Eight former Pittsburgh Pirates born on this date, starting with one who was a key part of a major trade that helped bring in a World Series title.
Dave Brain, third baseman for the 1905 Pirates. His claim to fame with the Pirates is that he was one of three players traded to the Boston Beaneaters in December 1905 in exchange for Hall of Fame pitcher Vic Willis. However, Brain turned out to be a solid big league player over a seven-year career in the majors. He began his pro career in 1900 at 21 years old, playing for Des Moines of the Class-B Western League, as well as the Chicago White Stockings of the Class-A American League, which was the highest level of the minors at the time, and the only year that the American League was classified as a minor league level. Only the Chicago stats are available for that season, and they show a .240 average in eight games, with three runs, a double and a triple. He remained with Chicago in 1901 when the league gained Major League status, but he was released after five games, despite hitting .350/.381/.400, with five RBIs. The rest of the 1901 season was spent with St Paul of the Western League (no stats available). Brain then played for Buffalo of the Class-A Eastern League in 1902, hitting .332 in 130 games, with 36 extra-base hits, which helped earn him a spot on the St Louis Cardinals for the 1903 season. He split his first season with the Cardinals between shortstop and third base, hitting .231 in 119 games, with 44 runs, 24 extra-base hits (15 triples), 60 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and a .559 OPS. He played seven different positions (everything except catcher and pitcher) in 1904, while hitting .266 in 127 games, with 57 runs, 24 doubles, 12 triples, seven homers, 18 steals, a .699 OPS and a career high 72 RBIs.
Brain was struggling from the start of 1905 through July, hitting .228/.270/.335 in 44 games, when the Pirates picked him up in a trade for backup infielder George McBride. Brain took over the third base job in Pittsburgh and played well, hitting .257 in 85 games, with 31 runs, 17 doubles, six triples, three homers, 46 RBIs and a .677 OPS, while providing solid defense (0.8 dWAR). He was trade to Boston following the 1905 season, along with minor league pitcher Vive Lindaman and first baseman Del Howard. The Pirates got back Vic Willis, who would post four straight 21+ win seasons for them during the 1906-09 season, helping them to a championship in 1909. Brain had a .250 average in 1906, with 43 runs, 19 doubles, five homers, 45 RBIs and a .626 OPS in 139 games during his first season in Boston. The 1907 season was a real down year for offense during the deadball era. Brain led the National League with ten homers, while his .745 OPS ranked ninth in the league. He batted .279 in 133 games that year, with a career best 60 runs scored, as well as 24 doubles, nine triples and 56 RBIs.
Brain was sold to the Cincinnati Reds in May of 1908 after he refused to sign with Boston due to a salary holdout, as a result of them trying to reduce his salary by $400 after his big season. He played just 27 games in 1908, splitting the year between the Reds and New York Giants, while hitting .125/.232/.125, with six runs, no extra-base hits and two RBIs. The Giants acquired him in a July 10th trade that year, in a deal that included three players and cash. He had an appendicitis surgery right after the season ended, and said that it had been bothering him for some time, which limited him to four at-bats after July 21st. That season was the end of his big league career. The Giants cut ties on March 10, 1909, sending him shuffling off to Buffalo. Brain ended up playing two years of minor league ball before retiring, playing back in both Buffalo (1909-10) and St Paul (1910). He had a .234 average in 1909, though it came with 27 doubles and 15 triples in 151 games. He combined to bat .217 in 1910, with six doubles, three triples and no homers in 70 games. He hit .252 over his seven seasons in the majors, with 254 runs scored, 97 doubles, 52 triples, 27 homers, 303 RBIs and 73 steals in 679 big league games.
Jose Quintana, pitcher for the 2022 Pirates. He was signed as an international amateur free agent out of Venezuela by the New York Mets in April of 2006. He allowed seven runs and eight walks in 5.1 innings over three appearances in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. The Mets released him in 2007 before he pitched any games. The New York Yankees signed him in March of 2008. They sent him to the Dominican Summer League for the 2008-09 seasons. Quintana went 3-2, 1.96 in 2008, with 76 strikeouts in 55 innings. The then made 14 starts in 2009, putting together a 2-1, 2.32 record in 50.1 innings, finishing with 37 walks and 80 strikeouts. He 2010 between the Gulf Coast Yankees and Charleston of the Low-A South Atlantic League, combining for a 3-2, 3.26 record and 44 strikeouts in 38.2 innings over 20 games (three starts). Quintana spent the 2011 season with Tampa of the High-A Florida State League, where he had a 10-2, 2.91 record in 12 starts and 18 relief appearances. He finished with 28 walks, 88 strikeouts and a 1.12 WHIP in 102 innings. He became a minor league free agent at the end of the season and signed with the Chicago White Sox.
Quintana opened up 2012 with Birmingham of the Double-A Southern League, but he made his big league debut five weeks into the season. He didn’t stick right away, but it wasn’t long before he was in the majors for good. He went 1-3, 2.77 in 48.2 innings over nine starts with Birmingham. He finished his rookie big league season with a 6-6, 3.76 record in 22 starts and three relief appearances, with 81 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP in 136.1 innings. Quintana was a workhorse by his first full season. He went 9-7, 3.51 for the 2013 White Sox, pitching 200 innings over 33 starts. He had 164 strikeouts and a 1.22 WHIP that year. He made 32 starts in 2014, going 9-11, 3.32 in 200.1 innings, with 178 strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP. Quintana had 32 starts again in 2015. He posted a 9-10, 3.36 record in 206.1 innings, with 177 strikeouts and his first career complete game/shutout. He set a career high in victories in 2016, when he went 13-12, 3.20 in 208 innings over 32 starts. He set a high of 181 strikeouts, though that personal mark didn’t last long. Quintana made his only All-Star appearance that season, and he finished tenth in the Cy Young voting, the only time he received votes for a season award.
Quintana was traded to the Chicago Cubs in the middle of the 2017 season. He went 4-8, 4.49 in 18 starts with the White Sox, and 7-3, 3.74 in 14 starts with the Cubs. He failed to reach 200 innings (188.1), but he set a career high with 207 strikeouts. He remained with the Cubs in 2018, when he tied his high for wins. Quintana went 13-11, 4.03 in 32 starts, with 158 strikeouts in 174.1 innings. His stats slipped in 2019, though he reached that lucky win total again, finishing 13-9, 4.68 in 171 innings. He pitched just four games during the shortened 2020 season with the Cubs, missing the start of the delayed year due to thumb surgery, after getting injured in his home. He allowed five runs over ten innings that year. Quintana became a free agent and signed with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2021 season. He went 0-3, 6.75 in ten starts and 14 relief appearances, throwing 53.1 innings. The San Francisco Giants picked him up off of waivers late in the year, in time for him to make five relief appearances, allowing five runs in 9.2 innings. Quintana signed with the Pirates as a free agent on November 29, 2021. He made 20 starts for the 2022 Pirates, going 3-5, 5.50 in 103 innings. He was traded to the St Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline in a four-player deal, then finished the season by going 3-2, 2.01 in 62.2 innings over 12 starts. He became a free agent after the season and signed quickly with the New York Mets for the 2023-24 seasons. Quintana has a career record of 89-87,3.75 in 1,723.2 innings, with 1,532 career strikeouts.
Enny Romero, pitcher for the 2018 Pirates. He was signed as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2008 at 17 years old by the Tampa Bay Rays. It took him five years to make the majors. He debuted in pro ball in 2008 in the Dominican Summer League, where he had a 2.76 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. Romero moved up to the Gulf Coast League in 2009, where he had a 4.81 ERA in 39.1 innings, with 33 strikeouts. He split his 2010 season between Tampa Bay’s short-season affiliates in the Appalachian League (Princeton) and the New York-Penn League (Hudson Valley), going 5-1, 1.94, with 76 strikeouts in 74.1 innings over 14 starts. He moved up to Low-A in 2011, playing for Bowling Green of the Midwest League, where he went 5-5, 4.26 in 114 innings over 26 starts, with 140 strikeouts. Romero went to Charlotte of the High-A Florida State League in 2012. He had a 5-7, 3.93 record that season in 23 starts and two relief outings, with 107 strikeouts and 76 walks in 126 innings. His slow climb through the system sped up in 2013, as he started in Double-A, then reached the majors by the end of the year. He went 11-7, 2.76, with 110 strikeouts in 140.1 innings for Montgomery of the Double-A Southern League. He then had a quick stop in Triple-A with Durham of the International League, where he threw eight shutout innings in his only start. Romero debuted in the majors with 4.2 shutout innings in a start on September 22, 2013. He allowed one hit that day, walked four batters, and he failed to pick up a strikeout.
Romero spent all of 2014 in Triple-A as a starting pitcher, but he would soon move to a relief role to help him get back to the majors. He went 5-11, 4.50 with 117 strikeouts in 126 innings for Durham that season, then returned to the majors in late May of 2015. He didn’t exactly dominate with Durham in 2015, posting a 4.86 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP in 46.1 innings. He pitched 23 times in relief for the 2015 Rays, putting up a 5.10 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP in 30 innings. Romero spent all of 2016 in the majors, except one rehab start. He struggled that year with the Rays, going 2-0, 5.91 in 45.2 innings over 52 appearances, with 50 strikeouts and a 1.53 WHIP. He was traded to the Washington Nationals prior to the 2017 season for a minor league pitcher. Romero did much better in Washington, posting a 3.56 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 55.2 innings over 53 outings in 2017. The 2018 season saw him pitch a total of eight games in the majors, spending time with three different teams. He was put on waivers by the Nationals after just two outings in which he allowed three runs over two innings. The Pirates claimed him on April 14th and used him twice in the majors. He gave up one run over two innings in his debut on April 18th, then allowed four runs (one earned) over two innings on April 25th. He collected a double and scored a run in his only at-bat with the Pirates. He was soon placed on the disabled list with a shoulder impingement, then was designated for assignment on the day he came off of the disabled list (July 2nd). Romero was picked up by the Kansas City Royals, who used him four times before they designated him for assignment. He allowed eight runs over four innings with the Royals. He became a free agent on July 24, 2018, then didn’t pitch until the winter season in the Dominican.
Romero signed to play in Japan for 2019, where he has spent three of the last four season. He has played winter ball in the Dominican in each of the last nine years, but he did not play during the 2022-23 winter. He went 8-10, 4.01 in 130.1 innings during his first season in Japan. He didn’t play during the 2020 season, choosing not to play until winter ball started in the Dominican. He returned in 2021, though he pitched just 27.1 innings in Japan and 21.2 innings during winter ball. Romero pitched full-time again in 2022, going 8-9, 3.36 in 115.1 innings in Japan. He has a 4-6, 5.12 record in the majors, with 156 strikeouts in 146 innings, over 137 games (one start).
Ross Powell, pitcher for the 1995 Pirates. He was a third round draft pick out of the University of Michigan by the Cincinnati Reds in 1989, who made it to the majors for the first time with Cincinnati in 1993. Powell debuted in Low-A ball with Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League after the draft. He had a 7-4, 3.54 record and a 1.19 WHIP in 76.1 innings over 13 starts. He made it all the way to Triple-A in his first full season of pro ball, but it still took another three seasons to make that final leap. He went 8-14, 3.55, with 132 strikeouts in 185 innings for Chattanooga of the Double-A Southern League in 1990. He made 27 starts for Chattanooga, but his time in Triple-A with Nashville of the American Association that year consisted of 2.2 innings over three relief appearances. Powell made 24 starts for Nashville in 1991, resulting in an 8-8, 4.37 record in 129.2 innings, with a 63:82 BB/SO ratio and a 1.45 WHIP. He ended up back at Chattanooga for nearly half of the 1992 season, where he put up a 1.26 ERA in 57.1 innings spread over five starts and nine relief appearances. He also made 12 starts and 13 relief appearances that season for Nashville, going 4-8, 3.38 in 93.1 innings, with 84 strikeouts. The Reds moved their Triple-A affiliate to Indianapolis of the American Association in 1993, where Powell went 10-10, 4.11, with 133 strikeouts in 179.2 innings over 27 starts and one relief appearance. He was called up to the majors for the first time when the rosters expanded in September. He made one start and eight relief appearances for the 1993 Reds, going 0-3, 4.41 in 16.1 innings.
The Reds traded Powell to the Houston Astros in April 1994, and he spent most of the year as a starter in Triple-A with Tuscon of the Pacific Coast League. He allowed ten runs over 9.2 innings with Indianapolis prior to the trade. Despite a 6.05 ERA in 77.1 innings in the minors that season, he did well in his brief big league time. He pitched 12 games in short relief for 1994 Astros, allowing just one run in 7.1 innings. He was with the team for the entire month of June, then returned in early August, pitching three games before the season shut down due to the strike. Powell had a rough time in the majors in 1995, posting an 11.00 ERA in 15 appearances, though most of the damage came in his first appearance, which saw him allow five earned runs in two innings. He was sent back to Tuscon for just a few days when the Astros sent him to the Pirates for a player to be named later on July 28th. The Pirates added the southpaw Powell to the roster the next day, while placing infielder Carlos Garcia on the disabled list. Powell would pitch 12 games (three starts) for Pittsburgh, going 0-2, 5.23 in 20.2 innings. He was granted free agency following the season. He returned to the minors, where he finished his career in 1996. Powell spent that final season in Triple-A, seeing time with the St Louis Cardinals (Louisville of the American Association) and the Reds (Indianapolis). He combined to go 6-3, 5.56 in 68 innings, with 61 strikeouts and a 1.62 WHIP. He had a Major League record of 0-5, 5.40 in 53.1 innings over 48 games (four starts). Powell passed away at age 49 in 2017.
Timothy Jones, pitcher for the 1977 Pirates. He was a fourth round draft pick of the Pirates in 1972, taken at 18 years old out of high school in California. He slowly worked his way through the minors, pitching two full seasons in Double-A and then two more in Triple-A before getting a September call-up in 1977. The Pirates pushed him to Double-A quickly after he posted strong results in each of his first two seasons. In short-season ball in 1972, mostly spent in the Gulf Coast League, he had a 2.19 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 74 innings. Six of those innings were spent with Niagara Falls of the short-season New York-Penn League, where he allowed four runs, though all were unearned. At 19 years old in 1973, he had a 13-7, 2.20, with 163 strikeouts in 172 innings, while playing for Charleston of the Class-A Western Carolinas League. Jones actually did well in his first year of Double-A with Thetford Mines of the Eastern League, though he did better in his second season after the Pirates switched Double-A affiliates. He went 11-10, 3.75 in 144 innings over 22 starts, with 95 walks and 106 strikeouts for Thetford Mines in 1974. He then finished 16-6, 3.03 in 172 innings for Shreveport of the Texas League in 1975. His strikeout rate dropped a little (108 strikeouts on the season), but he walked just 62 batters, nearly cutting his walk rate in half. Jones saw an opposite turn in his results with the move to Triple-A, doing better in his first year versus his second run at the level. The Pirates also made an affiliate switch between those years.
Jones went 7-10, 3.63 in 161 innings over 24 starts with Charleston of the International League in 1976. He had 73 walks and 73 strikeouts that season. He had a better record in 1977, but a worse ERA, while pitching for Columbus of the International League. Jones went 15-6, 4.12, with 91 strikeouts in 190 innings, split over 26 starts and two relief outings. That performance earned him a trip to the majors at the end of the season. He had been a starter all six seasons in the minors, but the Pirates put him in the bullpen in September of 1977. He pitched just three innings over two appearances before the final day of the season. He joined the club on September 4th, and got right into a game on his first day, throwing the final two innings of an 8-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jones retired all six batters he faced. His next appearance came 23 days later when he pitched the final inning of a 7-1 loss to the New York Mets. The Pirates let him start game one of a doubleheader on October 2nd against the Chicago Cubs. He ended up throwing seven shutout innings that day, picking up his first big league win. Just a month after his shining moment in the majors, he had a physical run-in during winter ball with two umpires. That incident got him kicked out of the league. Right before the 1978 season started, the Pirates traded Jones to the Montreal Expos on March 28th for lefty relief pitcher Will McEnaney. Jones spent that season in Triple-A with Denver of the American Association, where he had a 7-11, 6.35 record (at a high offense stadium) in 119 innings. He never pitched again after 1978, ending his Major League career with a 1-0, 0.00 record. He completed 60 games in the minors, including nine shutouts.
Wally Judnich, outfielder for the 1949 Pirates. He spent his first five seasons of pro ball in the minors with the New York Yankees and couldn’t crack their loaded outfield. When he was sold to the St Louis Browns in early 1940, they gave him the center field job and he excelled. Judnich debuted in pro ball at 19 years old in 1935, playing with Akron of the Class-C Middle Atlantic League, where he hit .274 in 109 games, with 24 doubles, seven triples and eight homers. He played for Norfolk of the Class-B Piedmont League in 1936, where he had a .303 average in 143 games, with 100 runs, 26 doubles, 11 triples, 24 homers, 108 RBIs and an .865 OPS. Judnich moved up to Oakland of the Double-A Pacific Coast League in 1937, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. That year he had a .316 average in 175 games, with 107 runs, 42 doubles, 14 triples, 11 homers, 81 RBIs and 21 steals. He stayed in Double-A in 1938 with Kansas City of the American Association. He hit .273 in 150 games that season, with 94 runs, 34 doubles, ten triples, 22 homers, 104 RBIs and an .834 OPS. He was moved to the Double-A Newark Bears of the International League in 1939, where he hit .284 in 149 games, with 95 runs, 23 doubles, 13 triples, 21 homers, 105 RBIs, 66 walks and an .855 OPS. The Browns purchased his contract on January 30, 1940, and he made their Opening Day roster. He hit .303 as a rookie in 1940, with 97 runs, 27 doubles, seven triples, 24 homers, 89 RBIs, 54 walks and an .888 OPS in 137 games. That performance earned him mild MVP support, with an 18th place finish in the voting.
Judnich dropped down to a .284 average in 1941, with 90 runs scored, 14 homers and 83 RBIs, though he also drew 80 walks and hit 40 doubles, which were both well above his previous year’s total. His .888 rookie OPS, dropped down to a very respectable .833 mark in his sophomore year. Judnich hit .313 in 1942, with 78 runs, 22 doubles, 17 homers, 82 RBIs and 74 walks in 132 games. He improved to a .912 OPS, but his big league career would get sidetracked. He lost three full seasons (1943-45) of play to WWII, serving in the Air Force during that time. He returned for the 1946 season and wasn’t nearly as good of a ballplayer as he was prior, though he was still a productive big leaguer. He .252 for the 1946 Browns, with 60 runs, 23 doubles, 17 homers, 72 RBIs, 60 walks and a .751 OPS in 142 games. He played 144 games in 1947, posting a .258 average, with 58 runs, 24 doubles, 18 homers, 64 RBIs, 60 walks and a .764 OPS. Judnich was a center fielder full-time in 1946, then saw a large majority of his work at first base in 1947. That move happened despite the fact that he led all American League outfielders for the third time in fielding percentage (he also led in 1940 and 1942). He was traded to the Cleveland Indians shortly after the 1947 season ended. He would help them win the World Series during the 1948 season, which is still their last World Series title to this date. Judnich saw a small role on that team, seeing time at center field, right field and first base, while hitting .257 in 79 games, with 36 runs, 13 doubles, two homers, 29 RBIs and a .783 OPS. Despite limited plate appearances, he drew 56 walks that year, resulting in a .411 OBP. He had a rough time in the World Series, going 1-for-14 in four games.
Judnich was picked up by the Pirates off of waivers for $10,000 in February of 1949. He started eight of the first 16 games of the season in center field for the 1949 Pirates, then was used as a pinch-hitter twice over the next week. He hit .229/.250/.257 in ten games, before getting sold outright to the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League on May 15th. He played pro ball until 1955, but never returned to the majors. Judnich spent his final seven seasons in the PCL, playing for the Seals (1949), Seattle (1950-53) and Portland (1954-55) before finishing back in San Francisco in 1955. He drove in over 100 runs during each of the 1951-53 seasons. He finished off the 1949 season by hitting .269 in 116 games for San Francisco, with 75 runs, 15 doubles, 18 homers, 63 RBIs, 97 walks and an .880 OPS. He hit .285 in his first season with Seattle, finishing with 91 runs, 22 doubles, 19 homers, 84 RBIs, 83 walks and an .833 OPS in 166 games. Judnich played 147 games in 1951, finishing the year with a .329 average, 93 runs, 35 doubles, eight triples, 21 homers, 102 RBIs, 85 walks and a .976 OPS. He batted .287 over 177 games in 1952, with 93 runs, 41 doubles, 15 homers, 105 RBIs, 84 walks and a .799 OPS. In his final season with Seattle, he put up a .299 average in 163 games, with 81 runs, 26 doubles, 16 homers, 101 RBIs and an .813 OPS. Judnich batted .272 during his only full season with Portland, compiling 71 runs, 26 doubles, 18 homers, 81 RBIs, 79 walks and a .786 OPS. His split season with Portland and San Francisco in 1955 saw him hit .279 in 137 games, with 67 runs, 30 doubles, nine homers, 60 RBIs and 62 walks.
Judnich finished his big league career with a .281 average in 790 games, with 424 runs scored, 150 doubles, 90 homers and 420 RBIs. He finished with more walks (385) than strikeouts (298). For a player who missed three full seasons in his prime, Judnich put up some huge numbers over all levels of pro ball in 18 seasons. He hit 292 homers, drove in 1,016 runs, collected 2,630 hits and scored 994 runs in 2,578 games. The runs and RBI totals are actually missing his first five years due to incomplete minor league stats. He was a power hitter, who also hit for average those years, while playing an average of nearly 150 games per season, so the real totals in each of those categories are probably in the 1,400-1,500 range.
Johnny Dickshot, outfielder for the 1936-38 Pirates. Nicknamed “Ugly”, he was a strong hitter in the minors prior to making his MLB debut with the 1936 Pirates. He debuted in pro ball at age 20 in 1930, but didn’t really break out in the minors until the 1934 season, when he split the year between two teams in the Class-A Western League. That first year of pro ball was spent with Dubuque of the Class-D Mississippi Valley League, where he hit .309 in 19 games, with nine extra-base hits. Dickshot was playing semi-pro ball for a club called St Anthony’s for most of 1931, but also saw some time with Davenport of the Mississippi Valley League in the summer, and he played briefly for Milwaukee of the Double-A American Association that September, with Double-A being the highest level of the minors at the time. Milwaukee signed him to a deal, then they loaned him to two teams during the 1932 season, as he saw time with Fort Smith of the Class-C Western Association, and then finished up with Rock Island of the Mississippi Valley League. He combined to hit .270 that year, with 40 extra-base hits in 137 games. He had 50 runs and 35 RBIs in 71 games with Fort Smith. Dickshot saw time with two teams in the Class-A Texas League in 1933, but by the summer he was back near his home playing semi-pro ball again. His limited stats from pro ball show him putting up a .315 average and nine extra-base hits in 29 games split between San Antonio and Fort Worth. The 1934 season saw him play for Cedar Rapids and Rock Island in the Class-A Western League, where incomplete stats credit him with a .343 average in 117 games, with 21 doubles, eight triples and 16 homers.
The Pirates purchased Dickshot’s contract from Little Rock of the Class-A Southern Association on September 19, 1934. He remained with Little Rock for the 1935 season on option from the Pirates. He hit .309 that year in 138 games, with 28 doubles, 19 triples and seven homers. He began that 1936 season with the Pirates, playing nine games off of the bench, before they sent him to the minors. He last played for the Pirates on May 9th, but he actually played an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox on May 11th, before being optioned back to the minors that same day. With Buffalo of the Double-A International League that year, Dickshot batted .359 in 130 games, with 110 runs, 17 doubles, 15 triples, 17 homers, 112 RBIs, 33 steals, 73 walks and a 1.007 OPS. He was scheduled to come back to the Pirates in September after his minor league season was done, but the International League championship series didn’t finish until after the Pirates season ended on September 27th.
Dickshot was with the Pirates for all of 1937, playing a total of 82 games, with 58 starts in left field. He hit .254 that year, with 42 runs, 15 extra-base hits, 33 RBIs and a .672 OPS. Despite picking up 33 steals with Buffalo in 1936, he went 0-for-4 in stolen base attempts for the 1937 Pirates. He was used sparingly during the entire 1938 season, despite being healthy and with the Pirates all year. He batted .229 in 28 games (seven starts) with eight singles, eight walks and a .601 OPS in 43 plate appearances. Dickshot was traded to the Boston Bees after the 1938 season as part of a package used to acquire catcher Ray Mueller. Before Opening Day in 1939, Dickshot was sold to the New York Giants. He hit .235/.333/.235 in ten games that season, before spending the rest of the year in the minors with Jersey City of the International League. He batted .356 in 153 games with Jersey City, compiling 100 runs, 26 doubles, 16 triples, eight homers, 92 RBIs and a .924 OPS. He then spent the next four seasons in the minors, playing mostly for Hollywood of the Double-A Pacific Coast League, before returning to the majors to play two seasons during the war years (1944-45) for the Chicago White Sox.
Dickshot played 175 games and had 713 plate appearances for Hollywood during both the 1941 and 1942 seasons. He hit .298 that first year, with 76 runs, 37 doubles, eight triples, ten homers, 86 RBIs, 86 walks and an .824 OPS. He batted .303 in 1942, with 81 runs, 25 doubles, 11 homers, 87 RBIs, 80 walks and a .794 OPS. He played 158 games in 1943 for Hollywood, finishing up with a .352 average, 100 runs, 31 doubles, 13 homers, 99 RBIs, 77 walks and a .921 OPS. Dickshot hit .253 in 62 games for the 1944 White Sox, with 18 runs, 13 extra-base hits, 15 RBIs and a .677 OPS. He saw more playing time in 1945, hitting .302 in 130 games, with 74 runs, 19 doubles, ten triples, four homers, 58 RBIs and a .774 OPS. Despite that success, his big league career was over at that point. His pro career ended two years later playing back with Milwaukee of the Triple-A American Association. He split the 1946 season between Hollywood and Milwaukee, combining to hit .313 in 115 games, with 67 runs, 30 extra-base hits, 55 RBIs, 79 walks and an .864 OPS. His final season with Milwaukee saw him hit .253 in 37 games, with a .612 OPS. He was a career .318 hitter in 1,526 minor league games. Dickshot batted .276 during his six seasons in the majors, with 142 runs, 35 doubles, 19 triples, seven homers and 116 RBIs in 322 games. With the Pirates, he had a .250 average, with three homers and 38 RBIs in 120 games.
Stu Clarke, infielder for the 1929-30 Pirates. He spent five seasons working his way up through the low levels of the minors before the Pirates signed him for the 1929 season. Clarke began pro ball at 18 years old in 1924, putting up a .199 average, with eight doubles and eight triples in 124 games for Waterloo of the Class-D Mississippi Valley League. He didn’t do much better the next year, hitting .204 over 447 at-bats, with 17 doubles, seven triples and two homers for Waterloo. It was said that he played winter ball in California between the 1924-25 seasons to help improve his hitting, which only helped slightly it appears. However, Clarke was named as the best shortstop in the league, which was voted on by the league umpires. He finally put things together at the plate during the 1926 season with Waterloo. Clarke hit .273 in 119 games that year, while showing an increase in his power numbers, with 38 extra-base hits (32 doubles). That led to him moving up the minor league ladder in 1927, playing most of the year for Salisbury-Spencer of the Class-C Piedmont League, where he hit .272 in 132 games, with 27 doubles, ten triples and two homers. He also played ten games with with Columbia of the Class-B South Atlantic League in 1927, going 7-for-34 with three doubles. He stayed with Columbia for all of 1928, where he hit .264 in 147 games, with 18 doubles, 11 triples and seven homers. He was sold to Wichita of the Class-A Western League after the 1928 season ended. He didn’t last long in Wichita, hitting .290 in 59 games, with 20 extra-base hits, before getting grabbed by the Pirates on June 17, 1929, in exchange for infielder Cobe Jones and cash.
Clarke, who was called “Sammy” often in the papers, was acquired to be a backup infielder for most of the final 3 1/2 months of the 1929 season. He ended up getting a decent amount of playing time when injuries, including one to Pie Traynor, opened up some opportunities. He never hit more than .273 in a full season in the minors, but was able to hold his own in the majors during his rookie season, hitting .264 in 57 games, with 20 runs, 14 extra-base hits, 21 RBIs and a .735 OPS. He had trouble in the field when he was forced to fill in at shortstop, committing 18 errors in 41 games. He played well at the hot corner in place of Traynor, making just one error in his 15 games. Clarke lasted just four games during the 1930 season before the Pirates sent him to the minors. He hit .444/.500/.667 in that brief time, playing two games at second base and two off the bench. His time with the Pirates actually ended with an ankle injury suffered on May 13th during practice. He was expected to miss about ten days, but he was still doing rehab work in early June. Clarke was available to play for a short time before the Pirates optioned him to Fort Worth of the Class-A Texas League. He remained in the minors for the rest of his career, playing until 1933, seeing time with six teams over those final four seasons. Clarke’s time with the Pirates officially ended on March 29, 1931 when he was sold outright to Mission of the Pacific Coast League.
Clarke hit .298 in 51 games with Fort Worth in 1930, collecting 11 doubles, a triple and six homers. He spent the entire 1931 season with Mission, where he had a .258 average, 34 doubles, nine triples and ten homers in 165 games. He played for Toronto of the Double-A International League in 1932, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. Clarke hit .217 that season in 82 games, with 14 doubles, nine triples and five homers. His final season in 1933 saw him move around a lot, and not stay anywhere long. He played for Toronto and Jersey City in the International League, and Williamsport and Reading in the Class-A New York-Penn League. He played a total of 70 games between the four stops, finishing with a .225 average, ten doubles, one triple and three homers. Clarke finished with a .273 big league average and a .763 OPS in 61 games over his two seasons. He had more triples (eight) than doubles and homers combined (seven).
