Ranking the a Top Five Pirates Second Baseman Since the 2000 Season
Over the years, the second base position has been an interesting one for the Pirates as any who manned the position did not fit the typical mold. In a position that usually hits for contact, while playing good defense, the Pirates have had a ragtag of talent from utility players trying to find their full-time homes on the field, to part-time players who have had breakout seasons. Either way, the men who have manned second base in recent years have usually been team leaders and many played an instrumental role in turning the Pirates from loveable losers to playoff contenders in the early 2010s.
Today, we are going to look back at the men who have played Second Base for the Pirates over the last 20 seasons, as we rank the Top Five Second Baseman since the 2000 season. As with all of our recent Saturday morning lists, any stats compiled before the 2000 season will not count towards these rankings. If the player had played any other position before second base, his offensive stats will be taken into account, but his defensive stats at other positions will not count either. And now, here is a look at the Buccos Cove top five Pirates Second Baseman since the 2000 season.
#5 Adam Frazier: .279, 28 HR, 149 RBI
Once Josh Harrison left the Pirates following the 2018 season, the team was looking for someone to step up and man second base every day. They turned to a man who had been playing all over the field for the previous two seasons. That man was Adam Frazier, and the move has kept the tradition of strong second baseman going in Pittsburgh. Over his four seasons in the Black and Gold, he has put together a career .279 batting average with 28 home runs and 149 RBI. He has consistently kept his batting average in the .270s over his career and has driven in 50 or more RBI in two of his four seasons.
His best season in a Pirates uniform came last season, as he set new career-highs for a full season in every offensive category. He ended up hitting .278 with ten home runs and 50 RBI. It was also his best defensive season at second base as he posted a .989 fielding percentage and committed just six errors all season. He was also a double play turning machine as he led the team helping to turn 78 double plays last season while picking up 222 put outs. He turned out to be one of the top second basemen in all of Major League baseball and was a finalist for the National League Gold Glove award at Second Base. He would end up finishing third in voting and assured himself that he was a Major League quality second baseman.
As of now, Adam Frazier will be returning as the Pirates starting second baseman whenever baseball officially starts back up. He was involved in several trade rumors over the off-season but has remained on the team for now. However, with young stars like Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker coming into their own, so expect to see Frazier traded in the very near future to a team that needs second base help. He is a consistent bat that can play any different positions on the field and he is the first Pirates second baseman to qualify for a Gold Glove since David Freese back in 2017.
#4 Josh Harrison: .277, 52 HR, 269 RBI
Josh Harrison came over to the Pirates as a little known Minor League prospect in the Chicago Cubs organization. The Pirates acquired him in the trade that sent John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to the Cubs in 2009. It took him just under three years to make it to Pittsburgh and when he did he burst onto the scene. He started out as a utility player with no full-time home for the Pirates and forced his way into the everyday lineup with his strong play and hustle on the field. He would spend eight seasons in a Pirates uniform, including being part of all three playoff teams, and would hit .277 with 52 home runs and 269 RBI.
After appearing in a part-time role during his first three seasons, Harrison took over as the team's starting second baseman during the 2016 season, but his best season with the Pirates came as a utility man in 2014. It was a breakout year for the young star as he hit an impressive .315 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI. He was also named an all-star for the first time in his career that season as a utility man and would end up playing the final three innings of the game as a left fielder. His best defensive season at second base was in 2016 when he committed just seven errors in 653+ innings played and had a .989 fielding percentage.
Towards the end of Harrison's Pirates career, things started to get ugly as he was clearly frustrated by the team trading star Centerfielder Andrew McCutchen. He demanded to be traded not once but twice and would eventually be granted his release following the 2018 season. He would be signed by the Detroit Tigers that off-season but only appeared in 36 games for the Tigers after dealing with several injuries throughout the season. He would be released by the Tigers following the season and has since signed on as a Minor League Free Agent with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was one of the most electrifying players in recent Pirates history and makes this list for his part in helping turn the Pirates around.
#3 Jose Castillo: .256, 33 HR, 181 RBI
The early 2000s were some dark times in Pittsburgh Pirates history as the team was in the midst of what would be 21 straight losing seasons. However, despite the struggles, the Pirates still had some great players going through the organization and one of those was second baseman, Jose Castillo. In four seasons in a Pirates uniform, Castillo ended up hitting .256 with 33 home run and 181 RBI. However, during his time with Pittsburgh, he was known more for his defensive game than his offensive stats. He had a fielding percentage of .970 or better in three of his four seasons and is known for making some of the best defensive plays during that time period.
Castillo's best defensive season came during his rookie year in 2004 when he posted a .980 fielding percentage. He committed just 11 errors in 953 innings of work while racking up 230 putouts and 301 assists. His chemistry with veteran shortstop Jack Wilson ended up helping him turn 81 double plays. He was never an all-star because of his lack of offensive numbers. His best season at the plate was the following year when he batted a career-high .268 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI in 101 games played. He reached base at a .307 clip and had a .426 slugging percentage.
Castillo ended up leaving the Pirates in free agency following the 2007 season and would only play one more season of professional baseball. He split the 2008 season between the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, but only appeared in 12 games for the team. Following the 2008 season, Castillo would go play in the Venezuelan Winter League where he would play until he officially retired following the 2015 season. Tragically, Jose Castillo would die in a car crash three years later when he and fellow Major Leaguer Luis Valbuena were involved in a car crash caused by bandits. Even after his death, Castillo is still remembered for his defensive ability and being a shining lite in the dark 2000s.
#2 Freddy Sanchez: .304, 33 HR, 259 RBI
When he came over from the Boston Red Sox, Freddy Sanchez was a struggling Major Leaguer trying to find his footing. He had appeared in just 32 games to that point and was traded to the Pirates as part of a five-player deal. However, when he was given his first full-time shot in 2006, he became one of the best offensive players on the team. He won the National League batting title that season and started a six-year Pirates career where he batted .304 with 33 home runs and 249 RBI. He was an all-stat in three of his six seasons in a Pirates uniform and, along with Jack Wilson, became part of the best Double Play combinations in Pirates' recent history.
His best season in a Pirates uniform came in that 2006 season when he won the National League Batting Title. He would end up hitting .344 with six home runs and 85 RBI in 157 games played. While he wasn't a home run hitter by any stretch of the imagination, he used the big gaps at PNC Park to his advantage. He led the National League with 53 doubles that season as part of his 61 extra-base hits that season. He had an average of .290 or higher in three of his four seasons as a full-time starter. Defensively, he played well every season and had a fielding percentage of .980 or higher every season and turned a total of 104 double plays by the 2008 season.
Like many of the other Pirates players in the late 2000s, Sanchez was traded to the San Francisco Giants during the 2009 season. He would go on to play three seasons with the San Francisco Giants and ended up winning a World Series during the 2010 season. A series of shoulder injuries during the 2012 and 2013 seasons would end up ending his career and forcing him to retire following the 2013 season. His best years in the Major Leagues came in a Pirates uniform and he also helped pave the way for the next generation of Pirates second baseman, as he helped Neil Walker in his development to the Major Leagues.
#1 Neil Walker: .272, 93 HR, 418 RBI
He is the Pittsburgh kid and the one who took the Pirates from losing team to the playoffs during the 2013 season. Since his high school days at Pine Richland High School, Walker always dreamed of playing for the Pirates and his dream came true during the 2009 season. It kicked off what would be a seven-year career in a Pirates uniform, most of those coming at second base. He would end up hitting .272 with 93 home runs and 418 RBI as the team's starting second baseman. He played well both on offense and defense consistently having a batting average over .265 and a WAR consistently in the twos and threes.
His best offensive season came in the 2012 season when he hit .280 with 14 home runs and 69 RBI. It looked like he was going to lead the Pirates to the playoffs that season, but the team suffered an epic collapse that would send them home packing. Walker would end up being the starting second baseman on all three Pittsburgh Pirates playoff teams and was a consistent presence in the middle of the Pirates batting order. For me personally, he ranked above Sanchez because his offensive game and his defensive stats were both just a tick better. That and the fact that he led the Pirates to the postseason in three consecutive seasons.
That concludes our list of the top five-second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates since the 2000 season. Once the five were chosen, it was no easy task ranking them, so feel free to offer your thoughts or any changes you might make to the list. Be sure to join us next week for another Saturday Morning Rankings as we continue the trip around the infield and rank the top five shortstops for the Pirates since 2000. As always, be sure to follow us on Facebook for more great Pirates coverage throughout the year as we await the return of Baseball.
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