ANDREW McCUTCHEN

10/10/86; '05 1st; Fort Meade, FL (HS)
R/R; 5-11, 175

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2005 HS
.709
 
1.836
55
8
3
16
 
 
16
 
2005 A-
.346
.443
.442
52
3
1
0
8
6
4
1
2005 R
.297
.411
.430
158
9
3
2
29
24
13
1
2006 AA
.308
.379
.474
78
4
0
3
8
20
1
1
2006 A
.291
.356
.446
453
20
4
14
42
91
22
7
2007 AAA
.313
.347
.418
67
4
0
1
4
11
4
3
2007 AA
.258
.327
.383
446
20
3
10
44
83
17
1
2008 AAA
.283
.372
.398
512
26
3
9
68
87
34
19
2009 NL
.286
.365
.471
433
26
9
12
54
83
22
5
2009 AAA
.303
.361
.493
201
10
8
4
17
24
10
2

McCutchen was considered one of the strongest tools players in the 2005 draft. He combined great speed and the potential of becoming an outstanding defensive centerfielder with good bat speed and very good pitch recognition. When he was drafted, the two main reservations were his ability to hit for power and the fact that he faced weak competition in HS.

In the minors, McCutchen's performance was up and down. Right from the start he showed good pitch recognition and at times he showed surprising power for a smaller guy. At low A and again in AAA he got off to fast starts, then slumped for extended periods. For instance, at Hickory in 2006 he hit .344 in April, then eventually slumped to .202 in June before rebounding to .331 in July and August. He repeated the pattern at Indianapolis in 2008. In between, the Pirates jumped him over high A in 2007 and that didn't go well at all. He struggled most of the year until he started coming around in August. His primary problem when he struggled was the slider, as he couldn't lay off breaking balls away. As a result, his career minor league OPS is over 200 points lower against RHPs than against LHPs. His power also seemed to come in sudden bursts, then disappear for long periods. In 2008, for instance, he hit five HRs in April and then only four more the rest of the year. Nevertheless, he was consistently rated the best prospect, or one of the best, everywhere he went. He also was always young for the levels he was playing at.

McCutchen had a strong spring in 2009, but the Pirates made it clear from the start that he was headed back to AAA for at least a little while. It's hard to escape the conclusion that they wanted to make sure he doesn't qualify as a "super-two" while also putting off free agency by a year. He got off to a good start, showing more power than he had before, although he had a bigger platoon split than ever.

When the Pirates traded Nate McLouth to Atlanta at the beginning of June, they called McCutchen up and he immediately became the team's best player and its most exciting since Barry Bonds. He hit for more power than they could reasonably have expected and showed good plate discipline right from the start. He also showed a flare for the dramatic, with several key, late-inning hits, including a walkoff HR and another walkoff hit, in the team's infrequent wins. He also had a three-HR game, and posted an OPS of 1.588 with the bases loaded and 1.075 with RISP. Despite playing just 108 games on a terrible hitting team, he scored 74 runs and drove in 54 out of the leadoff spot. He still had a platoon split, but it wasn't extreme: .810 against RHPs and .921 against LHPs. He didn't steal a huge number of bases, but his percentage was good and he's likely to run more as he learns the pitchers better, as he has a green light to run. Defensively, UZR shows him to have been only average, but that's a small sample size and, like many young players, his instincts are likely to improve. With his speed he figures to become a Gold Glove candidate. He plays very shallow but takes good routes going back on balls. His arm isn't strong, but he recorded ten assists as he throws accurately and to the right base, and cuts balls off well. He'll open 2010 as the Pirates' marquee player.

Return to Centerfielders