Pittsburgh Pirates: Best 60 Game Samples Sizes in Team History

1 of 3

The 60-game season in 2020 led to FanGraphs creating a 60-game span leaderboard, but who have the best 60-game sprints in Pittsburgh Pirates history?

The 2020 MLB season was shortened to just 60 games, the shortest MLB season in history. Even World War II and the United States enacting the draft didn’t stop MLB from playing 155 games in 1941. COVID left questions about whether a season would even be played, but 60-games is better than no games.

But the 60-game season meant you would have a season full of small sample sizes. If a position player played 90% of his team’s games in 2020, he only played in 54 contests. The Pittsburgh Pirates 60th game of the 2022 season was on June 14. That small of a sample size can lead to some interesting stats.

FanGraphs thought the same thing and created the 60-game split leaderboard on their website. Arguably the most popular baseball site out there, you can sort the best and worst 60-game spans throughout baseball history, and today, I want to take a look at the two best in the Pirates’ history. We’ll look at both the best 60-game spans for both a position player and a pitcher.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at our first player.

September 25, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a double during the first inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Andrew McCutchen: May 5, 2012 through July 15, 2012

The 2012 season was the start of a four-year stretch for Andrew McCutchen in which he was one of the five best players in baseball. Cutch batted .313/.404/.523 with a .412 wOBA, and 157 wRC+. Among players in this four-season run with at least 1500 plate appearances, McCutchen was top 10 in the MLB in OPS (7th), wOBA (5th), and wRC+ (4th). McCutchen was the only National League player to have at least 75 home runs and stolen bases, and the only other player to reach this milestone was Mike Trout.

Cutch was downright awesome at the plate in 2012, though. In 673 trips to the plate, he batted .327/.400/.553, accumulating a .403 wOBA and 158 wRC+. McCutchen’s 31 home runs this season is still a career-best for the outfielder. McCutchen took home the National League Center Field Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, along with finishing second in MVP voting behind San Francisco Giants backstop Buster Posey.

McCutchen’s 60-game span from May 5 through July 15 of this season was phenomenal. He turned in a .400/.451/.757 line, .499 wOBA, and 226 wRC+. This made him 126% better than the league average batter in 2012. McCutchen is just one of 26 players in MLB history to bat at least .400 in a 60-game sprint, and his wRC+ ranks 17th all-time. McCutchen’s stretch here is one of 103 60-game spans where the hitter was 100% or better than the league average (200+ wRC+). He had a 5.1 fWAR, which ranks 17th all-time. He crushed 21 homers in this time as well.

This 60-game sprint by McCutchen is easily one of the best in baseball history. He ranks top 20 among many of the most important statistical categories, such as OPS, wOBA, wRC+, and fWAR. The 2012 season is one that most McCutchen fans likely remember fondly, and even though he didn’t win the MVP that season, that still doesn’t take away from his great season.

PITTSBURGH, PA – 1983: Pitcher Rick Rhoden #29 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during a Major League Baseball game at Three Rivers Stadium in 1983 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

Rick Rhoden: June 21, 1986 through August 19, 1986

Rick Rhoden was a talented pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from his first season in 1980 through 1986 (technically, Rhoden pitched with the Pirates in 1979 but started just a single game with five innings). Rhoden worked to the tune of a 3.50 ERA, 3.30 FIP, and 1.31 WHIP throughout 1443 innings of work. In terms of league-adjusted numbers, he was about 5-10% better than the average pitcher for that era with a 95 ERA-, 90 FIP-, and 106 ERA+.

Rhoden’s best season was arguably his 1986 campaign. He put up career bests in ERA (2.84), strikeout rate (15.7%), WHIP (1.13), held opponents to a .225 average, and racked up 4.6 fWAR. His 3.31 FIP may not have been a career-best, however, it was still well above average with an 87 FIP- (13% better than the average in 1986).

Rhoden’s stretch from June 21 through August 19 saw him put up a 1.85 ERA and 2.35 FIP in 92.2 innings. Rhoden’s 3.0 fWAR ranks 162nd on FanGraphs’ leaderboard for 60-game spans. Rhoden’s ERA ranks 96th all-time for 60-game spans. While this is far from the best stretch of 60-games for a pitcher ever, this is still an outstanding 12 starts. Only 174 pitchers have thrown 90+ innings in a 60-game period, so having that much durability and that good of results is two positives on their own.

Next. Breaking Down Wil Crowe's Breakout Campaign. dark

Rhoden may not be one of the first names when you think of some of the greatest Pittsburgh Pirates of all-time, but he had some high-quality seasons with the Pirates in the 80s. Rhoden capped off his impressive 1986 season with an all-star game appearance, finishing 5th in National League Cy Young voting (the first and only time in his MLB career he received Cy Young votes), and winning the pitcher silver slugger after posting a .278 average, .709 OPS, and 93 OPS+ when he stepped to the plate.

Home / Pirates History

The 60-game season in 2020 led to FanGraphs creating a 60-game span leaderboard, but who have the best 60-game sprints in Pittsburgh Pirates history?

Andrew McCutchen: May 5, 2012 through July 15, 2012

Rick Rhoden: June 21, 1986 through August 19, 1986

Schedule