The Pittsburgh Pirates have found a new right fielder, not via a trade or free agency or off of the waiver wire. The Pirates have looked within their system and Pittsburgh as of now has moved their All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen into right field. According to a report earlier this month by AP and usatoday.com: “Andrew McCutchen is on the move, just not out of Pittsburgh.” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle announced Sunday that McCutchen is moving from center field to right field this season. Gregory Polanco will flip from right field to left, with Starling Marte sliding over from left to center. McCutchen, a five-time All-Star and the 2013 National League MVP, won a Gold Glove in center in 2012 but has seen a dip in his defensive performance recently, according to advanced metrics.
McCutchen being moved from centerfield to right field should not be a big surprise based on his 2016 performance in comparison to the All-Star performance in all phases of the game that former left fielder now current center fielder Starling Marte had. I am surprised that McCutchen remains a Pittsburgh Pirate. I truly believe that if Neil Huntington and Clint Hurdle were not the loyalist’s and pragmatist’s that they are Andrew McCutchen would almost certainly not be wearing the black and yellow and patrolling the outfield of PNC Park in 2017.
The Pirates may have been shopping “Cutch” around a bit, but they seemed not to have a big “For Sale” sign hanging around the neck of the one player that was a crucial component in helping turn a horrible franchise back into a respectful competitor. McCutchen could have demanded to be traded years ago when he was suffering through 2 or even 3 miserable seasons but he didn’t. Initially McCutchen was not thrilled to be vacating a position that he has excelled at for the last 12 seasons.
According to an article by ESPN Senior Writer Jayson Stark posted on espn.com, McCutchen was quoted as saying: “That was one of the first times that that was something I wanted to go against,” McCutchen said, on the day he attempted to put his tumultuous, trade-rumor-filled off-season behind him. “It wasn’t something I was ready for or I wanted to do. But as I keep saying that, I’m talking about myself. So I just had to not be as selfish and just accept that that’s what I had to do and move over to right. I’ve always been in center,” he said. “Since I came up, since my first game here, that’s where I’ve always played.”
Regardless of whether the skillset of Andrew McCutchen may have arguably slightly diminished or not, he was the glue that held the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield intact while the Pirates young stars, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco were learning to compete and excel at the major league level. Marte and Polanco did not exit the “womb” of AAA baseball, ready for primetime. Andrew McCutchen set and continues to maintain a great example of how a professional athlete is supposed conduct himself on or off the field.
When pitchers were trying to maim and possibly end his career oftentimes after he was intentionally hit, except for an occasional “stop and glare” he would generally just make his way down to first base, that is if he was not forced to leave the game. Andrew McCutchen is more than just a player, he is a leader and stabilizer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They might be cuddling up with “folly” if they equate his worth with just raw numbers. They should not overlook his intangibles. (The sources for this article were AP, USA Today and espn.com)
Aubrey Bruce can be reached at: abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com or 412.583.6741
Follow him on Twitter@ultrascribe
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