Tim Benz: Rounding out our All-Quarter-Century teams with the Pirates

Over the past two days, our All-Quarter-Century teams almost wrote themselves for the Steelers and Penguins.

It’s not quite as clear with the Pittsburgh Pirates. What else is new?

It’s not easy to construct a team that appeals to every fan and their specific preferences — especially when 21 of the 25 campaigns ended up on the wrong side of .500 since 2000.

But I think we did as good of a job as possible under the circumstances.

Catcher

Jason Kendall

It’s Kendall, and it’s not close. I’ve seen a few of these lists elsewhere advocate for Russell Martin.

I get it. That’s a good sentimental vote. He was the heartbeat among the position players on the team that broke the 20-year curse in 2013. That’s the group that got the organization back above .500 and to the playoffs for the first time since 1992. He was a culture changer like Bill Guerin with the Penguins.

He handled the staff well, and he hit the homer off Johnny Cueto in the 2013 Wild Card game.

Russell Martin hits a home run off Johnny Cueto during the 2013 National League Wild Card Game between the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on October 1, 2013 pic.twitter.com/CMsSFtY2Wt

— Pittsburgh Pirates History (@HistoryPirates) October 1, 2021

But, c’mon. Martin only spent two years as a Pirate. In his first season, he hit .226. He totaled 26 homers in two years. That’s not enough for a 25-year honor.

From 2000-05, Kendall hit .302 in Pittsburgh. He had three seasons over .300, including an All-Star effort in 2000. He had three seasons in that stretch with more than 180 hits. Also, over those six years as a catcher, Kendall played between 145 and 157 games every year.

In fact, if you wanted to make a case for Francisco Cervelli over Martin, I might even listen. But picking anyone besides Kendall is a miss, in my opinion.

First base

Josh Bell

I strongly considered just leaving first base open. Why not? The Pirates have basically done so since Kevin Young left.

But Josh Bell was at least the starter there four opening days in a row. That’s the most since 2000. He was an All-Star in 2019 when he homered 37 times and knocked in 116 runs. He was third in the Rookie of the Year balloting in 2017 when he hit 26 home runs and drove in 90 runs.

Josh Bell is the first player ever to hit TWO homers out of PNC Park and into the Allegheny River on the fly! pic.twitter.com/UWbb99NZqo

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 22, 2019

That’s good enough for me, given the lack of competition there.

Second base

Neil Walker

No brainer here. You want sentiment? You’ve got sentiment.

Walker was one of Pittsburgh’s great “local kid done good” stories. The Pine-Richland grad was the emotional ballast in the locker room from 2011-15 — the physical, breathing representation of what it meant for this franchise to eventually emerge from 20 years of darkness and into the playoffs.

More importantly, though, Walker won the 2014 Silver Slugger and hit 93 homers over seven years (2009-15) playing in his hometown. Only Bill Mazeroski (138) has more at the position in franchise history.

So this isn’t just a feel-good pick. Walker is the clear choice since 2000.

Pittsburgh's other All-Half Century Teams

• 1 big debate on our All-Quarter-Century Steelers team
• An All-Quarter-Century team for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Shortstop

Jack Wilson

I keep thinking there should be a more obvious choice at short than a guy who only hit 60 homers in nine years as a Pirate, but there isn’t. Wilson is the guy.

Jack Wilson played 1,159 games here, topping 140 games five times. He had a great glove. I can’t believe he never won a Gold Glove. He also posted one All-Star bid, a Silver Slugger and a 201-hit season — all in 2004. He also led the league in triples that year.

Third base

Josh Harrison

Prior to Walker’s departure after 2015, Harrison played third base more than he did anywhere else, and he has to be somewhere on this team. His spark plug energy and position flexibility were invaluable to the three playoff editions between 2013-15.

Third base is also the position he primarily called home during his 2014 All-Star campaign, and he played 49 games there when he was an All-Star again in 2017.

Aramis Ramirez was also under consideration here.

Utility infielder

Freddy Sanchez

Harrison is the ultimate utility man because he played outfield too. But I feel like putting Sanchez at third base would have been cheating. He was much more of a second baseman.

However, during his .344 batting championship season of 2006, he was a third baseman primarily, with 92 starts there.

Regardless, Sanchez needs to be on this list. He made three All-Star games, won a batting crown, and posted a .301 batting average during his six years in Pittsburgh. Flip-flop Harrison and Sanchez if you want. But they both need to be on the roster.

Outfielders

Andrew McCutchen, Brian Giles, Starling Marte (Jason Bay)

McCutchen is obvious. He was the MVP in 2013 and is the most important Pirate since Barry Bonds went to San Francisco.

Brian Giles was an All-Star in 2000 and 2001. He hit 126 homers and drove in 409 runs from 2000 until his departure midway through 2003. During those years, Giles’ OPS was between .951 and 1.072.

He also made one of the greatest outfield catches in PNC Park history.

On this date in 2003, the @Pirates walked off the Indians in the 15th inning. Abraham Nunez scored on a wild pitch to cap off a 7-6 win that lasted 4 hours and 58 minutes. Brian Giles provided the highlight of the night by making a spectacular catch at the wall in left field. pic.twitter.com/lKkDrMLCJN

— Jimmy T (@JimmyTrdinich) June 21, 2025

Marte went to one All-Star game and won two Gold Gloves over eight years in Pittsburgh. During the three playoff years, Marte averaged 581 plate appearances, a .790 OPS and a 4.8 WAR.

I allowed for a utility infielder. I should probably make room for a fourth outfielder. Some of Bay’s offensive numbers were actually better than Marte’s. He had more homers in Pittsburgh (139) than Marte did (108). He had a better OPS (.889 to .790) and RBIs (452 to 420).

Bay also started his career in Pittsburgh with a Rookie of the Year award in 2004 and All-Star games in ’05 and ’06.

Designated hitter

Pedro Alvarez

Did I make four outfielders so I could move McCutchen out of the DH spot and simply create a place for Alvarez? Yes, I did.

Am I guilty of manipulating the categories to put Alvarez into a position he didn’t actually play as a Pirate? Yes, I am.

The DH didn’t come into the National League full-time until 2022. Had it been in place from 2010-15 when Alvarez was a Pirate, this is where he would’ve played, and he would’ve thrived.

Alvarez was the biggest power threat on those Bucs teams of the early 2010s. He posted 401 RBIs and 131 homers during his six years here. I just don’t have anywhere to put him because of his glove (kinda like real life).

So, I’ll make Alvarez the DH. If that offends your sensibilities, move Cutch to DH. Then again, Cutch never was a DH during his best years here, either.

Starting pitchers

Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, A.J. Burnett, Paul Skenes, Jameson Taillon

Cole, Liriano and Burnett were the cornerstones of the rotation for the three playoff years. In the case of Burnett, he actually got the ball rolling with 16 wins, 202 innings pitched and 180 strikeouts in 2012, and a Gary Roberts-esque attitude adjustment in the clubhouse.

Cole didn’t reach his full potential until he left Pittsburgh, but was the best pitcher the team had since Doug Drabek. His 2015 results (19 wins, 2.60 ERA, 202 strikeouts, 208 innings) were definitely worthy of being in the top 4 of Cy Young voting and an All-Star bid.

I feel weird putting Skenes on here after only one full season. But that season was incredibly special, as his Rookie of the Year trophy indicates.

And despite the illness and injury issues Taillon had to deal with, he was still an 8.6 WAR pitcher over four years here. In his case, it will always be a matter of what could’ve been.

Relief pitchers

Mark Melancon, Jason Grilli, Joel Hanrahan, Tony Watson, David Bednar

Melancon (130 saves), Hanrahan (82 saves) and Bednar (95 saves) have three of the eight best totals when it comes to saves in Pirates history.

Watson was a fantastic set-up man through the playoff years until he became miscast as a closer in 2016. Grilli only had one big year as a closer. That was in 2013 when he slammed the door 33 times. But he was also quite good as a set-up specialist for Hanrahan in 2011-12.

Bullpen is one of the few spots on the Pirates where I feel like I’m leaving out deserving people. Felipe Vasquez is one. His 89 saves and two All-Star appearances are impressive. But his off-field transgressions ended his career in 2019 and got him deported in 2023.

And Mike Williams put up 117 saves in Pittsburgh after the turn of the century. Unfortunately, he also blew 19 and had a 4.08 ERA overt that swath of time. So, I’m not too conflicted about leaving him off the team.

Manager

Clint Hurdle

Who else could it be? He managed a Bob Nutting-owned team to the playoffs three years in a row.

That doesn’t just qualify you for a list like this. That qualifies you for sainthood.