| Year | Age | Tm | G | 2B | HR | RBI | SB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 24 | PIT | 27 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 3 | .291 | .423 | .506 | .929 |
| 2004 | 25 | PIT | 120 | 24 | 26 | 82 | 4 | .282 | .358 | .550 | .907 |
| 2005 | 26 | PIT | 162 | 44 | 32 | 101 | 21 | .306 | .402 | .559 | .961 |
| 2006 | 27 | PIT | 159 | 29 | 35 | 109 | 11 | .286 | .396 | .532 | .928 |
| 2007 | 28 | PIT | 145 | 25 | 21 | 84 | 4 | .247 | .327 | .418 | .746 |
| 2008 | 29 | PIT | 106 | 23 | 22 | 64 | 7 | .282 | .375 | .519 | .894 |
| PIT (6 yrs) | 719 | 151 | 139 | 452 | 50 | .281 | .375 | .515 | .890 | ||
Jason Bay comes in at #1. J-Bay came over from the Padres in 2003 and made an immediate impact in 2004. He led all NL rookies in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, and extra-base hits, and was the rookie of the year in the National League. 2005 was, statistically, Bay’s best season with the Pirates. He raked at a .306 clip and knocked in 101 runs with 32 bombs, and played in all 162 games. He represented the Bucs as well as Canada in the 2005 home run derby, but couldn’t hit one out of Comerica Park. Bay hit more home runs and drove in more runs in 2006, but his BA/OBP/SLG dropped off slightly. He went on an absolute tear in May of ’06, hitting 12 bombs, including one in six straight games at one point. The 2006 All-Star Game was held at PNC Park, and Bay was elected to the starting lineup to represent the Bucs. 2007 was a down year for the left fielder, but he was still tied for the team-lead with 21 home runs. A new regime took over the Pirates in late 2007, and by mid-season of 2008, it was almost inevitable that Bay would be traded as part of the front office’s mentality of loading up on prospects. He put up nearly the same number in 106 games in 2008 as he did in 145 games in 2007, and went out with a bang. In a May series against the Cubs, he collected his first two walk-off hits in back-to-back games. In late June, Bay helped beat the Rays with a walk-off home run in the 13th inning, and was traded to Boston in the three-team trade that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers just over a month later.
As of now, Jason Bay is certainly deserving of the #1 spot on this countdown. He had 6 solid years in Pittsburgh, but once Cutch puts in the same amount of time, he may take over the top spot.
So, here’s your full countdown of the top 10 Pirates of the PNC Park era:
10. Neil Walker
9. Paul Maholm
8. Joel Hanrahan
7. Aramis Ramirez
6. Jack Wilson
5. Freddy Sanchez
4. Jason Kendall
3. Brian Giles
2. Andrew McCutchen
1. Jason Bay
Go Bucs
Photo: dnkbdotcom/Creative Commons
