Pittsburgh Pirates: Best Picks From Each of the First 10 Rounds

Round 10: Stan Belinda

Stan Belinda is the Pirate leader in bWAR among their 10th round picks. Belinda was a local kid, having been born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Belinda in the 10th round of the 1986 draft, and by 1990, he was a regular in their bullpen.

Belinda pitched 260.2 innings across five seasons in a Pirate uniform, posting a solid 3.52 ERA, 3.72 FIP, and 1.189 WHIP. Belinda served as their closer 1991 up until he was traded to the Kansas City Royals in 1993. The Pirates dealt the right-handed reliever for two players, that being Jon Lieber and Dan Miceli.

After 1993, Belinda appeared in seven more seasons with the Royals, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Colorado Rockies. Belinda ended up being part of a notable trade during the 1999-2000 offseason with the Colorado Rockies that sent him and Jeffrey Hammonds to Colorado for outfielder Dante Bichette, who headed back the Reds’ way.

Although Belinda was never a shutdown closer, he still made out with a year that spanned 12 seasons. He pitched to the tune of a 4.15 ERA, 4.21 FIP, and 1.277 WHIP through 658.1 innings. But Belinda was a workhorse who averaged 80 innings a year while providing above-average numbers, indicated by his ERA+ of 104.