In 2011 and 2012, relief pitcher Joel Hanrahan was a National League All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates. At the time, he was one of the best closers in the NL and these All-Star berths were well deserved.
Hanrahan was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Washington Nationals in July 2009. Hanrahan came to Pittsburgh along with outfielder Lastings Milledge in exchange for outfielder Nyjer Morgan and reliever Sean Burnett. Quickly, Hanrahan became a key cog in the Pirate bullpen.
After the Pittsburgh Pirates traded then closer Octavio Dotel to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2010 trade deadline, Hanrahan became the team’s closer.