Seven former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, three recent and three born in the 1800s.
Kyle Lobstein, pitcher for the 2016 Pirates. He was a second round pick in 2008 out of high school by the Tampa Bay Rays. He debuted in 2009, playing in the New York-Penn League, where he went 3-5, 2.58 in 73.1 innings, with 74 strikeouts in 14 starts. He moved up to Low-A in 2010 and made 27 starts, going 9-8, 4.14 in 148 innings, with 128 strikeouts. In 2011, he spent most of the year in High-A, along with a two-game trial in Double-A that did not go well. Between both stops, Lobstein went 10-10, 4.01 in 132.1 innings. The entire 2012 season was spent in Double-A, where he made 27 starts. He had an 8-7, 4.06 record in 144 innings, with 129 strikeouts. He was selected by the New York Mets in the Rule 5 draft after the season, then they immediately moved him to the Detroit Tigers. Lobstein couldn’t make the Opening Day roster, so the Tigers returned him to the Rays, only to get him right back in a trade for catcher Curt Casali. That allowed them to send him to the minors, where he split the 2013 season between Double-A and Triple-A. That year he went 13-7, 3.27 in 167.2 innings, with 148 strikeouts. A majority of 2014 was spent in Triple-A Toledo, where he had a 4.07 ERA in 146 innings before making his big league debut in late August. He would end up splitting the 2015 season between Detroit and Toledo as well.
In Detroit over two seasons, Lobstein went 4-10, 5.33 in 103 innings, making 17 starts and three relief appearances. He made six starts and a relief appearance during the 2014 season, posting a 4.35 ERA. He saw more work in 2015, though the ERA went up to 5.94 over 63.2 innings. He was purchased by the Pirates from the Tigers in December of 2015. In his only season with the Pirates, he went 2-0, 3.96 in 25 innings over 14 relief appearances. He spent more time in Triple-A, where he had a 4.11 ERA in six starts and 13 relief outings. Lobstein was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on August 31, 2016 and didn’t appear in the majors again until June of 2021 when he made three relief appearances for the Washington Nationals. In those five years in between big league shots, he played in the minors for the Orioles, Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland A’s, Milwaukee Brewers and the Nationals. He also pitched in Mexico for part of the 2018 season and he sat out during the shortened 2020 season.
Jhan Marinez, pitcher for the 2017 Pirates. He debuted in the majors at 21 years old in 2010 and played for seven different teams over five seasons. He signed with the Florida Marlins in 2006 as a 17-year-old international free agent out of the Dominican Republic. His pro debut certainly didn’t make him seem like a future big league player. He had a 7.00 ERA in the Dominican Summer League in 2006, then repeated the level in 2007. He pitched briefly in the U.S. in 2007 in the Gulf Coast League and allowed five runs in 3.1 innings. In 2008, Marinez had a 6.11 ERA in the GCL over 12 appearances. His 2009 season saw him skip all of the way to High-A, where he had a 3.14 ERA in 43 innings. He opened up 2010 back in High-A and posted a 1.42 ERA before getting promoted to Double-A, where he had a 2.16 ERA and six saves in 16 appearances. In the middle of that season, he received four appearances with the Marlins and he gave up three runs in 2.2 innings. The entire 2011 season was spent in Double-A, where he had a 3-8, 3.75 record in 58 innings over 56 games. After the season, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in a deal that included manager Ozzie Guillen. Marinez had a 2.86 ERA in Triple-A in 2012, and he tossed two scoreless games in relief in the majors. He struggled in Triple-A in 2013 and he was limited to 22 outings, though he was able to make up time over the winter in the Dominican by appearing in 21 games. In the middle of that winter ball season, the White Sox let him go via free agency.
In 2014, Marinez split the season in the minors between the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent after the season and didn’t get a call to the majors, despite a 1.92 ERA in Triple-A. He stayed with the Rays and ended up seeing big league time in 2016. Marinez was sold to the Milwaukee Brewers in May of 2016 after just three big league outings with the Rays that year. He remained in the majors and ended up with a 3.18 ERA in 62.1 innings over 46 appearances. Marinez played with three teams during the 2017 season, playing 15 games with the Brewers, before joining the Pirates as a waiver pickup in mid-May. He was with the Pirates until August, when they lost him on waivers to the Texas Rangers. In Pittsburgh, he made 24 relief appearances and he posted a 3.18 ERA in 34 innings. During the 2018 season, he made eight appearances with the Baltimore Orioles. While he still plays winter ball, he has not appeared in the majors since 2018. Marinez has pitched 103 games in the majors, all in relief. He has a 1-5, 3.56 record in 134 innings.
Jose Tabata, outfielder for the 2010-15 Pirates. He was a top prospect at a young age, who never fully reached his peak. Despite that fact, he still played 509 games in the majors and had a 1.9 WAR. He was signed by the New York Yankees out of Venezuela on his 16th birthday in 2004. He debuted in the U.S. in 2005, hitting .314 with 22 steals in 44 games in the Gulf Coast League. In 2006, Tabata moved up to Low-A and batted .298 with 22 doubles and 15 steals in 88 games. In 2007, he played 103 games in High-A, batting .307 with a .763 OPS in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. Through the first four months of 2008, he batted .248 in 79 games at Double-A. Tabata was acquired in a six-player trade in July of 2008 with the Yankees that saw the Pirates give up Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. Tabata finished the year in Double-A Altoona, hitting .348 in the last month. At 20 years old that winter, he batted .286 in 43 games in Venezuela. In 2009, he played 61 games at Altoona, 32 in Indianapolis, then played in the Arizona Fall League. In his Double-A/Triple-A time, Tabata hit .293 with 29 extra-base hits. In the AFL in 28 games, he put up a .392 average. He batted .308 with 25 steals in 53 games for Indianapolis in 2010 before making his big league debut. Tabata batted .299 in 102 games during his rookie season, finishing eighth in the Rookie of the Year voting. His average dropped below .300 in his final at-bat and final game of the season. He ended up setting career highs in runs (61), hits (121), doubles (21), RBIs (35) and stolen bases (19) that season. In each of his other four years, he was constantly hobbled by minor injuries, which limited his time and effectiveness.
Tabata batted .266 in 91 games in 2011 with the Pirates. He had 23 extra-base hits, 16 steals and set a career best with 40 walks. In 2012, he hit .243 with 20 doubles and 43 runs scored in 103 games. That was followed by a .282 average in 2013, when he set career highs with 106 games played, as well as five triples and six homers. Tabata came up as a stolen base threat, but during the 2012-13 seasons, he went 11-for-24 in stolen base attempts. In 2014, he hit .282 in 80 games, seeing more time off of the bench than in the starting role. He was in that same role in 2015 before spending part of the season in the minors. In 27 games, he hit .289 with no extra-base hits. He was still in the minors when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mike Morse on July 31st. Both players had high contracts, so it was an exchange of bad deals. Tabata never appeared in the majors after the deal. In 509 games with the Pirates, he hit .275/.336/.377 with 17 homers, 126 RBIs and 47 stolen bases. Since being released by the Dodgers in 2016, he has played four years of winter ball in Venezuela, two years of summer ball in Mexico, and in 2021 he is playing independent ball, suiting up for the old Pirates Low-A affiliate, the West Virginia Power.
Paul Carpenter, pitcher for the 1916 Pirates. He was signed by the Pirates on July 21, 1916 after his minor league team, the Chillicothe Babes/Charleston Senators (team moved mid-season) of the Ohio State League, disbanded. His start with the Pirates is an interesting story. The Pirates wanted his teammate Joe Coffindaffer, who was also a pitcher. They had scouted him before and when he became available they brought him in for a trial. He brought Carpenter along with him when he reported. That worked out well for Carpenter because he played in the majors, but Coffindaffer played pro ball from 1915-22 without getting a big league trial. There was actually a lawsuit over these two players between Charleston and the Pirates, which was won by Pittsburgh. The Charleston club said that they sold the two players to Columbus of the American Association the day before the league disbanded and wanted Pittsburgh to pay the league/team for their services.
For Pittsburgh, he was a seldom used reliever, pitching five times during the rest of the season, all in relief, for a total of 7.2 innings. is debut came five days after he signed, when he appeared in the eighth inning of a 7-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. He was pitching in relief of Babe Adams, who was facing Hall of Fame Grover Alexander that day. Carpenter actually faced two Hall of Famers in the one inning, getting Alexander and Dave Bancroft out on fly balls. He pitched well in one of his last games, going 3.2 innings without an earned run on August 28th. His last appearance was in a mop-up role during the second game of a doubleheader. Even at that point, over two months into his time with the team, he was referred to as the “Ohio State League busher” for his lack of significant pro experience before joining the Pirates, plus the lack of playing time he was seeing with Pittsburgh. In his five outings, he allowed just one earned run, leaving him with a 1.17 ERA, in what turned out to be his only Major League experience. At the end of the season, the Pirates acquired future Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes from Birmingham of the Southern Association. If Grimes was kept after a trial, Birmingham would receive four players. The Pirates decided to keep Grimes and Carpenter ended up being one of those players in the trade. He was sent to Birmingham on September 11, 1916, nine days after his final big league game. Carpenter’s minor league records are spotty, but he played at least three more years of pro ball after the 1916 season. Birmingham released him to Springfield of the Central League, before he moved on to Grand Rapids of the Central League, where he had a 23-10 record in 1917. He then saw time with Toledo of the American Association in 1918 and Dallas of the Texas League in 1919. Carpenter’s nephew Woody English was an All-Star infielder during his 12-year career with the Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers.
Wyatt Lee, pitcher for the 1904 Pirates. He won 16 games as a rookie with the Washington Senators in 1901, but his rookie season should’ve been two years sooner, and he should’ve started with the Pirates. Before he played a pro game, he was all set to sign with Pittsburgh, when the Cincinnati Reds made him a higher offer. That started a bidding war between the two clubs, which ended with Lee pricing himself out of both club’s price range. Instead of debuting in the majors in 1899, his pro debut came with Kansas City of the American League in 1900, one year before the league reached Major League status. He went 23-22 that year (no ERA available) and threw 377 innings. As a rookie with the Senators, he was 16-16, 4.40 in 262 innings. Lee was not only a decent pitcher, he could also hit and play outfield. In 1902 he played 96 games between the three outfield spots and threw 98 innings. His 5.05 ERA wasn’t that good, but he put up a .684 OPS as a hitter. In 1903, Lee went 8-12, 3.08 in 166.2 innings as a pitcher and played 47 games in the outfield, though he only managed a .542 OPS. He was purchased by the Pirates from the Senators on March 30, 1904, two weeks before the start of the season. Finally with the Pirates in 1904, he was brought in to replace Ed Doheny in the rotation. Over the off-season, Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss promised to bring in a star pitcher, and while it took nearly the entire off-season, Lee was thought to be that man.
Despite the success and versatility, his time with the Pirates lasted just two months before he was released. He made three starts, including his last one on May 26th, which was a 9-1 loss to the Reds. The Pirates had a strong rotation, then added a college star named Mike Lynch to the group in June, marking the end for Lee. He went 1-2, 8.74 in 22.2 innings and never played outfield for the Pirates, although he did pinch-hit three times, going 4-for-12 with a triple at the plate. He was said to be suffering from a sore arm and his fastball had no speed, so he was released on June 1st. At various times it was reported that the Pirates either paid $4,500 or $5,000 for his purchase from the Senators, though the local papers corrected it to say that he only cost them $1,500 to purchase. He went to the minors to finish the 1904 season with Toledo of the American Association, where he played outfield the rest of the year. He didn’t resume pitching until 1906, but would go on to win 127 minor league games over a ten-year (1906-15) stretch. He won 22 games in 1910, and then picked up 22 wins again in 1913 for Newark of the International League.
Andy Dunning, pitcher for the 1889 Pittsburgh Alleghenys. Early in the 1889 season, the Alleghenys were without two of their better pitchers, Pud Galvin and Ed Morris. They signed three young pitchers to fill their spots, hoping that at least one of them would work out. Between Andy Dunning, Al Krumm and Alex Beam, they got five starts over a two-week period and won one game. Dunning was just 17 years old at the time, in his third year of pro ball. However, the local papers reported that he was 25 years old when he signed with the Alleghenys on May 21, 1889. He was pitching for a team called Hacket, Carhart & Co. in what was described as a commercial league in Connecticut. It was said that he pitched against the New York Giants in April and the big league hitters only collected five hits against him. He was said to throw hard and have plenty of curves, which was basically a way of saying he threw more than one type of breaking ball.
His Major League debut was with Pittsburgh on May 23, 1889, during a 6-1 loss to the Washington Nationals. Dunning threw a complete game, allowing eight hits and seven walks. He was said to be very erratic and hard for the catcher to handle. In his second appearance a week later, he was even wilder, walking nine batters, allowing 12 hits and losing 13-6 to the Philadelphia Phillies. That would be his last appearance for the Pirates, as Morris and Galvin would soon return to the rotation. He was supposed to get another start on June 5th, but rain ended any chances for an extra trial. When the team left for Cleveland the next day, all three of their new pitchers remained home to practice. Dunning was still around on June 18th and said to be doing excellent work in practice. There was thought that he could pitch again, but an early July road trip saw him get left back in Pittsburgh again. Two days later on July 7th, he was released.
Dunning started one game for the New York Giants two years later and only lasted until the second inning before being pulled. He pitched in the minors until 1893, with his baseball career over at the ripe old age of 22. He debuted in pro ball at 15 years old (possibly just after he turned 16), pitching for Bridgeport of the Eastern League in 1887. Dunning played for the Binghamton Crickets of the Central League in 1888. He pitched for London of the International League in 1889, though his results were even worse in two starts than what he did with the Alleghenys. He also pitched for two other teams that season in two other leagues, putting him in four different leagues in 1889. Over his last four years in pro ball, he pitched for 11 different teams in nine different leagues. He’s the youngest player in Pittsburgh Pirates franchise history, debuting at 17 years and 284 days.
Dan Lally, right fielder for the 1891 Pirates. He had a 19-year minor league career that stretched from 1887 until 1905, playing with teams from coast to coast and nearly every stop in between. However, his Major league career consisted of 41 games for the 1891 Pirates and 88 games for the 1897 St Louis Browns. He didn’t make his debut until August 19th of that 1891 season, but over the last two months of the season, he saw plenty of playing time in right field and a few games in center. He ended up playing all but one team game after joining the club. Lally hit .224 with 17 RBIs and 24 runs scored. His fielding wasn’t strong, with nine errors, very little range and only two assists. Even when he played in 1897, he had trouble fielding, committing 24 errors. He hit one homer for the Pirates, but it came off a pretty good pitcher named Cy Young. In an odd coincidence, he hit two homers with the Browns, both coming off the same pitcher (Ted Lewis) but they occurred over three months apart from each other. In his one season with the Browns, Lally hit .284 with 42 RBIs and 57 runs scored. Lally replaced Fred Carroll on the Pirates, a player who originally joined the team in October of 1884, and in 1889 he had the highest OPS (.970) in the National League. Carroll wasn’t hitting well at the time and the release ended his Major League career.
Lally had just turned 24 years old a week prior to his big league debut. His pro debut came four years earlier in 1887, playing in the New England League. He spent the 1889-91 season playing in New Haven, Connecticut, where his team was a member of the Atlantic Association in 1889-90 and the Eastern Association in 1891. He was batting .278 with 33 extra-base hits, 56 runs scored and 16 steals in 84 games in 1891 before joining the Pirates. The New Haven team disbanded in August of 1891 and the Pirates offered a contract to Lally, which he signed on August 16th, three days before his debut. At the end of the season, there was no mention of his release, but in early November the local papers said that Lally would make some minor league team a fine player in the upcoming season, so the writing seemed to be on the wall that he was done with the club. While his full minor league stats are incomplete, it’s known that he batted .400 in 123 games in 1895 for Minneapolis of the Western League. He had 100 extra-base hits that year and 46 steals.
