The forgotten Pirates center fielder who should be in the Hall of Fame

There are currently 42 former members of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in the Baseball Hall of Fame. There are also a handful of former Pirates players who aren’t known for their tenure in Pittsburgh, such as Goose Gossage and Bert Blyleven, who've been inducted. Notably, another player who spent a short amount of time in Pittsburgh, Kenny Lofton, should be in Cooperstown by their side.

Lofton appeared in parts of 17 seasons in the major leagues from 1991 through 2007. Despite suiting up for 11 teams, the only team he would appear in more than a single season for was the Cleveland Indians. Lofton’s tenure in Pittsburgh during the 2003 season was short-lived, but went well.

He hit .277/.333/.437 with a 99 wRC+. The outfielder walked nearly as often as he struck out, with both a 7.5% BB% and 7.8% K%. Lofton was never one to hit for much power, but his .159 isolated slugging percentage was just a tick above average. Of course, his base running prowess was one of his strong suits, as he swiped 18 bags. Lofton had -2 defensive runs saved, but a +0.8 UZR/150, and made five outfield assists. Unfortunately, his time in Pittsburgh came to a sour end, as he was included in arguably the worst trade in Pirates history; the Bucs sent him, along with young corner infield slugger Aramis Ramirez, to the Chicago Cubs for a package of prospects that never panned out.

(Former Pittsburgh Pirates OF) Kenny Lofton deserves a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Lofton’s base running alone should get him into the Hall of Fame, as he is one of the greatest in that department of all time. He kicked his career off by leading the league in stolen bases for five straight seasons. Even at age 40, he was quick enough to swipe 23 bags in 2007. Lofton ended his career with 622 stolen bases. That is the 15th most all-time.

But he’s not just one of the best base runners to ever play the sport. He’s also one of the best defensive center fielders ever.

Lofton racked up +117 total zone runs in center field, the fifth-most at his position. The only ones with more TZR are some of the best defenders of all time, like Andruw Jones, Willie Mays, Paul Blair, and Jim Piersall. In terms of defensive WAR, Lofton has the eighth-most among center fielders at +15.5. Lofton won four Gold Gloves for his work up the middle.

While he was known for his speed and defense, Lofton was far from a pushover with the bat. He’s one of the best leadoff hitters ever, as he hit .299/.372/.423 with a 107 OPS+/109 wRC+. Lofton got a ton of base hits and ended his career with 2,428 total hits, but he also consistently drew walks at an above-average rate of 10.2%. Between his ability to get hits, walk, and steal bases, Lofton scored 1,528 times, which is the 64th most all-time.

Lofton ended his career with +68.4 bWAR. There are currently just 32 players all-time with at least 2,000 hits, over +10 defensive WAR, and over +65 bWAR. Lofton is one of the seven not in the Hall of Fame. Others include Alex Rodriguez, Graig Nettles, Buddy Bell, Lou Whitaker, Willie Randolph, and Bill Dahlen, all of whom could also make a strong Hall of Fame case.

Very few players in baseball history have the sort of hitting/fielding/base running prowess Lofton had. He had seven seasons where he had an OPS+ of at least 100, 20 or more stolen bases, and a defensive WAR of at least +1.0. The only two players with more such campaigns are Frankie Frisch and Pirates legend Honus Wagner. Both are in the Hall of Fame, and Wagner is the best shortstop of all time.

Lofton might be the best position player ever to appear on a Hall of Fame ballot to not receive at least the 5% needed to appear on a second ballot. His first appearance was on the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot, and only 3.2% of voters included him on their ballots. Lofton should be in the Hall of Fame. If he is on a future Veteran’s/Era committee ballot, he should definitely make it into Cooperstown.