Two Pittsburgh Pirates trades of note and six former players born on this date.
The Trades
On this date in 2002, the Pittsburgh Pirates sent reliever Damaso Marte and minor league infielder Ruddy Yan to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league starter Matt Guerrier. Yan was 20 years old at the time of the trade. He had just played his first full season in 2001, hitting .283/.347/.332 in 128 games, with 56 steals for Low-A Hickory of the South Atlantic League. Marte was a 27-year-old reliever, who had a 4.71 ERA in 36.1 innings for the Pirates in 2001, which was his first full season in the majors. Guerrier, at age 22 in 2001, went 18-4, 3.30 in 27 starts split between Double-A and Triple-A. He would end up pitching two years at Triple-A before the Pirates put him on waivers in November of 2003, without giving him a big league shot. That proved to be a big mistake. He ended up pitching 555 Major League games over 11 seasons, twice leading the American League in games pitched while with the Minnesota Twins. The Pirates eventually got Marte back, but not until after he pitched four seasons out of the White Sox bullpen, where he posted a 2.78 ERA in 279 games. His 2002-04 seasons were his three best during his career according to WAR, as he accumulated 7.4 WAR during that stretch. Yan played pro ball for 15 years, but never made the majors. This trade was a good one, but ended up being a loss for the Pirates because of how they handled Guerrier.
Exactly 15 years earlier, the same two teams hooked up on a deal that saw reliever Jim Winn go to Chicago, while outfielder John Cangelosi came to Pittsburgh. Cangelosi was 24 years old at the time, coming off his first full season in the majors. He hit .235 in 137 games for the White Sox in 1986, stealing 50 bases and drawing 71 walks. Winn, who was 27 years old, went 3-5, 3.58 in 88 innings for the Pirates in 1986. It was his first full season in the majors, and the fourth season that he played with Pittsburgh. After the trade, Winn posted a 4.79 ERA in 94 relief innings during his only season with the White Sox. His Major League career ended with nine games for the Minnesota Twins in 1988. Cangelosi spent four seasons in Pittsburgh, mostly playing off the bench. He started just 90 games over those four years In 349 total games with the Pirates, he had a .243/.377/.321 slash line, with 93 runs scored and 48 stolen bases.
While the Pirates clearly lost the Marte trade, this one was a minor win. Winn had -0.9 WAR after the deal, so just releasing him without any return would have been enough. Cangelosi was just a role player off of the bench, but he had 3.3 WAR in his four seasons with the Pirates. His worst season was actually the 1990 season when they used him less often, but made the playoffs. He had -0.2 WAR that year.
The Players
Eric Stout, pitcher for the 2022 Pirates. He was a 13th round draft pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2014 out of Butler University. He pitched in relief that year for Idaho Falls of the short-season Pioneer League, where he went 5-2, 3.58 in 47.2 innings, with 41 strikeouts and a 1.41 WHIP. He spent part of 2015 pitching in Extended Spring Training, while seeing time with four different affiliates of the Royals, including Idaho Falls. Despite playing for four teams, 16 of his 20 appearances came with Lexington of the Low-A South Atlantic League, where he went 0-0, 3.26, with three saves and an 0.99 WHIP in 30.1 innings. The 2016 season was spent with Northwest Arkansas of the Double-A Texas League. Stout made 42 relief appearances that year, going 6-4, 3.86 in 72.1 innings, with 69 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP. He attended the Arizona Fall League after the season, posting a 2.77 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings. He spent the entire 2017 season with Omaha of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, going 5-2, 2.99 in 69.1 innings, with 56 strikeouts, five saves and a 1.25 WHIP. Most of 2018 was spent right back in Omaha, where he went 3-3, 4.75 in 55 innings over 36 relief appearances and two starts. Stout had four saves, 44 strikeouts and a 1.51 WHIP. He joined the Royals for two games in late April and one in late May. None of those appearances went well, with him combining to allow seven runs in 2.1 innings.
Stout was released by the Royals in September of 2018. He signed with the San Diego Padres in January of 2019, but they released him at the end of Spring Training. He didn’t sign again until joining the Cincinnati Reds on June 1, 2019. In between that time, he made two starts for Kansas City of the independent American Association. He went 2-2, 6.27 in 60.1 innings for Louisville of the Triple-A International League in 2019. He also pitched two scoreless innings for Chattanooga of the Double-A Southern League. Stout excelled playing winter ball in Puerto Rico during the 2019-20 off-season, posting a 1.62 ERA, 42 strikeouts and an 0.87 WHIP in 33.1 innings. He pitched for Chicago of the American Association during the canceled 2020 minor league season, though he didn’t last long due to a 9.45 ERA over three starts. Stout went back to winter ball in Puerto Rico over the 2020-21 off-season, where he had a 4.08 ERA in four starts. He was back with Kansas City of the American Association briefly in 2021, before signing with the Miami Marlins as a free agent. He had a 10.19 ERA, 18 walks and 21 strikeouts in 17.2 innings with Triple-A Jacksonville that year.
Stout was released in August of 2021, then didn’t sign again until March of 2022 with the Chicago Cubs. He played winter ball in between that time, going 3-1, 1.57 over seven starts in Puerto Rico, with a 1.02 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. He split 2022 with the Cubs between the majors and Iowa of the International League, where he had a 3.94 ERA in 29.2 innings, with 48 strikeouts. His big league time amounted to two runs over 3.2 innings in two games. He was purchased by the Pirates on June 21, 2022. He dominated with Indianapolis of the International League, posting an 0.68 ERA in 13.1 innings. He was with the Pirates briefly in early July, then returned in early August for most of the rest of the season. Stout had a 5.79 ERA in 18.2 innings over 18 appearances. The Pirates let him go at the end of the 2022 season, then he signed with the Cubs in December of 2022.
Clay Holmes, pitcher for the 2018-21 Pirates. He was a ninth round draft pick of the Pirates, taken out of high school in Alabama. He received a bonus over $1,000,000, which was a record for his draft round. He signed too late to pitch in 2011, so he debuted with State College of the short-season New York-Penn League in 2012, where he went 5-3, 2.28 in 59.1 innings over 13 starts, with a 1.08 WHIP and 34 strikeouts. Holmes moved up to West Virginia of the Low-A South Atlantic League in 2013, where he had a 5-6, 4.08 record in 25 starts (one relief outing), with 90 strikeouts and a 1.47 WHIP in 119 innings. That was followed by missing the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery. His return in 2015 was limited to nine starts due to the timing of the surgery. He pitched three games in the Gulf Coast League and six for Bradenton of the High-A Florida State League that year, going 1-2, 2.48 in 36.1 innings between both stops, with 26 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP. Healthy in 2016, Holmes spent the entire season with Altoona of the Double-A Eastern League, where he went 10-9, 4.22 in 26 starts, with 101 strikeouts and a 1.48 WHIP in 136.1 innings. He moved up to Indianapolis of the Triple-A International League for all of 2017, putting up a 10-5, 3.36 record in 112.2 innings, with 99 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP.
Holmes spent most of 2018 back with Indianapolis, where he went 8-3, 3.40, with 100 strikeouts and a 1.41 WHIP in 95.1 innings over 16 starts and six relief outings. He made his big league debut in April, but didn’t stick with the team until late August. He ended up making four starts and seven relief appearances for the Pirates, going 1-3, 6.84 in 26.1 innings, with a 2.01 WHIP, 23 walks and 21 strikeouts. Holmes struggled in both the minors and the majors in 2019, though he spent more time in Pittsburgh. He had a 6.41 ERA in 19.2 innings split between Altoona and Indianapolis. He had a 5.58 ERA, a 1.62 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 50 innings over 35 appearances with the Pirates. He had two separate injuries that resulted in stints on the injured list that year. His 2020 season, which was already shortened to 60 games due to the pandemic, ended after one game when he suffered a forearm strain. He became a free agent after the season, but quickly re-signed with the Pirates. Holmes was back healthy in 2021 for the entire year. He had a 3-2, 4.93 record in 44 appearances for the Pirates, with 44 strikeouts and a 1.43 WHIP in 42 innings. He was traded to the New York Yankees for two prospects in late July of 2021, then completely turned things around with his new team. After going 5-7, 5.57, with a 1.64 WHIP in 119.2 innings with the Pirates, Holmes went 5-2, 1.61 in 28 innings over 25 games with the 2021 Yankees. He walked just four batters during that time, after walking 6.3 batters per nine innings with the Pirates. Holmes threw two shutout innings in the Yankees one-game playoff appearance in 2021. He had an All-Star season in 2022, thanks in part to an amazing first half. He went 7-4, 2.54, with 20 saves, 65 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP in 63.2 innings. He had zero saves coming into the season. He had an 0.46 ERA through 39.1 innings in mid-July, then finished with a 5.92 ERA over his final 24 games. In his five-year career, he is 17-13, 4.13 in 211.1 innings, with 221 strikeouts.
Montana DuRapau, pitcher for the 2019 Pirates. At 22 years old in 2014, he was a 32nd round draft pick of the Pirates out of Bethune-Cookman University. DuRapau, who already pitched 117 innings in 2014 before joining the Pirates, was given a starting role for Jamestown of the short-season New York-Penn League after signing. He put up a 2.21 ERA in 61 innings, with 57 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP. The next season he saw action at three levels, working his way from West Virginia of the Low-A South Atlantic League, to Double-A Altoona of the Eastern League, while spending most of the year playing for Bradenton in the High-A Florida State League. Combined between the three stops, he had a 5-1, 1.38 record and 14 saves in 72 innings over 44 appearances. He walked just nine batters all year and had 69 strikeouts, while posting an incredible 0.51 WHIP. DuRapau spent the entire 2016 season in Altoona, putting up a 3-3, 3.63 record in 49.1 innings over 50 appearances, with 51 strikeouts, a 1.26 WHIP and 22 saves. He went to the Arizona Fall League after the season, where he had a 5.40 ERA in ten innings over ten appearances. He split the 2017 season between Altoona and Indianapolis of the Triple-A International League, combining for a 2.04 ERA and 15 saves in 53 innings over 42 outings, with 62 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP. He struggled in a brief stint in winter ball in the Dominican during the 2017-18 off-season, which turned out to be a rough one for him.
DuRapau failed a drug suspension over the 2017-18 off-season, then was limited to just 30.2 innings in 2018 due to a 50-game suspension. It seemed to have sidetracked his career, as he posted a 5.28 ERA between Indianapolis and Altoona, though his 1.24 WHIP was solid, and he struck out 38 batters in his limited work. The Pirates were desperate for pitching in 2019 due to numerous injuries, so he got multiple chances at the big league level. Those chances were helped by an All-Star season in Indianapolis, where he had 2.14 ERA, ten saves, 57 strikeouts and an 0.76 WHIP in 46.1 innings. That was during a season in which the International League was using big league baseballs, which resulted in a huge jump in offense for the league. He had six different stints with the Pirates in 2019, making a total of 14 appearances, including two starts. He put up a 9.35 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP in 17.1 innings. He didn’t play during the shortened 2020 season, then became a free agent at the end of the year. He played winter ball briefly in the Dominican after the season, throwing shutout ball in three appearances. DuRapau signed with the Oakland A’s for the 2021 season just two weeks after reaching free agency. He spent the year with Midland of the Double-A Texas League, where he went 4-1, 3.98 in 54.1 innings over 37 relief appearances, with nine saves, 40 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP. He retired just prior to the 2022 season.
Gary Alexander, first baseman/outfielder for the 1981 Pirates. He signed a second round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants in January of 1972, after passing on a 23rd round selection by the Montreal Expos seven months earlier. Despite getting drafted out of college both times, he was still just 19 years old at the time. Alexander spent most of his career as a catcher, a position he didn’t play while with the Pirates. In the minors he was able to hit for power and average, while drawing a good number of walks, but in the majors he had trouble making contact. His pro debut was not a good one in the lower level of the minors. Alexander hit .206/.292/.309 in 55 games during the 1972 season, while playing with Great Falls in the short-season Pioneer League. It didn’t take long for him to break out. He hit .261 in 1973 for Decatur of the Class-A Midwest League, with 68 runs, 16 doubles, 17 homers, 66 RBIs, 89 walks and an .845 OPS in 123 games. He then followed it up with .298 average, 84 runs, 15 doubles, 27 homers, 95 RBIs, 63 walks and a .995 OPS in 103 games with Fresno of the Class-A California League in 1974. Alexander debuted in the majors in September of 1975 after putting up huge numbers in Double-A. He hit .329 that year, with 80 runs, 24 doubles, 23 homers, 81 RBIs and 76 walks in 103 games for Lafayette of the Texas League, resulting in a 1.057 OPS. He saw brief time with Phoenix of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League before moving up to the majors. He played just three games with the Giants in his first trial, going 0-for-3 with a walk.
Alexander hit .319 while playing for Phoenix in 1976, finishing with 59 runs, 18 doubles, 12 triples, 17 homers, 76 RBIs and a .972 OPS. That year he played 23 September games with San Francisco, where he he hit .178/.274/.301, with two homers and seven RBIs. The 1977 season was split evenly between the Giants and Phoenix. He had a .973 OPS in 59 minor league games, and a .901 OPS in 51 games with the Giants. Alexander had a .303 average, with 17 runs, four doubles, five homers and 20 RBIs in the majors that year. He was traded to the Oakland A’s during Spring Training in 1978, then ended up splitting the season between the Cleveland Indians and A’s. The trade netted San Francisco star pitcher Vida Blue, and the A’s ended up getting seven players and $300,000 in cash. Alexander set career highs in 1978 with 57 runs, 20 doubles, 27 homers, 84 RBIs and 57 walks, though he also batted .225 and led the league with 166 strikeouts, which was one of the highest single season strikeout totals in baseball history at the time. He had a .723 OPS in 58 games with Oakland, while mainly serving as their DH. After a June 15th trade, he played 90 games with Cleveland, where he had a .761 OPS and 62 RBIs. Alexander played 110 games for the Indians in 1979, hitting for a .229 average, with 54 runs, nine doubles, 15 homers, 54 RBIs, 46 walks and a .704 OPS. He played 76 games in 1980, when he had a .225 average, with 22 runs, seven doubles, five homers and 31 RBIs, while posting a .647 OPS.
Alexander was acquired by the Pirates during the winter of 1980, in a deal that saw both Bert Blyleven and Manny Sanguillen head to Cleveland. Alexander played 21 games for the Pirates during the strike-shortened 1981 season, hitting .213/.255/.404, with six runs, six extra-base hits and six RBIs in 51 plate appearances. He was getting occasional starts in left field and first base, but often went long stretches without playing. He got into just one of the final 21 games of the season. Alexander made up for some lost time by playing winter ball in Mexico. He was released at the end of the 1982 Pirates Spring Training, which officially ended his big league career. He played the next two seasons in Mexico, and also appeared in winter ball in Mexico during the 1988-89 off-season. He had a .781 OPS over 48 games for Yucatan of the Mexican League in 1982. He followed that up with a .760 OPS in 40 games for Coatzacoalcos of the Mexican League in 1983. He also played for the Senior Professional Baseball Association, which was a league of older players that existed in Florida over the winter for two seasons. Alexander was a .230 Major League hitter, with 169 runs, 45 doubles, 55 homers and 202 RBIs in 432 games. He caught 229 games in the majors, but all of his time with the Pirates was spent between first base and the two corner outfield spots.
Dave Hostetler, first baseman for the 1988 Pirates. After going undrafted out of high school, Hostetler was drafted five times out of college before he finally signed. The first three times occurred while he was attending Citrus College in California. The final two were after he transferred to USC. Hostetler was taken in the January draft in 1975 and 1976, both times by the San Francisco Giants, and both times in the fourth round. In June of 1976, the Cleveland Indians tried their hand in the sixth round. One year later, the Giants came calling again, this time as a second round pick. Hostetler finally signed as a fourth round pick of the Montreal Expos in June of 1978 at 22 years old. His pro career began right away with West Palm Beach of the Class-A Florida State League, where he hit .269 in 75 games, with 27 runs, 12 doubles, five homers, 29 RBIs, 33 walks and a .734 OPS. The next year he showed why he kept getting drafted in the early rounds. He played in Double-A with Memphis of the Southern League, where he hit .270 in 145 games, with 77 runs, 28 doubles, 20 homers, 114 RBIs, 70 walks and an .802 OPS. His power numbers surprisingly dropped in the high altitudes of Denver in the Triple-A American Association during the 1980 season. He batted .269 that year, with 62 runs, 17 doubles, nine homers and 58 RBIs in 126 games. His .713 OPS ranked 12th among the 12 players on the team with at least 150 plate appearances. It was also an 89-point drop in his OPS over the previous season, with most of that coming from his slugging percentage. Hostetler returned to Denver in 1981, and he responded with a big year, hitting .318 in 125 games, with 91 runs, 14 doubles, seven triples, 27 homers, 103 RBIs, 66 walks and a .974 OPS in 125 games. He saw five September games with the Expos that year. He came off of the bench in the final game of the season and went 3-for-3 with a home run, after going 0-for-3 in his previous four games.
Hostetler was traded at the end of Spring Training in 1982 to the Texas Rangers in a deal that saw Al Oliver go to the Expos. The moved worked out great for him, as he had his best big league season in 1982. He only batted .232 that year, but it came with 53 runs, 12 doubles, 22 homers and 67 RBIs in 113 games. His .733 OPS was just above league average. He finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting. He batted .220 in 1983, with 31 runs, nine doubles, 11 homers and 46 RBIs in 94 games. Despite the lower batting average, he improved his OBP 23 points to .323 by drawing the same amount of walks (42) as he did in 113 more plate appearances during the 1982 season. Hostetler split the 1984 season between Triple-A and the majors, hitting .220/.326/.378 for the Rangers, with seven runs, three homers and ten RBIs in 37 games. He had a .304 average and an .895 OPS in 64 games that season for Oklahoma City of the American Association. He was traded back to the Expos after the season, then was sold to the Chicago Cubs in May of 1985. He spent the entire 1985 season in the minors, where he hit for a .256 average, with 69 runs, 18 doubles, 29 homers and 89 RBIs, while playing 20 games for Indianapolis (Expos) and 112 games for Iowa (Cubs), both of the American Association.
Hostetler played the next two years (1986-87) in Japan, where he hit a combined 42 homers. He had a .285 average in 1986, with 65 runs, 20 doubles, 25 homers, 74 RBIs and an .827 OPS. His numbers tailed off a bit in his second season, with his OPS dropping 78 points to a .749 mark in 124 games. He hit .251 that year, with 42 runs, 12 doubles, 17 homers and 68 RBIs. Hostetler signed with the Pirates as a free agent in January of 1988, then played six early season games in the majors, going 2-for-8 at the plate. He made one start at first base and caught for two innings in his final big league game, which was the only time he caught in the majors or minors. Hostetler spent the rest of the season in Triple-A with Buffalo of the American Association, struggling along with a .187 average in 84 games, with 21 runs, 16 extra-base hits, 29 RBIs and a .587 OPS, before being released. That ended his pro career after 11 seasons. He was a .229 hitter, with 92 runs, 23 doubles, 37 homers and 124 RBIs in 255 big league games. He hit 167 homers in pro ball. He never attempted more than five steals in a season until he went 6-for-9 in steals during his first season in Japan. In his pro career he was caught in 23 of his 40 attempted steals.
Bill Burwell, pitcher for the Pirates in 1928, who also managed one game in 1947. He played three seasons in the minors before serving one year in the military during WWI. Burwell debuted in 1915 at 20 years old with Elgin of the Class-D Bi-State League (no stats available). He jumped up three levels in 1916 to Topeka of the Class-A Western League, where he had a 6-8, 2.82 record in 131 innings, with a 1.30 WHIP. Despite the success, the 1917 season saw him play for two teams in the Class-D Central Association (Clinton and Mason City), as well as putting up a 4.64 ERA in 33 innings with Joplin of the Western League. His Class-D stats are unavailable for that year. After serving during WWI, Burwell returned in 1919 to post a 12-12, 3.70 record and a 1.42 WHIP in 224 innings while pitching for Joplin. That earned him a spot with the 1920 St Louis Browns, where he went 6-4, 3.65 in 113.1 innings, pitching 31 times in relief to go along with two spot starts. He had a 1.54 WHIP and a 42:30 BB/SO ratio. He posted a 5.12 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in the same role during the 1921 season, making three starts and 30 relief appearances. He threw a total of 84.1 innings. He struck out just 17 batters that year, with seven of them coming in his 11 innings as a starter. Burwell returned to the minors and won 108 games over the next six seasons, finally making it back to the majors with the 1928 Pirates.
Burwell went 14-23, 4.47, with a 1.41 WHIP in 304 innings for Columbus of the Double-A American Association in 1922, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. He moved on to Indianapolis of the American Association, where he spent the next 12 seasons, only interrupted in the middle by his partial 1928 season with the Pirates. Burwell went 18-21, 3.58 in 1923, with a 1.43 WHIP in 342 innings over 46 games pitched. He followed that up with a 17-10, 4.10 record and a 1.38 WHIP in 237 innings during the 1924 season. He went 24-9, 2.73 over 303 innings in 1925, with a career best 1.06 WHIP. He had a 21-14, 3.28 record, with a 1.27 WHIP in 294 innings during the 1926 season, giving him his only two 20+ win seasons in back-to-back years. He wasn’t exactly on the rise before joining the Pirates. He put together a 14-20, 5.10 record in 1927, with a 1.36 WHIP over 254 innings. On June 3, 1928, the Pirates secured Burwell from Indianapolis in exchange for pitcher Erv Brame and outfielder Adam Comorosky. Brame was sent outright to Indianapolis, while the Pirates still held the rights to Comorosky. The Pirates manager at the time with Donie Bush, who managed Burwell for three years in Indianapolis. Burwell spent one month with Pittsburgh, making one start and three relief appearances, pitching a total of 20.2 innings. He finished with a 5.23 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and two strikeouts. He won his debut in relief with four shutout innings on June 7th, then won his only start 16 days later, which was also his next appearance. He was returned to Indianapolis on July 3rd, where he pitched until 1934. The Pirates received Erv Brame back in the deal, which basically amounted to them loaning Indianapolis Adam Comorosky for most of the season. Burwell finished the 1928 season with a 13-10, 3.16 record and a 1.28 WHIP in 219 innings for Indianapolis. He followed that up by going 15-20, 3.69 in 1929, with a 1.23 WHIP over 271 innings.
Burwell had a 17-12, 4.03 record and a 1.38 WHIP over 237 innings in 1930. The 1931 season was the last year that he topped 200+ innings in a season, though he was far from done at that point. He remained active as a pitcher through the 1938 season, last pitching at 43 years old. He went 17-10, 4.52 in 239 innings, with a 1.55 WHIP in 1931. He followed that up with a 5-8, 4.66 record in 1932, with a 1.48 WHIP in 141 innings. Burwell pitched much better in his somewhat limited role in 1933, going 6-5, 3.00 in 102 innings, with a 1.27 WHIP. Over his last four seasons from 1934 until 1938, he was a player-manager for four different teams (he was a coach during the 1936 season). He went 8-4, 3.70 in 107 innings for Indianapolis, while also pitching 14 innings for Fort Wayne of the Class-B Central League in 1934. He went 5-4, 3.75 in 84 innings for Terre Haute of the Class-B Three-I League in 1935. Burwell played a bit for Minneapolis of the American Association 1937, while seeing most of his work with Rock Island of the Class-A Western League, where he went 5-2, 3.23 in 64 innings. His 1938 work came with Crookston of the Class-D Northern League. He went 1-3 that year in 14 games, with a 1.26 WHIP in 53 innings pitched. Burwell won 239 games in the minors over a 20-year playing career, with 12 of those years spent with Indianapolis. He began to manage in 1934, then made it his full-time job in 1940, spending the next seven years in the minors, including two seasons with Indianapolis. He was a coach with the Pirates in 1947 when manager Billy Herman resigned with one game left in the season. Burwell took the reins, leading the Pirates to a 7-0 win on the last day of the season. He continued to coach in the Pirates system (minors and majors), and when the Pirates won the World Series in 1960, he was the team’s pitching coach. He held that coaching role until retiring after the 1962 season, although he later did some minor league coaching and scouting for the Pirates.
