Every era of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball, one lineup. These are the highest-rated Pittsburgh Pirates legends across the 1960s to today — a full nine-man batting order plus an ace, chosen by iKnoBall's era-adjusted engine — and the record they'd post over a 162-game season.
Hitting is weighted 62%, the ace 38% — exactly how iKnoBall scores an MLB lineup. Think you'd start a different nine? Prove it.
Gerrit Cole headlines the group at a 89 overall — the kind of number only genuine all-time greats reach on iKnoBall's scale. Around Cole, the model fills out a complete lineup that balances the ace, the middle of the order, up-the-middle defense, and outfield power across Pittsburgh Pirates history, then simulates all 162 games. The result — 105–57 — reflects both the raw talent and how the pieces fit at the plate and on the mound.
Every Pittsburgh Pirates legend in the iKnoBall pool, ranked by era-adjusted overall. The top group forms the starting lineup above; the rest are the depth chart and the debate.
| Player | Position | Era | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerrit Cole | Starting Pitcher | 2010s | 89 |
| Manny Sanguillen | Catcher | 1970s | 85 |
| Donn Clendenon | First Baseman | 1960s | 83 |
| Bill Mazeroski | Second Baseman | 1960s | 86 |
| Bobby Bonilla | Third Baseman | 1990s | 87 |
| Jay Bell | Shortstop | 1990s | 84 |
| Roberto Clemente | Outfielder | 1960s | 97 |
| Barry Bonds | Outfielder | 1990s | 95 |
| Willie Stargell | Outfielder | 1970s | 93 |
| Dave Parker | Outfielder | 1970s | 91 |
| Andrew McCutchen | Outfielder | 2010s | 91 |
| Al Oliver | Outfielder | 1970s | 87 |
| Andy Van Slyke | Outfielder | 1990s | 87 |
| Doug Drabek | Starting Pitcher | 1990s | 87 |
| Starling Marte | Outfielder | 2010s | 87 |
| Jason Kendall | Catcher | 1990s | 85 |
| Russell Martin | Catcher | 2010s | 85 |
| Francisco Liriano | Starting Pitcher | 2010s | 85 |
| Bob Veale | Starting Pitcher | 1960s | 84 |
| Matty Alou | Outfielder | 1960s | 84 |
| Pedro Alvarez | Third Baseman | 2010s | 84 |
| Vern Law | Starting Pitcher | 1960s | 83 |
| Richie Zisk | Outfielder | 1970s | 83 |
| Kent Tekulve | Starting Pitcher | 1970s | 83 |
| Denny Neagle | Starting Pitcher | 1990s | 83 |
| Josh Harrison | Second Baseman | 2010s | 83 |
| Jung Ho Kang | Shortstop | 2010s | 83 |
| Manny Mota | Outfielder | 1960s | 83 |
| Rennie Stennett | Second Baseman | 1970s | 82 |
| Bruce Kison | Starting Pitcher | 1970s | 81 |
Draft your own all-time Pittsburgh Pirates — or any franchise across five sports — build your lineup, and sim a full season chasing a perfect 162–0. Free to play.
Build Your All-Time LineupGet the AppBy iKnoBall's era-adjusted ratings the all-time Pittsburgh Pirates lineup is Gerrit Cole (SP, 2010s), Manny Sanguillen (C, 1970s), Donn Clendenon (1B, 1960s), Bill Mazeroski (2B, 1960s), Bobby Bonilla (3B, 1990s), Jay Bell (SS, 1990s), Roberto Clemente (OF, 1960s), Barry Bonds (OF, 1990s), Willie Stargell (OF, 1970s), Dave Parker (DH, 1970s). Together they project to a 105–57 regular season.
iKnoBall's simulation projects this 10-man lineup at 105–57 over a 162-game season, with an average starter rating of 89. The model runs each game as a probability from the lineup's combined hitting and pitching strength, so an all-time team contends for a historic year but nothing is guaranteed.
Each player's overall is era-adjusted so a 1960s legend and a modern superstar sit on the same 70–99 scale. Hitting (the nine-man batting order) is weighted 62% and the ace pitcher 38%, and only true all-time greats reach the mid-to-high 90s.
Yes — iKnoBall is a free game where you draft one legend per era, build your all-time lineup, and simulate a full season chasing a perfect 162–0. Play it free at play.iknoball.com.
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Ratings are era-adjusted and computed by iKnoBall's simulation engine. Records are model projections for entertainment, not predictions. Player names belong to their respective owners; iKnoBall is an independent fan-made game.