Pittsburgh Pirates: Best & Worst Average Seasons in Franchise History

The Pittsburgh Pirates have had tons of average seasons in their history, but what are the best and worst average seasons in the franchise’s history?

There are plenty of measures to show how good or bad a player is in baseball. There is the elite of the elite who excel in nearly every statistical category and the poor who probably should be demoted to the minors.

There is a way to measure average in baseball. The best offensive statistic we have available to us is weighted runs created plus, or wRC+. This is a scale based on wOBA (weighted on-base average, an advanced version of OPS, but every type of hit (single, double, triple, homer), walk, and HBP is weighted to a specific amount and on the scale of OBP) where 100 is average. 101 is 1% better than average, and 99 is 1% worse than average, so on and so forth. It’s the most accurate offensive stat we have available because it’s based on wOBA, but more importantly adjusts for things like the run environment and park factors.

For example, it shows how you can compare a player from the Deadball Era to the Steroid Era. Although it isn’t a perfect stat, WAR can also show us what player is the closest to average. 2.0 WAR is usually considered the average. Zero is replacement level, not average and it’s adjusted for position. A slightly below average defensive shortstop is weigheted differently than an average defensive first baseman.

However, being average can always mean different things. You can bat .280 and be an average hitter because you don’t draw walks, nor do you hit for power, like Ahmed Rosario in 2021. You can hit .220 and strike out 30%+ of the time but still be an average hitter because you have a decent walk rate and/or hit for some pop, like Miguel Sano. You might have a sub-100 wRC+ and still have an fWAR around 2.0 because you’re that good at fielding and base running, like Michael A. Taylor in 2021.

There can be a good average player and a bad average player. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been around for a long time, and they’ve had plenty of good, bad, and average seasons throughout their history. Today, I want to look at who the best average seasons and worst average seasons have been in the franchise’s history. After that, let’s take a look at the most average seasons a Pittsburgh Pirates player has had in their time with the Pittsburgh Pirates.