Pittsburgh Pirates: 30 greatest players in franchise history

Fans of old-time baseball know the name Paul Waner very well. His résumé includes an MVP award in his sophomore season, a spot in the first MLB All-Star Game and several other noteworthy accomplishments in Pirates and MLB history.

Let’s start with Waner’s early days with the Pirates, shall we?

In 1927, Waner led the league with 237 hits. They included 42 doubles, 18 triples and nine home runs. He ended the year with 131 RBI and the MVP Award.

Unfortunately, he ran into a buzzsaw called the 1927 New York Yankees and his one shot at a championship was over in four games. Still, he hit .380 in one of the best seasons a baseball player has ever had.

Waner did more than have one amazing year. As his lifetime slash line of .333/.403/.473 shows, he put together the type of career we don’t see these days.

Waner is the all-time leader in two major categories in Pirates history. His 558 doubles top the list. The 1,681 runs created is also better than anyone else to ever suit up for Pittsburgh.

Looking at his numbers from a single-season standpoint, his 131 RBI and 237 hits in 1927 remain Pirates records. He added one more that still stands today when he knocked 62 doubles in 1932. This total is actually the fifth highest in a single season for any MLB player.

From his debut in 1962 through 1937, Waner never finished a year batting below .309. In 1938, his batting average dropped to a Pirates-worst .280.

Ultimately, his time in Pittsburgh ended with a .340/.407/.490 slash line. He’s third all-time in hits with 2,868 and near the top in many other categories. Fortunately, he did end up with well over 3,000 hits when he wrapped up his National Baseball Hall of Fame career playing in a few more places.