Three Pittsburgh Pirates Legends MLB The Show Should Include

Relief Pitcher Kent “Teke” Tekulve

Kent Tekulve is arguably the best reliever in Pirate history. Affectionately known as “Teke” and the “Rubber Band Man”, the right-hander played 12 of his 16 total seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Even back then, Tekulve was a workhorse. He led the league in appearances four times throughout his career and hit 100+ innings seven times.

Tekulve would likely receive a juiced prime series card if he were added to the game. MLB The Show’s pitcher attributes are based on their per-9’s, and Tekulve didn’t have that great of per-9’s, even back then. However, they must boost their numbers in-game in order to make them usable.

Still, a low-90’s diamond Tekulve card would be extremely fun to use. Many pitchers with sidearm and submarine deliveries in the game play up as their animations are hard to pick up. Guys like Tyler Rogers, Darren O’Day, Steve Cishek, and Pat Neshek have been considered glitched cards by players as their awkward deliveries can throw off other players.

Tekulve might not be the most dominant or most used card in the game, but he’d be fun to use early in the year, as well as a nice thing for Pirate fans to have in their inventory. Every Pirate fan knows Teke, and having him in the game would be a nice addition for fans.

Outfielder Brian Giles

Brian Giles was an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1999 through 2003. During that time, Giles made a name for himself as a powerful outfielder, and he was sneakily one of the best hitters in the game during his time with the Pirates.

Giles had hit .308/.426/.591 with 165 home runs, a .426 wOBA, and 156 wRC+ during his time in Pittsburgh. Giles would be a card who would play very well in the game as he’d likely have over 100 for his contact and power attributes. He’d also have extremely high plate vision as he only struck out 10.9% of the time.

Speed-wise, he’d likely only be about average, in the 60-63 range. Fielding would be his worst attributes. He had -5 total zone runs and was never known for having that powerful of an arm. He’d likely reside in the 60-70 range of fielding with arm strength in the 75-80 range. However, a bronze-to-silver in left field would be good enough for most players.

Brian Giles truly deserves a 99, end game, god squad card. He was one of the best hitters in the league but was overshadowed by insane names in the ’90s and 2000s like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., and so on.

Starting Pitcher Bob Veale

Bob Veale would be a phenomenal card that many people may use. The right-hander is one of the best pitchers in Pirate history. Given how well he performed in the ’60s and ’70s, Veale would be a great addition to the game.

The reason Veale might be used by many is that he’d likely have 100+ for his hits and strikeouts-per-9 ratings. These two attributes determine plate-coverage indicator size (the icon that is used by hitters to direct their bat path) and how often a player can have perfectly timed swings. The downside is that he’d have feeble control. His BB/9 and control attributes would likely be below 70.

However, Veale would have velocity working in his favor. He’d likely have a fastball that averaged out at around 97 MPH. While he may not have had an actual 97+ MPH fastball back then, SDS boosts pitchers’ velocities, so they are usable. If Cy Young threw as hard as he did in real life as in the game, he’d be throwing 80-85 MPH meatballs every pitch.

Given Veale’s velocity and H/9 and K/9 rates, he’d be an extremely effective pitcher, even with a lack of command. Veale might even make some people’s late-game squads if they give him a high-90 card, like a 97+.

Honorable Mentions

There are plenty more legends from the Pittsburgh Pirates I’d like to see in the game, so let’s highlight a few:

RHP A.J. Burnett

A.J. Burnett is up there with Andrew McCutchen as my favorite Pittsburgh Pirate of all time. SDS already owns his rights and has given him diamond cards with the Florida Marlins, but c’mon. I want to see a 97+ card of Burnett during his time in Pittsburgh. Sure he won a World Series in Florida, but Pittsburgh is where he became Batman and made his one and only all-star game.

RHP Dock Ellis

SDS once had Dock Ellis’s name-and-likeness rights in MLB The Show in 2018. However, he hasn’t made an appearance since, as they’ve likely lost his rights. I’m sure any baseball fan would love to see a milestone card for his LSD no-hitter. Although given the drug use surrounding the no-no and MLB The Show being an E-rated game, they likely wouldn’t give him a card for that accomplishment if they had the opportunity to put him in the game.

RHP Doug Drabek

Like with Ellis, San Diego Studios did have Doug Draebek’s rights at one point. They gave him a diamond card in MLB 17 The Show; however, he hasn’t made an appearance since then. He’d make a good award series card for his 1990 Cy Young season, or just a Prime series card. The issue is Draebek likely wouldn’t play very well in-game, but like with Tekulve, it would be a nice addition for Pirate fans.

Catcher Manny Sanguillen

Manny Sanguillen is one of the best catchers in Pirate history. He’d be a fun catcher to use with 100+ contact and 90+ fielding (fielding only goes up to 99). He might only have power below 60, though many high-contact cards are glitchy in MLB The Show. Give him a swing players like to use and he’d be an underrated diamond catcher in the game. He’d also likely have secondary positions of right field, left field, and first base.