Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Top 100 All-Time Pirates: 99 - Rabbit Maranville

The Pirates have their fair share of players in the Hall of Fame.  Some of the game's greatest players have played in Pittsburgh, including an array of pre-war players. 

But one ex-Buc that undoubtedly flies under the radar is Rabbit Maranville.  He had a lengthy career, spanning from 1912-1935, but is best remembered as a Boston Brave.  And for good reason - Maranville spent only four seasons with the Pirates.

Perhaps that gives you some idea how top heavy the Pirates list is - when a light hitting deadball era shortstop can crack the franchise's all time 100 in WAR.

Still, they weren't shabby seasons.  Rabbit posted his two highest single season batting averages while playing for the Pirates, and his .376 slugging percentage while with the Bucs outpaces his career totals by 36 points.

Still, shortstop is a position that has served the Pirates well over the years, so Rabbit's short stint can be easily overlooked.

This card from this year's Panini Cooperstown Coglan's Chips insert set is one of the more unique cards of the year for me.  Panini included a few guys listed as "Pittsburgh" who either didn't make the base set, or were listed with another team.  A small victory for team collectors everywhere, I suppose.

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