Pittsburgh Pirates: Andrew McCutchen Next Up in Right Field For Pirates
- With Pirates from 1926 to 1940
- .340/.407/.490, 2154 G, 9536 PA, 136 OPS+ (with Pirates)
Paul and his younger brother Lloyd played on the Pirates together from 1927 to 1940. Paul was the much better player and was known as “Big Poison” with Lloyd Waner being “Little Poision.” The reality was that “Big Poison” was only 5’8″ and 153 pounds, but he could really hit.
The Pirates purchased Waner’s contract from the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League prior to the 1926 season and Waner led the National league in triples in his first season. He hit .336/.413/.528 that year, then was even better in his second when he hit a league-leading .380. He also led the league in hits, triples, RBI, and total bases, and won the NL MVP award.
The Pirates made the World Series in Waner’s MVP season in 1927, but they ran up against the “Murderer’s Row” New York Yankees and lost the series in four straight games. Waner was 5-for-15, with 3 RBI.
Waner played for the Pirates for 15 years and had 2,868 of his 3,152 career hits with the team. He also led the league in hitting three times and finished in the top five in NL MVP voting four times. Based on FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement, he’s the eighth-best right fielder in baseball history behind Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Mel Ott, Frank Robinson, Al Kaline, and fellow Pirate Roberto Clemente.
The Pittsburgh Pirates honored Paul Waner 10 years ago when they retired his #11 on July 21, 2007. Owner Kevin McClatchy said, “You look at Paul Waner’s numbers and where they rank, not just with the Pirates but also with Major League Baseball, and it’s clear he’s deserving. And you could say he’s one of the top three or four players to play for the Pirates.”