Brian Giles: consistency breeds greatness: Pittsburgh outfielder has ranked among the most productive hitters in the National League since joining the Pirates in 1999. .(Cover Story)

THE COMMON THREAD THAT binds star players in the major leagues--regardless of era--is consistency.

Over the years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have featured such high-caliber players, including Ralph Kiner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Barry Bonds, who excelled even when the ballclub, itself, did not.

Add outfielder Brian Giles to the long list of productive Pirates.

Giles, 32, now in his fifth season in Pittsburgh, has quietly put together a string of campaigns that compare favorably to some Pirate greats of the past. Giles' 149 home runs between 1999 and 2002 are the most for a Pirate over a four-year period since Stargell belted 156 from 1970-73.

Unlike Stargell, however, Giles has toiled for a small-market team mired in mediocrity for more than a decade. Pittsburgh has not had a .500 team since 1992, when the Pirates won the last of their three consecutive division titles, only to lose a gut-wrenching seventh game to the Atlanta Braves.

Giles, who broke in with the powerful Indians in September 1995, spent the next three seasons in Cleveland. A part-time player with the Tribe, Giles, who hit 17 home runs in 1997 and 16 more in 1998, showed both promise and power for the highly regarded Indians, who were perennial post-season contenders.

"It's tough to crack the lineup in an outfield of Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle and Kenny Lofton," Giles said.