Pittsburgh Pirates: 5 Best Left Fielders in Franchise History

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 28: Starling Marte #6 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citizens Bank Park on August 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 28: Starling Marte #6 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citizens Bank Park on August 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mentions

This list could have had a handful of other names on it, and none of them would have been a big surprise, so I thought it would only be fair to include an honorable mentions list.

Jason Bay

Jason Bay had a good career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bay demonstrated both power and speed during his time in Pittsburgh. In 3038 plate appearances, Bay batted .281/.375/.515, and had a 131 OPS+. He had 139 home runs, and stole 50 bags. He is also the only Pirate to win National League Rookie of the Year, taking home the award in 2004.

Starling Marte

Starling Marte was the Bucs’ primary left fielder from 2013 to 2017. Across these 5 years, Marte hit .290/.347/.439 with a 115 OPS+. His main attraction was his speed, as he stole 169 bags and averaged about 34 in one, 162 game season. He swiped over 40 bases in 2013 and 2016. Marte was also a top tier defender in left with a career +71 DRS, 24 UZR, 16 range runs above average, 9.8 arm runs above average, and a 7 UZR/150. Although his offense continued to be above average once he transitioned to center field in 2018 and 2019, his defense did take a hit.

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Max Carey

Max Carey has the 2nd highest fWAR among all Pirates left fielders, but, overall, he was more of a solid batter than truly elite. Carey played with the Pirates for almost the entirety of his career. From 1910 to half way through 1926, Carey batted .287/.363/.391 with the Pirates. That included a 115 wRC+ and 111 OPS+. However, he does have 738 career stolen bases, and 86 total zone runs, so he was a good fielder during his career.