1.68) -   1   
  Bill Mazeroski Don Gross (0.52) -   1  
    Luis Arroyo (-0.62) -   1  
  Rookie of the Year:  Bob Porterfield (1.67) -   0  
  None Jake Thies (1.55) -   0  
    Bob Hall (0.59) -   0  
  MVP Ron Blackburn (0.57) -   0  
  None Bob Smith (0.26) -   0  
    Whammy Douglas (0.15) -   0  
  Cy Young: Chuck Churn (0.07) -   0  
  None Red Swanson (0.01) -   0  
    Paul Minner (0) -   0  
  No Hitters: Hooks Iott (0) -   0  
  Cliff Chambers (1951) Bob Kuzava (-0.07) -   0  
    Harry Gumbert (-0.08) -   0  
  Notable Events: Joe Muir (-0.08) -   0  
    Jack McMahan (-0.13) -   0  
  1950 - The Pirates signed a bunch of good players in the late forties and  Con Dempsey (-0.21) -   0  
  early fifties who would eventually turn into the core of their 1960 World  Windy McCall (-0.23) -   0  
  Championship team. It took a really long time for things to gel, but they did. Jake Martin (-0.31) -   0  
  Roy Hamey, who was GM from 1947 thru 1950 got the ball rolling and then  Roger Bowman (-0.32) -   0  
  Branch Rickey picked it up from 1951 to 1956. By the time 1956 rolled around, Alvin Jackson (-0.37) -   0  
  the groundwork had been laid, altho' the fruits of Hamey's and Rickey's Paul Giel (-0.51) -   0  
   labor had not yet been realized. Here are the signings: Hal Gregg (-0.55) -   0  
  □  1947 - 3B Frank Thomas debut 1951 age 22 up from New Orleans Paul Pettit (-0.62) -   0  
  □  1948 - RHP Vernon Law debut 1950 age 20 up from New Orleans Joe Page (-0.78) -   0  
  □  1948 - RHP Bob Purkey debut 1954 age 24 up from New Orleans Ron Necciai (-1.08) -   0  
  □  1949 - RHP Bob Friend debut 1951 age 20 up from Indianapolis Bennie Daniels (-1.24) -   0  
  □  1950 - RHPRonnie Kline debut 1952 age 20 up from Burlington Laurin Pepper (-2.33) -   0  
  □  1950 - OF Jerry Lynch debut 1954 age 23 up from Norfolk    
  □  1951 - RHP Dick Hall debut 1954 age 24 up from Lincoln Catchers:  
  □  1951 - 1B Dick Stuart debut 1958 age 25 up from Salt Lake City Joe Garagiola (4.5) -   11  
  □  1951 - OF Bob Skinner debut 1954 age 22 up from New Orleans Clyde McCullough (3.26) -   11  
  □  1951 - OF Lee Walls debut 1956 age 23 up from Hollywood Smoky Burgess (2.91) -    11  
  □  1952 - SS Dick Groat debut 1952 up from Duke University Jack Shepard (2.11) -   8  
  □  1952 - C Vic Janowicz debut 1952 up from Ohio State University Hank Foiles (3.33) -  7  
  □  1953 - 2B Eddie O'Brien debut 1953 age 22 up from Seattle U, Toby Atwell (0.01) -   4  
  □  1953 - SS Johnny O'Brien debut 1953 age 22 up from Seattle U, Bill Hall (0.24) -   1  
  □  1953 - 3B Gene Freese debut 1955 age 21 up from New Orleans Harding Peterson (0.8) -   0  
  □  1954 - 2B Bill Mazeroski debut 1956 age 19 up from Hollywood Walker Cooper (-0.04) -   0  
    Dick Rand (-0.23) -   0  
  1950 - In addition to all of those signings of youngsters, the Pirates also  Ed FitzGerald (-1.12) -   0  
  acquired some young talent from other clubs: Vic Janowicz (-1.22) -   0  
  □  1953- RHP ElRoy Face age 25 Rule 5 draft from Dodgers  
  □  1955 - OF Roberto Clemente age 20 Rule 5 draft from Dodgers First Basemen:  
  □  1956 -CF Bill Virdon age 25 trade with St. Louis  Dale Long (4.33) -   17  
    Dick Stuart (2.53) -   12  
  1951 - Branch Rickey is hired as GM to replace Roy Hamey and take the  Catfish Metkovich (2.03) -   11  
  Pirates to the next level. He did and he didn't. The Pirates had been signing Johnny Hopp (3.02) -   10  
   kids so young that it took them a number of years to get to the big leagues Dee Fondy (1.14) -  5  
   and then another few years to develop their full potential once in the big leagues. Ted Kluszewski (0.57) -   4  
   Rickey reitred in 1956 and was replaced by Joe L. Brown, the son of comedian Preston Ward (-0.5) -   4  
   Joe E. Brown.  An interesting thing that Branch tried to do during his Pirate Tony Bartirome (-1.76) -  1  
   tenure was to sign great athletes in other sports in the hopes that their athletic Rocky Nelson (1.07) -    0  
   abiltiy would translate to baseball. Unfortunately football All Americans RC Stevens (0.6) -   0  
   Vic Janowicz and Laurin Pepper were busts as were   
  basketball All Americans, the O'Brien twins (Eddie and Johnny).  Second Basemen:  
  Rickey did get one hit with this strategy as shortstop Dick Groat, an  Bill Mazeroski (8.66) -   14  
  All American basketball player at Duke, was NL MVP in 1960 for the Bucs. Danny O'Connell (3.73) -   9  
    Rickey had a history of looking for angles to get a competitive edge: Curt Roberts (0.18) -   4  
   inventing the farm system with the Cards; breaking the color line and Dick Cole (-0.22) -   4  
   signing draft eligible teens during the war with the Dodgers and now Eddie O'Brien (-2.25) -   2  
   signing great athletes in other sports with the Pirates Johnny O'Brien (0.33) -  1  
    Jack Merson (0.77) -   0  
  1952 - Ralph Kiner wins his seventh straight homer title. Its his last Gene Baker (0.45) -   0  
    Spook Jacobs (-0.37) -   0  
  1953 - Ralph Kiner is traded to the Cubs after a contract dispute. Buddy Pritchard (-0.43) -   0   
  Ralph was really the only reason to go see the Pirates during this era  Monty Basgall (-0.94) -   0  
     
  1956 - Dale Long hits homers in eight consecutive games, a ShortStop:  
  record that still stands Dick Groat (11.36) -   37  
    George Strickland (-0.03) -   5  
  1957 - Danny Murtaugh is hired as Manager Clem Koshorek (0.73) -  1  
    Gair Allie (-1.49) -   1  
  1958 - The Pirates post their first winning season in ten years Ken Hamlin (-0.07) -   0  
    John Berardino (-0.68) -   0  
  1959 - A huge trade with Cincinnati brings catcher Smoky Burgess, 32,  
  lefthander Harvey Haddix, 33, and third baseman Don Hoak, 31 for slugger Third Base:  
  Frank Thomas and three others Frank Thomas (13.68) -   49  
    Pete Castiglione (0.51) -   6  
  1959 - Harvey Haddix pitches a twelve inning perfect game Gene Freese (3.51) -   10  
  only to lose it in the thirteenth against the Braves in Milwaudee Don Hoak (3.4) -   7  
    Jack Phillips (0.25) -   1  
    Harry Bright (0.11) -   0  
    Bob Dillinger (-0.18) -   0  
    George Freese (-0.46) -   0  
     
    Outfield:  
    Ralph Kiner (19.37) -   35  
    Roberto Clemente (10.48) -   33  
    Bob Skinner (8.51) -   29  
    Bill Virdon (9.58) -   29  
    Gus Bell (3.33) -   15  
    Wally Westlake (4.37) -   9  
    Sid Gordon (1.7) -   8  
    Lee Walls (2.18) -   7  
    Cal Abrams (1.47) -   7  
    Bobby Del Greco (-0.8) -   4  
    Brandy Davis (-1.14) -    3  
    Billy Howerton (1.15) -   2  
    Paul Smith (-0.06) -  2  
    Tom Saffell (-2.51) -    2  
    Pete Reiser (0.85) -   1  
    Jerry Lynch (-2.41) -   1  
    Harry Simpson (0.08) -    0  
    Gail Henley (0.07) -   0   
    Jim Pendleton (0.06) -   0  
    Sam Jethroe (-0.04) -   0  
    Bob Addis (-0.08) -    0  
    Ted Beard (-0.22) -   0  
    John C Powers (-0.23) -   0  
    Joe Christopher (-0.25) -   0  
    Dino Restelli (-0.28)  -    0  
    Earl Smith (-0.45) -   0  
    Dick Smith (-0.83) -   0  
    Roman Mejias (-1) -   0