RRosternomics
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Pirates PIT

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GM: Ted Simmons

Overview

REBUILD ↘ cooling
cheap & losing · year 1 in this regime · payroll 0.66× league · TAB -1.2
-1.2TAB — talent above budget15th/28
-1.6WAB — realized wins (TAB + luck)17th/28
7.0depth — 2+ WAR regulars13th/28
-5.6dead WAR — sub-replacement drag17th/28
30%dead money %14th/28
0.463win %19th/28
28.1roster fWAR18th/28
+3surplus $M (value vs cost)9th/28
$21Mpayroll $M23rd/28

Roster

CFAndy Van Slyke 78GAl Martin 63GScott Bullett 18G
LFAl Martin 81GDave Clark 41GLloyd McClendon 21G
RFOrlando Merced 109GDave Clark 52GLloyd McClendon 48G
SSJay Bell 154GTom Foley 6GTony Womack 6G
2BCarlos García 140GTom Foley 35GJohn Wehner 3G
3BJeff King 156GTom Foley 7GKevin Young 6G
1BKevin Young 135GOrlando Merced 42GTom Foley 12G
STARTERSSteve Cooke 2.6WARPaul Wagner 2.1WARRandy Tomlin 1.1WARZane Smith 1.0WARJeff Ballard 0.6WAR
CDon Slaught 105GTom Prince 59GJerry Goff 14G
BULLPEN★ Mark Dewey 7svBlas Minor 0hJoel Johnston 0hMark Petkovsek 0hJohn Candelaria 0hTony Menendez 0hFreddie Toliver 0hDennis Moeller 0h
CDon Slaught 105 · Tom Prince 59 · Jerry Goff 14
1BKevin Young 135 · Orlando Merced 42 · Tom Foley 12
2BCarlos García 140 · Tom Foley 35 · John Wehner 3
3BJeff King 156 · Tom Foley 7 · Kevin Young 6
SSJay Bell 154 · Tom Foley 6 · Tony Womack 6
LFAl Martin 81 · Dave Clark 41 · Lloyd McClendon 21
CFAndy Van Slyke 78 · Al Martin 63 · Scott Bullett 18
RFOrlando Merced 109 · Dave Clark 52 · Lloyd McClendon 48
SPSteve Cooke 2.6 · Paul Wagner 2.1 · Randy Tomlin 1.1 · Zane Smith 1.0 · Jeff Ballard 0.6
BP★ Mark Dewey 7 · Blas Minor 0 · Joel Johnston 0 · Mark Petkovsek 0 · John Candelaria 0 · Tony Menendez 0 · Freddie Toliver 0 · Dennis Moeller 0

Each position lists its starter then backups by games (so platoons & bench show). Starters (mound) & bullpen (left, foul territory) are ranked by WAR; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

1993 roster — value & surplus

PlayerAgeServiceGfWARSalary $MSurplus $M
Jay Bell 27 FA-elig 1546.6 3.0 +2.4
Jeff King 28 arb 1583.5 0.7 +2.2
Orlando Merced 26 arb 1373.4 0.3 +2.5
Steve Cooke 23 pre-arb 322.6 0.1 +2.0
Lonnie Smith↔ BAL 37 FA-elig 942.3 0.9 +1.0
Don Slaught 34 FA-elig 1162.2 1.1 +0.7
Paul Wagner 25 pre-arb 442.1 0.1 +1.6
Al Martin 25 pre-arb 1431.3 0.1 +1.0
Andy Van Slyke 32 FA-elig 831.3 4.9 -3.8
Blas Minor 27 pre-arb 651.2 0.1 +0.9
Dave Clark 30 FA-elig 1101.2 0.2 +0.8
Randy Tomlin 27 arb 181.1 0.3 +0.6
Zane Smith 32 FA-elig 141.0 2.7 -1.9
Carlos Garcia 25 arb 1410.9 0.1 +0.6
Jeff Ballard 29 – 250.6 – –
Jerry Goff 29 – 140.5 – –
Mark Dewey 28 arb 210.4 0.1 +0.2
John Hope 22 – 70.4 – –
Stan Belinda↔ KCR 26 arb 400.3 0.7 -0.5
Kevin Young 24 pre-arb 1410.2 0.1 +0.1
Bob Walk 36 FA-elig 320.2 2.2 -2.0
Denny Neagle 24 pre-arb 500.1 0.1 -0.0
Rich Robertson 24 – 90.1 – –
Dan Miceli 22 pre-arb 90.1 0.1 -0.1
John Candelaria 39 FA-elig 240.0 0.8 -0.7
Dennis Moeller 25 pre-arb 10-0.0 0.1 -0.1
Freddie Toliver 32 – 12-0.0 – –
Brian Shouse 24 – 6-0.1 – –
Andy Tomberlin 26 – 27-0.1 – –
Tom Foley 33 FA-elig 86-0.1 0.4 -0.4
Dave Otto 28 FA-elig 28-0.1 0.5 -0.6
Ben Shelton 23 – 15-0.1 – –
Paul Miller 28 – 3-0.1 – –
Joel Johnston 26 – 33-0.1 – –
Michael LaValliere↔ CHW 32 FA-elig 1-0.1 0.1 -0.2
Tony Menendez 28 – 14-0.2 – –
Glenn Wilson 34 – 10-0.2 – –
Tony Womack 23 – 15-0.3 – –
Rich Aude 21 – 13-0.3 – –
Will Pennyfeather 25 – 21-0.3 – –
Tim Wakefield 26 pre-arb 24-0.4 0.1 -0.5
John Wehner 26 pre-arb 29-0.4 0.1 -0.4
Midre Cummings 21 pre-arb 13-0.4 0.1 -0.5
Lloyd McClendon 34 FA-elig 88-0.4 0.7 -1.0
Mark Petkovsek 27 pre-arb 26-0.5 0.1 -0.5
Scott Bullett 24 pre-arb 23-0.6 0.1 -0.6
Tom Prince 28 – 66-0.8 – –

Key additions (new vs 1992)

PlayerfWAR
Lonnie Smith2.3
Jeff Ballard0.6
Jerry Goff0.5
Mark Dewey0.4
John Hope0.4
Rich Robertson0.1

Key subtractions (gone from 1992)

Player1992 fWAR
Barry Bonds9.6
Doug Drabek4.9
Danny Jackson1.6
Steve Buechele1.5
Gary Redus0.4
Vicente Palacios0.4

Current & Historical Payroll

1993 payroll
$21.1M

What the front office was committed to as of 1993, 1993–1999. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.

current $ guaranteed $ actual $ (hindsight) arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent

Guaranteed / signed (16)

PlayerAgeSvc1993199419951996199719981999
Andy Van Slyke3210.000$4.9M$3.5MFREE AGENT
Jay Bell277.000$3.0M$3.4M$4.4M$4.7MFREE AGENT
Zane Smith329.000$2.7M$3.1MFREE AGENT$400k
Bob Walk3613.000$2.2MFREE AGENT
Don Slaught3411.000$1.1M$1.5M$2.0MFREE AGENT
Lonnie Smith3715.000$913kFREE AGENT
John Candelaria3918.000$760kFREE AGENT
Lloyd McClendon346.000$650k$650kFREE AGENT
Dave Otto286.000$525kFREE AGENT
Tom Foley3310.000$360k$400kFREE AGENT
Dave Clark307.000$180k$380k$647k$688kFREE AGENT
Michael LaValliere329.000$62kFREE AGENT
Jeff Ballard296.000—$175kFREE AGENT
Tom Prince286.000—FREE AGENT
Freddie Toliver329.000—FREE AGENT
Glenn Wilson3411.000—FREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (7)

PlayerAgeSvc1993199419951996199719981999
Stan Belinda264.000$740kARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff King284.000$675kARB 3FREE AGENT
Randy Tomlin273.000$325kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Orlando Merced263.000$305kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Carlos Garcia253.000$120kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mark Dewey283.000$120kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jerry Goff293.000—ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (24)

PlayerAgeSvc1993199419951996199719981999
Tim Wakefield261.000$150kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Denny Neagle242.000$140kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Steve Cooke231.000$115kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
John Wehner262.000$115kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dennis Moeller251.000$112kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Blas Minor271.000$112kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Paul Wagner251.000$112kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Scott Bullett242.000$111kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Midre Cummings210.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Al Martin251.000$109kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mark Petkovsek272.000$109kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dan Miceli220.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin Young241.000$109kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rich Aude21–—
John Hope220.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Joel Johnston262.000—ARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Tony Menendez28–—
Paul Miller282.000—ARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Will Pennyfeather251.000—Pre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rich Robertson240.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Ben Shelton23–—
Brian Shouse24–—
Andy Tomberlin260.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Tony Womack230.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Graphs

Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR. Bars = Pirates 1993; the black line = the league-average player at each slot that season. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge; dropping below it = holes & dead weight.

What each regime is worth — every settled team-season since 1985

RegimeSeasonsWin %Playoff %Pennant %WS %
WINDOW 28152.131.05.01.1
CONTEND 30056.964.719.710.3
FORCED-SPEND 25648.09.81.61.6
REBUILD 32143.31.20.30.3
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.