Andrew McCutchen was selected in the first round of the 2005 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Fort Meade High School. Nearly two decades later, “Cutch” is reportedly returning to the Buccos.
McCutchen debuted in Pittsburgh during the 2009 season, posting 12 home runs, 54 RBI, and 22 stolen bases over 108 games to finish fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. McCutchen followed that up with a solid 2010 campaign, before breaking out in 2011, the first of his five consecutive All-Star seasons with the franchise.
The former 11th overall pick led the league in hits in 2012 with 194 knocks, while earning his only Gold Glove and the first of his four straight Silver Slugger awards. McCutchen won the 2013 NL MVP by recording 21 home runs and 84 RBIs, along with a career-high 38 doubles, as well as 27 stolen bases and a .317/.404/.508 slash line.
He led the league in on-base percentage (.410) and OPS (.952) in 2014 and the next year, helped lead the Pirates to their third straight playoff campaign. McCutchen is widely considered one of the best players the organization has had in the 21st century, as he led them to their first postseason berth in 21 years in 2013, and since the three-year playoff run through 2015, the franchise hasn’t returned to play meaningful October baseball.
While McCutchen’s arrival will likely bring back some nostalgia in Pittsburgh, the move could also be another signal that 2021 All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds may soon be traded. The 27-year-old Reynolds has been in the middle of trade rumors since at least last offseason, and with the team seemingly not close to contending it’s expected that he’ll be dealt eventually.
In 542 at-bats over 145 games last year, Reynolds led the Pirates in home runs (27), RBI (62), hits (142), and runs scored (74) among a host of other categories. Back in January 2018 when McCutchen first left Pittsburgh, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants with cash in exchange for reliever Kyle Crick, as well as international bonus slot money and ironically, Reynolds, who was still one year away from his big-league debut.
