The Pirates recently announced that former manager Jim Leyland, catcher Manny Sanguillen, and left fielder Barry Bonds have been inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame.
Leyland, who was a former Tigers catcher, is primarily known for managing the Pirates during the ’80s and ’90s, in which they made three appearances to the National League Championship Series in a row.
During his 11 years as Pirates manager, Leyland was named Manager of the Year in both 1990 and 1992. Later on, Leyland managed for Florida and Detroit, winning the World Series with the Marlins.
Sanguillen, who is widely known as one of the best catchers in Pirates history, was a key part of the 1971 and 1979 World Series Championships. Despite being often overshadowed by his contemporary, Johnny Bench of the Reds, Sanguillen still managed to make a career for himself.
Sanguillen was also a part of the first all-minority lineup in the MLB, along with other stars such as Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell.
Left fielder Barry Bonds was inducted as well, despite being a controversial figure in baseball because of allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. However, those accusations arose in the early 2000s, which was over 15 years after his Pirates career, and involved his time with San Francisco.
In his time with the Pirates, Bonds batted a .275, hit 176 home runs and knocked in 556 RBIs.
Even though Bonds has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame because of the steroids controversy, this Pirates induction is still deserving and highlights his impressive Pittsburgh career.
