Eight former Pittsburgh Pirates born on this date, plus two trades of note.
The Transaction
On this date in 1962, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded star shortstop Dick Groat and veteran pitcher Diomedes Olivo to the St Louis Cardinals for pitcher Don Cardwell and infielder Julio Gotay. The traded basically ended up being Groat for Cardwell, since neither Olivo or Gotay played much for their new team. Groat had his huge season in 1960, when he won the MVP and the National League batting title. He saw a large dip in his stats the following season, then he was an All-Star during the 1962 season, when he had a .294 average over 161 games. He had just turned 32 years old at the time of the deal. Cardwell had six seasons of big league time in prior to the trade, plus he was five years younger than Groat. However, he didn’t have a track record like the star shortstop. Cardwell went 7-16, 4.92 over 195.1 innings in 1962. He was better in 1961 (3.82 ERA in 259.1 innings), but that was also easily his best season.
Groat had two big seasons in St Louis before his stats started falling off. He finished second in the 1963 National League MVP voting, while compiling 7.1 WAR. He was an All-Star in 1964, when he had a .292 average and a .706 OPS over 161 games. The Cardinals traded him after the 1965 season, in a deal that did not work out for them. Cardwell spent four years in Pittsburgh, posting a 33-33, 3.38 record over 84 starts and 22 relief appearances. His best season was 1965, when he went 13-10, 3.18 over 240 innings pitched. He was sent to the New York Mets as part of a four-player deal in December of 1966 that didn’t do much for either team. Olivo pitched just 13.1 innings for the Cardinals, yet he managed to pick up five losses. Gotay had a total of five plate appearances in seven games for the Pirates. As far as WAR goes, the Pirates got a combined 2.8 WAR, as Caldwell’s best seasons were partially canceled out by his other two years in Pittsburgh. The Cardinals got 12.1 WAR during Groat’s short time with the team. None of the four players provided any trade value after leaving their new teams.
The Pirates would trade another longtime infielder on this date in 1992 (exactly 30 years after the Groat deal), this time shipping Jose Lind to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for pitchers Joel Johnston and Dennis Moeller. Lind spent six seasons with the Pirates from 1987-92, playing a total of 779 games. He wasn’t much of a hitter, batting a career high .265 during the 1991 season, but he played strong defense at second base and won a Gold Glove in 1992. His contract was expensive at the time for a light-hitting infielder. He hit just .235 during the 1992 season, with no homers and three stolen bases. That led to the Pirates shipping him off to the Royals for two pitchers. Johnston was a 26-year-old reliever, who pitched great during his first shot at the big leagues in 1991. He posted an 0.40 ERA in 13 games that year, but he struggled in his brief chance during the 1992 season. Moeller was a 25-year-old starter, who pitched well at Triple-A in 37 games over the 1991-92 seasons, but he was hit around during his only shot at the majors prior to the trade.
Lind went on to have two typical seasons (for him) with the Royals. He didn’t hit much during his 2+ seasons with the team, putting up a .258/.286/.311 slash line over 250 games. He showed strong defense in 1993, though he was no more than league average at second base during the 1994 season. He started the 1995 season with the Royals, before being released in early July. The Pirates saved plenty of money getting rid of Lind, though they got little in return from their two new pitchers. Johnston had a decent 1993 season, posting a 3.38 ERA in 33 games. However, he had three very rough outings out of Spring Training in 1994, then got sent to the minors. He struggled there as well, then was released by the Pirates in May of 1994. Moeller fared even worse, pitching just ten games for the Pirates in 1993. He was hit around hard in five of those games. He finished the year in the minors, then the Pirates got rid of him that October. He never pitched in the majors again. Lind had 5.8 WAR during his time in Pittsburgh. His Kansas City time was worth -1.7 WAR, making this trade more of an addition by subtraction for the Pirates. Moeller and Johnston combined for -0.8 WAR, though Johnston himself had 0.2 WAR.
The Players
John “Denny” Driscoll, pitcher for the 1882-83 Alleghenys. His only pro experience before making his big league debut came for Albany of the National Association in 1879. Stats from that season show that he played just four games and didn’t pitch. He was playing amateur ball before that time near his home in Lowell, Massachusetts, seeing time with a team from Holyoke during the 1878 season, while previously playing for a team from Boston called “Our Boys”. Right before his big league debut in 1880, he was playing for a club from Brockton. His only big league experience prior to joining Pittsburgh in 1882 was a 1-3, 3.89 record, 17 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP over 41.2 innings for the 1880 Buffalo Bisons of the National League. He completed all four of his starts, while also pitching twice in relief. He actually had more in the outfield than he did pitching, getting into 14 games as the center fielder. The bat did not play well in the majors, as he hit .154/.167/.169 over 66 plate appearances, with one run, one extra-base hit (a double) and four RBIs. He played for three different teams in the Eastern Championship Association during the 1881 season, seeing time with Brooklyn, Philadelphia and the New York Mets (no stats are available from that season). During the first season in Pirates/Alleghenys franchise history (1882), the 26-year-old Driscoll went 13-9 over 23 starts, while leading the American Association with a 1.21 ERA. He completed all 23 of his starts, finishing with 59 strikeouts and an 0.87 WHIP in 201 innings. He joined Pittsburgh in July, while making his first start during the 33rd game of the season. He pitched 23 of the final 47 games for the Alleghenys. He allowed one run during his debut, handled ten plays in the field, and he collected two hits.
Driscoll had an 18-21, 3.99 record, 79 strikeouts and a 1.39 WHIP over 336.1 innings for the 1883 Alleghenys. It needs to be pointed out that the team went 13-46 in games he didn’t pitch that year, so his record was really good under the circumstances. He completed 35 of his 40 starts that season, including his only career shutout. He was originally on Pittsburgh’s reserve list for the 1884 season (submitted to the league at the end of the 1883 season), but it was announced on December 15, 1883 that he was going elsewhere. After leaving the Alleghenys, Driscoll pitched for the 1884 Louisville Eclipse of the American Association. He had a 6-6, 3.44 record over 13 starts, with 16 strikeouts and a 1.15 WHIP in 102 innings. His pro career lasted from 1879 until 1886, though the last two years were both very brief. He is credited with one game during the 1885 season, in which he allowed two earned runs during a complete game victory for Newark of the Eastern League. It was said that the two sides parted ways due to a difference in the salary demands/offer. Unfortunately, he passed away from tuberculosis during the 1886 season at 30 years old. He played three games for Binghamton of the International League that season, but they released him once he became ill. Some papers were actually announcing his release from the team on the same day people were finding out in other papers about his passing. His “Denny” nickname you find now is from old confusion over another player named Dennis Driscoll, who briefly appeared in the majors during the 1885 season. They were originally thought to be the same player. I only included it here up top because that’s how John Driscoll is usually identified if you attempt to look up his stats.
Billy Sunday, outfielder for the 1888-90 Alleghenys. Considered to be the fastest base runner of his era, Sunday held the Alleghenys/Pirates single season stolen base record for 91 years. He is much more famous for what he did in his post-baseball career. Sunday retired after the 1890 season to eventually become an extremely famous evangelist. He never played a game of minor league ball. He began his pro career in the majors at age 20, playing for the 1883 Chicago White Stockings. He was a backup/platoon for all five seasons in Chicago, never playing more than 50 games during a season, back when seasons were about 100 games long each year. Sunday was never able to get on base enough to use his blazing speed. Stolen bases weren’t tracked during his first three seasons in the majors. He batted .241 during his first season, with six runs, four doubles and five RBIs and a .569 OPS in 14 games. He actually struck out 18 times in his limited work, which was a very high strikeout rate for the era. Chicago played a small stadium during the 1884 season that changed the ground rules for one year, which led them to a huge year on offense. Sunday did not benefit from those changes like some of his teammates. His four homers were a career high, but he hit just .222 in 43 games, with 25 runs, nine extra-base hits, 28 RBIs and a .563 OPS. His speed and defense helped keep him in the lineup. He got on base more often in 1885, when he finished with a .256 average and a .304 OPS in 46 games. He had 36 runs scored, eight extra-base hits and 20 RBIs. His .647 OPS that year was the second highest mark of his career. He saw limited work in 1886, finishing with a .243 average, 16 runs scored, four extra-base hits, six RBIs, ten steals and a .592 OPS over 28 games. Sunday did well during his last year (1887) in Chicago, batting .291 over 50 games, with 41 runs scored, 15 extra-base hits, 32 RBIs and 34 steals. His .789 OPS that year was 142 points higher than his second best single-season OPS.
It was announced by the Pittsburgh manager Horace Phillips on January 18, 1888 that he failed to acquire Chicago’s star outfielder Jimmy Ryan, but he was able to get Sunday for a $1,000 fee (some sources say $2,000, but I went with the direct quote), plus his salary would be approximately $1,800 for the season. Sunday played full-time in center field for the 1888 Alleghenys, where he was known for making dazzling plays due to his speed and athleticism. However, he had a .236 average, zero home runs, 15 RBIs and 12 walks over 505 at-bats that season, so the offense was a major issue. His .532 OPS that season was a career low. He wasn’t able to properly utilize his speed because he wasn’t on base enough. Sunday still managed to score 69 runs and steal 71 bases that season, giving him the third most steals in the league. It was a franchise record until broken by Omar Moreno in 1979. Moreno had actually tied his record during the 1978 season, though no one knew it at the time, so that first year was celebrated as the brand new record. Sunday hit .240 over 81 games during the 1889 season, with 62 runs, 18 extra-base hits, 25 RBIs, 47 steals and a .634 OPS. He missed about two months of the season (total) with an assortment of minor injuries. When the Player’s League was formed in 1890, Sunday was one of the few players to remain with the Alleghenys. He was one of the top players on a very bad team that year. He hit .257 over 87 games, with 58 runs, 12 extra-base hits, 33 RBIs and 58 steals, before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in August for two players and cash. There were rumors that he would quit the game after the season and that would affect the trade, but they were dispelled by the Alleghenys, who assured that Sunday would be around in 1891. He did quit the game after the 1890 season, though he didn’t make that decision until March of 1891.
Sunday batted .261/.367/.303 in 31 games after the trade to Philadelphia, with 26 runs, four extra-base hits and six RBIs. That gave him 84 stolen bases in his final season in the majors. He also set a career high with 84 runs, 39 RBIs and 50 walks that season. He was 27 years old at the time of his retirement from baseball. He hit .248 over 499 games during his eight-year big league career, with 339 runs scored, 55 doubles, 24 triples, 12 homers, and 170 RBIs. He stole 246 bases over his last five seasons in the majors. He’s credited with a -2.6 WAR on defense during his career, but all sources from the day praised his defense, so the numbers don’t match the eye test. In particular, the game reports from 1890 spoke highly of his defense throughout the season, yet he’s credited (or discredited might be better) with -0.8 dWAR that season. Those reports were mostly from the road teams because the Alleghenys switched their home games to road game for financial reasons.
Billy Zitzmann, outfielder for 1919 Pirates. His big league career started with controversy. Zitzmann batted .360 over 25 games for Jersey City of the Double-A International League (highest level of the minors at the time) during his first season in pro ball in 1918. That was before joining the Navy for WWI. Since he had played for Jersey City in 1918, they held his rights for the 1919 season. However, they failed to offer him a 1919 contract in time, so he signed with the Pirates instead. Zitzmann made his debut in the majors with the Pirates on April 27, 1919, then played his last game for Pittsburgh on May 26th. He hit .192/.192/.231 in 11 games with the Pirates, before being sold to Cincinnati Reds on July 3, 1919. He was with the Pirates until mid-June, though he didn’t get into a game over his final three weeks with the team. His actual last game with the club was a June 8th exhibition game against Akron. There was an ongoing dispute between Jersey City and Pittsburgh for his services, before it was ruled on June 16th that he couldn’t play for the Pirates. He was then assigned to Jersey City, but he actually retired and got a job in Pittsburgh because Jersey City wouldn’t meet his contract demands. That all happened before he was sold to the Reds. Zitzmann’s actual sale to the Reds happened between Cincinnati and Jersey City, though some sources say it was a deal between the Pirates and Reds.
Zitzmann ended up playing six years for Cincinnati, though he was in the minors during the 1920-24 seasons. He played just two games with the Reds after joining them in 1919. They sent him back to Jersey City, where he put up a .246 average, 28 runs, seven extra-base hits and 11 steals in 60 games. He spent all of 1920 in Jersey City, hitting .311 over 152 games, with 115 runs scored, 49 extra-base hits and 42 stolen bases. He batted .278 during the 1921 season, with 19 doubles, seven triples and nine homers in 143 games. He batted .298 during his final season at Jersey City in 1922, with 26 doubles, eight triples and five homers in 139 games. Zitzmann spent the next two season with Newark of the International League. He hit .325 during the 1923 season, with 22 doubles, 11 triples and seven homers in 125 games. The 1924 season saw him bat .359 over 145 games, with 37 doubles, six triples and eight homers . The Reds had to purchase him back for $30,000 at that time. He returned to the majors in 1925, when he hit .252 over 104 games, with 53 runs, 16 extra-base hits, 21 RBIs and a .658 OPS. He was a backup outfielder for the 1926 Reds, hitting .245/.304/.287 in 53 games, while batting just 105 times all season. He had 21 runs, three extra-base hits and three RBIs. Zitzmann saw a little more playing time in 1927, then responded by hitting .284 over 88 games, with 47 runs, 14 extra-base hits, 24 RBIs and a .714 OPS. He had his best season for Cincinnati in 1928, when he hit .297 over 101 games, with 53 runs, 15 extra-base hits, 33 RBIs, 13 steals and a .724 OPS. He hit the only three homers of his big league career that year. In his final big league year in 1929, he hit .226/.309/.262 over 46 games, with 18 runs, three extra-base hits and six RBIs. He had 18 starts and 96 plate appearances all season.
Zitzmann returned to Newark for the next three seasons (1930-32). He hit .313 over 148 games in 1930, with 34 doubles, six triples and nine homers. He had a .297 average over 123 games in 1931, with 15 doubles, two triples and four homers. His work during the 1932 season was limited to a .239 average in 18 games, with one double and three homers. He played in Jersey City again in 1933, though that time was limited to just two games. He saw his final 21 pro games as a player-manager in 1937 at 41 years old with Dominion of the Class-D Cape Breton Colliery League. He dominated the much younger competition that year, posting a .461/.539/.671 slash line over 90 plate appearances. He was playing semi-pro ball during the 1934-36 seasons. He batted .267 over 406 games during his six-year big league career, finishing with 197 runs scored, 52 extra-base hits, 89 RBIs and 42 steals. His name was often misspelled throughout his career, with Zitzman and Zitsman being popular errors. His online stats are missing many years in the minors due to those errors, but I was able to track him down to get his complete stats here.
Elmer Tutwiler, pitcher for 1928 Pirates. His pro career lasted from 1925 until 1932, with his last four years spent in the Class-A Western League. Tutwiler’s entire big league career consisted of two late season appearances for the 1928 Pirates. While there are no records available, a 1925 article states that he was with Mobile of the Class-A Southern Association in 1923 on a trial basis. He played independent ball during the 1924 season in his home state of Alabama, where he made a name for himself by going 19-5 with a 17-strikeout game, while putting up a .280 batting average. Aside from his possible time with Mobile in 1923, he’s credited with making his pro debut at 20 years old during the 1925 season. He spent his first two seasons with Laurel of the Class-D Cotton States League. He went 8-6 in 141 innings over 22 games during the 1925 season, while posting a 1.12 WHIP. His ERA isn’t available for almost his entire minor league career, but we do know that he gave up 3.64 runs per nine innings in 1925. He posted a 14-11 record and a 1.25 WHIP in 1926, while throwing 233 innings over 37 games. Tutwiler allowed 3.82 runs per nine innings that year. He moved up two levels to Pensacola of the Class-B Southeastern League for the 1927 season. He went 5-7 in 130 innings over 16 games, with a 1.32 WHIP and 4.08 runs allowed per nine innings. He actually remained property of Mobile during that entire time, until they sold him prior to the 1928 season.
Tutwiler spent the 1928 season with two teams in the Southeastern League, where he had a 10-12, 3.59 record and a 1.39 WHIP over 188 innings. He was with Selma to start the year, then played for Savannah until they dropped out of the league in August. Savannah sold Tutwiler to the Pirates after folding. He joined the Pirates on August 13th, then made his debut with the team on August 20th. He recorded two outs in his debut, while allowing one hit. His only other appearance came 38 days later when he allowed two runs over three innings. He pitched one other time, facing the Boston Red Sox in an exhibition game on September 13th. Tutwiler allowed four runs on six hits in four innings of work that day. He was released outright to Omaha of the Class-A Western League on January 14, 1929, ending his big league career. He had a 16-14 record and a 1.42 WHIP in 230 innings over 40 games for Omaha during the 1929 season. He then split each of the next two seasons between Omaha and St Joseph, which was also a member of the Western League. He had a 9-13 record and a 1.37 WHIP in 1930, while throwing 201 innings over 31 appearances. Tutwiler posted a 10-6 record and a 1.55 WHIP during the 1931 season, with 174 innings pitched over 37 appearances. He finished his career with St Joseph in 1932. The only stats available from his final season show that he pitched ten games and he had just seven at-bats, which strongly suggests he wasn’t seeing a lot of work. He was released in June of 1932 due to an arm injury, which appears to have completely ended his playing days. He gained the nickname “King” after people started shortening his last name to “Tut”. It appears that his best pitch was his curveball, as very few stories mentioned any other of his offerings.
Stu Martin, infielder for the 1941-42 Pirates. He attended Guilford College in North Carolina before signing to play pro ball at 21 years old. It’s a school that has produced 12 Major League players, though only Tony Womack has played in the majors over the last 75 years. Martin took two seasons to make the majors, debuting with the 1936 St Louis Cardinals. He saw time with four different teams over four different levels in 1934, playing everywhere from Class-C up to Double-A. He hit .286 in nine games with Columbus of the Double-A American Association, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. He also had a .214 average and 17 extra-base hits for Houston of the Class-A Texas League. His stats with Greensboro of the Class-B Piedmont League and Huntington of the Class-C Middle Atlantic League are both unavailable. The 1935 season was mostly spent playing for Asheville of the Piedmont League, where he had a .332 average and 32 extra-base hits in 118 games. Martin also saw 13 games with Columbus, where he had a .378 average during his brief time. He combined for a .335 average, 24 doubles, 11 triples and four homers in 131 games. From there it was right to the majors on Opening Day in 1936. He batted .298 as a rookie for the Cardinals, with 63 runs scored, 31 extra-base hits and 41 RBIs in 92 games, which helped him make the All-Star team for the only time in his career. Martin finished second in the National League with a career high 17 stolen bases that year. His .796 OPS was also a career best. He remained in St Louis through 1940, getting a majority of the starts at second base during that time.
Martin had a bit of a sophomore slump in 1937, seeing a large drop in his OPS compared to his rookie season. He batted .260 in 90 games, with 34 runs, eight extra-base hits, 17 RBIs, 32 walks and a .662 OPS. He batted .278 in 114 games during the 1938 season, with 54 runs, 29 extra-base hits, 27 RBIs and a .685 OPS. He set a career high with 26 doubles. Martin played a career high 120 games during the 1939 season, when he led all National League second basemen in fielding percentage. He finished that year with a .268 average, a career high 60 runs, 36 extra-base hits, 30 RBIs and a .709 OPS. He matched his high of 26 doubles that year, while setting a high with seven triples. He saw his average drop to .238 over 112 games in 1940, when he had 45 runs, 22 extra-base hits, 32 RBIs and a .637 OPS. He played more third base this season than anywhere else, but still saw his share of time at second base. The Pirates purchased his contract in December of 1940. Martin played almost exclusively at second base during his stay in Pittsburgh. He saw a lot of time off the bench that year, as well as spot opportunities at the other three infield positions. He rebounded with a .305 average over 88 games in 1941, though it still came with low power/walk numbers, leading to a .719 OPS. He finished with 37 runs, 13 doubles, two triples and 19 RBIs. His 1941 production was a one-year rebound, as he posted a .225 average and a .590 OPS over 42 games in 1942. He finished that year with 16 runs, seven extra-base hits and 12 RBIs. Martin played his last game with the Pirates on July 5, 1942. He was sent outright to Minneapolis of the Double-A American Association on July 9th, ending his time in Pittsburgh.
Martin finished out the 1942 season by hitting .272 over 59 games for Minneapolis, with 42 runs, 12 extra-base hits, 28 RBIs and a .740 OPS. He appeared in the majors again with the 1943 Cubs, where he hit .220/.308/.254 over 64 games, with 13 runs, four doubles and five RBIs. He served two years of Maritime service during WWII, then finished up his pro career with three seasons in the minors. He played for Los Angeles of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 1946, which was the first year of Triple-A ball. Martin batted .231 in 79 games, with 15 runs, four doubles, 17 RBIs and a .591 OPS. His final two seasons of pro ball came as a player-manager for Roanoke of the Class-D Coastal Plain League. He was dropping five levels in competition, so his hitting rebounded. He finished the 1947 season with a .305 average, 79 runs, 22 extra-base hits, 51 RBIs, 71 walks and an .805 OPS in 119 games. Age caught up to him in 1948, when he hit .268 over 69 games, with 42 runs, 16 extra-base hits, 18 RBIs and a .722 OPS. He hit .268 over 722 games during his eight-year big league career, with 322 runs scored, 152 extra-base hits and 182 RBIs. He had more walks (190) than strikeouts (185). He compiled 7.2 career WAR, with slightly above average defensive numbers.
Manny Jimenez, pinch-hitter/left fielder for 1967-68 Pirates. He was born in the Dominican Republic. He made his pro debut at 18 years old, playing three games for Ciudad Jaurez of the Class-C Central Mexican League during the 1957 season. He played for Eau Claire of the Class-C Northern League during the 1958 season, where he hit .340 over 105 games, with 83 runs, 31 doubles, 15 homers, 71 RBIs and a .947 OPS. Jimenez moved up two levels to Jacksonville of the Class-A South Atlantic League in 1959. He batted .288 that year in 128 games, with 59 runs, 30 extra-base hits, 48 RBIs, 46 walks and a .733 OPS. The 1961 season was split between Austin of the Double-A Texas League, and Sacramento of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He hit .313 that season in 121 games, with 77 runs scored, 32 extra-base hits, 48 RBIs and a .786 OPS, while putting up significantly better results in Austin. He remained in the Pacific Coast League with Vancouver during the 1961 season, when he hit .325 over 111 games, with 71 runs, 26 doubles, 17 homers, 76 RBIs and a .905 OPS. He was property of the Milwaukee Braves at the time. They traded him to Kansas City Athletics in December of 1961, which ended up being a big break.
Jimenez hit .301 during his rookie season for the 1962 Athletics, finishing with 48 runs scored, 24 doubles, 11 homers, 69 RBIs and a .782 OPS in 139 games. All of those stats ended up being his career highs. Despite that success as a rookie, half of the 1963 season was spent back in the minors. He hit for a solid average during his big league time that year, batting .280 in 60 games, though he ended up with a .699 OPS. He had 12 runs, nine doubles, no homers and 15 RBIs. The rest of the 1963 season was spent with Portland of the Pacific Coast League, where he hit .350 in 66 games, with 40 runs, 25 extra-base hits, 41 RBIs and a 1.024 OPS. He hit 16 homers during that partial season for Portland, despite failing to collect a big league homer that same year. Almost all of 1964 was spent with the A’s, where he hit .225 over 95 games, with 19 runs, seven doubles, 12 homers, 38 RBIs and a .730 OPS. His minor league time that year consisted over two games for Dallas of the Pacific Coast League. The entire 1965 season was spent in Triple-A, splitting his time between Rochester of the International League and a return to Vancouver. Jimenez hit .283 over 121 games that season, with 56 runs, 35 extra-base hits, 71 RBIs and an .804 OPS. His big league time during the 1966 season consisted of a .114/.244/.171 slash line in 41 plate appearances over 13 games with the A’s. The rest of the year was spent with Syracuse of the International League, where he had a .288 average in 110 games, with 45 runs, 21 doubles, ten homers, 47 RBIs and an .807 OPS.
Jimenez was acquired by the Pirates from the A’s during the 1966 minor league draft. He played 50 games for the 1967 Pirates. Just four of those games were as a starter (all in left field). He batted .250/.276/.393 in 58 plate appearances, with three runs, two doubles, two homers and ten RBIs. Part of that season was spent with Columbus of the International League, where he posted a .331 average, 18 runs, 14 extra-base hits, 24 RBIs and an .883 OPS in 46 games. He batted .303 for the 1968 Pirates, with seven runs, one homer, 11 RBIs and a .797 OPS in 77 plate appearances over 66 games. He started a total of five games that season, all of them in left field. He lasted two seasons with Pittsburgh, before being traded to the Chicago Cubs in January of 1969. It was a three-player deal, with the Pirates receiving Chuck Hartenstein and Ron Campbell in return. Jimenez hit .279/.348/.393 in 116 games for the Pirates. He had just six big league at-bats after being traded by the Pirates, all coming in a pinch-hitting role with the 1969 Cubs. He also played eight games with Tacoma of the Pacific Coast League during the start of the 1969 season, but refused to report back there when the Cubs demoted him in June. That led to his release, which ended his pro career. He played a total of seven seasons in the majors, hitting .272 over 429 games, with 90 runs scored, 43 doubles, 26 homers and 144 RBIs. He failed to pick up a single stolen base in the majors. His minor league records show nine steals in 11 seasons. He had a .311 average in 821 minor league games. His brother Elvio Jimenez played one game in the majors, getting six at-bats for the New York Yankees on October 4, 1964.
Bobby Tolan, first baseman for 1977 Pirates. He was originally signed out of high school by Pittsburgh in 1963, but didn’t play for the team until 14 years later. He played 13 years in the majors, spending time with five different National League teams. He played his first season at 17 years old for Reno of the Class-A California League, where he batted .271 over 75 games, with 63 runs scored, 25 extra-base hits, 42 RBIs and a .795 OPS. Tolan made his Major League debut for the 1965 St Louis Cardinals at 19 years old, two years after they acquired him in December of 1963 during the First Year draft. He was with Tulsa of the Double-A Texas League in 1964, where he hit .297 over 130 games, with 74 runs, 46 extra-base hits, 68 RBIs, 34 steals and an .825 OPS. He moved up to Jacksonville of the Triple-A International League in 1964, where he batted .290 over 145 games, with 86 runs scored, 43 extra-base hits, 48 RBIs, 45 steals and a .764 OPS. The Cardinals brought him up that September, when he hit .188/.197/.217 in 17 games, with eight runs, two doubles and six RBIs. Tolan split the 1966 season between Tulsa and St Louis. He hit well in his demotion to Double-A, posting a .333 average, 28 runs, 13 extra-base hits, 26 RBIs and an .848 OPS over 44 games. He struggled during his return to the Cardinals, putting up a .172/.233/.280 slash line in 103 plate appearances over 43 games, with ten runs, seven extra-base hits and six RBIs. He batted .179 over 60 games during his first two seasons combined with the Cardinals. He then hit .253 in 1967, with 35 runs scored, seven doubles, six homers, 32 RBIs, 12 steals and a .679 OPS over 110 games. Tolan saw a drop in his stats during the 1968 season, batting .230 over 92 games, with 28 runs, 12 doubles, five homers, 17 RBIs and a .607 OPS. He was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds on October 11, 1968, as part of a deal to acquire star outfielder Vada Pinson.
Tolan flourished immediately with the Reds, batting .305 over 152 games in 1969, with 104 runs scored, 25 doubles, ten triples, 21 homers, 93 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. His .821 OPS was easily the best of his career to that point. He hit .316 for the 1970 Reds, with 112 runs scored, 34 doubles, 16 homers, 80 RBIs and a league-leading 57 steals (he also led the league with 20 caught stealing). His .860 OPS that year would stand as his career high. He finished 16th in the MVP voting. Tolan ruptured his Achilles tendon playing basketball prior to the 1971 season, which caused him to miss the entire year. He did well during his return in 1972, but he had reached his peak at 26 years old. That first season back saw him bat .283 in 149 games, with 88 runs, 41 extra-base hits, 82 RBIs and 42 steals. He finished 20th in the MVP voting that season. His .720 OPS was his best post-injury mark. In fact, Tolan didn’t put up a positive WAR mark after 1972. He compiled 16.9 WAR by age 26, then finished with -5.9 WAR over his final six seasons. He batted .206 for the 1973 Reds, with 42 runs, 25 extra-base hits, 51 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and a .555 OPS in 129 games. He then got traded to the San Diego Padres on November 9, 1973.
Tolan hit .266 for the 1974 Padres, with 45 runs, 25 extra-base hits, 40 RBIs and a .703 OPS in 96 games. He had just seven steals that season, as he really seemed to slow down a full year after returning from his injury. He had 42 steals in 57 attempts in 1972, then went 44-for-82 in the six years after that point. Tolan mostly played right field during his first season with the Padres. He moved to left field in 1975, though he also ended up seeing 10+ starts at first base, center field and right field that year. He hit .255 over 147 games in 1975, with 58 runs scored, 26 extra-base hits, 43 RBIs and a .644 OPS. The Padres released Tolan in February of 1976, then he spent the next 1 1/2 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, before moving on to the Pirates. He hit .261 over 110 games in 1976, with 32 runs, seven doubles, five homers, 35 RBIs, ten stolen bases and a .627 OPS. He was being used as a pinch-hitter early in 1977, starting just one of his 15 games for the Phillies, before being released on May 25th. Tolan signed with the Pirates as a free agent 16 days later. He played 49 games over the final 3 1/2 months of the 1977 season, hitting .203/.241/.338 in 80 plate appearances, with seven runs, four doubles, two homers and nine RBIs. He played in Japan during the 1978 season, where he had a .267 average, 31 runs, ten doubles, six homers, 36 RBIs and a .670 OPS over 98 games. Tolan finished his career back with the Padres in 1979, where he hit .191/.191/.286 over 25 plate appearances during his final 22 games, with two runs, a triple and two RBIs. He played part of that 1979 season with Puerto Rico of the Inter-American League, where he had a .284 average over 30 games, with seven runs, six doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs. He hit .265 during his 13-year big league career, with 572 runs scored, 173 doubles, 86 homers, 497 RBIs and 197 steals in 1,282 big league games. He managed five seasons in the minors after his playing career ended. He did other coaching work as well, and he even played in the Senior Professional Baseball League, which existed during the 1989-90 seasons.
Jonathan Sanchez, pitcher for the 2013 Pirates. He won 38 games over eight seasons in the majors, including 13 games for the 2010 World Series winning San Francisco Giants. Sanchez was born in Puerto Rico. He attended college at Ohio Dominion, where he was a 27th round draft pick of the Giants in 2004. It took him less than two full years to make it to the majors, debuting in May of 2006. He made his pro debut with two short-season teams in 2004, going 7-1, 3.72 over 48.1 innings, with 61 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP. He split his time between the rookie level Arizona League Giants and Salem-Keizer of the Northwest League. Sanchez spent the entire 2005 season at Augusta of the Low-A South Atlantic League, where he went 5-7, 4.08 in 125.2 innings over 25 starts, with 166 strikeouts and a 1.28 WHIP. The 2006 season saw him start the year at Double-A, then end in the majors. He went 2-1, 1.15 in 31.1 innings with Connecticut of the Double-A Eastern League. He then moved up to Fresno of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he had a 3.80 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings over six starts. He combined to go 4-3, 2.29 in 55 innings, with 74 strikeouts and an 0.89 WHIP. Sanchez was mostly used in relief during his first two big league seasons, making four starts each year. He made a total of 27 appearances as a rookie in 2006, going 3-1, 4.95 over 40 innings, with 33 strikeouts and a 1.55 WHIP. He spent some brief time in the minors during the 2007 season, amounting to a 1.90 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP over 23.2 innings. A majority of the year was spent with the Giants, where he had a 1-5, 5.88 record, 62 strikeouts and a 1.63 WHIP in 52 innings over 33 appearances.
Sanchez became a full-time starter for the 2008 Giants, where he went 9-12, 5.01 in 158 innings over 29 starts, with 157 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP. He had an 8-12, 4.24 record over 163.1 innings in 2009, with 177 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP. He also threw his only career shutout that season. That was a good year despite the record, but he had his best season in 2010. Sanchez posted a 13-9, 3.07 record and a 1.23 WHIP in 193.1 innings. He had a career high 205 strikeouts that season, finishing eighth among National League leaders in that category. He made four postseason starts, in which he went 0-2, 4.05 over 20 innings. He took a step back with his results during the 2011 season, posting a 4-7, 4.26 record, 102 strikeouts and a 1.44 WHIP in 101.1 innings over 19 starts. He missed all of July with a elbow injury, then lost the last five weeks of the year due to an ankle injury. The results got worse in 2012, when he split the season between the Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies. He put up a 1-9, 8.07 record and a 2.09 WHIP over 15 starts, with 53 walks and 45 strikeouts in 64.2 innings. Sanchez signed with the Pirates as a free agent in February of 2013. He went 0-3, 11.85 in 13.2 innings over four starts and one relief outing, before being released in early May. He allowed 25 hits and seven homers during that brief time, while picking up 15 strikeouts.
After being released by the Pirates, Sanchez spent time with three other Major League clubs (Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs) without making it back to the majors. He signed with the Dodgers to finish out the 2013 season. He had a 7-3, 5.13 record, 79 strikeouts and a 1.71 WHIP in 66.2 innings over 14 starts with Albuquerque of the Pacific Coast League. He gave up five runs while recording two outs during his only game in 2014, when he was playing for Iowa of the Pacific Coast League (Cubs). Sanchez played six seasons of winter ball in Puerto Rico during his career. That started during the 2014-15 off-season, when he had a 6.48 ERA over 8.1 innings. He put in more work during each of the next two off-seasons. He had a 2.72 ERA, 32 strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP over 36.1 innings during the 105-16 winter season. Sanchez put up a 5-2, 2.75 record over 36 innings during the 2015-16 winter, finishing with 39 strikeouts and a 1.19 WHIP. He returned to the Royals during Spring Training in 2017, but he did not play that season. He then had a 4.91 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP over three starts in Puerto Rico during the 12017-18 off-season. He played a partial year of independent ball with York of the Atlantic League in 2018, going 0-1, 4.43 over 22.1 innings, with 19 strikeouts and a 1.61 WHIP. His 2018-19 winter season saw him go 1-2, 3.55 over 33 innings, with 19 strikeouts and a 1.52 WHIP. Sanchez played in Mexico during the 2019 season, when he had an 8-6, 5.20 record, 102 strikeouts and a 1.57 WHIP over 109 innings. He finished up his pro career with one earned run over 8.1 innings in Puerto Rico during the 2019-20 off-season. During his eight-year big league career, he went 39-58, 4.70 in 786.1 innings over 137 starts and 57 relief outings, finishing with 796 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP.
