Just three former Pittsburgh Pirates born on this date, including a very recent one. We also have a significant trade of note.
The Trade
On this date in 1962, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded first baseman Dick Stuart and pitcher Jack Lamabe to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Don Schwall and catcher Jim Pagliaroni. Stuart played five seasons in Pittsburgh, where he put up a .273 average and 117 homers. He had a great 1961 season, finishing the year with a .301 average, 35 homers and 117 RBIs. He struggled on offense in 1962, plus he was horrible defensively at first base, so the Pirates were selling low. Lamabe was a 25-year-old rookie reliever in 1962, who had a 3-1, 2.88 record in 78 innings over 46 games. Don Schwall was a 26-year-old starting pitcher in 1962. He had a strong rookie season in 1961, posting a 15-7 3.22 record in 178.2 innings, while winning the Rookie of the Year award. He also made the All-Star team and received mild MVP support. His sophomore season was a bust, as he went 9-15, 4.94 in 182.1 innings, with 121 walks. Pagliaroni was a 25-year-old catcher, who had some pop in his bat, hitting 27 homers combined over 210 games during the 1961-62 seasons. He had a .792 OPS during his time in Boston.
Stuart became an instant hitting star with the Red Sox, although his poor defense got even worse. He only played two seasons in Boston, but he hit 75 homers and drove in 232 runs during that time. Lamabe pitched well in relief during the 1963 season. The Red Sox switched him to the starting role for 1964, where he struggled. He pitched even worse after going back to relief in 1965, before being traded. He went 16-20, 4.88 over 354 innings in Boston. Schwall had a 3.33 ERA over 167.2 innings during his first season in Pittsburgh, though poor run support led to a 6-12 record. He missed half of 1964, then was moved to a relief role, where he pitched well for almost two seasons. He went 22-23, 3.24 in 336 innings with the Pirates. He was traded away on June 15, 1966, in an even up deal for veteran reliever Billy O’Dell. Pagliaroni lasted the longest of these players with their new team. He played five seasons in Pittsburgh, before he was sold to the Oakland A’s after the 1967 season. He batted a career high .295 in 1964, when he finished with an .836 OPS. He had 17 homers and 65 RBIs during the 1965 season, which were both career highs. He led National League catchers in fielding percentage with a .997 mark during the 1966 season. He put up a .740 OPS in 490 games with the Pirates. In terms of WAR, the Pirates got 12.5 WAR from their two players, while Boston got 4.6 WAR from Stuart and Lamabe, with Stuart’s defense negatively offsetting a lot of his offensive value.
The Players
Jeff Locke, pitcher for the 2011-16 Pirates. He was 18 years old when he was selected in the second round of the 2006 draft by the Atlanta Braves. He debuted in the rookie level Gulf Coast League, where he went 4-3, 4.22 over 32 innings, with 38 strikeouts and a 1.34 WHIP. He spent 2007 with Danville of the short-season Appalachian League, where he had a 7-1, 2.66 record in 61 innings, with 74 strikeouts and an 0.92 WHIP. Locke spent the entire 2008 season with Rome of the Low-A South Atlantic League, going 5-12, 4.06 in 139.2 innings, with 113 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP. The Pirates picked him up three years after he signed, as part of a three-for-one deal involving All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth on June 3, 2009. Locke was in High-A at the time of the deal, with a 5.52 ERA in 45.2 innings over ten starts with Myrtle Beach of the Carolina League. He improved on that ERA with the Pirates, posting a 4.08 mark in 81.2 innings over 17 starts with Lynchburg of the Carolina League. He combined to go 5-8, 4.59 in 127.1 innings, with 99 strikeouts and a 1.48 WHIP. He split 2010 between Bradenton of the High-A Florida State League (17 starts) and Altoona of the Double-A Eastern League (ten starts), with very similar results at both levels. He combined to go 12-5, 3.56 in 144 innings, with 139 strikeouts. His 1.14 WHIP that year was his best mark coming up through the minors. The 2011 season was split between 22 starts for Altoona and five starts at Indianapolis of the Triple-A International League, before he made his MLB debut on September 10th. He went 8-10, 3.70 in 153.1 innings during his minor league time, with 139 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP. He went 0-3, 6.48 in four starts four the 2011 Pirates, with a 1.86 WHIP and five strikeouts over 16.2 innings.
Locke spent most of 2012 at Indianapolis, going 10-5, 2.48 in 141.2 innings, with 131 strikeouts and a 1.19 WHIP. He had a brief stint with the Pirates in early August as a bullpen arm, then came back in September when the rosters expanded. He made six starts and two relief appearances for the 2012 Pirates, posting a 5.50 ERA in 34.1 innings, with 34 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP. He had a breakout half year in 2013, when made 30 starts for the Pirates. He had a 10-7, 3.52 record, a 1.38 WHIP and 125 strikeouts in 166.1 innings. Through early July of 2013, he had a 2.15 ERA in 18 starts, which led to an All-Star appearance. He posted a 6.12 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break. He had a 7-6, 3.91 record, 89 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP in 131.1 innings for the 2014 Pirates. He also made ten minor league starts (nine for Indianapolis), putting up a 3-2, 4.02 record, 47 strikeouts and a 1.41 WHIP over 56 innings. He started the year in the minors, then had a spot start for the Pirates on May 5th, before rejoining the big league rotation for good in early June. The Pirates went 98-64 in 2015, with Locke getting 30 starts that year. He had an 8-11 record that year, despite the Pirates playing so well as a team. He finished with a 4.49 ERA, a career high with 129 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP in 168.1 innings. The team was actually above .500 when he was the starting pitcher, going 8-3 in his no-decisions. The craziness of win-loss records carried into 2016, when he had a 9-8, 5.44 record and a 1.53 WHIP for a team that finished below the .500 mark. He made 19 starts and 11 relief appearances that year, while throwing a total of 127.1 innings. He threw his only career shutout and only career complete game that season on May 30th, which came during a 10-0 win over the Miami Marlins.
Locke still had two years of team control before free agency, but the Pirates let him go after the 2016 season. That turned out to be a very wise move because he was due a large raise through arbitration. In 110 starts and 13 relief appearances with the Pirates, he went 35-38, 4.41 over 644.1 innings. Locke’s only other big league experience besides his time with the Pirates was seven starts for the 2017 Miami Marlins. He went 0-5, 8.16 in 32 innings, with 26 strikeouts and a 1.78 WHIP. He missed time that year due to a left shoulder injury. He was also designated for assignment in the middle of the year. He did well during his rehab time that year, posting a 1.77 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 20.1 innings over four starts, but those results didn’t carry over to the majors. He became a free agent at the end of the 2017 season, then decided to retire at 29 years old. His final big league stats show a 35-43, 4.59 record, with 481 strikeouts and a 1.43 WHIP in 676.1 innings.
John Scheneberg, starting pitcher for the 1913 Pirates. He made his pro debut in 1909, playing his first three seasons with the Paris Bourbonites of the Class-D Blue Grass League. The only pitching stats available from his first season show a 10-6 record, while partial hitting stats show a .111 average in 25 games. He posted a 14-15 record and a 1.03 WHIP over 35 games during the 1910 season, while pitching 261 innings. No ERA is available from that year, but we know that he allowed 2.93 runs per nine innings. He began to get noticed during his third season with Paris in 1911, when he had a 12-0 record in 14 games. He also improved to a .222 hitter in 24 games that year. Scheneberg moved up to Savannah of the Class-C South Atlantic League in 1912, where he had a 12-11 and a 1.30 WHIP in 178.1 innings over 25 games. He allowed 3.63 runs per nine innings that season. His batting average slipped to a .110 mark in 28 games. He moved to Norfolk of the Class-C Virginia State League for the 1913 season, where the newspapers shortened his last name to Shenn so it was easier in print. He had a 15-17 record that year over 41 games, with a 1.21 WHIP in 277 innings.
The Pirates acquired Scheneberg on September 20, 1913 from Norfolk, then used him for one game in late September. That chance only came about when they had five straight doubleheaders and they needed an extra starter. He pitched game one of a doubleheader on September 23, 1913. He went six innings, allowing four earned runs on ten hits in a 6-1 loss to the Brooklyn Superbas. The Pirates sold Scheneberg to Columbus of the Double-A American Association on October 2, 1913, sending him to the highest level of the minors at the time. They needed to get their roster down to the league limit (35 players), so he was one cut to reach that mark. His actual time spent with the Pirates was 13 days total. When he was taken in the Rule 5 draft on the recommendation of Pirates scout Billy Murray, it was said that he would get a tryout with the team. Calling it a “tryout” was quite literal it appears. His only other big league experience ended up being two innings of relief work for the 1920 St Louis Browns at the end of the year.
Scheneberg spent the 1914-15 seasons with Columbus. He then played with four different teams over two years during the 1916-17 seasons. He played in Double-A, Class-B and Class-D during those latter two seasons. He had a 16-10, 3.41 record, a 156:78 BB/SO ratio and a 1.50 WHIP in 232.1 innings over 35 games during the 1914 season. He then had a rough 1915 season, going 12-24, 4.21 in 286.2 innings, with a 1.52 WHIP, 150 walks and 86 strikeouts. His available pitching stats from 1916 show a 3-3, 1.44 record and a 1.25 WHIP in 68.2 innings with Springfield of the Class-B Central League. He also spent part of that season with Valdosta of the Class-D Dixie League (no stats available). His 1917 stats with Muskegon of the Central League show a 3-6 record and a 1.33 WHIP in 73 innings, with 4.32 runs per nine innings allowed. He also played with Richmond of the Double-A International League that season (no stats available). Scheneberg served two years in the military during WWI (1918-19), before returning to baseball with the 1920 Browns. He pitched the 1920 season with Joplin of the Class-A Western League, where he had a 19-13 and a 1.34 WHIP in 259 innings, while allowing 4.59 runs per nine innings. He pitched just one game in relief for St Louis, almost exactly seven years to the date of his first Major League game. He allowed seven runs in two innings during a 16-8 loss on September 24, 1920, thus ending his big league career. He went to Spring Training with the Browns in 1921, but he was sent back to Joplin on March 19th.
Scheneberg pitched in the minors during the 1921-22 seasons before retiring as a player. He played for Joplin for a majority of 1921, posting a 6-6 record and a 1.60 WHIP in 96 innings over 15 appearances, while allowing 6.09 runs per nine innings. He had a 5-0 record and a 1.39 WHIP over 49 innings pitched for Coffeyville of the Class-D Southwestern League that year, as well as a 1-0 record in seven games with Kansas City of the Double-A American Association. His 1922 time was limited to a 3-1 record with Mobile of the Class-A Southern Association according to online stats, but he also spent some time that season with Charleston of the Class-A South Atlantic League and Richmond of the Class-B Virginia League. He was often called Jack Shenn during his playing days, but the spelling of his last name was listed numerous different ways, including the somewhat comically long Schennenburger. With the help of opposing pitcher Harry Harper, Scheneberg gained some unwanted press during the 1915 season. Both pitched complete games against each other, while combining for 31 walks in the contest. At least for Scheneberg, he was on the lower side of the pair with his 14 walks. It was a story that got passed around a lot, even after his playing days.
George McBride, shortstop for the 1905 Pirates. With the great Honus Wagner in his prime at the time, the Pirates didn’t have much need for a young shortstop in 1905, especially not one who didn’t hit much. McBride batted .218/.277/.264 in 27 games for the 1905 Pirates, before being traded to the St Louis Cardinals on July 4, 1905 for third baseman Dave Brain. McBride went on to play a total of 16 seasons in the majors, mostly with the Washington Senators (1908-20). He is considered to be one of the best defensive shortstops in the history of the game. He compiled 23.3 dWAR (28th best all-time) in 1,627 games. He led the league in defensive WAR four times, while finishing among the top four in the league eight times. McBride was strong enough defensively at shortstop to gain MVP recognition in four straight seasons (1911-14). That was despite hitting between .203 and .235 in each of those seasons, with just two homers total. While noting that his career happened almost exclusively during the deadball era, he still failed to score 60 runs or pick up 60 RBIs in any season during his career.
McBride made his pro debut at 20 years old in the majors during the 1901 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, which is the current day Baltimore Orioles. His action that season was limited to just three games at shortstop. He went 2-for-12 at the plate, with two singles and a walk. His next big league appearance was with the Pirates four years later. He remained in Milwaukee for the 1902 season. He was playing in the American Association that year, while also seeing time with Kansas City of the same league. He had a .238 average and 19 extra-base hits in 110 games between the two stops. He spent the 1903-04 seasons playing for the St Joseph Saints of the Class-A Western League (highest level of the minors at the time). The limited available stats for the 111 games he played in 1903 show a .286 average over 398 at-bats. The 1904 season has the same info available, showing that McBride put up a .256 average in 139 games, while collecting 139 hits over 542 at-bats. The Pirates purchased his contract from St Joseph on August 1, 1904 for $1,000, though he didn’t report to the club until the following spring. Owner Barney Dreyfuss offered St Joseph extra money for the immediate release of McBride, but the Saints were in a playoff race and refused to part with him until their season was completed. A dispute in the final cost for McBride lasted until December 10th, when the Pirates made their final payment. He made a few early season starts at shortstop for the 1905 Pirates, then ran off ten straight starts at third base in early May. From May 15th until his departure to St Louis seven weeks later, he made nine starts between third base and shortstop, while playing four other games off of the bench. McBride had a .217 average and a .520 OPS in 81 games for the 1905 Cardinals. He combined for a .217 average, 31 runs, nine extra-base hits, 41 RBIs and a .525 OPS.
McBride batted just .169 in 90 games for the 1906 Cardinals, while posting a .422 OPS. His defense was above average by then though, so he was able to play more than you would expect with that offense. He had 24 runs, ten extra-base hits and 13 RBIs that year. He was traded to Kansas City of the American Association late in the 1906 season, where he remained through the end of the 1907 season. He had a .241 average and 16 extra-base hits in 59 games after the trade. He posted a .269 average and 31 extra-base hits in 151 games for Kansas City during the 1907 season. He then was purchased by the Washington Senators, where he remained for the next 13 seasons to finish out his career. He played his first of seven straight years with 150+ games in 1908, back when they played 154-game schedules (with makeup games included for ties). McBride had a .232 average over 155 games in 1908, finishing with 47 runs, 16 extra-base hits, 34 RBIs, 41 walks and a .566 OPS. He stole 12 bases that year, which is significant because it started a stretch of eight straight years with at least ten steals, though he never stole more than 17 bases in one season. He had nearly an identical season at the plate in 1909 as he did during the previous season, finishing with his average (.234), OBP (.294), slugging (.266) and OPS (.560) all within eight points of the previous season. He also had 16 extra-base hits both years, while picking up 34 RBIs each season. He had 38 runs and 17 steals over 156 games in 1909. McBride’s batting average dropped to .230 during the 1910 season, but he drew more walks and showed a little more power, leading to a .609 OPS in 154 games. That was not only his career high for OPS, it was the only season in which he topped the .600 mark. He set a career high with 19 doubles and 61 walks in 1910, while adding 54 runs scored and 55 RBIs.
McBride led the league with 154 games played in 1911. He hit .235 that year, with career highs of 58 runs scored and 59 RBIs, while finishing with 15 extra-base hits, 15 steals and 51 walks. He finished 22nd in the MVP voting. He hit .226 during the 1912 season, with 56 runs scored, 21 extra-base hits, 52 RBIs and a .572 OPS in 152 games. He set a career high with seven triples that, plus he tied his high with 17 stolen bases. That led to a 21st place finish in the MVP voting. McBride batted .214 over 150 games in 1913, with 52 runs, 18 doubles, seven triples, 52 RBIs, 12 steals and a .571 OPS. He improved to a 14th place finish in the MVP voting, which was his best showing for the award. While he played a career high 157 games in 1914, his offense dropped from already low standards. He ended that year with a .203 average, 49 runs, 16 extra-base hits, 24 RBIs and a .516 OPS. That was his low OPS to that point, but it was just a start in the drop. He stole 12 bases again, though he was caught 14 times. He was credited with a strong 3.0 dWAR that season, which led to an 18th place finish in the MVP voting. That was the last time that he received MVP votes, though that’s very misleading. There was no MVP award from 1915-1921, so there was no chance to get votes. McBride hit .204 over 146 games in 1915, with 54 runs, 15 extra-base hits, 30 RBIs, a .503 OPS and 2.3 dWAR. Modern metrics credits him with being the best defensive player for the fourth straight season. His total dWAR from 1912-15 is 11.6, which alone would rank him among the top 200 defensive players all-time.
McBride played 100+ games for the final time in 1916. He hit .227 in 139 games, with 36 runs, 20 extra-base hits, 36 RBIs and a .555 OPS. He played a total of 96 games over his final four seasons in the majors, all spent with the Senators. He was basically serving as a player-coach during this time, which led to a managerial role. He saw his most time during that stretch in 1917, when he hit .192/.265/.213 over 164 plate appearances, with six runs, three doubles and nine RBIs. McBride went 7-for-53 over 18 games at the plate in 1918. Almost all of his time came during a five-week stretch from mid-June to mid-July. He then hit .200/.256/.275 over 15 games in 1919, when all but two of his at-bats came during the month of June. He finished with a .220/.256/.244 slash line over 13 games in 1920. All of his games that season came during a 13-day stretch in July when infielder Frank Ellerbe was out with an injury. Despite his advanced age and barely playing each year, he’s credited with 1.0 dWAR over his final four seasons combined. After his playing days, he managed the 1921 Senators to an 80-73 record. An injury caused him to retire from the game for a short time, though he came back in 1925 to coach for a few years, until retiring permanently. During his 16 seasons in the majors, he hit .218 over 1,660 games, with 566 runs scored, 194 extra-base hits, 447 RBIs and 133 stolen bases. He hit just seven homers in his career, including three inside-the-park homers. Another was a bounce homer, which would be a ground rule double now, but back then it counted as a homer. They were rare occurrences, but they happened before the rule change. He led the league in fielding percentage for shortstops five times, double plays six times, putouts three times and assists once. His .968 fielding percentage in 1915 broke Honus Wagner’s single season record for fielding percentage at shortstop, though McBride held that title for just three years.
