RRosternomics
𝕏

Pirates PIT

‹ ›

GM: Ted Simmons

Overview

REBUILD ↘ cooling
cheap & losing · year 3 in this regime · payroll 0.54× league · TAB -6.6
-6.6TAB — talent above budget23rd/28
-7.7WAB — realized wins (TAB + luck)24th/28
3.0depth — 2+ WAR regulars26th/28
-4.4dead WAR — sub-replacement drag10th/28
35%dead money %23rd/28
0.403win %26th/28
17.8roster fWAR26th/28
-1surplus $M (value vs cost)10th/28
$18Mpayroll $M27th/28

Roster

CFJacob Brumfield 104GAl Martin 42GMidre Cummings 20G
LFAl Martin 95GDave Clark 34GSteve Pegues 31G
RFOrlando Merced 104GDave Clark 29GSteve Pegues 25G
SSJay Bell 136GCarlos García 15GJeff King 2G
2BCarlos García 92GNelson Liriano 67GJeff King 8G
3BJeff King 84GKevin Young 48GJohn Wehner 19G
1BMark Johnson 70GJeff King 35GOrlando Merced 35G
STARTERSDenny Neagle 4.1WARPaul Wagner 1.7WARJohn Ericks 1.4WAREsteban Loaiza 1.3WARJon Lieber 0.9WAR
CAngelo Encarnacion 55GDon Slaught 33GMackey Sasser 11G
BULLPEN★ Dan Miceli 21svJason Christiansen 0hDan Plesac 0hJeff McCurry 0hMike Dyer 0hRoss Powell 0hJim Gott 0hLee Hancock 0h
CAngelo Encarnacion 55 · Don Slaught 33 · Mackey Sasser 11
1BMark Johnson 70 · Jeff King 35 · Orlando Merced 35
2BCarlos García 92 · Nelson Liriano 67 · Jeff King 8
3BJeff King 84 · Kevin Young 48 · John Wehner 19
SSJay Bell 136 · Carlos García 15 · Jeff King 2
LFAl Martin 95 · Dave Clark 34 · Steve Pegues 31
CFJacob Brumfield 104 · Al Martin 42 · Midre Cummings 20
RFOrlando Merced 104 · Dave Clark 29 · Steve Pegues 25
SPDenny Neagle 4.1 · Paul Wagner 1.7 · John Ericks 1.4 · Esteban Loaiza 1.3 · Jon Lieber 0.9
BP★ Dan Miceli 21 · Jason Christiansen 0 · Dan Plesac 0 · Jeff McCurry 0 · Mike Dyer 0 · Ross Powell 0 · Jim Gott 0 · Lee Hancock 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.

1995 roster — value & surplus

PlayerAgeServiceGfWARSalary $MSurplus $M
Denny Neagle 26 arb 324.1 0.7 +3.2
Orlando Merced 28 arb 1323.3 2.0 +1.1
Jeff King 30 FA-elig 1222.7 2.2 +0.5
Paul Wagner 27 arb 341.7 0.2 +1.4
John Ericks 27 pre-arb 191.4 0.1 +1.3
Esteban Loaiza 23 pre-arb 331.3 0.1 +1.1
Mark Parent↔ CHC 33 FA-elig 691.2 0.3 +0.9
Dan Plesac 33 FA-elig 581.0 1.1 -0.1
Jay Bell 29 FA-elig 1381.0 4.4 -3.4
Al Martin 27 arb 1241.0 0.4 +0.6
Jon Lieber 25 pre-arb 210.9 0.1 +0.8
Rick White 26 – 150.7 – –
Steve Parris 27 pre-arb 150.5 0.1 +0.4
Lee Hancock 28 – 110.2 – –
Jim Gott 35 FA-elig 250.2 0.9 -0.7
John Wehner 28 arb 520.2 0.2 -0.1
Mark Johnson 27 pre-arb 790.1 0.1 +0.0
Mike Maddux↔ BOS 33 FA-elig 80.1 0.0 +0.1
Jason Christiansen 25 pre-arb 630.1 0.1 -0.0
Ramon Morel 20 pre-arb 50.1 0.1 -0.0
Dan Miceli 24 pre-arb 580.1 0.1 -0.1
Carlos Garcia 27 arb 1040.1 0.3 -0.3
Mike Dyer 28 FA-elig 550.1 0.1 -0.1
Dave Clark 32 FA-elig 770.0 0.6 -0.6
Don Slaught 36 FA-elig 350.0 2.0 -2.0
Jacob Brumfield 30 arb 1160.0 0.2 -0.2
Angelo Encarnacion 26 pre-arb 58-0.0 0.1 -0.1
Nelson Liriano 31 FA-elig 107-0.0 0.3 -0.4
Dennis Konuszewski 24 – 1-0.0 – –
Ravelo Manzanillo 31 – 5-0.0 – –
Kevin Young 26 arb 56-0.1 0.2 -0.3
John Hope 24 pre-arb 3-0.1 0.1 -0.2
Gary Wilson 25 – 10-0.1 – –
Midre Cummings 23 pre-arb 59-0.2 0.1 -0.3
Mackey Sasser 32 – 14-0.3 – –
Ross Powell↔ HOU 27 pre-arb 12-0.3 0.1 -0.4
Freddy Garcia 22 pre-arb 42-0.6 0.1 -0.7
Rich Aude 23 – 42-0.6 – –
Jeff McCurry 25 pre-arb 55-0.9 0.1 -1.0
Steve Pegues 27 pre-arb 82-1.0 0.1 -1.1

Key additions (new vs 1994)

PlayerfWAR
John Ericks1.4
Esteban Loaiza1.3
Mark Parent1.2
Dan Plesac1.0
Steve Parris0.5
Lee Hancock0.2

Key subtractions (gone from 1994)

Player1994 fWAR
Zane Smith1.6
Tom Foley0.9
Andy Van Slyke0.6
Randy Tomlin0.5
Lance Parrish0.4
Steve Cooke0.3

Current & Historical Payroll

1995 payroll
$18.0M

What the front office was committed to as of 1995, 1995–2001. 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 (12)

PlayerAgeSvc1995199619971998199920002001
Jay Bell299.000$4.4M$4.7MFREE AGENT
Jeff King306.000$2.2M$2.5MFREE AGENT
Don Slaught3613.000$2.0MFREE AGENT
Dan Plesac339.000$1.1M$1.1MFREE AGENT
Jim Gott3513.000$900kFREE AGENT
Dave Clark329.000$647k$688kFREE AGENT
Nelson Liriano318.000$350k$350kFREE AGENT
Mark Parent339.000$281kFREE AGENT
Mike Dyer286.000$135kFREE AGENT
Mike Maddux339.000$36kFREE AGENT
Ravelo Manzanillo317.000—FREE AGENT
Mackey Sasser328.000—FREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (8)

PlayerAgeSvc1995199619971998199920002001
Orlando Merced285.000$2.0MFREE AGENT
Denny Neagle264.000$740kARB 3FREE AGENT
Al Martin273.000$375kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Carlos Garcia275.000$350kFREE AGENT
John Wehner284.000$225kARB 3FREE AGENT
Paul Wagner273.000$225kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jacob Brumfield303.000$225kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin Young263.000$160kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (20)

PlayerAgeSvc1995199619971998199920002001
Jon Lieber251.000$140kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dan Miceli242.000$125kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Midre Cummings232.000$122kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Steve Pegues271.000$115kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Angelo Encarnacion260.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jason Christiansen250.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
John Ericks270.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mark Johnson270.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Esteban Loaiza230.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Freddy Garcia220.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
John Hope242.000$109kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff McCurry250.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Steve Parris270.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Ramon Morel200.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Ross Powell272.000$51kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rich Aude23–—
Lee Hancock280.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dennis Konuszewski24–—
Rick White261.000—Pre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Gary Wilson25–—

Graphs

Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR. Bars = Pirates 1995; 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.