The 2010s were filled with ups and down for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

They bookended the decade with last-place finishes, going 57-105 in 2010 and 69-93 in ‘19. Those awful seasons brought the end of the managerial tenures of John Russell and Clint Hurdle. General manager Neal Huntington was also axed after last season.

The Pirates did end a strong of 20 consecutive losing seasons in resounding fashion by winning wild-card playoff berth for three straight years from 2013-15. That remains the longest stretch of futility in major North American professional team sports history.

However, the rest of the decade wasn’t so great as the Pirates finished under .500 three times in four seasons without a postseason berth.

And the sad fact remains that the Pirates haven’t won a division title since 1992 or a postseason series since beating the Baltimore Orioles in the 1979 World Series.

As the 2010s reach their final hours, let’s look at the five best and five worst Pirates players of the decade:

The best

1. Andrew McCutchen

The center fielder made his major league debut in 2009 when Huntington traded All-Star and Gold Glove winner Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves to clear a lineup spot for McCutchen.

McCutchen went on to make five consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 2011-15. He also was the NL MVP in 2013, won a Gold Glove in 2012 and received four straight Silver Slugger awards from ‘12-15.

During the decade, McCutchen hit .291/.380/.489 with 191 home runs and 149 stolen bases in 1,268 games over eight seasons before being traded to the San Francisco Giants.

2. Starling Marte

The outfielder made an immediate splash in his major league debut July 26, 2012. He led off the game with a home run off Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel in Houston.

Marte has two Gold Gloves and an All-Star Game to his credit in eight seasons. In 953 games, he has batted .287/.341/.452 with 108 homers and 239 steals.

3. Neil Walker

Like McCutchen, Walker made his debut in 2009. However, the switch-hitting second baseman and Pine-Richland graduate became a regular two months into the 2010 season.

Walker played in 819 games in six seasons during the 2010s, hitting .273/.338/.433 with 93 homers before being traded to the New York Mets in 2015. He also was a big fan favorite as the local kid who made good with the local team.

4. Josh Harrison

Harrison was playing at the Single-A level in 2009 when the Pirates acquired him as part a five-player trade that sent left-handers Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow to the Chicago Cubs.

Harrison made his major league debut two years later and spent eight seasons with the Pirates before they allowed him to become a free agent following the 2018 season. Noted for his versatility, Harrison was picked for two All-Star Games while batting .277/.317/.408 with 53 home runs and 79 stolen bases.

5. Gerrit Cole

Cole did not become arguably the best pitcher in baseball until he was traded to the Houston Astros before the 2018 season. However, the first overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft, debuted with the Pirates in 2013 and compiled a 59-42 record with a 3.50 ERA in 127 starts over five seasons.

Cole had one of the best postseason pitching performances in franchise history when he limited the St. Louis Cardinals to one run and two hits in six innings to win Game 2 of the 2013 National League Division Series.

The worst

1. Nick Kingham

In fairness, Kingham was never the same after undergoing Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in 2014 while playing at Triple-A Indianapolis. However, it’s hard to overlook his 6.67 ERA in 32 games and 131 2/3 innings during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

It’s also hard to overlook that he never seemed to take responsibility for his poor outings.

2. Tyler Glasnow

The highly touted prospect was a bust when he got to Pittsburgh, going 3-11 with a 5.79 ERA in three seasons from 2016-18. Making it harder for Pirates fans to take is Glasnow has a 2.94 ERA in 23 starts since being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays.

3. Akinori Iwamura

Acquired from the Rays in a trade the previous winter, Iwamura hit .182/.292/.267 in 54 games in 2010 before being released. At least that opened second base for Walker.

4. Andy LaRoche

LaRoche was considered the best third base prospect in baseball when he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. His last season with the Pirates was 2010, and he batted .206/.268/.287 in 116 games.

5. Bobby Crosby

Signed as a free agent to be the starting shortstop in 2010, Crosby hit .224/.301/.295 in 61 games before the Pirates somehow managed to find a trade partner in the Arizona Diamondbacks. But, hey, he was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2004 with the Oakland Athletics.

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