Cutch is the heart of the Pirates
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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
PITTSBURGH -- More than any other single player, Andrew McCutchen has been responsible for the renaissance of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball.
Selected by the Pirates in the first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft as the 11th overall pick out of Fort Meade (Fla.) High School, McCutchen made his MLB debut in 2009 and earned the National League's Most Valuable Player award four years later, in 2013, when he batted .317 in 157 games with 21 homers and 84 RBIs.
The Pirates ended a modern American sports record losing streak of 20 consecutive seasons that year, winning 94 regular-season games and earning a berth in the memorable NL Wild Card playoff game, where they defeated the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park and advanced to the league division series against the St. Louis Cardinals, losing there in five games.
The man fondly known as "Cutch" became a folk hero in Pittsburgh, with his elite hand-eye coordination at the plate and his exemplary quickness through the hitting zone, his fleetness of foot while expertly patrolling center field, and his vivacious, outgoing personality and altruistic penchant for community service endearing himself to everybody with whom he crossed paths.
With McCutchen leading the way, the Pirates qualified for two more Wild Card playoff berths in 2014 and 2015, dropping what were then do-or-die one-game playoff showdowns against stellar opposing starting pitchers.
McCutchen, a five-time NL All-Star with the Pirates for five straight seasons from 2011 through 2015, had become a franchise icon and forged his own special niche in Pittsburgh.
But that made his trade to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for outfielder Bryan Reynolds in January 2018 a bereavement of sorts for Pirates fans.
However, things have come full circle for McCutchen, who is now 37 and is in his 16th MLB season. After stints with the Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers that spanned five seasons, McCutchen re-joined the Pirates in 2023, signing a one-year contract and becoming teammates with the two-time All-Star Reynolds.
McCutchen did the same thing in 2024, and his reunion with the Bucs has been a very special one for the last two seasons.
McCutchen wasn't expected to replicate the magic in his return that he showed over a decade ago, but over the past two seasons, he has proven that he still has something left in the tank. The Pirates warmly welcomed McCutchen back, and he's been thrilled to return to the city where he launched an outstanding career that saw him collect his 2,000th big league hit in 2023 and his 300th homer earlier this season.
"The reason that I came back here is that I saw something in this team that I would like to be a part of and help out with,'' McCutchen was saying during the Pirates' recent home stand at PNC Park. "It would be good for a team like us to get back into that (postseason) position.''
The return to Pittsburgh hasn't been without its tribulations for McCutchen, though. He suffered a partially torn left Achilles while running the bases in a game against the Brewers on Labor Day of last year, ending his 2023 season in which he appeared in 112 games for the Pirates, batting .256, while hitting 12 home runs and driving in 43 runs.
McCutchen has played very sparingly in the outfield this season, being used almost exclusively as the Pirates' designated hitter by manager Derek Shelton, and was placed in the leadoff position in the batting order since mid-April.
"I don't mind it,'' McCutchen said of his role as a leadoff hitter, a position at which his keen eye at the plate has enabled him to lead the Pirates in drawing walks this season. "It's what the team needed at the time when I first started doing it.
"I was in a position early in the season where things weren't really clicking for me, so I think it's been good shot in the arm for me and the team,'' McCutchen added.
McCutchen has provided some pop at the plate -- his 13 home runs are third on the team in that category behind leader Reynolds and shortstop Oneil Cruz -- and McCutchen admits that he is still somewhat feeling his way through some of his at-bats.
"I feel OK, but I definitely don't feel that I've pieced together some momentum for myself,'' said McCutchen, despite accomplishing a recent eight-game hitting streak that saw him collect 10 hits in 31 at-bats, including four doubles and a home run.
"I'm just hovering around and treading water right now, but hopefully, I can pick it up and get going,'' McCutchen added. "That's what I am working toward, and we'll see where it takes us.''
Aside from his contributions as a hitter, the intangible quality of leadership that McCutchen provides for his many younger teammates on the Pirates' roster has been invaluable.
"He's been great,'' middle relief pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski said of McCutchen. "He's the guy who everybody in this clubhouse looks up to, but it's not just him -- we've got a lot of guys on this team who have had a lot of service in the major leagues, and, sharing the same clubhouse, it's easy to talk to them and it's easy to learn from them.''
The presence of talented youth and veteran experience on this season's Pirates team is rekindling memories of the Bucs' three most recent playoff seasons, when McCutchen -- then wearing trademark dreadlocks that he has long since sheared off -- was coming into his own.
The Pirates have strong and legitimate aspirations of playing in the postseason this October for the first time since 2015, but a challenging schedule awaits them over the final two months of the season, and the steadying influence of players like McCutchen will help them to negotiate that challenge.
"Obviously, we have to play good baseball and stay healthy,'' McCutchen said. "We're not going to win every game, but the games that we should win, we need to win.
"Every game is important,'' McCutchen added. "For me, it's all about winning today. You've got to have that mentality every day, and go out there and take care of business.''