MLB Franchise Four - Biggest Snubs for Each Team

MLB Franchise Four – Biggest Snubs for Each Team

Jul 14, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; The Cincinnati Reds franchise four (from left to right) Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Barry Larkin, and Johnny Bench are honored prior to the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

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Feb 13, 2014; Bradenton, FL, USA; A freshly painted logo adorns at wall at Pirate City before the Pittsburgh Pirates first spring training workout. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports /

Pittsburgh Pirates – Wilbur Cooper

Franchise Four: Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, Willie Stargell, Honus Wagner

When you look over the Pittsburgh Pirates Franchise Four, and their ballot for that matter, one question comes to mind, “Who pitched for this team over the years?”. Not one player selected or present on the ballot ever took the mound in a game.

So of course, we did a little digging.

The Pirates haven’t ever truly had that long-term ace that has set the franchise on fire. Even during the heyday of pitching, the Pirates always seemed to be missing that one arm to get them over the top for extended periods of domination. Perhaps the closest they ever came was Wilbur Cooper, who currently ranks third on the team in career pitching WAR with a mark of 43.3.

From 1912-1924, Cooper pitched in 469 games (369) starts, tallying a team high 202 wins against 159 losses. Over 3,199 innings of work, the lefty put up a 2.74 ERA and a 3.03 FIP. However, as was common in those days, he didn’t dominate in terms of strike-out numbers, registering only 1,191 over his career, good enough for a ratio of 3.4 per nine innings.

Would I put him over the likes of Clemente, Stargell, Wagner, or Mazeroski? No, but you would have imagined that at least one pitcher should have deserved some consideration.

Next: Rangers - Juan Gonzalez

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