Outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen has seemingly been reinvigorated by a return to the Pirates lately and he doesn’t plan on stopping. “In my thoughts, this isn’t my final 12 months,” McCutchen mentioned to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Put up-Gazette. “So long as my physique holds up and I’m not embarrassing myself on the market, I wanna hold going.”
McCutchen, now 37, has spent most of his profession as a Pirate. He was drafted by Pittsburgh again in 2005 and went on to rack up large accolades from his 2009 main league debut by means of the top of the 2017 season. In that point, he hit 203 residence runs and slashed .291/.379/.487 for a 137 wRC+. He additionally stole 171 bases whereas serving because the membership’s common middle fielder. He was an All-Star 5 instances in that stretch and was the Nationwide League MVP in 2013, the primary of three straight years through which he guided the Bucs to the postseason.
The membership then slipped from rivalry for a number of years and traded the ultimate season of McCutchen’s contract to the Giants and he would bounce to the Yankees, Phillies and Brewers for a number of seasons. With Milwaukee in 2022, he hit simply .237/.316/.384 for a wRC+ of 98 in his age-35 season.
He returned to Pittsburgh in 2023 through a one-year, $5MM deal. Given the downward development of his efficiency, some anticipated his return to PNC Park to be little greater than a feel-good story for a rebuilding membership with little to cheer for lately.
However as talked about, the reunion has coincided with a pleasant bounceback for the veteran. That’s to not say that he’s again to MVP ranges however he was in a position to slash .256/.378/.397 final 12 months, ok for a 115 wRC+. He and the Bucs then doubled down, reuniting on one other one-year, $5MM deal. To emphasise that McCutchen is dedicated to persevering with his enjoying profession, Mackey relays that he really lobbied for a multi-year deal this offseason. Nonetheless, the Bucs had a little bit of hesitation because the 2023 season ended with McCutchen on the injured listing as a consequence of a partial tear of his left Achilles tendon.
That damage appears to be lengthy forgotten, as McCutchen has been again in good type right here in 2024. He already has ten residence runs, simply two shy of final 12 months’s complete, and is hitting .241/.338/.401 for a wRC+ of 112.
With the outcomes nonetheless coming, it’s completely comprehensible that he needs to maintain issues rolling. Mackey suggests there’s a minimum of some hesitation on the membership’s half, as they could desire to have the designated hitter slot open with a purpose to rotate different gamers by means of. McCutchen has performed 20 innings in proper discipline this 12 months however has in any other case been within the DH slot. Although Mackey additionally reminds readers that proprietor Bob Nutting has mentioned McCutchen can keep a Pirate so long as he needs.
There might come a time when the objectives of the franchise conflict with these of McCutchen as a person. He mentioned a number of instances in 2023 that he didn’t intend on enjoying for one more membership for the remainder of his profession. The Bucs are regularly creeping out of its lengthy rebuild, as they hovered across the Wild Card race final 12 months and are doing so once more this 12 months. However for now, he’s a key a part of the explanation why they’re competing, as his 112 wRC+ is second on the crew amongst certified hitters, trailing solely Bryan Reynolds.
