GM: Larry Doughty
1990: made playoffs · 95–67. Ranks are vs the 26 teams that season.
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.
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Bonds | 25 | arb | 151 | 9.9 | 0.8 | +3.6 |
| Doug Drabek | 27 | arb | 33 | 4.9 | 1.1 | +1.1 |
| Andy Van Slyke | 29 | FA-elig | 136 | 4.4 | 1.2 | +0.8 |
| Bobby Bonilla | 27 | arb | 160 | 3.8 | 1.2 | +0.4 |
| Sid Bream | 29 | FA-elig | 147 | 3.2 | 0.5 | +0.9 |
| Don Slaught | 31 | FA-elig | 84 | 2.5 | 0.7 | +0.5 |
| Zane Smith↔ WSN | 29 | FA-elig | 11 | 2.2 | 0.3 | +0.7 |
| Michael LaValliere | 29 | FA-elig | 96 | 2.1 | 0.6 | +0.4 |
| Jay Bell | 24 | arb | 159 | 2.0 | 0.2 | +0.7 |
| John Smiley | 25 | arb | 26 | 1.8 | 0.8 | -0.0 |
| Gary Redus | 33 | FA-elig | 96 | 1.6 | 0.5 | +0.2 |
| Wally Backman | 30 | FA-elig | 104 | 1.4 | 0.4 | +0.2 |
| Randy Tomlin | 24 | – | 12 | 1.4 | – | – |
| Jose Lind | 26 | arb | 152 | 1.0 | 0.3 | +0.2 |
| Bob Patterson | 31 | arb | 55 | 1.0 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Bob Walk | 33 | FA-elig | 26 | 0.9 | 0.8 | -0.4 |
| Jeff King | 25 | pre-arb | 127 | 0.8 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Neal Heaton | 30 | FA-elig | 32 | 0.7 | 0.7 | -0.4 |
| Bill Landrum | 32 | arb | 54 | 0.6 | 0.3 | -0.0 |
| Rick Reed | 25 | – | 13 | 0.5 | – | – |
| Stan Belinda | 23 | pre-arb | 55 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| R.J. Reynolds | 31 | FA-elig | 95 | 0.4 | 0.5 | -0.3 |
| Vicente Palacios | 26 | – | 7 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Ted Power | 35 | FA-elig | 40 | 0.3 | 0.3 | -0.2 |
| Scott Ruskin↔ WSN | 27 | pre-arb | 44 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Mike York | 25 | pre-arb | 4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Lloyd McClendon↔ CHC | 31 | arb | 4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +0.0 |
| Jay Tibbs↔ BAL | 28 | FA-elig | 5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Carlos Garcia | 22 | pre-arb | 4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Carmelo Martinez↔ PHI | 29 | FA-elig | 12 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Moises Alou↔ WSN | 23 | pre-arb | 2 | -0.0 | 0.0 | -0.0 |
| Mike Roesler | 26 | – | 5 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Doug Bair | 40 | FA-elig | 22 | -0.1 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| Randy Kramer↔ CHC | 29 | pre-arb | 12 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Orlando Merced | 23 | pre-arb | 25 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Jerry Reuss | 41 | – | 4 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Mark Ross | 35 | – | 9 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Mark Huismann | 32 | – | 2 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Steve Carter | 25 | – | 5 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Tom Prince | 25 | arb | 4 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| John Cangelosi | 27 | – | 58 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Mark Ryal | 29 | – | 9 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Dann Bilardello | 31 | – | 19 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Bob Kipper | 25 | arb | 41 | -0.4 | 0.5 | -0.7 |
| Rafael Belliard | 28 | FA-elig | 47 | -0.4 | 0.4 | -0.6 |
| Walt Terrell↔ DET | 32 | FA-elig | 16 | -0.6 | 0.4 | -0.7 |
| Player | fWAR |
|---|---|
| Don Slaught | 2.5 |
| Zane Smith | 2.2 |
| Wally Backman | 1.4 |
| Randy Tomlin | 1.4 |
| Vicente Palacios | 0.3 |
| Ted Power | 0.3 |
| Player | 1989 fWAR |
|---|---|
| Glenn Wilson | 3.1 |
| Jeff Robinson | 0.9 |
| Billy Hatcher | 0.1 |
| Scott Little | 0.1 |
| Mike Smith | 0.0 |
| Dorn Taylor | -0.0 |
What the front office was committed to as of 1990, 1990–1996. 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.
| Player | Age | Svc | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Van Slyke | 29 | 7.000 | $1.2M | $2.2M | $4.3M | $4.9M | $3.5M | FREE AGENT | |
| Bob Walk | 33 | 10.000 | $850k | $850k | $2.0M | $2.2M | FREE AGENT | ||
| Neal Heaton | 30 | 8.000 | $700k | $1.0M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Don Slaught | 31 | 8.000 | $650k | $767k | $1.7M | $1.1M | $1.5M | $2.0M | FREE AGENT |
| Michael LaValliere | 29 | 6.000 | $575k | $1.0M | $1.9M | $2.3M | FREE AGENT | ||
| R.J. Reynolds | 31 | 7.000 | $535k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Sid Bream | 29 | 7.000 | $510k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Gary Redus | 33 | 8.000 | $500k | $600k | $825k | FREE AGENT | |||
| Walt Terrell | 32 | 8.000 | $441k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Wally Backman | 30 | 10.000 | $400k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Rafael Belliard | 28 | 8.000 | $380k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Ted Power | 35 | 9.000 | $350k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Doug Bair | 40 | 14.000 | $325k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Zane Smith | 29 | 6.000 | $278k | $2.2M | $2.5M | $2.7M | $3.1M | FREE AGENT | $400k |
| Jay Tibbs | 28 | 6.000 | $112k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Carmelo Martinez | 29 | 7.000 | $101k | $454k | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Dann Bilardello | 31 | 7.000 | — | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Mark Huismann | 32 | 7.000 | — | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Jerry Reuss | 41 | 21.000 | — | FREE AGENT |
| Player | Age | Svc | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Bonilla | 27 | 4.000 | $1.2M | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Doug Drabek | 27 | 4.000 | $1.1M | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Barry Bonds | 25 | 4.000 | $850k | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| John Smiley | 25 | 4.000 | $840k | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Bob Kipper | 25 | 5.000 | $525k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Bill Landrum | 32 | 4.000 | $302k | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Jose Lind | 26 | 3.000 | $270k | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |||
| Jay Bell | 24 | 4.000 | $180k | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Bob Patterson | 31 | 5.000 | $150k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Tom Prince | 25 | 3.000 | $107k | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |||
| Lloyd McClendon | 31 | 3.000 | $16k | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |||
| John Cangelosi | 27 | 5.000 | — | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Vicente Palacios | 26 | 3.000 | — | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Player | Age | Svc | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff King | 25 | 1.000 | $112k | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Mike York | 25 | 0.000 | $104k | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Orlando Merced | 23 | 0.000 | $100k | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Stan Belinda | 23 | 1.000 | $100k | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Carlos Garcia | 22 | 0.000 | $100k | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Randy Kramer | 29 | 2.000 | $82k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Scott Ruskin | 27 | 0.000 | $66k | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Moises Alou | 23 | 0.000 | $12k | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Steve Carter | 25 | – | — | ||||||
| Rick Reed | 25 | 2.000 | — | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Mike Roesler | 26 | 1.000 | — | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Mark Ross | 35 | – | — | ||||||
| Mark Ryal | 29 | – | — | ||||||
| Randy Tomlin | 24 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR. Bars = Pirates 1990; 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.
| Regime | Seasons | Win % | Playoff % | Pennant % | WS % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WINDOW | 289 | 52.2 | 30.1 | 4.8 | 1.0 |
| CONTEND | 311 | 56.8 | 63.0 | 19.3 | 10.3 |
| FORCED-SPEND | 260 | 47.9 | 8.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| REBUILD | 328 | 43.3 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Not enough history to chart.
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