3 forgotten Silver Slugger winners in Pittsburgh Pirates history

It's been a decade since Andrew McCutchen last won a Silver Slugger award as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015, but the franchise has a rich history with the honor given annually to the best offensive player at each position in MLB.

Some of the Pirates' past winners – McCutchen, Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke, for example – are more obvious. But some stand out as more obscure, or even forgotten altogether.

Each of these players did win a Silver Slugger with the Pirates, but they’re considered “forgotten” for slightly different reasons – mostly because their accomplishments have been overshadowed by either later Pirates stars, their post-Pirates careers or the context of the team at the time.

And, a reminder that FanSided will be the exclusive home of this year's Silver Slugger Awards reveal. The National League will be unveiled on The Baseball Insiders Live Stream at 6:00 PM ET on Nov. 6.

3 forgotten Silver Slugger winners in Pittsburgh Pirates history

Rick Rhoden – Pitcher (1984, 1985, 1986)

Arguably the most forgotten Silver Slugger winner in Pirates history, Rick Rhoden was legitimately the best-hitting pitcher in baseball for a three-year span from 1984-86 – a rare feat and a quirky bright spot in a dull Pirates era.

Rhoden was a solid, reliable starter (had a few 14–15 win seasons) but never an ace or All-Star-level household name. So while his hitting was impressive, he didn’t have the pitching stardom to keep his name in the conversation years later.

Bobby Bonilla – Third Base (1988, 1990, 1991)

It's certainly not the first thing people think of when they hear his name, but Bobby Bonilla won three Silver Slugger awards – all with the Pirates. From 1986 to 1991, Bonilla had a .284 batting average with 868 hits, 191 doubles, 114 home runs and 500 RBI. He led the league in extra base hits in 1990, and in doubles in 1991. In those years he placed second and third, respectively, in National League MVP voting.

Most modern fans remember Bonilla for the infamous deferred contract with the New York Mets rather than his productive years in Pittsburgh. Bonilla played during a transitional period for the Pirates, sandwiched between the Pirates’ late-80s success and mid-90s decline.

Pedro Alvarez - Third Base (2013)

Although he is one of the Pirates' more recent Silver Slugger winners, Pedro Álvarez had a career peak that was incredibly short-lived. In fact, the 2013 season in which he won the award was his only truly elite year.

By 2014, Álvarez's power was still there, but his defense collapsed and strikeouts ballooned. The Pirates tried moving him from third base to first base, but the experiment was a disaster defensively. His production plummeted, and his career ended abruptly. Within two years of winning the Silver Slugger, Álvarez was non-tendered and out of Pittsburgh entirely.