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Pirates Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Cooper, Candelaria, Wilson Join Exclusive Club

Nairavoice · Jun 10, 2026 · 2 min read

Pirates Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Cooper, Candelaria, Wilson Join Exclusive Club originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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Three former Pirates players will represent three different eras of Pittsburgh baseball when they enter the organization’s Hall of Fame.

The Pirates announced on Wednesday that the Class of 2026 will feature Wilbur Cooper, John Candelaria and Jack Wilson. Cooper was a starting pitcher for Pittsburgh in the early 1900s, and Candelaria was a starter for some of the best teams in franchise history in the 1970s. Wilson could be regularly seen at shortstop in the 2000s.

The 2026 class of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame has been announced!
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On Friday, September 4, Wilbur Cooper, John Candelaria, and Jack Wilson will be officially inducted in a pregame ceremony at PNC Park. pic.twitter.com/HppDhprORr

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 10, 2026

The franchise has not yet shared details regarding an official induction ceremony, but Cooper, Candelaria and Wilson will join the likes of Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell in the team’s Hall of Fame later this year.

Pirates Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Wilbur Cooper

Cooper spent most of his career in Pittsburgh, pitching for the Pirates from 1912 to 1924 before brief stints with the Cubs and Tigers. As a member of the Pirates, the left-hander had a record of 202-159 with a 2.74 ERA across more than 3,000 innings.

He won at least 20 games in four different seasons, and he remains Pittsburgh’s all-time leader in wins (202) and complete games (263).

John Candelaria

Candelaria was a consistent piece of the Pirates’ rotation from 1975 to 1985. He enjoyed his best season in 1977, earning an All-Star selection, leading the league with a 2.34 ERA and finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting.

He was a key part of Pittsburgh’s championship run in 1979, outdueling Baltimore’s Jim Palmer in Game 6 of the World Series. He threw six shutout innings in a 4-0 win, and the Pirates went on to complete an incredible comeback from a 3-1 deficit.

Jack Wilson

From 2001 to 2009, Wilson often made spectacular plays look easy as the Pirates’ primary shortstop. He led the league in defensive WAR in 2005 (4.1), and he ended his run in Pittsburgh with the third-best defensive WAR in franchise history (18.3) behind only Bill Mazeroski (24.0) and Honus Wagner (20.8).

In 2004, Wilson posted career highs in batting average (.308), OPS (.794), doubles (41), triples (12) and runs (82). He landed on the National League’s 2004 All-Star roster, and he received the Silver Slugger Award as the NL’s best offensive shortstop.

Pirates Hall of Fame: Full list of members

The team’s Hall of Fame honors former players and managers who made significant contributions as members of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays.