The Pirates “L” Team
As we approach Opening Day I wanted to add that I will be continuing to release these All Time teams but they will not be on any sort of schedule. I will try to stay up to date with the happenings of the 2024 season but there is no exact point where someone joins an All Time roster so it will be flexible. If the feeling strikes me I might even do the random post about the current Pirates, but we shall see.
Lineup
- Denny Lyons, 3B (R)
- Lee Lacy, RF (R)
- Dale Long, 1B (L)
- Freddie Lindstrom, LF (R)
- Adam LaRoche, DH (L)
- Tommy Leach, CF (R)
- Mike LaValliere, C (L)
- Jose Lind, 2B (R)
- Johnny Logan, SS (R)
Tommy Leach spent 13 seasons with the Pirates from 1900 to 1912 and then in 1918 at the age of 40 came back for one last rodeo. He wasn’t the star of those teams as he normally played third fiddle to Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke who are two of the best players to ever don a Pirates uniform, but he was still a great player in his own right. Early on his career he mainly played third but would transition to center field and on this squad, he’ll be the regular center fielder and back up third baseman. Joining him in the outfielder is Hall of Famer, Freddie Lindstrom who spent most of his career with the Giants but had two productive years, 1933 and 1934, with the Pirates and Lee Lacy who spent 6 seasons with the Pirates, from 1979 to 1984, as an above average corner outfielder.
Behind the plate Mike LaValliere gives the team a stalwart at the catcher position as he is not only a great defensive option but one who can hit pretty well too. Moving to the hot corner we go way back to the 19th century and grab one of the Pirates better players from that time period in Denny Lyons. Lyons played just 4 seasons with the Pirates but was an excellent offensive player. He is also an option to play some first base against left-handed pitching. Up the middle Jose Lind gives the team a great defensive option and Johnny Logan is more of a utility infielder who is being forced into everyday duty at shortstop. Lind is a relatively recent addition having played six seasons for the Pirates from 1987 to 1992 and Logan played just three seasons in the 1960s and was late into his career by that point.
Finally sharing both the first base and designated hitter positions we have a pair of left-handed bats in Dale Long and Adam LaRoche. Long was a late bloomer as although he debuted in the majors in 1951 as a 25-year-old he wouldn’t see the majors again until 1955 as a 29-year-old. He hit the ground running though as he was one of the few bright spots during the 1955 and 1956 seasons. He was then traded shortly after the 1957 season began. As for Adam LaRoche he is the most recent player in this lineup and represented the Pirates long desired Lefty McThump. He is remembered for his notoriously slow starts to the seasons but over his three years with the Pirates he was a solid bat and played a good first base. In this lineup this pair will likely alternate between first base and designated hitter and one of them will likely always sit against a left-handed starter.
Bench
- Al Lopez, C (R)
- Nelson Liriano, IF (S)
- Jerry Lynch, OF (L)
- Kenny Lofton, OF (L)
Lopez makes for a great compliment with starting catcher Mike LaValliere. Not only does he bat with the opposite hand making a slight platoon possible, but he is a solid defensive catcher with plenty of experience (7 seasons with the Pirates) and he hits plenty well for a backup catcher. The team is light on infield options and while they could really use a more established shortstop option there just isn’t one available so Nelson Liriano who is primarily a second baseman makes the team. He has minimal experience at both third and short so he’s a capable albeit not ideal utility infielder. Due to Tommy Leach being able to play some infield there is room on the bench for two outfielders. Jerry Lynch will back up the corners and Lofton will backup center field allowing Leach to bounce around a little. Lynch spent parts of 7 seasons with the Pirates and is a decent hitter but a weak fielder and Lofton though he spent just one partial seasons with the club is a great bench outfielder who can easily handle center and hits decently.
Others Considered
- Andy LaRoche, 3B (R)
- Sam LaRocque, IF (R)
- Jack Leary, 3B/OF (U)
- Matt Lawton, OF (L)
- Derrek Lee, 1B (R)
- Sixto Lezcano, OF (R)
Andy LaRoche never lived up to his billing as a top prospect but he was a solid defensive option and is one of the few infield options the team has so he needs considered. What really holds him back is the fact he played almost exclusively third base meaning he doesn’t offer much versatility off the bench. Sam LaRocque is easily the best shortstop option not on the team and is a real alternative to Nelson Liriano. Liriano gets the edge due to being the more modern-day option as LaRocque played in the 1890s. Jack Leary played for the Pirates in the franchise’s inaugural season in 1882 and while he was not strongly considered for the team his versatility makes him the top replacement option for the team’s star, Tommy Leach.
Lawton played just a part of one season with the Pirates and while he was a very good hitter his defense left something to be desired. He displayed good on base skills and some power but only played right field which combined with his relatively short tenure and weak defense ultimately prevented him from making the team. Sixto Lezcano only had 153 PA during his one season with the Pirates and Derrek Lee had 113 during his lone season. This limited amount of time would usually lead to them not being considered but with the way the roster is constructed a right-handed bat to compliment LaRoche and Long would be a big plus and these two represent the best available options.
Rotation
- Vern Law (R)
- Sam Leever (R)
- Lefty Leifield (L)
- Francisco Liriano (L)
- Jon Lieber (R)
Law had a long 16-year career with the Pirates that may had even been longer had he not gone off to war for two years. Near the end of his career he had a few rough years but during most of his tenure he would either be solid or great. His best two seasons were 1959 and 1960 and in the later the Pirates won the World Series and Law won the Cy Young. He is clearly a very capable ace atop this rotation. Leever and Leifield were two of the best pitchers the Pirates had during the early 20th century. Leever was with the Pirates for 13 seasons and Leifield was with them for eight years. The pair were both with the 1908 World Series winning team and played key roles in the title run. Liriano and Lieber represent a much more recent dup of pitchers. Liriano pitched four seasons, 2013-2016, with the Pirates as a starting pitcher and then returned in 2019 for one final season as a reliever. He was a top of the rotation arm and was an important part of the success of those teams. Lieber pitched 5 seasons with the Pirates from 1994-1998 and was around a league average arm making him an excellent 5th starter for this unit.
Bullpen
- Red Lucas, LR (R)
- Jeff Locke, LR (L)
- Johnny Lanning, MR (R)
- Clem Labine, MR (R)
- Javier Lopez, MR (L)
- Mike Lincoln, SU (R)
- Rich Loiselle, SU (R)
- Bill Landrum, CL (R)
The next two best starters available are Red Lucas and Jeff Locke and the two of them will serve as long relief options out of the pen. Lucas pitched 5 seasons with the Pirates in the 1930s and was a solid starter. Locke pitched 6 seasons from 2011-2016 and was a competent back of the rotation option. The pair should nicely compliment the starting rotation. Lanning made a few starts with the team during his tenure but was primarily a relief pitcher. He was fairly average for his 6 seasons with the Pirates and makes for a good middle relief option. Labine joined the Pirates late in 1960 and made 15 appearances where he posted amazing results. He would return the next season and would be serviceable. Lopez made 50 appearances for the Pirates in 2010 but was used primarily as a left-handed specialist. The 50 outings ended up totaling just 38.2 innings, but he was highly effective and should help the staff out as a lefty specialist.
Mike Lincoln had a fairly mediocre career as a middle reliever but the two best season of his career, 2001 and 2002, came with the Pirates. He was a legitimate good reliever those two years before returning to his more mediocre self in 2003 which proved to be his third and final seasons with the club. Loiselle debuted for the Pirates in 1996 and rather quickly took over the closer role serving as the back-end guy for 2007 and 2008 where he posted 48 saves. Relievers being what they are though this success was brief as he spent the next three years with the club struggling and then his major league career was over. Landrum pitched three seasons with the Pirates from 1989 to 1991. He worked as the closer getting 56 saves and posting a sparkling ERA of 2.32.
Others Considered
- Mike Lynch (R)
- Esteban Loaiza (R)
- Vic Lombardi (L)
- Dick Littlefield (L)
- Brad Lincoln (R)
- Wade LeBlanc (L)
- Jack Lamabe (R)
There are a lot of starting pitchers in a similar mold to Red Lucas and Jeff Locke so the long relief spots could have gone any number of ways. The first four names on the list were all back of the rotation quality starters for 3 or 4 seasons. Lynch pitched in the decade of the 1900s, Lombardi covered the late 1940s, Littlefield the mid 1950s and Loaiza is the most recent of the bunch having pitched in the 1990s. Lucas’s performance is slightly better than this quartet while Locke just pitched for a bit longer than the group giving those two a slight edge but there is an argument to be made for any one of the four listed pitchers.
Brad Lincoln initially tried to make it as a starting pitcher but was transitioned to the bullpen. Before being traded he seemed to be settling into the role. Bullpen options are a little thin, so Lincoln is worth considering but he is held back by his overall body of work. LeBlanc made 58 appearances across 2016 and 2017 and was a solid middle relief option. Lamabe was excellent for the Pirates in 1962 but that was his lone season with the club. The duo of LeBlance and Lamabe are reasonable candidates for middle relief jobs, but both just barely lose out.