Posts by John Dreker

John Dreker

700 posts

Card of the Day: 1954 Bowman Cal Abrams

Yesterday at 10:30 am

Today’s Card of the Day comes from the 1954 Bowman set and features outfielder Cal Abrams, who spent two seasons (1953-54) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He came to the Pirates as part of a three-for-one deal with the Cincinnati Reds, which sent Gus Bell to Cincinnati, where he became a…

This Date in Pittsburgh Pirates History: March 2nd, Seven Former Players Born on this Date

This Date in Pittsburgh Baseball History

Yesterday at 9:00 am

Seven former Pittsburgh Pirates have been born on this date Brandon Wood, third baseman/shortstop for the 2011 Pirates. He was a first round pick out of Horizon HS in Arizona, selected 23rd overall by the Anaheim Angels in 2003. Wood had two solid seasons to open up his pro career,…

Card of the Day: 1985 Donruss Action All-Stars Johnny Ray

Card of the Day

1 Mar at 10:30 am

Today’s Card of the Day is bigger than most previous cards featured here. The 1985 Donruss Action All-Star set consisted of 60 cards (59 players, one checklist) that were 3 1/2″ x 5″ in size, compared to the standard card size of 2.5″ × 3.5″. These cards were sold in…

This Date in Pittsburgh Pirates History: March 1st, Johnny Ray, Paul Hines and a Lefty Catcher

This Date in Pittsburgh Baseball History

1 Mar at 9:00 am

Five former Pittsburgh Pirates born on this date including the first player in Major League history to accomplish two very rare feats. Johnny Ray, second baseman for the 1981-87 Pirates. He was originally a 12th round draft pick of the Houston Astros in 1979 out of the University of Arkansas,…

Card of the Day: 1986 Baseball’s Best Rick Reuschel

Card of the Day

28 Feb at 10:30 am

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed 35-year-old right-handed pitcher Rick Reuschel as a free agent on this date in 1985. He went on to have an outstanding first season in Pittsburgh, which led to him being included in a 44-card set put out by Fleer called Baseball’s Best, featuring 22 of the…

This Date in Pittsburgh Pirates History: February 28th, Pirates Sign Rick Reuschel

This Date in Pittsburgh Baseball History

28 Feb at 9:00 am

There have been five former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, plus one transaction of note. The Transaction On this date in 1985, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed 35-year-old Rick Reuschel as a free agent. He had pitched well earlier in his career, but Reuschel was coming off of a…

Card of the Day: 1933 DeLong Pie Traynor

Card of the Day

27 Feb at 10:30 am

Today’s Card of the Day features Hall of Fame third baseman Pie Traynor, the best third baseman in Pittsburgh Pirates history and the man who was voted as the best third baseman in the first 100 years of baseball during Major League Baseball’s 1969 centennial celebration. Traynor was elected to…

This Date in Pittsburgh Pirates History: February 27th, Pie Traynor Makes the Hall of Fame

This Date in Pittsburgh Baseball History

27 Feb at 9:00 am

Three former Pittsburgh Pirates born on this date and there’s one event of note to cover. The Noteworthy Event On this date in 1948, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pie Traynor was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He narrowly missed getting elected in 1947, falling two votes shy…

The One Who Got Away: Nick Etten

The One Who Got Away

26 Feb at 10:30 am

This one is a bit different than previous articles in this series. Nick Etten did go on to have a strong run during the war years with the New York Yankees, but that was a long time after the Pittsburgh Pirates gave up on him. His overall big league value…

This Date in Pittsburgh Pirates History: February 26th, Preacher Roe and a Heisman Winner

This Date in Pittsburgh Baseball History

26 Feb at 9:01 am

Six former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, starting with the most recent first. Joe Martinez, pitcher for the 2010 Pirates. He was a 12th round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2005 out of Boston College, who made his Major League debut in 2009. Martinez debuted…