This was McCutchen’s first game since August 7. During that game, he suffered a minor injury aggravating a left quad strain while trying to score the tying run against the San Diego Padres.
Through 98 games this season, he’s hitting .234 with 16 home runs and 38 RBI.
Our MLBbro is a competitor and will do whatever it takes to get on the field, even if he’s not feeling his best.
“It shows the caliber of player he is,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Two huge homers, I mean we get down by four early and he gets us on the board, and then comes back in the eighth and gets a pitch. It just shows you how good of a player he actually is because of the fact that he is grinding.”
His teammates have a lot of respect for him and they know when he is in the lineup, he’s going to leave it out on the field.
“He’s a gamer,” Michael A. Taylor said. “He’s gonna go out there and give us whatever he’s got. Anytime we can have him on the field, we feel good about that.”
At 37, McCutchen has played in a lot of games and has seen a lot of success. He’s also seen his fair share of struggles.
The extra-inning loss to the Dodgers on Sunday was the seventh consecutive loss for the Pirates and the team continues to dig themselves in a deep hole regarding their playoff hopes.
Despite his big performance at the plate against the Dodgers, McCutchen was not satisfied with the outcome.
“I don’t feel great,” McCutchen said. “We lost. It was nice to hit two homers, but homers or not I would’ve rather won the game. That’s where we are. We just gotta fight through it.”
While the Pirates have struggled recently, McCutchen understands it’s part of the game and that the team has to continue to go out there and be ready to play each day.
“You can’t feel bad for yourself,” McCutchen said. “This game doesn’t feel bad for anybody. The game doesn’t care who you are. The game doesn’t care what you did last year. The game doesn’t care if you were an MVP or an All-Star. You’ve got to be ready to go the next day. That’s what I’ve learned.”
No matter what the team’s record is, McCutchen is going to show up and put the work in and get his teammates on the same page.
He is a true leader and is a player who deserves his flowers.
On June 18th, the baseball world mourned the loss of a legend in Willie Mays.
A man who accomplished so much during his playing days will forever be remembered and his impact on the game opened the door for many Black players.
Andrew McCutchen Was Inspired By His Interactions With Willie Mays
Andrew McCutchen was one of many Black players who had a chance to meet and have numerous conversations with the late Willie Mays. Like Mays, McCutchen played with the San Francisco Giants and that’s where the two connected.
After spending his first nine seasons in Pittsburgh, McCutchen joined the Giants during the 2018 season.
Growing up, McCutchen thought very highly of Mays and like the Say Hey Kid, McCutchen plays the outfield position.
Mays even gave McCutchen a nickname.
“My nickname was Pittsburgh,” McCutchen said. “That was my nickname to him. I was from Pittsburgh.”
A very fitting nickname for McCutchen who established himself as one of the best to suit up in that Pirates uniform those nine seasons before going out to the west coast.
He played in 130 games with the Giants and hit .255 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI.
During his time with the Giants, McCutchen remembers those moments he shared with Mays.
“I came back and there he was that next day in the clubhouse,” McCutchen said as he recalled a time he shared with Mays in 2018. “I came in, I said, ‘Willie! What’s going on, Willie?’ He tried to figure out the voice. I was like, ‘It’s Pittsburgh.’
“He’s like, ‘Ah, Pittsburgh. Well, you left to go on the road for 10 games, you had 10 home runs. You came back, still got 10 home runs.’”
During that conversation, McCutchen knew what Mays was trying to do.
“There was no laugh that came out of his direction,” he said. “He was dead serious, trying to motivate me in his way, to be better…That’s one of the stories. There are a lot of them.”
“I just don’t forget that interaction I had with him. That was a pretty good interaction.”
Those are the kind of memories McCutchen can go on to tell his current teammates and even his children.
McCutchen and Mays have been named to multiple all-star teams, have won the Roberto Clemente Award, have been named NL MVP, and have won Gold Glove awards.
So, it makes sense why McCutchen has looked up to Mays.
McCutchen Continues Legacy Of Mays
“His legacy is going to live on,” McCutchen said. “Anyone who has ever come in contact with Mays for even a day is going to have a story, is going to have something.”
Mays has paved the way for so many talented Black baseball players and those current players like McCutchen want to do the same for the younger generation.
At 37, McCutchen continues to play this game at a high level just like Mays did throughout his career.
When he decides to hang the cleats up for good, McCutchen will have a legacy that many will remember, especially during his time in Pittsburgh.
Andrew McCutchen will go down as one of the best to ever suit up for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 37-year-old has accomplished a lot throughout his career and is not showing any signs of slowing down when it comes to making an impact on his team.
Through 47 games, McCutchen is tied for first on his team in homers with eight and he’s in the top five in batting average, hitting .237. He put together a solid performance at the plate during May as he hit .277 with five home runs, 12 RBI, and a .468 slugging percentage.
At the plate, McCutchen has barreled up a good number of pitches, but sometimes in baseball, it doesn’t work out in your favor.
“It’s very hard as a professional to not be rewarded when you do everything right,” he said. “The numbers say, more times than not, you are rewarded, but for me, it felt like the polar opposite.”
Despite not getting the outcome he wants at the plate when he’s making good contact, that’s not stopping him from continuing to get out there and have success during his at-bats.
“I’m doing something right. I’m just not being rewarded for it,” McCutchen said. “That’s how I’m looking at it.”
The Florida native has become a hero in the city of Pittsburgh and while he’s still playing, his legacy is cemented there.
McCutchen is a player who you want to be around and want to have as a teammate. Not only is he passionate on the field, he’s passionate off as well.
He wants to help put his team in the best position to win and he’s willing to do whatever it takes. Yes, he has garnered multiple accolades throughout his career, but he’s a team player and wants to see his team win.
The Pirates have their work cut out for them if they want to make a push for the postseason this year and you better believe McCutchen is going to lead his team both on and off the field.
For his career, McCutchen has posted a .275 batting average through 2,054 games played and has a .464 slugging percentage.
Member of the 300 HR Club
Coming into the 2024 season, McCutchen was one swing away from reaching a milestone. He accomplished that on April 14 against the Philadelphia Phillies as he hit his 300th career home run.
The 2013 National League MVP became the 13th player with 2,000 hits, 400 doubles, 45 triples, 300 homers and 200 stolen bases.
“I’m happy that’s over with,” he said after hitting the home run. “I’ve been sitting on that one for a while.”
McCutchen became the fourth Pirates player to hit 300 home runs, the last Pirate to do so was Jeremy Burnitz in 2006.
When his career is over, there’s no question he will be inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame. What he’s done for the Pirates organization cannot go unnoticed and he has proven time after time that he’s one of the best that has suited up for the Bucs.
Earlier this offseason the Pittsburgh Pirates signed outfielder Andrew McCutchen to a one-year, $5 million deal. McCutchen, 37, is entering his 16th season in the MLB and is coming off a partially torn Achilles he suffered in his left foot on Sep.4.
McCutchen has had quite the career since entering the major leagues in 2009 with the Pirates, a team he wishes to finish his career with. In his career he has achieved the following accolades:
2013 NL MVP
5x All-Star
Gold Glove Award (2012)
4x Silver Slugger Award (2012-2015)
Roberto Clemente Award (2015)
McCutchen had a batting average of .256 last season to go with 12 homers, 43 RBIs, 55 runs, and 11 stolen bases in 112 games with most of them being the designated hitter.
So how does McCutchen help the Pirates who finished (76-86), fourth in the NL Central Division last season benefit from McCutchen re-signing with the team?
A Veteran Presence
McCutchen is the longest-tenured Pirate who has been a part of the organization dating back to 2009. There are 14 guys on the active roster currently 27 years old or younger.
If you look at the full 40-man roster it also consists of numerous rookies and players with five years of experience or less. Having a player with the class of McCutchen who has accomplished a lot as an individual player, has been in playoff games, and has seen the highs and lows as a player with the organization.
The Pirates haven’t made the postseason since 2015, and losing can affect the confidence of many young players so having a veteran in the locker room such as McCutchen can help in what is a long grueling season.
A Reliable Hitter
Having an efficient and powerful hitter in baseball is one of the many recipes for success and McCutchen has a career batting average of .276, an on-base percentage of .369, and a slugging percentage of .465.
There’s a reason he was the designated hitter for the Pirates last season, especially considering they ranked 24th in batting average (.239), and 22nd in runs (692).
With the Pirates struggling mightily to get any offense going, they will need a healthy McCutchen and his prowess at-bat to help them win games.
A Good Outfielder
McCutchen is still capable of getting it done in the outfield having been a Golden Glove recipient in 2012.
With the Pirates struggling mightily offensively last season and being 22nd in ERA (4.60) and WHIP (1.38) they’ll need to have a reliable defense at base and in the outfield to help them win games.
Verdict
McCutchen coming off a torn Achilles at the advanced age of 37 might be an insurmountable task to overcome especially if you expect him to perform at an All-Star level.
However, until he fully rehabs his injury, he can still provide a great veteran presence in the dugout, practices, and so forth that can teach the youngsters the ins and outs of the game and how to be a true professional from preparation to food diet.
McCutchen is one of the greatest Pirates of all time and looks to try to finish his career healthy and hopefully have a shot to win what’s missing on his resume… A World Series Title.
Few things go together better than peanut butter and jelly. That is unless its Andrew McCutchen in a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform.
The 37-year-old, who returned to his Pittsburgh roots for the 2023 season, announced via social media that he’ll be returning for the 2024 season.
But it’s the way he went about it that has everyone talking, not only did “Cutch” make Pirates fans happy, he also gave them a chuckle. In his announcement McCutchen referenced “The Wolf of Wall Street” movie in which Leonardo DiCaprio made the announcement to his employees that he would indeed not be stepping down from his current position. It was met by a chorus of claps and excitement.
Pirated fans took to social media to retweet the announcement with captions that read like this.
@TalkinBaseball_ said this … “THIS is how you announce you re-signed.” @specialandrare tweeted this … “Probably the best player tweet I’ve ever seen.”
Cutch Returns For 15th Season
It’s safe to say the Pirates faithful are happy to have one of the franchise’s icons back in the fold for at least one more go. The deal is one-year, $5 million.
Late Season’s Injury Isn’t Stopping Cutch
After playing in 112 games for the Pirates this season, McCutchen suffered a partially torn Achilles tendon in September. Initially the belief was he was fine, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
That didn’t stop Cutch who finished the 2023 season with a slash line of .256/.378/.397 (112 OPS+) with 12 home runs, 43 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in (14 attempts), from still wanting to continue his career.
He also surpassed the 2,000-hit milestone.
Over the summer and prior to the injury he reiterated that he wanted to continue to play beyond this season, but only in Pittsburgh.
“I’m not done,” McCutchen told reporters over the summer. “Tom Brady said he would stop playing when he stunk. I don’t want to put it in the same context, but when my body tells me I’ve had enough. My body is still saying, Nah, you’re good. You’re fine.”
McCutchen Has Hall Of Fame Resume
Taken with the 11th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, McCutchen spent the first nine seasons in Pittsburgh (2009-17) winning the 2013 NL MVP.
The five time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner then spent 2018-2022 with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies and Brewers, where he enjoyed moderate success, but nothing like his tenure in Pittsburgh.
While Cutch won the 2013 NL MVP Award, his best season actually came in 2012 when he led the NL in hits with (194), on-base percentage (.410), extra-base hits (69) and OPS (.952).
He currently sits with a .276 batting average, 299 home runs, 2,048 hits, 1,045 RBI across a 15-year MLB career. Welcome back to the MLBbro OG Andrew McCutchen. Thanks for giving us another year of covering your illustrious baseball journey.
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