We have seven players born on this date, including three players who went to the postseason with the Pirates.
Nik Turley, pitcher for 2020 Pirates. He was a 50th round draft pick in 2008 by the New York Yankees at 18 years old. Turley is a distant relative of Bob Turley, who starred for the Yankees on the mound in the 1950’s-60s. He won the MLB Cy Young award in 1958, before the separate leagues each got their own award. The younger Turley started out at the rookie Gulf Coast League late in 2008, allowing one run in eight innings of work. He was back in the Gulf Coast League in 2009, posting a 2.82 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and 46 strikeouts over 54.1 innings, while making ten starts and one relief appearance. That was followed by 3.86 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 72.1 innings of short-season ball in 2010, which included three games back in the Gulf Coast League, and 12 starts for Staten Island of the New York-Penn League. He finally made it to full-season ball in 2011, when he made 15 starts for Charleston of the Low-A South Atlantic League and two more starts with Tampa of the High-A Florida State League. He had a combined 4-6, 2.81 record that season in 89.2 innings, with 87 strikeouts and a 1.15 WHIP. Turley went 9-5, 2.89 in 21 starts and two relief appearances for Tampa in 2012, finishing with 116 strikeouts and a 1.26 WHIP in 112 innings. He received one start that year with Trenton of the Double-A Eastern League, in which he allowed three runs in five innings. The 2013 season had a similar theme to the previous year. He spent the season with Trenton, then made one start with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the Triple-A International League. He combined to go 11-8, 3.79 in 145 innings, with 141 strikeouts and a 1.36 WHIP. Turley missed some time in 2014, as he was limited to 65 innings due to two separate trips to the disabled list. He had a 4.62 ERA, a 1.62 WHIP, 43 walks and 44 strikeouts in 60.1 innings with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that season, which also making a rehab start in the Gulf Coast League. He became a free agent after the season, then signed with the San Francisco Giants.
Turley was injured early in 2015, which led to a rehab start with San Jose of the High-A California League, before joining Triple-A Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League for 19 starts. He went 7-8, 4.56 with Sacramento, with 85 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP in 102.2 innings. He signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox in November of 2015. He was released in Spring Training, then ended up splitting the season between Double-A (Portland of the Eastern League) with the Boston Red Sox and a stint in independent ball. Turley had a 4.29 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP and 48 strikeouts in 35.2 innings with Portland. He had a 2.02 ERA, an 0.92 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 49 innings with Somerset of the Atlantic League. He played winter ball in the Dominican after the season, posting a 4.11 ERA in 15.1 innings over five starts, while also signing a free agent deal with the Minnesota Twins right after the 2016 season ended. Turley jumped between Chattanooga of the Double-A Southern League and Rochester of the International League for the 2017 Twins, until June when he got a chance to pitch in the majors. He also saw a brief stint at the big league level in August, then again in September. Those three chances amounted to an 11.21 ERA in 17.2 innings over three starts and seven relief appearances. His combined minor league stats show a 2.05 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 124 strikeouts in 92 innings.
The Pirates claimed Turley off of waivers in November of 2017. He was suspended by MLB two months later for 80 games due to PEDs. While he was pitching at Pirate City to get ready for the 2018 season, he suffered an elbow injury that ended his season in June. Due to the timing of his surgery, he missed the entire 2019 season as well. He joined the Pirates on Opening Day in late July of the shortened 2020 season, then pitched in 25 of the 60 games that year. He went 0-3, 4.98 in 21.2 innings, with 20 strikeouts and a 1.11 WHIP. He was traded to the Oakland A’s for cash considerations in January of 2021. He was claimed off of waivers by the Chicago White Sox during Spring Training two months later. He spent the 2021 season in Triple-A with Charlotte, going 1-4, 5.02 in 43 appearances, with 60 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP in 43 innings. Turley signed to play in Japan in 2022, where he posted a 2.74 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 42.2 innings over 50 appearances for Hiroshima. He remained with Hiroshima in 2023, where he has a 7-1, 1.74 record, a 1.31 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 41.1 innings through early September. His big league time has amounted to a 0-5, 7.78 record in 39.1 innings over 35 games, with 33 strikeouts and a 1.58 WHIP.
Don Slaught, catcher for the 1990-95 Pirates. He was a 20th round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers out of UCLA in 1979, but he didn’t sign until the Kansas City Royals selected him in the seventh round in 1980. He debuted in pro ball in the Class-A Florida State League, where he hit .261 in 50 games for Fort Myers, with 13 runs, nine doubles, two homers, 16 RBIs and a .666 OPS. Slaught split his first full season of pro ball between Jacksonville of the Double-A Southern League and Omaha of the Triple-A American Association, combining to hit .329 in 118 games, with 55 runs, 35 extra-base hits, 52 RBIs and an .830 OPS. He split the 1982 season between Omaha and the majors. He put up a .675 OPS in 53 minor league games, while hitting .278/.331/.409 in 43 games for the Royals, with 14 runs, six doubles, three homers and eight RBIs. He spent the entire 1983 season in the majors, hitting .312 over 83 games, with 21 runs, 13 doubles, no homers, 28 RBIs and a .723 OPS. That was followed by a .264 average, 48 runs, 35 extra-base hits (27 doubles), 42 RBIs and a .676 OPS in 124 games during the 1984 season. He was part of a four-team trade that involved six players on January 18, 1985, with Slaught going to the Texas Rangers in the deal.
Slaught hit .280 for the 1985 Rangers, with 34 runs, 17 doubles, eight homers, 35 RBIs and a .753 OPS in 102 games. He hit .264 during the 1986 season, when he had a career high 13 homers, to go along with 39 runs, 17 doubles, 46 RBIs and a .757 OPS in 95 games. He hit .224/.298/.405 over 95 games in 1987, with 25 runs, 15 doubles, eight homers and 16 RBIs. The Rangers traded him to the New York Yankees right after the 1987 season ended. Slaught hit .283 for the 1988 Yankees, with 33 runs, 25 doubles, nine homers, 43 RBIs and a .785 OPS in 97 games. Slaught hit .251 during the 1989 season, with 34 runs, 21 doubles, five homers, 38 RBIs and a .687 OPS in 117 games, which ended up being his second highest games played total during his 16-year career. The Pirates acquired Slaught from the Yankees on December 4, 1989, in exchange for pitchers Jeff Robinson and Willie Smith. Slaught played eight years in the majors prior to joining the Pirates, hitting a combined .269 during that time, with 50 homers and 256 RBIs in 756 games. He was a solid defensive catcher, who was slightly below average in throwing out runners. He had some error troubles early on in his career, including leading American League catchers with 11 errors in 1988. During the three-year run of National League East pennants for the Pirates (1990-92), Slaught was the righty in the lefty-righty platoon behind the plate with Mike Lavalliere. His batting average during his Pirates years was much better than they hoped for when they acquired him, as he compiled a .305 mark in his six seasons in Pittsburgh. Slaught started 179 games during the 1990-92 run of pennants, while also getting into another 47 games behind the plate from off of the bench.
Slaught hit .300 in 84 games for the 1990 Pirates, with 27 runs, 25 extra-base hits and 29 RBIs in 230 at-bats. His .832 OPS was a career best to that point, though he would soon top that mark. He went just 1-for-11 in the playoffs that year. He hit .295 in 77 games during the 1991 season, with 19 runs, 19 extra-base hits, 29 RBIs and a .759 OPS over 250 plate appearances. He went 4-for-17 in the playoffs, with four singles, no runs, one walk and one RBI. Slaught batted a career best .345 in 87 games during the 1992 season, with 26 runs, 24 extra-base hits and 37 RBIs. His .866 OPS that year was his career best. He finally had playoff success that postseason, hitting .333 during the NLCS, with five runs and five RBIs. Slaught became the everyday catcher when the Pirates got rid of Lavalliere in 1993. He hit .300 that year, with 34 runs, 19 doubles, ten homers, a .795 OPS and a career high 55 RBIs in 116 games. He batted .288 during the strike-shortened 1994 season, with 21 runs, seven doubles, two homers, 21 RBIs and a .723 OPS in 76 games. He missed most of 1995 with shoulder and hamstring injuries, which limited him to a .304 average and a .718 OPS in 123 plate appearances over 35 games. He was allowed to leave via free agency after the 1995 season. Slaught played two more seasons in the majors before retiring. He split the 1996 season between the Chicago White Sox and California Angels, combining to hit .313/.355/.428 in 76 games, with much better results (and more time) with the Angels. He had 25 runs, ten doubles, six homers and 36 RBIs. He lasted just 20 games as a bench player with the 1997 San Diego Padres, before being released in late May. He went 0-for-20 with five walks and two runs scored in that time. He hit .305 in 475 games for the Pirates, with 21 homers and 184 RBIs. He hit .283 during his 16-year career, with 415 runs, 235 doubles, 77 homers and 476 RBIs in 1,327 games. He caught 1,237 games. He compiled a career 19.4 WAR, with 10.3 coming during his time in Pittsburgh.
Dave Roberts, pitcher for the 1979-80 Pirates. He had a 13-year career in the majors that saw him go 103-125, 3.78 in 277 starts and 168 relief appearances, throwing a total of 2,099 innings. He was in the middle of his 11th season before reaching the Pirates, already making the conversion to a relief role. Roberts was part of an important trade in Pirates history. He came to the Pirates, along with Bill Madlock, from the San Francisco Giants on June 28, 1979. It was a six-player deal with three players going each way. Not only did Madlock help with the World Series run, Roberts went 5-2, 3.26 in 38.2 innings over 21 appearances (three starts) for the 1979 Pirates. He appeared in one playoff game, allowing a walk to the only batter he faced in the NLCS.
While it is true that Roberts didn’t pitch for the Pirates until 1979, he was actually a member of the organization twice before that. He was originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies, who lost him on waivers to the Pirates in 1964. He was taken by the Kansas City Athletics in the 1966 Rule 5 draft, then returned to Pittsburgh in 1967, right before Opening Day. The Pirates then lost him to the San Diego Padres in the 1968 Expansion draft, which is where he made his Major League debut during the 1969 season. He debuted in pro ball at 18 years old in 1963, going 9-3, 1.79 over 126 innings for Spartanburg in the Class-A Western Carolinas League. He had 121 strikeouts and an 0.90 WHIP that year. He made it to Asheville of the Double-A Southern League for half of the 1964 season for the Pirates. He spent the other half of the year with Kinston of the Class-A Carolina League. He combined for an 8-10, 3.96 record in 159 innings, with 153 strikeouts and a 1.43 WHIP. He pitched 132 innings for Asheville in 1965, while also making four starts for Columbus of the Triple-A International League. The Double-A time (2.93 ERA) went much better than the Triple-A time (10.13 ERA). He went 9-10, 3.71 in 148 innings between both stops, with 123 strikeouts and a 1.36 WHIP.
Roberts pitched the entire 1966 season for Asheville, going 14-5, 2.61 over 26 starts and five relief outings, with 157 strikeouts and a 1.12 WHIP in 190 innings. He threw 14 complete games, including four shutouts. He had elbow surgery in 1967, when he ended up pitching just 62 innings all year. He had a 5-1, 2.18 record, a 1.15 WHIP and 37 strikeouts that year for Columbus. Roberts surprisingly didn’t get a chance with the 1968 Pirates, after going 18-5, 3.17 in 193 innings at Columbus, with 133 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP. He completed 14 of his 27 starts, while throwing four shutouts. He was sent to Double-A after joining the Padres, but he still made his big league debut that July. With Elmira of the Eastern League, he had a 7-5, 3.50 record, 76 strikeouts and a 1.32 WHIP in 121 innings over 15 starts. He had a 4.81 ERA, 19 strikeouts and a 1.73 WHIP in 48.2 innings over five starts and 17 relief appearances with the Padres. He spent all of 1970 in the majors, making 21 starts and 22 relief outings. He had an 8-14, 3.81 record in 181.2 innings, with 102 strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP. Roberts had an outstanding 1971 season, putting up a 2.10 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 269.2 innings over 34 starts and three relief outings. He had 14 complete games, two shutouts and a career high 135 strikeouts, while leading the league with the lowest home run percentage, giving up 0.3 per nine innings. The Padres finished 61-100 that season, which led to a 14-17 record for Roberts. He finished sixth in the Cy Young voting and received mild MVP support, finishing 24th in the voting. He was traded to the Houston Astros for three players in December of 1971
Roberts went 12-7 during his first season in Houston, though his ERA ballooned to 4.50 in 192 innings over 28 starts and seven relief appearances. He had 111 strikeouts and a 1.48 WHIP. He completed just seven games, though he tossed three shutouts. He rebounded in 1973, finishing the year with a 17-11, 2.85 record and a 1.131 WHIP over 249.1 innings. He threw six shutouts that season, while completing 12 of his 36 starts. His 119 strikeouts that year ended up being his second highest total for a season. He went 10-12, 3.40 in 204 innings during the 1974 season, with 72 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP. He allowed just six homers all year, once again leading the league in home run rate. He dropped down to an 8-14, 4.27 record over 27 starts and five relief appearances during the 1975 season, with 101 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP in 198.1 innings. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in a seven-player deal after the 1975 season, which also included two-time Pirates catcher Milt May going to Detroit. Roberts went 16-17, 4.00 in 252 innings for the 1976 Tigers, with 79 strikeouts and a 1.26 WHIP. He completed a career high 18 games in 36 starts that year, while throwing four shutouts. Roberts never reached 200 innings in a season again. He was sold to the Chicago Cubs late in the 1977 season. He combined that year for a 5-11, 4.59 record, 69 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP in 182.1 innings over 28 starts and 11 relief appearances, with much better results in his limited time in Chicago. The Tigers used him strictly as a starter that year (22 games), but the Cubs used him more often out of the bullpen. That decision seemed to work out well, for at least one season.
Roberts made 20 starts and 15 relief appearances for the Cubs in 1978, going 6-8, 5.25 in 142.1 innings, with 54 strikeouts and a 1.51 WHIP. He signed with the San Francisco Giants as a free agent during the 1978-79 off-season. He had a 2.57 ERA in 42 innings before joining the Pirates for their run at their fifth World Series title. While Roberts had solid stats with the Pirates as noted above, he did much better as a reliever. In his three starts, two of which came in late July and one at the end of the season, he gave up 12 runs in ten innings. As a reliever, he had a 2.03 ERA in 26.2 innings. He began the 1980 season with the Pirates, though he was sold to the Seattle Mariners after just two appearances. He went 2-3, 4.37 in 80.1 innings over 37 games (four starts) for the 1980 Mariners, with 47 strikeouts and a 1.41 WHIP. He signed as a free agent with the New York Mets after the 1980 season, then stayed with the team until May of 1981. He posted a 9.39 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP in 15.1 innings before being released. He then pitched briefly in the minors for the Giants before retiring, putting up a 2.40 ERA over 15 innings for Phoenix of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Roberts finished off his 13-year big league career with a 103-125, 3.78 record in 2,099 innings over 277 starts and 168 relief appearances. He had 77 complete games, 20 shutouts, 15 saves, 957 strikeouts and a 1.34 WHIP.
Jackie Hernandez, shortstop for the 1971-73 Pirates. He was a light-hitting, error-prone shortstop for nine seasons in the majors, but he started ten of 11 playoff games during the 1971 postseason, helping the Pirates to their fourth World Series title. Hernandez, who was born in Cuba, began pro ball in 1961 at 20 years old. He spent that first season with Dubuque of the Class-D Midwest League, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. He hit .274 that year, with 58 runs, 25 extra-base hits, 43 RBIs and a .765 OPS in 108 games. He was a catcher during that first season, then split his time between catching and shortstop for three more years, before giving up the backstop position. He moved up to Burlington of the Class-B Carolina League in 1962, where he hit .221 in 125 games, with 44 runs, 22 extra-base hits, 32 RBIs and a .600 OPS. Despite the poor numbers, he moved up two levels to the Double-A Eastern League in 1963, where he spent two seasons with Charleston. Hernandez hit .235 in 1963, with 49 runs, 29 extra-base hits, 47 RBIs, 23 steals and a .646 OPS in 133 games. He followed that up by hitting .260 over 133 games in 1964, with 59 runs, 21 extra-base hits, 48 RBIs and a .686 OPS, while going 27-for-28 in steals. The 1965 season was split between two teams in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (Seattle and Portland), where he had a combined .229 average, 43 runs, 17 doubles, five homers, 39 RBIs and 24 steals in 133 games. He made his big league debut that season with the California Angels, who signed him as a free agent mid-season. Hernandez played six late season games for the Angels in 1965, going 2-for-6, with a double and stolen base. He then played 58 games for the 1966 Angels, yet he batted just 27 times all year. He had one hit that season, finishing with an anemic .043/.080/.043 slash line. He was used 37 times as a pinch-runner that season, though he stayed on for defense in many of those games.
Hernandez was traded to the Minnesota Twins in 1967, then spent most of the year in the minors with Denver of the Pacific Coast League. He came up to the Twins for 30 plate appearances over 29 games. He had a .269 average, 48 runs, 15 extra-base hits, 34 RBIs, 18 steals and a .627 OPS in 112 games with Denver. He put up a .143/.143/.143 slash line during his time with the Twins. He saw more big league time in 1968, though he had very little success. He had a .287 average and a .693 OPS in 51 games with Denver that year, while hitting .176/.218/.221 in 83 games for the Twins, with 13 runs, three doubles, two homers and 17 RBIs. He made 66 starts at shortstop that year. The expansion Kansas City Royals drafted him after the 1968 season, which allowed him to see regular action for the first time in his career. Hernandez hit .222 over 145 games in 1969, with 54 runs, 20 extra-base hits, 40 RBIs, 17 steals and a .560 OPS. He led the entire American League in errors that year. He hit .231 over 83 games for the 1970 Royals, with 14 runs, seven extra-base hits, ten RBIs and a .563 OPS. The Pirates acquired Hernandez from the Royals in a six-player deal on December 2, 1970, with three players going each way.
Hernandez started 65 games at shortstop for the 1971 Pirates, while occasionally playing third base. He hit .206/.257/.300 in 88 games, with 30 runs, 13 extra-base hits and 26 RBIs. He then had a .226 average (seven singles in 31 at-bats) and two RBIs in the postseason. As his batting average sank to .188 in 1972, his playing time also diminished to 186 plate appearances in 72 games. He had a .483 OPS for the year, while committing 22 errors in 68 games at shortstop. Hernandez started 22 of his 57 games in 1973, when he batted .247/.286/.315 over 78 plate appearances, with eight runs, three extra-base hits and eight RBIs. He was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies on January 31, 1974, in exchange for catcher Mike Ryan. Hernandez ended up being released by the Phillies without playing a game. He was re-signed by the Pirates in April, but he spent the entire 1974 season with Charleston of the Triple-A International League. He hit .199 in 115 games that year, with 35 runs, 20 extra-base hits, 33 RBIs and a .566 OPS. He played the next two years in the Mexican League before retiring. He posted a .246 average and a .655 OPS over 131 games in 1975 for Tabasco. He then had a .212 average and a .618 OPS over 136 games in 1976 for Nuevo Laredo. He hit .205 in 214 games for the Pirates, with 50 runs, 25 extra-base hits and 48 RBIs. Despite stealing 17 bases with the 1969 Royals, he never stole a base with the Pirates, while getting caught in his only two attempts. He was a career .208 hitter in 618 games over nine big league seasons, with 153 runs, 37 doubles, nine triples, 12 homers and 121 RBIs. Hernandez was a career -3.9 WAR player (0.9 dWAR), but his only positive season came at the right time, when he put up 0.5 WAR for the 1971 Pirates. His actual first name was Jacinto.
Glenn Spencer, pitcher for the 1928 and 1930-32 Pirates. He debuted in pro ball at 20 years old in 1926 with Binghamton of the Class-B New York-Penn League. He had a 1-1 record in six games. He was with Binghamton again in 1927, where he went 10-8, 3.27 over 168 innings, with 102 walks and a 1.50 WHIP. The Pirates purchased his contract, along with his catcher Paul O’Malley, on July 25, 1927. Both were allowed to finish the season with Binghamton, then join the Pirates during Spring Training in 1928. Spencer made his big league debut on Opening Day in 1928, coming into a 12-5 game in the sixth inning. He gave up two unearned runs in 2.2 innings. The Pirates had injuries to two of their better pitchers, Lee Meadows and Carmen Hill, so a spot opened up for Spencer. He pitched just 5.2 innings over four relief appearances prior to the return of Meadows in late June. Spencer finished that season pitching for Columbia in the Class-B South Atlantic League, going 11-10, 3.40 in 159 innings, with 68 walks and a 1.35 WHIP. He was then moved to Wichita of the Class-A Western League to get more experience. Spencer responded with a 24-win season (nine losses) in 1929, posting a 1.55 WHIP over 252 innings. He was back with the Pirates in 1930. He made occasional starts that year, but he was mostly pitching in relief, closing out 22 games. He pitched 41 times total (11 starts), going 8-9, 5.40 in 156.2 innings, with 60 strikeouts and a 1.58 WHIP. The ERA sounds extremely high, but it was a booming year for offense in baseball. The Pirates as a team finished with a 5.24 ERA.
Spencer would pitch the fourth most innings on the team in both 1930 and 1931. He made 18 starts and 20 relief appearances during the 1931 season, going 11-12, 3.42 over 186.2 innings, while playing for a team that finished four games under the .500 mark. He posted a 1.31 WHIP and a 65:51 BB/SO ratio. His numbers slipped during the 1932 season, dropping down to a 4.97 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 137.2 innings over 13 starts and 26 relief appearances. He was sent to the New York Giants as part of a five-player/three-team deal on December 12, 1932, which also involved the Philadelphia Phillies. The Pirates got back Hall of Fame 3B/OF Freddie Lindstrom in the trade. Spencer ended up pitching just 17 games (three starts) for the 1933 Giants, posting a 5.13 ERA, 14 strikeouts and a 1.65 WHIP in 47.1 innings. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in November of 1933 for long-time Pirates infielder George Grantham. Spencer would be traded to the St Louis Cardinals two months later. His Major League career was over at that point, but he pitched another eight seasons of minor league ball before retiring. He saw time with eight different teams over those final eight seasons, despite spending three full years in Williamsport. He went 23-29, 4.48 for the Pirates, with 148 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP in 486.2 innings over 122 appearances (42 starts). He had 21 complete games, two shutouts and eight saves.
Spencer split the 1934 season between Columbus of the Double-A American Association (highest level of the minors at the time) and Houston of the Class-A Texas League. He had an 8-8, 4.82 record in 153 innings, with much better results at the lower level. He played for Dallas of the Texas League, St Paul of the American Association and Rochester of the Double-A International League all during the 1935 season, combining to put up an 11-13, 4.19 record and a 1.42 WHIP in 191 innings, with his best results once again coming at the lower level in the Texas League. Spencer spent the entire 1936 season with St Paul, going 9-8, 5.46 in 140 innings, with 54 strikeouts and a 1.79 WHIP. He was with Williamsport for the 1937-39 seasons, the first year in the Class-A New York-Penn League, then the last two in the Class-A Eastern League. He went 10-6, 3.72 in 138 innings in 1937, with 44 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP. He also played briefly that year for Knoxville of the Class-A Southern Association. That was followed by a 12-11, 4.18 record, 78 strikeouts and a 1.43 WHIP over 181 innings for Williamsport in 1938. He didn’t see much action in 1939, going 3-2, 4.80 in 45 innings, with 21 strikeouts and a 1.44 WHIP. Spencer played his first of two seasons in the Class-C Canadian-American League during the 1940 season. He had a 9-8, 4.50 record and a 1.46 WHIP in 136 innings for Oswego that year. He then finished his pro career with a 9-10, 5.74 record and a 1.63 WHIP in 163 innings with Pittsfield during the 1941 season. He won a total of 140 games in pro ball (not including his missing Knoxville stats from 1937).
Frank Moore, pitcher for the 1905 Pirates. At 6’4″ back in 1905, Moore was referred to as “the Giant”, yet had the usual nickname of Peggy, which was used often by his local hometown papers throughout his baseball career. He pitched just once for the Pirates, coming into the game on June 14, 1905 with Pittsburgh down 5-0 in the sixth inning. The opposing pitcher was Hall of Famer (and future Pirates at the time) Vic Willis. Moore was recruited out of Ohio by the Pirates oft-injured catcher Harry Smith, who was scouting for the Pirates while recovering from an arm injury. The 28-year-old Moore had minimal minor league experience prior to Smith seeing him pitch, playing one game for Waco of the Class-D Texas League in 1902. He asked for a tryout with the Pirates, then showed up to Forbes Field with Smith to workout in front of manager Fred Clarke and owner Barney Dreyfuss just two days before his big league debut. Moore told the local press after his first day that he had a minor league job lined up, but he wanted to see what he could do in the majors first, and all he was asking for was a chance to show his stuff.
When Moore went in to make his one appearance, it marked another unusual occurrence. Homer Hillebrand went behind the plate to catch at the same time. Hillebrand was a lefty thrower, who was making one of his three Major League appearances at the position. Moore looked good over the last three innings of the game, allowing two hits, no runs, no walks and he struck out a batter. Despite the successful debut, he never pitched in the majors again. He was sent back home eight days after his only big league game, with manager Fred Clarke saying he thinks that Moore needs more minor league experience first before he’s ready for the majors. He spent the rest of the season playing semi-pro ball in Ohio. He ended up playing pro ball until 1912, the last year as a player/manager, before retiring as a player. He went on to manage for two more seasons after his playing career ended. He played for three different teams in three different leagues in 1906, seeing time with Greenville of the Texas League, Duluth of the Class-C Northern-Copper Country League and St Paul of the Class-A American Association, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. The only pitching stats available for that year show a 9-7 record in 16 games for Greenville.
Moore spent the 1907 season with the Coffeyville Glassblowers of the Class-D Oklahoma-Arkansas-Kansas League, where the only stats available are his .160 batting average and 36 games played. He then spent the last five years of his playing career with teams in Ohio, which was his home state. He was in the Class-D Ohio State League during the entire time, playing two seasons for Newark (1908-09), two for Portsmouth (1910-11), before finishing with the Marion/Ironton team in 1912. He had an 18-13 record and an 0.97 WHIP in 280 innings during the 1908 season. His ERA isn’t available for that year, but it’s known that he allowed 2.51 runs per nine innings. The rest of his available stats are limited. He went 10-13 over 25 games in 1909. Moore had a 23-11 record in 1910, finishing that year with a .235 average and seven doubles in 44 games. He posted a 21-11 record during the 1911 season, while batting .315 over 41 games, with nine doubles, four triples and four homers. He was a member of Sioux City of the Class-A Western League to begin the 1912 season, but he was released at the end of April. He returned to the Ohio State League for his final season as a player, though he was mostly managing and no stats are available from the league. It was said that typhoid fever over the off-season caused him to lose some pitching ability, so he settled into the managerial role that year. Salary demands cost him his managerial job with Ironton, so he moved on to Maysville of the Blue Grass League, which transferred to the Ohio State League during that 1913 season.
Steve Brodie, center fielder for the 1897-98 Pirates. He was a strong defender in center field, who had some big seasons on offense for the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1890’s. Brodie debuted in pro ball at 18 years old in 1887, hitting .323 in 78 games, with 52 runs and 28 extra-base hits, while splitting time between Altoona of the Pennsylvania State League (48 games) and Canton of the Ohio State League (30 games). He moved on to Wheeling of the Tri-State League in 1888 (no stats available), then to Hamilton of the International League in 1889, where he had a .302 average, 87 runs, 17 doubles, 21 triples and 50 steals in 111 games. He debuted in the majors at 21 years old in 1890 with the Boston Beaneaters, where he hit .296 as a rookie, with 77 runs, 19 doubles, nine triples, 67 RBIs, 29 steals, 66 walks and a .755 OPS in 132 games. His average dropped down to .260 in 1891, but he had 84 runs, 78 RBIs, 25 steals and 63 walks in 133 games. He finished the year with 21 extra-base hits and a .670 OPS Brodie moved on to the St Louis Browns in 1892, where he hit .254 over 154 games, with 85 runs, 23 extra-base hits, 60 RBIs, 28 steals and a .638 OPS. He was sold to the Baltimore Orioles during the 1893 season, which changed his career path. He was doing well at the time of the sale, putting up a .318 average and a .775 OPS in 107 games, but did even better with the Orioles. Brodie finished the season with a .325 average, 89 runs, 23 doubles, ten triples, 98 RBIs, 49 steals and an .800 OPS in 132 games.
Baltimore won the National League pennant three years in a row (1894-96), and Brodie averaged 106 runs scored and 111 RBIs during those seasons. He led all outfielder in fielding percentage once in his career. He also had the second best percentage five times, as well as the third best percentage two other times. The 1894 season was a huge year for offense in baseball due to pitchers trying to adjust to the new rules/distance for the pitching rubber set forth in 1893. There was a three-year spike in stats, as they started going up in 1893, peaked in 1894, then started to drop in 1895. Brodie’s 1893 stats were actually better than the 1894 numbers when compared to the league average, but he hit .366 during the latter season, with 134 runs scored, 25 doubles, 11 triples, 113 RBIs, 42 steals and an .863 OPS. Even though offense began to drop down in 1895, he didn’t see that drop. He hit .348 that year, with 85 runs, 27 doubles, ten triples, 134 RBIs, 35 steals and an .843 OPS in 131 games. His drop came in 1896, though he still put up solid stats with a .297 average, 98 runs, 32 extra-base hits, 87 RBIs, 25 steals and a .751 OPS in 132 games.
The Pirates acquired Brodie and third baseman Jim Donnelly from the Orioles on November 11, 1896, for Jake Stenzel and three other players. The Pirates were giving up the player who has the highest batting average and highest OBP in team history by trading Stenzel. The local papers didn’t like the deal, saying that Stenzel was better than the other two players combined, so there was no need to include anything else. The only area that Brodie got the advantage from the papers was in his defense. While that defense was as strong as ever in Pittsburgh (he led the National League in fielding in 1897), Brodie’s offense left something to be desired, at least in comparison to his career stats. He hit .283 in 142 games for the 1897 Pirates, with 47 runs, 21 extra-base hits, 74 RBIs, 11 steals and a .740 OPS. There were reports in the middle of the season that his arm gave out, so his throwing became poor. He had 209 assists during his career, which ranks 43rd all-time. The Pirates released Brodie on June 11, 1898, despite the fact he wasn’t doing poorly at the time. He was hitting .263/.303/.295 in 42 games, with 15 runs, five doubles and 21 RBIs. The reason was due to finances. Cuts had to be made to team spending, so Brodie and third-string catcher Morgan Murphy were both released outright. The Pirates went with a smaller roster for the rest of the season, while Brodie was free to sign with any other team.
Brodie ended up signing back with Baltimore, where he hit .306/.346/.378 in 23 games in 1898, then batted .309 during the 1899 season, with 82 runs, 26 doubles, 87 RBIs and a .751 OPS in 137 games. That was the last year of the Baltimore National League franchise. He played for Chicago of the American League in 1900, which was a Class-A minor league (highest level of the minors at the time). He batted .262 over 64 games that year, with 41 runs, nine extra-base hits and eight steals. When Baltimore became a Major League city again in the American League for the 1901 season, Brodie reappeared in the majors. He ended up playing two more seasons at the big league level. He batted .310 for the 1901 Orioles, with 41 runs, 14 extra-base hits, 41 RBIs and a .767 OPS in 83 games. That club was the first season of the New York Yankees franchise, even though the Yankees now currently claim to be a new club in 1903. The franchise just transferred locations in 1903 due to new ownership, while even keeping some of the old players. Brodie moved on to the New York Giants in 1902, where he hit .281 over 110 games in 1902, with 37 runs, 13 extra-base hits, 42 RBIs and a .657 OPS. His 12-year big league career was over at that point, but his minor league career lasted another eight seasons before finally retiring in 1910. He was a .303 big league hitter in 1,438 big league games, with 886 runs, 191 doubles, 89 triples, 25 homers, 900 RBIs and 289 stolen bases. He set a record with 727 consecutive games played, which stood into the 20th century. While he is known now as Steve, his first name was Walter, which was used often during his playing days. Brodie is one of the examples of how hard it is for defensive metrics to rate 19th century players. He was highly regarded for his defense during his day, but somehow he has a career -3.9 dWAR, with only two seasons in which he was slightly above average. That doesn’t line up with any scouting report from that era.
After Brodie returned to the minors in 1903, he played for 11 teams in seven season, including one partial year as a player/manager. Stats are hard to find during this time because he wasn’t always at the upper levels of the minors. Brodie played for Baltimore and Montreal of the Class-A Eastern League in 1903, batting .255 in 103 games, with 34 runs, 13 extra-base hits and 15 stolen bases. He played for 50 games during the 1904 season, which were split between Troy and Binghamton of the Class-B New York State League. He’s credited with a .164 average and two extra-base hits between both stops, though there could be an error in those stats, as he was dropping down in competition. He also saw time that year with Lebanon of the independent Tri-State League. He spent the entire 1905 season with Providence of the Eastern League, hitting .270 in 134 games, with 15 extra-base hits. Brodie played for Providence again in 1906, as well as Newark of the Eastern League. He hit .284 in 112 games between both stops, with 14 doubles and four triples. He played at three different levels in 1907, seeing time with Class-A Birmingham of the Southern Association, Class-B Trenton of the Tri-State League, and Class-C Roanoke of the Virginia League. He combined to hit .289 in 91 games, with his best results coming at the lowest level. Brodie played 51 games in the Virginia League in 1908, which were split between Portsmouth and Norfolk. He hit .226 that year, with 18 runs and six steals. Brodie played for Wilmington of the Eastern Carolina League in 1909, hitting .256 in 80 games. He was a coach at Princeton in 1910, then he played briefly for Newark of the Eastern League that same year to finish out his career. He went 6-for-28 with six singles over 11 games during that final season.
