5 Greatest Pittsburgh Pirates Hitters of All Time

For a bulk of the 1960s and '70s, Stargell was one of the most elite power hitters in the game. A two-time World Series champ, Stargell won Most Valuable Player honors both there and in the regular season over the course of his 21-year career, all spent in Pittsburgh.

Stargell made three All-Star Games in a row from 1964 to 1966 before a couple years' drought. But from 1969 to 1979, he finished top five in MVP voting five times, culminating with his winning the honor in that final season.

He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs (475) by 174 over second-place Kiner and Stargell ranks third in club history in slugging (.529). The Earlsboro, Oklahoma, native who grew up in California was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1988.

4. Paul Waner (1926-1940)

The other Oklahoman on the list was actually born in the territory before it became a state. Waner grew up in Oklahoma City and played his college baseball in the state, too, with his younger brother Lloyd, who also joined him in Pittsburgh and was quite a player himself.

Paul Waner, though, could flat hit. Largely considered one of the best bat-to-ball hitters in MLB history, Waner’s .340 career average ranks second in team history while his 70.1 WAR ranks third. For his career, Waner spent 15 of his 20 MLB seasons with the Pirates, winning MVP in his second season in 1927.

He led all of baseball in hits on two separate occasions, doubles on two separate occasions, triples once, and led the NL in batting average three times, too.

MORE: Ranking the 5 Greatest Pirates Pitchers Ever

3. Arky Vaughn (1932-1941)

For the second half of Paul Waner’s career, Vaughn served as his other half, the infielder to Waner’s outfielder, giving the Pirates two of baseball’s best hitters at the same time.

Vaughn was either an All-Star or earned MVP votes in every single season he played from 1932 to 1943, with 10 of those seasons coming in Pittsburgh. He led the NL in WAR for three straight seasons from 1934 to 1936, helped in large part by his ridiculously good eye at the plate.

For his career, Vaughn registered 937 walks against 276 strikeouts, slashing .324/.415/.472 with the Pirates.

2. Roberto Clemente (1955-1972)

With apologies to No. 1 on this list, Clemente is probably the most legendary Pirates player who ever lived. The 15-time All-Star and 12-time Gold Glove winner died after a plane crash in 1972 while delivering aid packages to earthquake survivors.

On the field, Clemente dazzled as a true five-tool player. He led the MLB in batting average four times and even at 37, in his final season, hit .312. He won MVP in 1966 after slashing .317/.360/.536 with 202 hits, 31 doubles, 29 home runs, and 119 RBIs.

This was on top of such elite defense that historians still consider Clemente’s as one of the greatest outfield arms to ever play. 

1. Honus Wagner (1900-1917)

Dead-ball era statistics can be hard to qualify against live-ball statistics, making Wagner’s career go, sadly, underappreciated. Statisticians have tried to reconcile the discrepancies between the eras by using WAR. And by that measurement, it’s hard to keep Wagner out of the No. 1 spot.

A Pirate from 1900 to 1917, Wagner led the NL in WAR 11 times in his first 13 seasons in Pittsburgh. Eleven times in 13 seasons! He led the NL in doubles seven times, triples twice, RBIs four times, stolen bases five times, and batting average eight times.

There are no All-Star Games to tack on to his resume, nor very many MVP votes. But for the time, it’s hard to state anyone in baseball was truly greater than Honus Wagner.