Bobby Bonilla will always be more known for the contract he signed with the New York Mets, of which he is still getting paid for today, but at his peak, he was a dynamic MVP contender whose best years were in Pittsburgh.

Bonilla was first signed by the Pirates as an Amateur Free Agent in 1981 but would be plucked by the White Sox in the 1986 Rule 5 Draft.  After 75 Games, Bonilla was traded back to the Pirates, and the year after, he entered the season as the starting Third Baseman.  Offensively, Bonilla was solid, earning a Silver Slugger and earning the trip to what would be four straight All-Star Games.  Defensively, he struggled, and he was moved to Rightfield, joining Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke as one of the most potent trios in Baseball.

In 1990, Bonilla had 32 Home Runs and 120 RBI, won the Silver Slugger, and was second in MVP voting, coming in behind only Bonds.  Bonilla was third for the MVP in 1991 (18 HR, 100 RBI, .302 BA) and was again a Silver Slugger.  He would leave for the Mets afterward via free agency but would not produce what he did as a Pirate.

With Pittsburgh, Bonilla belted 114 Home Runs with 500 RBI with a .284 Batting Average.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame has announced four new members to their institution, Clint Dempsey, Linda Hamilton, Shannon Boxx and Hope Solo.

Beginning his pro career in MLS with the New England Revolution, Dempsey won the 2004 Rookie of the Year, and would help the team make two MLS Cup Finals.  Europe took notice, and Fulham offered MLS $4 million in transfer fees, a record for any MLS player at the time.  

Dempsey played five years at Fulham, scoring 50 Goals, and becoming the first American to score a hat trick in the EPL.  After a year with Tottenham, Dempsey returned to the United States with the Seattle Sounders, playing from 2013 to 2018.

Internationally, Dempsey represented the United States in 141 Games, scoring 57 Goals.

Hamilton is this year’s veteran inductee.  Playing for NC State, Hamilton represented the U.S. from 1987 to 1995, where the Defenseman won Gold in the 1991 World Cup.

Boxx played collegiately at Notre Dame, and the Midfielder had a long International career with the United States, scoring 27 Goals in 195 Games.  Her accolades include three Olympic Gold Medals (2004, 2008 & 2012), and an Olympic Gold in 2015 World Cup.

Solo is the most successful female goalkeeper in American soccer history.  Solo was the U.S. Goalie in their Gold Medal wins at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the 2015 World Cup.  A 202-game veteran in international play, Solo was a controversial figure is some circles, her success between the pipes can not be argued.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Bob Elliott had one of the best nicknames in all of sports; “Mr. Team.”

Elliott came up in 1939, first playing in the Outfield before he moved to Third Base.  An All-Star four times with the Pirates, Elliott batted over .290 five times, with three of those seasons gaining over 100 RBIs.  He earned a reputation as the consummate teammate, an honor that he took the next level with his second MLB team.

After the 1946 Season, Elliott was traded to the Boston Braves, immediately proving the Pirates wrong by winning the MVP in his first year there.  With the Pirates, Elliott collected 1,142 Hits and batted .292.

Elbie Fletcher was traded to Pittsburgh from Boston during the 1939 Season, where in Western Pennsylvania, he developed one of the keenest batting eyes of the game.

Fletcher finished the year strong, batting .303 for Pittsburgh, and though he would not bat over .300 again, he learned how to take pitches and would top the NL leaderboard in Walks twice (1940 & 1941) and On Base Percentage three straight years (1940-42).  He went into the U.S. Navy for two years, missing two seasons, but was not the same player when he returned and was traded after the 1947 Season.

Fletcher had 875 Hits for the Pirates along with a .403 OBP.