Pittsburgh Pirates: Top Five Center Fielders in Franchise History

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BOSTON, MA – JUNE 29: General view of the 1903 World Series championship sign before the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 29, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Blue Jays won 6-2. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Number Four – Ginger Beaumont

Clarence “Ginger” Beaumont was the Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder from 1899 to 1906. In all but two of those seasons, he was a well above average contributor at the plate. Beaumont hit .321/.369/.404 with a 124 OPS+ and 123 wRC+. His wRC+ is the 3rd highest among all Pirate center fielders with at least 2,500 plate appearances.

Although Beaumont was not the greatest defender in center field with -9 total zone runs above average, he was a great base runner. Beaumont had +4.5 base running runs above average, and averaged about +6.7 speed score a season. Overall, stole 200 bags including seven straight seasons where he stole at least 20 and stole at least 25 in five of those seasons.

Beaumont was also a member of the 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates team that played in the first ever World Series. In the inaugural Fall Classic, Beaumont had nine hits in 34 at bats in eight games played. He also drew a pair of walks and stole two bags. Due to being the team’s lead off hitter, he is the first player to ever bat in a World Series Game.

After leaving Pittsburgh, Beaumont played four more seasons. He was with the Boston Doves from 1907 – 1909. He then played for the Chicago Cubs in 1910 before calling it a career.

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