Top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates Players Of The 2010's: Numbers 6-10

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ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 23: The Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate clinching a National League playoff spot after their 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on September 23, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

With end of the 2010’s, let’s look back at the Pittsburgh Pirates 10 best players of the decade, starting with numbers 10 through 6

We are now in a new decade. The 2010’s for the Pittsburgh Pirates had some of the best moments in franchise history, but some pretty low moments for the team as well.

Regardless, we watched some very talented players play for the Pirates. Here at Rum Bunter we want to look at the 10 best players the Pirates for the decade. We took a vote, and this is who we voted on as the 10 best Pirates players of the decade. This is how the voting worked. A 1st place voted equaled 10 points, a 2nd place vote 9 points, and so on down the line.

After the staff members voted we added up the point totals for each player that received votes. The top 10 vote getters were then named Rum Bunter’s top 10 Pirate players of the 2010s.

Today, we will start with part one of our 10 best Pirate players of the decade. So, we will start with number 10 and go through number 6. Make sure to check back this weekend for the top 5 players of the decade.

PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 06: Francisco Cervelli #29 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates after scoring the winning run on a walk off double by Kevin Newman #27 in the 10th inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on April 6, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

#10 – Catcher Francisco Cervelli

Catcher Francisco Cervelli was voted 10th among our writers. The catcher finished up his Pirates’ tenure last season, batting .264/.362/.374, which was good for a solid 106 wRC+. While his overall line wasn’t super impressive, he was still ranked 3rd in catcher on-base percentage (min. 2000 PA’s), only passed by Buster Posey (.371) and Joe Mauer (.376) for the decade. His wRC+ ranked just behind Yadier Molina’s 107 wRC+.

Defensively, his Fangraphs defensive rating puts him as the Pirates 5th best defensive catcher since 1950, and 2nd in all time Pirates’ catcher DRS, placing just behind Ronny Paulino (Min. 2000 innings played).

After the Pirates lost Russell Martin to free agency following the 2014 season, the team traded reliever Justin Wilson to the New York Yankees for Cervelli. Cervelli quickly made an impact for the Bucs by posting a 5.9 fWAR in 2015. He was a key cog both offensively and defensively for a Pirate squad that won 98 games.

Cervelli would sign a contract extension with the Bucs in 2016 and became one of the top catchers in the NL. Unfortunately, Cervelli’s tenure may always be remembered for the injuries. Between wrist/hand issues and concussions, Cervelli missed time in every season as a Pirate except 2015.

PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 06: Tony Watson #44 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during Game Three of the National League Division Series at PNC Park on October 6, 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

#9 – Reliever Tony Watson

Lefty relief pitcher Tony Watson was one of the best set-up men in the game in the early 2010’s. Watson made his MLB debut in 2011, and quickly became a mainstay in the Pirate bullpen.

Between 2013 to 2015, Watson put up a 1.97 ERA, 2.91 FIP, and 0.95 WHIP. He gave up just 13 home runs in 224 innings, and walked 1.8 batters per 9 in this time period. He ranked 22nd in relief pitcher fWAR, and 15th in K/BB% between ‘13-’15 as well.

After Mark Melancon was traded to the Washington Nationals in July of 2016, Watson became the team’s closer. He would pick up 15 saves down the stretch that season. He then added 10 more in 2017 before struggling, losing his role as closer and getting traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Watson finished up his Pirates tenure in 2017, and with a 2.68 ERA, 3.59 FIP, and 1.01 WHIP in 433 innings. He ranks 12th among Pirates’ relievers in fWAR, and 5th in innings pitched for the Bucs. For the decade, Watson has the 3rd highest Pirates relief pitcher fWAR, and 2nd highest BB/9.

One of the biggest reasons the Pirates made the postseason three seasons in row from 2013 through 2015 was due to having one of the best bullpens in baseball, and Watson was a key cog in these bullpens. The Iowa native was also a National League All-Star in 2014.

PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 12: Josh Harrison #5 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts after hitting an RBI double to left field in the seventh inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on July 12, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

#8 – Utility Man Josh Harrison

Fan favorite Josh Harrison made his MLB debut in 2011, and was a fixture in the Pirates lineup from 2014 to 2017. From ‘14-’17, Harrison posted a .290/.331/.428 line, and 105 OPS+. Overall, his offense was worth 9.3 offensive WAR. Solid, but not the best. However a good chunk of Harrison’s value came elsewhere.

Where Harrison lacked with the bat, he excelled with his defense and versatility. In his Pirates tenure, he played every position except catcher, center field and first base. In case you forgot, he even pitched a scoreless inning of relief back in 2013. Hell, it even came at the hitter friendly Coors Field in Denver.

Harrison was also a two-time All-Star for the Pirates, reaching the Mid-Summer Classic in 2014 and 2017. He also provided one of the most memorable Pirate moments of the decade when he hit a walk-off home run off of Rich Hill in the 10th inning of a game in 2017. Hill carried a no hitter into the 10th inning, and this is the only time in MLB history a team’s lone hit in a game was a walk-off blast. He also scored the winning run as a pinch runner in the Pirates’ thrilling victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2013 NLDS.

From 2014 to 2017, he racked up a 4.0 dWAR. He only ever posted a negative DRS once in this time span as well. His 20 DRS was ranked 4th among Pirates players for the decade. Overall, his 11.1 fWAR ranked 6th among Pirates’ batters of the decade.

PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 24: Francisco Liriano #47 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on September 24, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

#7 – SP/RP Francisco Liriano

Francisco Liriano had a great three-year run with the Bucs from 2013 to 2015. In these three seasons Liriano posted a 3.26 ERA, 3.23 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP. He struck out 9.6 batters per 9 innings, and rarely gave up long balls (0.7 HR/9).

Liriano had played an integral part in the Pirates’ playoff runs, including starting the 2013 NL Wild Card Game. On that unforgettable night the left-handed starter went 7 innings, gave up just a single run on four hits, a walk, and he struck out five Cincinnati Reds batters.

As a starter, Liriano is ranked 4th in pitcher fWAR in Pirate history, while his K/9 during the three year run ranks 9th among all MLB pitchers during that time period. No other Pirates’ starter has averaged more strikeouts per 9 than Liriano’s 9.51 K/9.

Liriano’s first tenure with the Bucs may have ended unceremoniously after struggling in 2016 and salary dumped to the Toronto Blue Jays, but he returned to the Pirates in 2019 as a relief pitcher. Although he did have a 4.53 FIP and 1.36 WHIP, Liriano still provided 70 innings out of the pen of 3.47 ERA, 123 ERA+ ball. Not bad for someone who was brought in on a minor league deal.

ST. LOUIS, MO – AUGUST 12: Neil Walker #18 of the Pittsburgh Pirates atompts to throw a runner out against the St. Louis Cardinals in the third inning at Busch Stadium on August 12, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

#6 – 2B Neil Walker

Ah, the Pittsburgh Kid. Neil Walker was the team’s primary second baseman from 2010 up to 2015. He was pretty much the ideal consistent batter any team would want. In his Pirates’ tenure Walker batted .273/.338/.433 with 93 home runs, and a 114 OPS+. He never really had an outlier good or bad season with the Pirates. While Walker may never have been known for his defensive ability, he definitely wasn’t awful with a .9 dWAR in his Pirates tenure.

In terms of all time Pirates’ second basemen, Walker has the 5th highest fWAR at 15.4 (2nd highest since 1950). In wRC+, only George Grantham surpasses the switch hitting Walker for the all time Pirates leader. Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski is the only other Pirates second baseman with more home runs than Walker as well with 138.

Among active second basemen from 2010 to 2015, Walker’s 114 wRC+ was surpassed by just three pretty impressive names: Robinson Cano, Ben Zobrist, and Dustin Pedroia. He was easily a top five second baseman of the first half of the 2010’s.

dark. Next. Robinson Chirinos Closing In On A Decision

Walker’s Pirate career came to end following the 2015 season when he was traded to the New York Mets. The Walker trade was a disaster for ex-general manager Neal Huntington who received Jon Niese is return. Huntington would later express regret in moving Walker for Niese, instead of the package of prospects he was offered by the Mets.

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Top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates Players Of The 2010’s: Numbers 6-10