RRosternomics
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DL

Dave Littlefield

Born Jun 16, 1960 · Portland, ME · age 66

General manager for the Pirates (2002–2007).

6 seasons with salary-era data across 1 stint. All figures are franchise-level outcomes during the tenure, not solely attributable to one executive.

Overview

Titles0
Pennants0
Playoffs0
Record421–549
Win %0.434
-2.2GM WAR — wins above a replacement GM (org-adjusted, shrunk; per season) ±5.4131st/195 execs
4.5Depth — 2+ WAR regulars per season (the breadth that drives TAB, not stars)159th/195 execs
-6.1Dead WAR — WAR/yr bled by sub-replacement players (closer to 0 = better)143rd/195 execs
46%Dead money — payroll on <0.5-WAR players (lower = better)168th/195 execs
$13MCheap-talent surplus — $/yr of value from cost-controlled (pre-arb/arb) players above their pay; the selection engine, and the stickiest GM skill we track107th/195 execs
$6MDrafted surplus — cheap-talent surplus from his own draftees (the develop-from-the-draft engine)90th/195 execs
$7MTraded-for surplus — cheap-talent surplus from cost-controlled players he acquired via trade55th/195 execs
$-1MInt'l surplus — cheap-talent surplus from his own international signees185th/195 execs
-21.4TAB — talent above budget — roster-construction alpha (talent your budget bought above expectation), tenure total145th/195 execs
-21.4WAB — realized wins (TAB + the non-repeatable luck of converting talent to wins)149th/195 execs
0.22Acquisition Leverage — playoff pts per acquired WAR, graded once in the year each deal's wins arrive (the repeatable decision skill)163rd/195 execs
+15Roster surplus $M33rd/195 execs

Tenure breakdown

TeamRoleYearsSzns WAB WAB/yr TAB WAR surp HG Trade FA R5 AcqLev W-L% POPenWS Surp $M
▸ Pirates GM 2002–2007 6 -21.4 -3.56 -21.4 +7.6 +110.7 -37.0 -6.3 -2.5 0.22 0.434 ––– +15
Career total (1985+ data) 6 -21.4 -21.4 +7.6 +110.7 -37.0 -6.3 -2.5 0.22 0.434 –– – +15

Roster Construction

How the roster was sourced

by valueby volume

Share of acquired fWAR by channel vs. league average.

Build channels — net fWAR

Acquired minus surrendered / signed minus walked.

Home-grown (draft/intl)+110.7
Trade-37.0
Free agency-6.3
Rule 5 / minor draft-2.5
Sourcing mix: 79% draft · 7% FA · 13% trade · 1% R5

Roster value distribution — career average — depth vs. stars

Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR, averaged across Dave Littlefield's seasons. Bars = his rosters; the black line = the league-average player at each slot. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge.

Players acquired — 91 players, by realized fWAR for the franchise (scroll for more)

PlayerPosTeam How Year Szns fWAR WAR/yr Lev
Andrew McCutchen OF PIT Draft 2005 11 +47.3 +4.3 –
Starling Marte OF PIT Intl FA 2007 8 +24.9 +3.1 –
Neil Walker 2B PIT Draft 2004 6 +15.5 +2.6 –
Paul Maholm P PIT Draft 2003 7 +13.9 +2.0 –
Freddy Sanchez 2B PIT Trade 2003 5 +10.6 +2.1 0.1
Kip Wells P PIT Trade 2002 5 +7.6 +1.5 0.1
Óliver Pérez P PIT Trade 2003 2 +4.0 +2.0 0.1
Matt Capps P PIT Draft 2002 4 +3.6 +0.9 –
Mike Gonzalez P PIT Trade 2003 3 +3.5 +1.2 –
Tony Watson P PIT Draft 2007 5 +3.4 +0.7 –
Adam LaRoche 1B PIT Trade 2007 3 +3.4 +1.1 0.3
Jeff Suppan P PIT Trade 2003 1 +3.2 +3.2 1.2
Salomón Torres P PIT Trade 2002 6 +3.2 +0.5 0.0
Reggie Sanders OF PIT Free agency 2003 1 +3.0 +3.0 1.1
Xavier Nady OF PIT Trade 2006 3 +2.9 +1.0 0.0
Josh Fogg P PIT Trade 2002 4 +2.8 +0.7 0.0
Tom Gorzelanny P PIT Draft 2003 3 +2.7 +0.9 –
Jeff D'Amico P PIT Free agency 2003 1 +2.3 +2.3 0.9
Brian Meadows P PIT Free agency 2002 4 +2.2 +0.5 0.0
Nyjer Morgan OF PIT Draft 2002 3 +2.0 +0.7 –
Mark Redman P PIT Trade 2004 1 +1.9 +1.9 0.1
Matt Stairs DH/OF PIT Free agency 2002 1 +1.8 +1.8 0.7
Kenny Lofton OF PIT Trade 2003 1 +1.8 +1.8 0.8
Pokey Reese 2B/SS PIT Free agency 2002 1 +1.7 +1.7 0.1
Josh Phelps DH PIT Trade 2007 1 +1.4 +1.4 0.2
Ryan Vogelsong P PIT Trade 2003 5 +1.1 +0.2 0.2
Alex Presley OF PIT Draft 2006 2 +1.0 +0.5 –
Julián Tavárez P PIT Free agency 2003 1 +1.0 +1.0 0.4
Evan Meek P PIT Rule 5 2007 3 +0.9 +0.3 –
Matt Lawton OF PIT Trade 2005 1 +0.9 +0.9 0.0
Víctor Santos P PIT Trade 2006 1 +0.9 +0.9 0.1
Shawn Chacón P PIT Trade 2006 1 +0.6 +0.6 0.1
Ron Villone P PIT Free agency 2002 1 +0.6 +0.6 0.0
Mark Corey P PIT Free agency 2002 2 +0.5 +0.2 0.2
Brad Lincoln P PIT Draft 2006 3 +0.5 +0.2 –
Brian Boehringer P PIT Free agency 2002 1 +0.4 +0.4 0.0
Raúl Chávez C PIT Free agency 2007 1 +0.4 +0.4 0.0
Jeff Reboulet 2B/SS PIT Free agency 2003 1 +0.4 +0.4 0.2
José Mesa P PIT Free agency 2004 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.3
Alberto Reyes P PIT Free agency 2002 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.0
David Ross C PIT Trade 2005 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.0
Yoslán Herrera P PIT Intl FA 2007 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Kyle McPherson P PIT Draft 2007 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Daniel Moskos P PIT Draft 2007 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Raúl Mondesí OF PIT Trade 2004 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.1
J. J. Furmaniak 2B PIT Trade 2005 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
Pat Mahomes P PIT Free agency 2003 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Ray Sadler OF PIT Trade 2003 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
John Wasdin P PIT Free agency 2002 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Sean Casey 1B PIT Trade 2006 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Roberto Hernández P PIT Trade 2006 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
César Izturis SS PIT Trade 2007 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Jesse Chavez P PIT Trade 2006 1 -0.0 -0.0 –
Willis Roberts P PIT Free agency 2004 – -0.0 – –
José Hernández 3B/SS PIT Trade 2006 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Armando Ríos OF PIT Trade 2002 1 -0.0 -0.0 0.0
Tony Armas P PIT Free agency 2007 – -0.1 – –
T. J. Beam P PIT Free agency 2007 – -0.1 – –
Bryan Bullington P PIT Draft 2002 – -0.1 – –
Dave Davidson P PIT Draft 2002 – -0.1 – –
Mike Edwards 3B/OF PIT Free agency 2005 – -0.1 – –
Danny Kolb P PIT Free agency 2007 – -0.1 – –
Britt Reames P PIT Free agency 2005 – -0.1 – –
Duaner Sánchez P PIT Trade 2002 – -0.1 – –
Benito Santiago C PIT Trade 2004 – -0.1 – –
Frank Brooks P PIT Trade 2003 – -0.2 – –
Michael Crotta P PIT Draft 2006 – -0.2 – –
Chris Gomez SS PIT Free agency 2007 – -0.2 – –
Bobby Hill 2B/3B PIT Trade 2003 1 -0.2 -0.2 0.0
Carlos Maldonado C PIT Trade 2006 1 -0.2 -0.2 –
Marty McLeary P PIT Free agency 2006 1 -0.2 -0.2 0.0
Juan Pérez P PIT Trade 2006 – -0.2 – –
Chris Stynes 3B PIT Free agency 2004 – -0.2 – –
Jimmy Barthmaier P PIT Trade 2007 – -0.3 – –
Don Kelly OF PIT Trade 2007 – -0.3 – –
Matt Morris P PIT Trade 2007 1 -0.3 -0.3 0.2
Steve Pearce 1B/OF PIT Draft 2005 2 -0.3 -0.2 –
Brian Rogers P PIT Trade 2006 – -0.3 – –
Josh Sharpless P PIT Draft 2003 1 -0.3 -0.3 –
Jonah Bayliss P PIT Trade 2006 1 -0.3 -0.3 0.0
Marino Salas P PIT Trade 2007 – -0.4 – –
Joe Randa 3B PIT Free agency 2006 1 -0.5 -0.5 0.9
Nelson Figueroa P PIT Free agency 2003 – -0.6 – –
Jared Hughes P PIT Draft 2006 2 -0.7 -0.4 –
Brian Bixler SS/OF PIT Draft 2004 – -0.8 – –
Masumi Kuwata P PIT Intl FA 2006 – -0.8 – –
Luis Rivas 2B PIT Free agency 2007 – -0.8 – –
Daryle Ward 1B/OF PIT Free agency 2004 – -0.9 – –
Jeromy Burnitz OF PIT Free agency 2006 – -1.1 – –
Brad Eldred 1B PIT Draft 2002 – -1.3 – –
Randall Simon 1B PIT Trade 2003 1 -1.7 -1.7 0.1

WAB = wins above what the team's payroll predicted (resource-controlled). WAR surplus = era-neutral value (WAR minus payroll in win-equivalents). Roster surplus $M = dollar value of WAR over cost. Build channels (realized fWAR): HG = home-grown via amateur draft / international signing; Trade = acquired minus surrendered (incl. purchases/waivers); FA = signed minus walked; R5 = Rule-5 / minor-league-draft pickups. Credit follows the acquisition year — home-grown to the regime at the player's draft/signing (not whoever was in the chair when he peaked), trade/FA/R5 to the GM who made the move. Players acquired as prospects before debuting (e.g. Smoltz, Bagwell; Rule-5 picks like Uggla) are counted as trade/R5, not home-grown. All are franchise-level outcomes during the stint, not solely attributable to one executive.

Graphs

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Rosternomics — quantifying front-office skill, attribution-clean. Follow @rosternomics on X. Decision-makers on record back to 1933; resource-controlled metrics (WAR & payroll) cover 1985–2026.
Data: FanGraphs (WAR), Baseball-Reference & the Chadwick Bureau register (rosters, IDs), the Lahman Database, Baseball America prospect rankings (via The Baseball Cube), and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0); bios are original. Emoji graphics by OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All figures are franchise-level outcomes credited to the decision-maker in the acquisition year — not solely attributable to one executive.