The Return of: He Was A Pirate?

When I launched this blog back in 2013 under a different name, I began segment called "He Was A Pirate?" which I had a lot of fun writing. I've been back to blogging pretty consistently since July and I still feel committed. And hey, baseball was supposed to start today! It feels like a good time to bring this back.

The inspiration here is quite simple. The Pirates, like all MLB teams, experience a multitude of transactions throughout the year. And, you know, since it's the Pirates... no one really knows or cares about those moves.

As a Pirates fan growing up in New York it was rare that I would come across anyone who shared my love for the black and gold. My Yankee-supporting counterparts were never aware of the frequent changes occurring a few hundred miles west in Pittsburgh. Oftentimes during friendly baseball-themed conversation, the question “He was a Pirate?” would arise. I’ve decided to honor this ever-occuring inquiry on my blog. 

The posts are be sequentially numbered. Each post features one former Pirate who stint in the Steel City. Some will be somewhat obvious, and some will come as big surprises. There will be stars, there will be Joe-Schmo’s, and everything in-between. I will, of course, have at least one card from my PC to represent each player.

Today's feature is a decorated pitcher that has a place in Pirates history, but he's much better known for his 17-year tenure with the Red Sox. The story is a good one.

Tim Wakefield was drafted in the 8th round of the 1988 Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was drafted as a first baseman out of Florida Tech, where he set a number of home run records. After being told by a Pirates scout that he would never make it past Double-A as an infielder, he learned how to throw a knuckleball and began pitching in Single-A. He was effective and began to progress through the minor leagues.

Fast forward to July 31, 1992. A 25 year old Tim Wakefield makes his MLB Debut, where he throws a 146-pitch, 10 strikeout complete game shut-out against the Cardinals. The Pirates won 1-0. The win improved the Pirates record to 55-48, and with Wakefield's help (he went 8-1 during the stretch), they went on to win 96 games and the NL Central.

1993 Fleer Ultra #104 Rookie Card

All Pirates fans - and many baseball fans - remember the 1992 NLCS where the Pirates lost to the Braves in dramatic fashion. That playoff appearance was a turning point for the franchise. For the next 20 years the Pirates would finish each season under .500 and miss the playoffs. What most baseball fans don't remember is that a rookie Tim Wakefield pitched both Game Three and Game Six of that series. In both games he went a full nine innings, out-dueled Tom Glavine, and got the win. How's that for your first season?

Turns out the 1992 season was Wakefield's prime as Pirate. In 1993, he struggled at the Major League Level. He spent most of the year in the minors. 

1993 Upper Deck #66

He spent all of 1994 in the minors, and was eventually cut by the Pirates at the beginning of the 1995 season. A week later he signed with the Boston Red Sox and was assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Legend has it that he worked with Phil Niekro on his knuckleball while in the minors. Due to an injury to Rodger Clemens, the 28 year old Tim Wakefield made his Red Sox debut - just a month after being cut by the Pirates. In his first 17 games with the Sox, he complied a record of 14-1 with a 1.65 ERA. Talk about a hot start.

1994 Topps Tim Wakefield #669

The rest, as they say, is history. Wakefield went on to have a long an successful career. He appeared in an All-Star game, won two World Series, and was an 8-time Roberto Clemente award nominee and one-time winner.

As for the cards, I don't have anything too special. I only own three cards - all base cards. The Fleer Ultra Rookie is my favorite. I do love the photography on all of them. I imagine it's way easier to photograph a knuckleballer than any other type of pitcher. An interesting note is that Wakefield wore #49 with the Pirates - the same number he wore with the Red Sox. It's a very unique number and is clearly meaningful to him. I wasn't able to find any backstory behind that but I'm curious.

Thanks for reading this edition of "He Was A Pirate?", many more to come!

"He Was a Pirate?" Part 4

With the return of my blog, we will also see the return of my personal favorite segment, "He Was a Pirate?"

For those who are laying eyes on this for the first time, it's quite simple. There are a bunch of guys that played for the Pirates, and basically no one knew. Either because they were washed up, they sucked, or got lost in the usual offseason swaps.

This week's edition features a slight above average righty that play primarily for a division rival. Any guesses?

The picture help? No? Here you go...

2008 Topps Heritage

Number of seasons with the Pirates: 16 starts, never a full season

Career stats with the Pirates: 

His legacy: Matt's Pirates career was abysmal. He was acquired through a deadline deal in July of 2007, where the Pirates traded a way a very solid prospect (and a future "He Was a Pirate?" to be named) and assumed Morris' $10+ Million contract from the Giants. 

After his lousy 2007 campaign, there was some hope for a fresh start for the 33 year old. Rather than making another bid for Comeback Player of the Year- an award he won in 2001 for St Louis- Matt completely shat the bed, going 0-4 in 5 starts with a 9.67 ERA. He was then released from the Pirates before the end of April, and he permanently retired from baseball three days later.

I'll remember Matt Morris just like everyone else: A member of any team but the Pirates.

Thanks for reading!

He Was a Pirate? Part 3

Hot off the press! A new edition of... He Was a Pirate?! 

This week's edition features a good ol' fashioned headcase. Rather than give you mindless clues, I'll just show a series of images. Because, let's face it. Every picture is worth a thousand words!

The man, the legend... Nyjer Morgan. My god, what a character this man was. Or should I say, is.

Here's one of the few Nyjer Morgan Pirates cards that exist, and the only one that I own.

Number of seasons with the Pirates: 3

Career stats with the Pirates:

His legacy: Essentially, no one in the Pirates community ever cared about Nyjer Morgan. He provided many exciting defensive plays as well as brief offensive sparks, but was never a real fixture in the lineup. I suppose that's how his entire career has been. His speed always provided some excitement, especially in 2009 when he stole 42 bases. He was also caught 17 times, which led the majors. If I had to take a guess, I'd wager that Nyjer probably had no regard for "steal/don't steal" signs, and he probably just did whatever the f*** he wanted. Shocker.

Morgan will likely be remembered for his on-field antics rather than his skills. Thankfully for Bucco fans, he didn't begin to emerge as a psycho until he was out of the 'Burgh. For your viewing pleasure, here are some clips of Nyjer Morgan being a nutjob!

The second clip is great. Not only because there's an awesome brawl, but because Nyjer gets clotheslined by Gaby Sanchez... a current Pirate! Oh how I love when life comes full circle.

We'll end a light note.. he an Cutch enjoying a nice moment together. 

How will I remember Nyjer Morgan? Just like everyone else: As a member of any team but the Pirates.

He Was a Pirate? Part 2

The second installment of "He Was a Pirate?" has arrived! This week, I'll be introducing a flame throwing righty who, in 2007, was given a 3-year $47 million dollar contract from the Dodgers. Any ideas? He's tall as Manu Ginobili, and weighs as much as B.J. Upton (Or did when he was active).

Still not sure? In 2003, he was the runner-up for the Cy Young which was awarded to Eric Gagne. He rocked a killer white guy chin goatee.

He was also featured on this incredibly strange baseball card:

Oh yeah baby. It's Jason Schmidt! DUH! 

Just kidding. If you knew actually guessed who it was from my clues, that's impressive. Aside from the fact that those clues are relatively obscure, I wouldn't expect many to remember Jason Schmidt- especially as a Pirate. I barely remembered myself until I stumbled across this gem. Here's the back:

1998 Pacific

The back of the card is acutally way cooler than the front. I love the fact that Schmidt was caught smiling, and I've always been a big fan of the grey hats. What's absolutely awesome about this card is that it's plugging the internet. Not an online promotion. Not Topps PowerPlayers, not Topps BUNT, but simply the internet. What gold. I tried the first URL at the top of the card, which unfortunately is no longer in service. The second URL redirects to the Pirates current website.

Number of seasons with the Pirates: 5 1/2

Career stats with the Pirates: 

His legacy: Jason's time with Pirates was the definition of mediocrity- maybe slightly above. He was usually right around .500, with an ERA consistently over 4.00. '97-'99 was definitely the most consistent period of his career, when he made over 30 starts each year with 200 IP. He would battle injuries in many of the following years. The Pirates were pretty terrible during these few years, aside from '97 which was a fluke, more or less. Fun fact, in 1998 he led the league with 15 wild pitches.

Schmidt turned out to be a late bloomer. He would go on to find his groove in San Francisco at the age of 30, where he enjoyed 17 and 18 win seasons and as previously mentioned, was a Cy Young candidate in 2003. He signed that monster contract with the Dodgers in 2007, but would only appear in 10 games for them in 3 years. 

I'll remember Jason Schmidt just like everyone else: A member of any team but the Pirates.

He Was a Pirate? Part 1 - Doug Mientkiewicz

I’m excited to introduce a new segment to the blog!

The inspiration here is quite simple. As a Pirates fan growing up in New York it was rare that I would come across anyone who shared my love for the black and gold. The Pirates, like all MLB teams, experience a multitude of transactions throughout the year. Existing in a small market magnified this even more. The Pirates were constantly signing players to one year, minimum contract deals.

With that said, my Yankee-supporting counterparts were never aware of the frequent changes occurring a few hundred miles west. Oftentimes during friendly baseball-themed conversation, the question “He was a Pirate?” would arise. I’ve decided to honor this ever-occuring inquiry on my blog.

The posts, which will be titled just as this one is, will be sequentially numbered- each post featuring one former Pirate whom-in my opinion- had an “under the radar” stint in the Steel City. Some will be stars, some will be Joe-Schmo’s, and so on. I will, of course, have at least one card from my PC to represent each player.

In a perfect world I would post weekly, but my schedule simply doesn’t allow for such consistency.  I’ve got a ton of guys/cards in mind, so keep an eye out for them!

This week’s “He was a Pirate?"

 2009 Topps Series 1 #328

Doug Mientkiewicz! Come on, you remember Doug! Yes, the guy that finished 14^th in MVP voting in 2001! Yeah, him!

Number of seasons with the Pirates: 1

Career stats with the Pirates:

His legacy: I'll always remember Doug as a contact hitting first baseman with a slick glove. I always enjoyed watching him get some playing time, which was limited behind the legendary Adam LaRoache (foreshadowing?). Even as a back-up, Doug managed to find himself well over 200 at bats. He did well as a back up- a role in which he had become familiar in the twilight of his career. 

Unlike the prototypical first baseman, Mientkiewicz was by no means a power hitter. His career high in homers was a meager 15, and he only made it to double digit homers four times. Even with absent power, he was able to make an impact by driving in runs and slapping singles. I remember him best as the first basemen for the Twins in the early 2000's, but also as a defensive replacement with other clubs- most notably the Boston Red Sox in 2004. That's when he received the final put out of the World Series and broke the Curse of the Bambino. The moment was captured in a series of images such as the one below.

The moments after this became incredibly controversial, when Mientkiewicz ended up hanging onto the game ball. The saga of the ball is catalogued nicely in this ESPN article.

In summary, I remember Doug Mientkiewicz just like everyone else: As a member of every team but the Pirates.