The Pittsburgh Pirates’ No All-Star Game All-Star Team

Starting Pitcher

Bob Moose

Bob Moose was a great pitcher, and he may have made an all-star game if he didn’t tragically pass away in a car accident 29-years-old. However, he had a handful of good seasons where he wasn’t fully recognized for his work on the mound.

The right-hander spent his entire career in a Pittsburgh Pirate uniform. The late but great Moose tossed 1303.1 innings with the Bucs, posting a 3.50 ERA, 2.95 FIP, and 1.301 WHIP. Moose was about average in terms of run prevention with an ERA+ of 99 and ERA- of 100. But his strong FIP led to an 87 FIP-.

Moose didn’t strike out many batters, only having a 15% strikeout rate, but that was around average for the time. He kept walks to just a 7% rate while allowing only 75 home runs. This led to him having an HR/9 of .52, which is the 8th lowest mark by a Pirates’ pitcher since 1950.

Moose’s best season as a starting pitcher was in 1972. He had a handful of other good seasons, but once you account for games started vs games he appeared out of the bullpen, as well as league-adjusted stats, his ‘72 season was his best.

Through 226 innings, Moose had a 2.91 ERA, 2.43 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP. Moose had a career-best walk rate of 5.1%, which was the 10th best-qualified mark in baseball. He fell just behind fellow teammate and one of the most memorable Pirates in history, Dock Ellis. Moose ended his season with a 120 ERA+, 86 ERA-, and 76 FIP-. While his ERA+ was the only of the three era and run environment-adjusted stats that were a career-best mark, he appeared out of the bullpen just once whereas he served as a swingman for most of his career.

However, his 1969 season also deserves some recognition. He was more of a swingman this year, pitching in 44 total games and starting 19. But he put up a strong 2.91 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 1.241 WHIP in 170 innings of work. Moose had a 120 ERA+, 82 ERA-, and 73 FIP-.

Still despite functioning as a swingman for a good portion of his career, Moose had a sub-3 ERA and at least 150 innings pitched on three different occasions. Had Moose not passed away so suddenly and in such a tragic fashion, he may have made a push for a mid-summer classic later in his career.