Numerous 1925 Pirates On Pie Traynor's All-Time All-Star Squad

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Four months after the Pittsburgh Pirate team he managed blew the 1938 National League pennant during the season's final week (which happens to be the subject of my current book project), Pie Traynor was asked to choose his all-star team of Corsairs since 1921 when he entered the league while dining with baseball scribes in Pittsburgh. Traynor leaned on players who had some pop with the bat over men who were only slick fielders as he selected an aggregation that included many men who played with him on Pittsburgh's 1925 championship team.

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"Runs-runs-you've got to make runs to win,"claimed Traynor as he prepared to reveal his choices during this February dinner outing. "Our strongest teams-1925 and 1927-could push the base-runners across the plate in clusters, and that's why they finished in first place."

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When Traynor started making his way through the infield, three of the players he chose had ties to the 1925 squad that defeated Washington in that year's seven-game World Series.

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"I'd put Stuffy McInnis at first base," he began. "Lefty Grimm was one of the most graceful fielders I have ever seen and a marvel at charging in on a bunt and cutting off the runner at third-one of the toughest plays a first baseman has to make, by the way-but, for all-around ability and knack at bearing down in pinches, McInnis was hard to beat."

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"Now we come to second base. I'll admit it's a three-way fight among Eddie Moore, Rabbit Maranville and Pep Young. Maranville, you'll remember, moved over from short, and for at least one season, made all the other second-sackers in the league look like kids in the primary grade. But he came to us as a shortstop and played there so long that it's not quite fair to move any of the others out to make room for him. That leaves Young and Moore, and maybe we ought to call it a tie. Eddie was one of the timeliest hitters we have had, but Young is off by himself in the field, the slickest ball handler among the National League infielders today. Honestly, I wouldn't know which man to take if I had my choice."

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Traynor did not hesitate when naming his shortstop as he picked a man he played next to for five seasons over the great Arky Vaughan who was Pittsburgh's star player during the 1930s.

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"Shortstop is easy-Glenn Wright could do almost anything and do it well," continued Traynor. "He wasn't playing regularly for two seasons before the old-timers were comparing him with Honus Wagner, the greatest compliment a Pittsburgh fan can bestow on anyone."

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When it came time to choose a catcher, Traynor gave Walter Schmidt accolades for being a smart receiver but then selected the rough and tumble Earl Smith. Pie stated Smith could lather a baseball and was always a thorn in the New York Giants side due to his running feud with manager John McGraw.

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"Defensively, 'Oil' had more tricks than a magician," beamed Pie. "He could throw, torment batters with a sizzling line of chatter, and by the time he got his 200 pounds and more anchored over the plate it was suicide for a runner to try take more than a tiny corner when he came sliding in."

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The outfield was an area where a bounty of riches existed in Pittsburgh during the past 18 seasons. Pirates greats Max Carey and Kiki Cuyler did not make the final cut as Traynor selected his outfield unit from 1938 that included Lloyd Waner in center field, Paul Waner in right field and Johnny Rizzo in left. 1925 teammate Clyde Barnhart was chosen as an honorable mention candidate since Pie considered him one of the most dangerous outfielders in the league during his career. When Traynor mentioned Rizzo, he wagged his finger in the faces of his listeners who were skeptical about this choice.

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"You'll be surprised when I tell you that my left-fielder would be Johnny Rizzo," he continued. "But why not? We've never had a player in that field who could hit with Johnny, and while there are better throwers, there are a lot worse. Rizzo has been with us only one season, but he has a chance to rank among all-time stars of the Pittsburgh team."

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"Ray Kremer would be the No. 1 pitcher without having to take a second thought. That Frenchman not only had stuff but he was smart and there was something else, too-the will to win. I wish more pitchers on our staff today had the moxie on the mound that Remy had."

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"Burleigh Grimes would be No. 2, and while I always appreciated that Vic Aldridge was one of our best, I would make Wilbur Cooper my third selection. Cooper is the only pitcher the Pirates ever had who won 200 games-and don't forget that he was at his best against the stronger clubs such as the Giants and Cubs. There was a long stretch I remember when all we had to do to make New York curl up was to have Cooper throw his glove out on the mound. In addition to his pitching, he was a perfect fielder and could check in with a few hits to help out now and then."

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The conversation suddenly lagged a bit on Traynor's part when his dinner companions pressed Pittsburgh's manager to name a third baseman to his team. Even though Pie never answered that query, there was no doubt that he was the obvious choice at that position. Traynor's addition to this all-star aggregation was the logical selection as the greatest third baseman in Pirate history joined fellow members of Pittsburgh's 1925 championship team like Stuffy McInnis, Eddie Moore, Glenn Wright, Earl Smith and Ray Kremer on his all-time Buccaneer unit from 1921 through 1939.

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Quotes attributed to the following article from The Pittsburgh Press: "The Village Smithy: Traynor Picks His All-Star Pirate Team," by Chester L. Smith, February 9, 1939, page 26.