Our All Time Top 50 Pittsburgh Pirates have been revised to reflect the 2025 Season
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually. We are pleased to present our pre-2026 revision of our top 50 Pittsburgh Pirates.
As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:
1. Duration and Impact.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the Major League Baseball.
3. Advanced Statistics.
4. Playoff performance.
5. Their respective legacy on the team.
6. How successful the team was when he was there.
7. Respecting the era in which they played.
Criteria 1-4 will make up the lion’s share of the algorithm. Please note that we have implemented this for the first time. This has changed the rankings all throughout the board.
Last year, the Pirates finished last in the National League Central, winning only 71 games. There were no new entrants, and only one active player was on the list. Of note, Paul Skenes was very close to breaking the top 50 despite the brevity of his career.
As always, we present our top five, which remains unchanged.
1. Honus Wagner
2. Roberto Clemente
3. Paul Waner
4. Willie Stargell
5. Arky Vaughan
You can find the entire list here.
We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.
Our All Time Top 50 Pittsburgh Pirates have been revised to reflect the 2024 Season
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Pittsburgh Pirates.
As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.
Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.
Last year, the small market Pirates again finished in the NL East basement, finishing 76-86. There were three new entrants, though all enter based on the new algorithm and they are players from many years ago.
As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes.
1. Honus Wagner
3. Paul Waner
4. Arky Vaughan
You can find the entire list here.
Andrew McCutchen was unable to get past #11.
The three new entrants are Second Baseman Claude Ritchey at #48, Third Base Richie Hebner at #49 and Pitcher Vic Willis at #50.
We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.
Our All-Time Top 50 Pittsburgh Pirates Have been revised to reflect the 2023 Season
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out, and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 Pittsburgh Pirates.
As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.
Last year, the Pirates got off to a good start but were unable to hold that momentum, and they again missed the playoffs. There were no new entrants but one small elevation.
As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:
1. Honus Wagner
3. Paul Waner
4. Arky Vaughan
You can find the entire list here.
The only change was the returning Andrew McCutchen, who went up one spot to #11.
We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.
Our All-Time Top 50 Pittsburgh Pirates are now up!
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pittsburgh Pirates first came into existence in 1882, first as the Alleghenys before changing their name to the Pirates in 1892. They played in the first modern World Series in 1903, and won their first in 1909. Since then, they have won four more, 1925, 1960, 1971 & 1979, and was the home of some of the greatest names in the game.
This list is up to the end of the 2022 regular season.
Our Top 50 lists in Baseball look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.
Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.
This list is updated up until the end of the 2022 Season.
The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article. They are:
1. Honus Wagner
3. Paul Waner
4. Arky Vaughan
We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.
Look for our more material coming soon!
As always, we thank you for your support.
4. Willie Stargell
When Willie Stargell debuted for the Pirates in late summer of 1962, he didn't immediately shift the National League's landscape, but the tall left-handed slugger from Oklahoma quickly became a towering presence. Initially playing left field, "Pops" spent the 1960s providing raw power alongside Roberto Clemente. He swung a heavy bat with a distinctive, sweeping motion that struck fear into pitchers, routinely hitting tape-measure home runs over Forbes Field's roofs.
By the 1970s, his influence soared to a historic, league-shaping peak. Stargell won two National League home run titles, hitting a career-best 48 in 1971 and 44 in 1973. In those standout seasons, he also led the league in slugging percentage and narrowly missed the MVP award. As the cleanup hitter for the "Lumber Company" lineup that won the 1971 World Series, his true masterpiece was reserved for the final years of his career.
By the late 1970s, Stargell had moved to first base and became the team's clear leader. Before the famous 1979 season, he changed the clubhouse atmosphere by adding embroidered "Stargell Stars" to the team's unique pillbox caps, giving them to players who performed well in key moments. With his guiding presence, the team embraced Sister Sledge’s song "We Are Family," turning their baseball squad into a symbol of unity and culture.
In the diamond spotlight, the 39-year-old veteran led the team to victory. He shared the 1979 National League MVP award with Keith Hernandez and delivered an impeccable postseason performance. Stargell expertly broke down opposing pitchers, earning both the NLCS and World Series MVP honors. He became the first player in major league history to win all three MVP titles in one season, highlighted by a crucial, go-ahead home run in Game 7 against Baltimore that clinched the world championship.
His physical baseline broke down rapidly under the weight of knee injuries following that magical autumn, limiting his playing time until his permanent retirement at the conclusion of the 1982 schedule. He walked away from the diamond as a lifelong, 21-year one-uniform icon, holding the definitive all-time franchise records with 475 home runs and 1,540 runs batted in.
The Pirates retired his No. 8, and in 1988, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot. The franchise also unveiled a bronze statue of Stargell outside PNC Park to honor his legacy.
