GM: Larry Doughty
1992: made playoffs · 96–66. 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 | 27 | FA-elig | 140 | 9.6 | 4.8 | +2.7 |
| Andy Van Slyke | 31 | FA-elig | 154 | 6.5 | 4.3 | +0.7 |
| Doug Drabek | 29 | FA-elig | 35 | 4.9 | 4.5 | -0.7 |
| Jay Bell | 26 | FA-elig | 159 | 4.2 | 0.9 | +2.4 |
| Randy Tomlin | 26 | pre-arb | 35 | 2.9 | 0.2 | +2.1 |
| Don Slaught | 33 | FA-elig | 87 | 2.8 | 1.7 | +0.5 |
| Zane Smith | 31 | FA-elig | 26 | 2.2 | 2.5 | -0.8 |
| Michael LaValliere | 31 | FA-elig | 95 | 1.7 | 1.9 | -0.5 |
| Danny Jackson↔ CHC | 30 | FA-elig | 15 | 1.6 | 1.2 | +0.1 |
| Steve Buechele↔ CHC | 30 | FA-elig | 80 | 1.5 | 1.4 | -0.3 |
| Tim Wakefield | 25 | – | 14 | 1.2 | – | – |
| Lloyd McClendon | 33 | arb | 84 | 0.8 | 0.5 | +0.1 |
| Orlando Merced | 25 | pre-arb | 134 | 0.6 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Gary Redus | 35 | FA-elig | 76 | 0.4 | 0.8 | -0.5 |
| Vicente Palacios | 28 | arb | 20 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +0.2 |
| Alex Cole↔ CLE | 26 | pre-arb | 64 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Bob Walk | 35 | FA-elig | 36 | 0.4 | 2.0 | -1.7 |
| Paul Miller | 27 | pre-arb | 6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Jeff King | 27 | arb | 130 | 0.2 | 0.3 | -0.2 |
| Paul Wagner | 24 | – | 6 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Kevin Young | 23 | – | 10 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Al Martin | 24 | – | 12 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Jeff Robinson↔ TEX | 30 | arb | 8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Danny Cox↔ PHI | 32 | FA-elig | 16 | 0.1 | 0.4 | -0.3 |
| Steve Cooke | 22 | – | 11 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Dave Clark | 29 | – | 23 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Kirk Gibson | 35 | FA-elig | 16 | 0.0 | 1.9 | -1.9 |
| Blas Minor | 26 | – | 1 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Victor Cole | 24 | – | 8 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Gary Varsho | 31 | arb | 103 | -0.1 | 0.4 | -0.4 |
| Miguel Batista | 21 | pre-arb | 1 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Stan Belinda | 25 | arb | 59 | -0.2 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| Will Pennyfeather | 24 | – | 15 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Bob Patterson | 33 | FA-elig | 60 | -0.2 | 0.8 | -0.9 |
| Dennis Lamp | 39 | – | 21 | -0.2 | – | – |
| John Wehner | 25 | – | 55 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Denny Neagle | 23 | pre-arb | 56 | -0.3 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| Carlos Garcia | 24 | pre-arb | 22 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.4 |
| Tom Prince | 27 | arb | 27 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.5 |
| Cecil Espy | 29 | FA-elig | 112 | -0.4 | 0.2 | -0.6 |
| Jerry Don Gleaton | 34 | – | 23 | -0.6 | – | – |
| Roger Mason | 34 | FA-elig | 65 | -1.2 | 0.2 | -1.1 |
| Jose Lind | 28 | arb | 135 | -1.5 | 2.0 | -3.1 |
| Player | fWAR |
|---|---|
| Danny Jackson | 1.6 |
| Tim Wakefield | 1.2 |
| Alex Cole | 0.4 |
| Paul Wagner | 0.1 |
| Kevin Young | 0.1 |
| Al Martin | 0.1 |
| Player | 1991 fWAR |
|---|---|
| Bobby Bonilla | 4.7 |
| John Smiley | 3.1 |
| Bill Landrum | 0.9 |
| Mark Huismann | 0.1 |
| Neal Heaton | 0.1 |
| Jeff Banister | 0.1 |
What the front office was committed to as of 1992, 1992–1998. 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 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Bonds | 27 | 6.000 | $4.8M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Doug Drabek | 29 | 6.000 | $4.5M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Andy Van Slyke | 31 | 9.000 | $4.3M | $4.9M | $3.5M | FREE AGENT | |||
| Zane Smith | 31 | 8.000 | $2.5M | $2.7M | $3.1M | FREE AGENT | $400k | ||
| Bob Walk | 35 | 12.000 | $2.0M | $2.2M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Kirk Gibson | 35 | 13.000 | $1.9M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Michael LaValliere | 31 | 8.000 | $1.9M | $2.3M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Don Slaught | 33 | 10.000 | $1.7M | $1.1M | $1.5M | $2.0M | FREE AGENT | ||
| Steve Buechele | 30 | 7.000 | $1.4M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Danny Jackson | 30 | 9.000 | $1.2M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Jay Bell | 26 | 6.000 | $875k | $3.0M | $3.4M | $4.4M | $4.7M | FREE AGENT | |
| Gary Redus | 35 | 10.000 | $825k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Bob Patterson | 33 | 7.000 | $785k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Danny Cox | 32 | 9.000 | $400k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Cecil Espy | 29 | 9.000 | $250k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Roger Mason | 34 | 8.000 | $225k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Dave Clark | 29 | 6.000 | — | $180k | $380k | $647k | $688k | FREE AGENT | |
| Jerry Don Gleaton | 34 | 13.000 | — | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Dennis Lamp | 39 | 15.000 | — | FREE AGENT |
| Player | Age | Svc | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Lind | 28 | 5.000 | $2.0M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Lloyd McClendon | 33 | 5.000 | $525k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Gary Varsho | 31 | 4.000 | $368k | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Jeff King | 27 | 3.000 | $325k | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |||
| Stan Belinda | 25 | 3.000 | $280k | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |||
| Vicente Palacios | 28 | 5.000 | $170k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Tom Prince | 27 | 5.000 | $140k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Jeff Robinson | 30 | 5.000 | $67k | FREE AGENT |
| Player | Age | Svc | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Tomlin | 26 | 2.000 | $180k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Orlando Merced | 25 | 2.000 | $150k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Carlos Garcia | 24 | 2.000 | $113k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Denny Neagle | 23 | 1.000 | $110k | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Paul Miller | 27 | 1.000 | $109k | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Miguel Batista | 21 | 0.000 | $109k | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Alex Cole | 26 | 2.000 | $99k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Victor Cole | 24 | – | — | ||||||
| Steve Cooke | 22 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Al Martin | 24 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Blas Minor | 26 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Will Pennyfeather | 24 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Paul Wagner | 24 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Tim Wakefield | 25 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| John Wehner | 25 | 1.000 | — | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Kevin Young | 23 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR. Bars = Pirates 1992; 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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