Pittsburgh Pirates: Five Best First Basemen in Franchise History

Although the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t had as many great batters at first base as they have other positions, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any quality players.

As we finish up our top five Pittsburgh Pirates lists, we end it off at first base. First base was a bit of a tricky position to find five players for as many of them, such as Willie Stargell, George Grantham, or Orlando Merced, were part of other lists, and therefore did not qualify for this list. Had I not included them on other lists, they probably would have ended up here.

Regardless, the Pittsburgh Pirates still have had some impressive first basemen throughout their history. As I do with all of these, I will be heavily weighing era adjusted numbers such as wRC+ and OPS+. A .500 slugging percentage is way different in 1900 to 2000, and both wRC+ and OPS+ are adjusted for things such as the deadball era, pitching quality, and so on.

Also, to qualify, the player needs at least 2000 plate appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates to make the list. A player with more plate appearances will be weighed heavier than a player with fewer plate appearances. So, without further ado, let’s get into our first player.

Number Five – Gus Suhr

Gus Suhr served as the team’s first baseman for most of the 1930s. He finished out the decade with the cross state rival Philadelphia Phillies, but was traded mid-season, and was an effective batter for most of his Pittsburgh Pirates tenure.

During his 10 season run with the Bucs, Suhr batted .278/.368/.428 with a 112 OPS+ and 114 wRC+. Suhr wasn’t a big power hitter with a sub-.450 slugging percentage and .149 isolated slugging percentage, but he racked up tons of doubles with at least 30 in a season six different times. One interesting fact about the lefty hitter is that he actually had more triples than home runs with 112 three-baggers and 79 long balls. He also walked a lot more than he struck out. With the Pirates, Suhr had 679 walks to 414 strikeouts.

Suhr was much more productive during his prime from 1933 to 1939, hitting .285/.374/.435 with 52 home runs 192 doubles, and a 119 OPS+ in those 7 seasons. He also made the 1936 All-Star Game in this time span as well.

Suhr wasn’t anything great defensively with +2 total zone runs above average, and -6.6 dWAR. Regardless, Suhr’s fWAR of 22.2 comes in 3rd among all Pirate first basemen.

Number Three – Donn Clendenon

Donn Clendenon was the Pittsburgh Pirates primary first basemen during the 1960s. During his tenure, he had a bit of power and speed, having at least a dozen stolen bases three different times, and had at least 12 long balls every season he played at least 100 games with the Pirates.

From his debut season in 1961, where he played just nine games, to his final season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1968, Clendenon batted .280/.332/.443 with 106 home runs, and a 119 OPS+/120 wRC+. Clendenon in 1962 finished 2nd in National League Rookie of the Year voting after finishing the year with a .302/.376/.477 line with seven long balls and 16 stolen bags.

From 1963 to 1968, the seasons where he played a full year, Clendenon hit .278/.329/.441 with a 119 OPS+. Although never that big of a power hitter, he averaged about 18 home runs a year. He only ever had one below average offensive season, that being in 1967 with a 91 OPS+ and 93 wRC+. Defensively is what put him lower on the list. Clendenon had a -5.5 dWAR and -6 total zone runs above average.

Regardless, Clendenon ranks 5th in Pirates’ first baseman fWAR at 17.2, and his wRC+ ties him for 6th place as well.

Number Two – Jake Beckley

Hall of Fame first baseman Jake Beckley was part of the short lived Pittsburgh Burghers in 1890. A turn of the century player, Beckley is one of the best defensive first basemen in Pirates’ history, while also not being a terrible batter. That combined with his base running ability places him here at number two.

Beckley has a career .300/.359/.442 line with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also has a 117 wRC+ and 123 OPS+. In an era where batting average meant a lot more since players weren’t going for extra base hits, so the stat carried much more weight, Beckley had at least 500 plate appearances and an average of at least .300 five different times. He also had 186 doubles and 113 triples.

But it was the other facets of the game that we usually don’t focus on when analyzing a first baseman that Beckley excelled at. Beckley had +46 total zone runs above average at first for the Pirates. That’s the highest total of any Pirates’ first baseman.

Since total zone takes into account things such as errors and fielding percentage, it’s a stat that shows us how good a player was defensively in a previous era where we don’t have footage to analyze. On the base paths, Beckley stole at least 15 bags 6 different times. Beckley’s 26.9 fWAR is the highest of any Pirates’ primary first baseman.

Number One – Elbie Fletcher

Elbie Fletcher is probably the best hitting first baseman in Pittsburgh Pirates history, and his numbers probably would have looked a lot better with the Pirates if he didn’t have to serve two years in the armed forces in 1944 and 1945. Regardless, Fletcher made most of it when he was able to take the field.

The lefty hit .279/.403/.412 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although not a big power threat, Fletcher had elite plate discipline. In three years straight from 1940 to 1942, Fletcher led the league in on-base percentage, accumulating a .419 mark in those three seasons. He led the league in walks twice in those two seasons.

The two year layoff from baseball didn’t affect his plate discipline and patience either as when he returned to the sport in 1946, Fletcher had a .384 OBP and 17.1% walk rate in 651 plate appearances, the second highest in his entire career. Had Fletcher batted lead off during his career more often, he probably would have averaged about 100 runs a season. He was primarily used as a five-hole batter where about 38.5% of all his plate appearances came from.

Despite Fletcher’s lack of power, he still had a 132 wRC+, one that leads all Pirates primary first basemen. While he isn’t on this list for first basemen, Fletcher actually ties himself with Stargell in wOBA at .387. That also leads all players to man the position in Pirates history. He was also great defensively with +16 total zone runs, helping him accumulate an fWAR of 24.0.