In 1945, with many players fighting World War II, the American League’s St. Louis Browns employed one-armed Pete Gray as an outfielder. He lost his right arm via amputation at 7. It was the result of a wagon accident. Thankfully, we’ve since cut down on wagon accidents.
Besides being an inspirational story, Gray was an adequate ballplayer. He hit .218 (51-for-234) and struck out just 11 times.
Which is to say, Gray out-hit five current Pirates regulars: Josh Bell (.200), Bryan Reynolds (.174), Adam Frazier (.171), Jarrod Dyson (.133) and Gregory Polanco (point zero ***king seventy, or .070). The Pirates’ team average is .210.
The Pirates can’t even out-hit a one-armed guy. (I’d bet he was also a much better fielder and baserunner.)
Gray passed away in 2002. If he was still alive, the Pirates should sign him.