Let’s say you’re the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, deciding which players should start in Game 7 of the World Series against the American League champs. But instead of choosing from the current roster, you have every player in the team’s 131-year history in your clubhouse. Who’s your starting pitcher: lefty John Candelaria, steady Bert Blyleven, Cy Young winner Doug Drabek, or crafty Rip Sewell? Who bats cleanup—hitting-machine Honus Wagner, home-run champ Ralph Kiner, Willie “Pops” Stargell, or the hugely talented Barry Bonds? Combining career stats, common sense, and a host of intangibles, veteran sportswriter Dave Finoli imagines an embarrassment of riches and sets the all-time All-Star Pirates lineup for the ages.

David Finoli is a sports historian and author whose many books include The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia (2003), The Pittsburgh Pirates (2005), Classic Bucs: The 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Pirates History (2013), and Classic Steelers: The 50 Greatest Games in Pittsburgh Steeler History (2014), and Pirates by the Numbers: A Complete History of the Bucs by Uniform Number (2016). Finoli has also contributed to Pittsburgh Magazine and BaseballDigest.com, among others. He has been a member of the Society for American Baseball Research since 1999.