Pittsburgh Pirates: Five Best Relief Pitchers in Franchise History

LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 30: Closer Jason Grilli #39 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts afrer getting a strikeout for the final out and the save against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 30, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The Pirates won 2-1. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Over the course of franchise history the Pittsburgh Pirates have had many deep, talented position groups. One of these groups is the bullpen.

In our last top five list, we looked at what is the deepest position in Pittsburgh Pirates history – left field. Arguably the second deepest position in franchise history is the bullpen, which is the group today’s top five list will discuss.

Although the Pittsburgh Pirates do not have a Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman in their history, that does not mean they did not have some really impressive relief pitchers in their pen during their time as a franchise. Most of which have flown under the radar.

Some of the best teams in Pirate franchise history was powered by a strong bullpen. This includes some of the team’s recent postseason teams from 2013 – 2015. So, it goes without saying that a strong bullpen is vital to a baseball team.

Like with wRC+ and OPS+, there is era adjusted stats for pitchers like ERA+/-, and FIP-. I’ll also take into consideration time played. If a pitcher has more innings pitched with the Pittsburgh Pirates, then they’ll be weighed heavier than one with fewer innings pitched.

So, without further ado, let’s get into number five.

Over the course of franchise history the Pittsburgh Pirates have had many deep, talented position groups. One of these groups is the bullpen.

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