Andy Van Slyke began his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, where after four years, he was dealt to the Pirates.  It was a great move for Van Slyke, as his career took off at Three Rivers.

Van Slyke mostly in Centerfield, and in 1988, his second year with Pittsburgh, Van Slyke went to his first All-Star Game, led the NL in Triples (14), and set career-highs in Home Runs (25) and RBIs (100).  He won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger and was fourth in MVP voting.  

Van Slyke would struggle offensively the following year, but his defense remained an asset, and he continued to accumulate Gold Gloves in his trophy case, gaining five in total.  The Outfielder went to two more All-Star Games (1992 & 1993), and in 1992, he had his best season in Baseball when he led the league in Hits (199), Doubles (45), and batted a career-high .324.  Van Slyke again won the Silver Slugger, and as he did in 1988, he was fourth in MVP voting.  The Pirates went to three consecutive National League Championship Series (1990-92), and Van Slyke can take a lot of the credit.

Van Slyke left the Pirates for the Orioles as a Free Agent before the 1995 Season, but he was no longer an All-Star contender by this time.  He accrued 1,108 Hits, batted .284 with 127 Home Runs for Pittsburgh.

One of the most underrated Pitchers in Pirates history, John Candelaria, was on many good Pittsburgh teams, though most fans were focused on the offensive stars of the team.

Candelaria was in the Pirates organization for sixteen years, beginning as a Second Round Pick in 1972 until he was traded to the Angels during the 1985 Season.  First making the Pirates in 1975, the "Candy Man" was a regular starter the following year, throwing a no-hitter as a sophomore.  Statistically, his best season was 1977, where the southpaw led the NL in ERA (2.34) and BB/9 (2.0), won 20 Games, was fifth in Cy Young voting and was an All-Star.

Candelaria had a lot more good moments with Pittsburgh, helping them win the 1979 World Series, and having six more seasons where he had at least 11 Wins.  After he was traded in 1985, he returned briefly to close out his career in the 1993 season.

With the Pirates, Candelaria had a 124-87 Record, a 3.17 ERA, and fanned 1,159 batters.

Lloyd Waner was one of the most consistent slap hitters of his day, and though he was not a flashy player, you know what you were going to get, which was pretty damned good.

Waner debuted in 1927, and had there been a Rookie of the Year; he likely would have won it.  He batted a career-high .355, collected 223 Hits, and led the NL in Runs Scored (133).  Waner did not beat that Batting Average again, but he cracked .300 nine more times, had four 200-Hit years, and was the league-leader in Triples (20) in 1929.  

After his skills declined in the late 30s, he was traded to the Boston Braves in 1941 but returned in 1944 in a reserve capacity to close off his career.  Waner had 2,317 of his 2,459 Hits with Pittsburgh and batted .319 for the club.  Despite his great hitting, his lack of power and speed hamper his rank somewhat.

Waner entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967 via the Veteran’s Committee.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that the Houston Astros have announced two new members, Terry Puhl and Tal Smith will enter their franchise Hall of Fame.

The two will be inducted on August 13, during their home game against Oakland.

Playing 14 of his 15 seasons in baseball with the Astros, Canadian born outfielder, Terry Puhl was an All-Star in his first full season in 1978.  Puhl would not repeat an appearance to the mid-season classic, but he would have two more seasons tabulating over 150 hits and would steal 20 or more bases six times.  The Canadian would accumulate 1,357 Hits for the Astros.

Smith was with the Astros from day one, serving in various capacities before ascending to the role of General Manager in 1975.  Names The Sporting News Executive of the Year in 1980, Smith entered the private sector afterward, but returned to the Astros as the Director of Operations in 1994, and stayed until 2011.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Terry Puhl and Tal Smith for their impending induction.