Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
A spot in Cooperstown may be unlikely, but Andrew McCutchen deserves praise for an outstanding run.
If I had to pick my favorite cliche statement in sports media, it’d be that father time is undefeated. Time and time again we see the decline of a once seemingly unstoppable athlete, as the miles start to pile on and they are simply not the same as they once were. In spite of all that, 37-year old Andrew McCutchen continues to prove his worth to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and why he might be one of the most underrated stars of his generation.
I want to get the obvious out of the way first, McCutchen is the greatest Pirate of the 21st century. When the teams of the late 80’s and early 90’s were disbanded, the city of Pittsburgh was desperate for a new baseball star. The departures of Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Leyland, and others left the organization without an identity resulting in a record 20-season streak where they posted a losing record.
I’m not going to act like he did it by himself, but McCutchen was largely responsible for bringing Pirates baseball back to the forefront, and “Buctober” was a very real thing in his first stint with the team. There’s even more evidence of this as when he was traded, the organization went into another unprecedented streak of mediocrity. Multiple 100-loss seasons ceased when McCutchen re-signed with the team as a free agent in 2023. Again, he’s not solely responsible for that but it is clear to see that when McCutchen is wearing black and gold the team is in a better spot overall.
Drafted in 2005 straight out of Fort Meade High School, McCutchen didn’t immediately change things in Pittsburgh, but once he arrived it was hard to remember what times were like without him. The buzz surrounding the Pirates was at an all-time high. The team built around McCutchen with other players like Starling Marte, Gerrit Cole, and Josh Harrison and they were finally competitive and exciting.
When the news broke that the Pirates would be signing the veteran outfielder in 2023, it was like history repeating itself. The billboards, the press-conference, the jerseys, the entire experience was like 2012 all over again. His first game back in PNC Park as a Pirate was like a rock concert. Even if the performances weren’t quite the same, it was worth watching every step of the way. Now in 2024, through all the ups and downs that this group has dealt with, there’s a very real conversation for bringing McCutchen back for another year, as he has put together another strong campaign.
Undoubtedly the career of Andrew McCutchen is coming to a close, so the conversation of Cooperstown is certainly beginning to bubble. In the case of McCutchen, he is viewed as a fringe Hall-of-Fame candidate. I don’t think it’ll be easy to convince the voters, but I do believe that McCutchen is absolutely a Hall-of-Fame player, and does not get enough recognition for being one of the best outfielders of his era.
McCutchen’s resume includes five All-Star team selections, four-straight Silver Slugger awards, a Gold Glove award in 2012, and was the MVP in the National League in 2013. He has a career line of .274/.368/.463 with 2,147 hits, 319 homers, and 1,095 RBIs. At his peak, he was arguably the best player in the National League. From 2010-2015, McCutchen accumulated 35.4 bWAR and had a 146 OPS+. His 35.4 bWAR trails only Joey Votto (35.7) over that span.
McCutchen recently eclipsed 20 homers in a season for the 10th time in his career, and is one of just five active players to have at least ten seasons with 20+ home runs. His eight seasons of 20+ home runs with the Pirates is second to only Willie Stargell. He has also tallied five seasons with at least 20 stolen bases, as he was truly an all-around offensive threat, showing the ability to hit for contact, hit for power, get on base, and steal when needed. Remarkably he is one of just 12 players in MLB history with at least 2000 hits, 1100 runs, 1000 walks, 1000 RBI, 300 homers, 400 doubles, and 200 stolen bases. Seven of those other players are in Cooperstown.
Last thing I’ll say about the possibilities of Cooperstown, is that if the numbers are not enough for the voters then his character should be. Cooperstown has a “Character Clause”, which is taken into consideration when determining a player’s candidacy. To this point, it has only been used in regards to a player’s negative character qualities i.e Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez for their connections to steroids. Not once has the Hall taken into consideration someone’s positive character qualities, but if there were to be a first, McCutchen fits that mold.
In 2015 he was awarded the Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award for his commitment to community and understanding the value of helping others, was awarded Pittsburgher of the Year in 2023, and has always been a role-model on the field and off. There have been better players, but there may be no better person in baseball from this generation, and for some that means more than a stupid trophy.
Beloved in the city of Pittsburgh, and impactful at all his other stops along the way, Andrew McCutchen has played out the kind of career that most players can only dream of. His charitable acts away from the game have made him one of the most respected men in the sport. If this is the last season we get to enjoy him as a player, then the time is now for the National media to recognize how great he truly is, and how much we’ll miss him when he is finally gone.
