The 2010s were a decade of extreme highs and lows for the Pirates. They lost 105 games one year and won 98 in another. They exorcised decades worth of demons in the wild card round only to be shutout their next two times in the playoffs. They snapped a 20 year losing streak and cleaned house with the front office. They were, if nothing else, never boring.
It is almost fitting a new decade will signal a new era for the team with president Travis Williams, GM Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton now in charge, but before we look ahead, let's take a moment to remember the decade that has just passed.
This is the 25 man roster of the best Pirates of the decade. The spots were chosen by their performance as a whole, their performance in individual seasons and their legacy with the team. To be clear, we will only be looking at their contributions with the Pirates from 2010-2019. If they excelled with another team but struggled with the Pirates, they will not make this list.
Starting Lineup
C Russell Martin: .256 BA, 26 HR, 122 RBI, 966 PA, 116 OPS+, 9.4 WAR
Martin was one of the greatest free agent signings in Pirates and Pittsburgh sports history. The Pirates went all-in on run prevention and pitch framing for the 2013 season, and Martin delivered in spades. Once the bat came around, Martin elevated himself from a great signing to a great player. His 2014 season is the best all-time for a Pirates catcher, going by fWAR. With the exception of Andrew McCutchen, Martin was the Pirates' best player for his two years in Pittsburgh.
1B Josh Bell: .265 BA, 78 HR, 287 RBI, 1,968 PA, 121 OPS+, 5.1 WAR
From 2010-2016, the Pirates opening day first basemen were, in order: Jeff Clement, Lyle Overbay, Garrett Jones, Gaby Sanchez, Travis Ishikawa, Pedro Alvarez and John Jaso. So there was not a lot of competition for Bell to make this team, but he established himself as one of the National League's premier power hitters in 2019. For years the Pirates got by with platoons and cheap free agents at first base. Bell changed that.
2B Neil Walker: .272 BA, 93 HR, 418 RBI, 3,426 PA, 113 OPS+, 16.5 WAR
The Pirates' first spark of hope came in 2004 when they selected Walker in the first round of the amateur draft. The Pittsburgh Kid would anchor second base for the first half of the decade, winning a Silver Slugger in 2014. He was, without a doubt, the Pirates' most reliable infielder during their three year playoff run.
SS Jordy Mercer: .256 BA, 55 HR, 277 RBI, 2,996 PA, 91 OPS+, 8 WAR
I tried to justify not putting Mercer in this spot. Kevin Newman had a better year in 2019 than Mercer ever did, as did Jung-Ho Kang in 2015. But when you get down to it, while Mercer was a fairly mediocre shortstop from 2015-2018, he had a stranglehold on the position. He is the best shortstop of the decade because Neal Huntington did not acquire anyone to usurp his spot in the lineup.
3B Josh Harrison: .277 BA, 52 HR, 269 RBI, 3,012 PAs, 94 OPS+, 14 WAR
During the 2009 trade deadline, Huntington acquired a low level infielder and a couple pitchers from the Cubs for John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny. That minor-league infielder would go on to two All-Star games. Harrison's versatility and hustle made him a valuable member of the Pirates during his eight year run with the team, and he deserves a starting spot here.
LF Starling Marte: .287 BA, 108 HR, 420 RBI, 3,986 PA, 115 OPS+, 29.1 WAR
Some may argue Marte has not lived up to the massive hype surrounding him when he was promoted in 2012, but he was the Pirates' second best player of the decade and is a very good hitter and fielder. He probably should have been named to more than just one All-Star team and he might have deserved another Gold Glove or two, but he was at least a three-win player every year besides his abbreviated 2012 and 2017 seasons. Every team craves that level of consistency.
CF Andrew McCutchen: .291 BA, 191 HR, 671 RBI, 5,336 PA, 138 OPS+, 37.1 WAR
The MVP of the decade and the best Pirate since Barry Bonds. The Pirates desperately needed a guy like Cutch, and he was the catalyst of one of the most successful three year runs in franchise history. He is still, and will forever be, beloved by this city.
RF Gregory Polanco: .252 BA, 78 HR, 304 RBI, 2,664 PA, 100 OPS+, 5.8 WAR
The third part of the "dream outfield." Polanco has never been able to elevate his game to an All-Star level, and his miscues in the field and on the basepaths are arguably his most defining moments as a player thus far. Still, he showed enough flashes of brilliance to warrant his spot on this team.
Bench
C Francisco Cervelli: .264 BA, 26 HR, 169 RBI, 1,734 PA, 101 OPS+, 8 WAR
Cervelli had nearly impossibly large shoes to fill in 2015. Martin's 2014 was the best ever for a Pirates catcher, going by fWAR. Cervelli's 2015 is the second best. While injuries and concussions kept him from reaching that level again, Cervelli was a good backstop during some trying seasons. And he had, without a doubt, the best walk-up music of the decade.
INF Pedro Alvarez: .236, 131 HR, 401 RBI, 2,784 PA, 107 OPS+, 5.6 WAR
It's fair to say Alvarez never lived up to his potential, but he was still an All-Star and a Silver Slugger winner in 2013. I can't help but wonder what his career would have been like if he would have started his career a few years later during the juiced ball era.
INF Jung-Ho Kang: .254 BA, 46 HR, 144 RBI, 1,028 PA, 113 OPS+, 5.8 WAR
I decided not put a certain left-handed reliever on this list, so I was hesitant to include Kang for moral reasons as well. If you would prefer, Kevin Newman or Adam Frazier could take this spot instead. In some parallel universe, Kang conducts himself better off the field, Chris Coghlan does not take him out and he becomes one of the National League's best infielders. In this timeline, his actions cost him two prime seasons and likely a lengthy major league career.
OF Bryan Reynolds: .314 BA, 16 HR, 68 RBI, 546 PAs, 131 OPS+, 3.9 WAR
Reynolds does not even have a full season of major league service time under his belt yet, but his 2019 campaign was one of the best ever for a Pirates rookie. He can play all three outfield positions, which is a plus for our imaginary roster, but Reynolds' is far more valuable as a hitter. While trading McCutchen stung, getting Reynolds in return helped ease the blow.
INF/OF Garrett Jones: .256 BA, 100 HR, 325 RBI, 2,445 PA, 113 OPS+, 4.8 WAR
I let Twitter decide if the final spot should go to Jones or Frazier, and they chose Jones by a wide margin. Ok then, he's on the team. G.I. Jones was the Pirates' second best hitter and a fan favorite for the first couple years of the decade, and he obviously still has his supporters six years after leaving the team.
Starting Rotation
SP 1 Gerrit Cole: 3.50 ERA, 782.1 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 112 ERA+, 11.3 WAR
At his worst, Cole was a solid middle of the rotation arm. At his best, he was an ace and an All-Star. The Pirates saw far more of the former out of Cole in his five seasons in Pittsburgh, and while he did not truly break out until after being traded to the Astros, he is still unquestionably the best pitcher the Pirates had this decade.
SP 2 A.J. Burnett: 3.34 ERA, 557.1 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 112 ERA+, 7.3 WAR
The stats are impressive, but that's not why people remember Batman. Burnett brought an edge to a franchise that had been beaten up over the course of two decades. He had the guts to tell a batter to STFD and the stuff to back it up. Burnett was the perfect pitcher and leader for a team that was just about to take off, and he was able to end his career as an All-Star.
SP 3 Jameson Taillon: 3.67 ERA, 466 IP, 1.25 WHIP, 112 ERA+, 8.6 WAR
This decade, Taillon underwent two Tommy John surgeries, beat cancer, overcame a hernia and was drilled in the head with a line drive. Despite all those roadblocks, he has still been really good when on the mound. The Pirates will be without their best pitcher in 2020 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but you'd be foolish to write him off for good.
SP 4 Francisco Liriano: 3.65 ERA, 693.2 IP, 1.32 WHIP, 105 ERA+, 8.1 WAR
The Pirates gambled on Liriano in 2013 and were handsomely rewarded, getting a front of the line starter for pennies on the dollar. He started and won the iconic 2013 Wild Card game and was a big reason why the Pirates went on a wild run at the end of the 2014 season to capture another playoff berth. He would have been higher on the list had it not been for his 2016 campaign.
SP 5 Trevor Williams: 4.22 ERA, 479.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 98 ERA+, 5.6 WAR
The final spot in the rotation came down to Williams, Joe Musgrove and J.A. Happ. I could not justify putting Happ on the list because he only made 11 starts with the Pirates, but what a run it was. So it was really Musgrove vs. Williams, and while Musgrove's overall body of work is a little better, Williiams has been in Pittsburgh longer and his 2018 season was marginally better than either of Musgrove's two seasons with the Pirates. Musgrove is higher on the depth chart going into 2020, but when looking back at the decade that was, Williams gets the nod.
Bullpen
RHP Juan Nicasio: 3.94 ERA, 178 IP, 198 Ks, 106 ERA+, 1.9 WAR
The bullpen needs a long relief guy, and Nicasio fits the mold perfectly. He started his Pirates tenure in the rotation, but he started racking up impressive strikeout rates once he was moved to the bullpen. Just don't mention how Huntington gave him away in the final month of the 2017 season.
RHP Evan Meek: 2.88 ERA, 112.2 IP, 144 Ks, 138 ERA+, 2.1 WAR
The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Meek's 2010 campaign was truly special, recording a 2.14 ERA over 80 innings out of the bullpen and earning an All-Star nod. That would be the best he had to offer, though, as injuries took their toll on his fastball and limited him to just 32.2 major league innings from 2011-2012. Still, that one year was enough to warrant a spot in this bullpen.
LHP Justin Wilson: 2.99 ERA, 138.1 IP, 127 Ks, 121 ERA+, 1.6 WAR
As previously stated, I omitted a certain relief pitcher from this list, so the bullpen needed a lefty specialist. Wilson was one of the best lefty relievers this decade, and while he did most of his best work with other clubs, he had a terrific 2013 and a serviceable 2014 with the Pirates. Had he not been traded for Cervelli, he and Tony Watson could have been the best left-handed bullpen duo in baseball for years.
RHP Joel Hanrahan: 2.59 ERA, 229.1 IP, 82 saves, 151 ERA+, 5.5 WAR
Hanrahan was the first in a long line of reliable closers for the Pirates this decade. He earned back-to-back All Star nods in 2011 and 2012, and he got the save in over half of the Pirates wins during that stretch. Arm injuries ended his career prematurely, but he has had a good second stint with the Pirates as a minor-league coach.
RHP Jason Grilli: 3.01 ERA, 161.2 IP, 47 saves, 123 ERA+, 2.4 WAR
Grilli was the Pirates' first successful reclamation project of the decade. He quickly established himself as a quality set-up man, and then made a seamless transition to closer. His 2014 season ended his tenure on a sour note, but there's no denying he is one of the most memorable players from that 2013 team.
SU Tony Watson: 2.68 ERA, 433 IP, 380 Ks, 143 ERA+, 9.5 WAR
An elementary pick. Watson tied with Aroldis Chapman for the most bWAR among National League left-handers this decade, and he did his best work as a member of the Pirates. While he stumbled as a closer, he was an elite set-up man for years in Pittsburgh, especially during 2014-2015. It got to the point that if you trailed the Pirates after seven innings, you already lost.
CL Mark Melancon: 1.80 ERA, 260.1 IP, 130 saves, 210 ERA+, 8.1 WAR
Melancon came to Pittsburgh an outcast after struggling with the Red Sox. As a Pirate, he became not only an All-Star and an elite closer, but he carved out an identity for himself. He was the namesake for the shark tank. He and Watson formed the best 1-2 punch in baseball, and his cutter is one of the filthiest pitches any Pirate has every thrown. Out of the 281 recorded Pirates who pitched at least 150 innings with the team, his 1.80 ERA is the lowest in franchise history. There isn't a better player to close out this list with.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.
MORE MOUND VISIT
Dec. 21: Can catchers get by with just defense?
Dec. 3: Ten catchers to replace Diaz
Nov. 30: How Shelton can build culture
Nov. 27: What is Marte’s trade value?
