Andrew McCutchen Believes Pirates Are Close
The only achievement eluding Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder turned designated hitter Andrew McCutchen is winning a playoff series and the World Series.
At 38 years old, time is of the essence for McCutchen if he's going to make the deep playoff run that he eluded him for the duration of his career. Fortunately for McCutchen, he believes the Pirates aren't that far off from taking the next step and being ready to compete in the National League.
"We are really close," McCutchen said. "[I] always say for the most part, even in these years that we've had past couple years, we play the really good teams really good. That's the way I always say it. It's the Yankees, it's the Dodgers, it's the Red Sox, we play them really well. We do a really good job against these teams and when we do that, it lets me know that we are capable of winning more. We are capable of winning games. This team is capable [and] we are capable of doing it.
"We are really close. We play the really good teams really good. When we do that, it lets me know that we're capable of winning more."
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) December 23, 2024
🗣️ Andrew McCutchen pic.twitter.com/s3CGHXDeQo
McCutchen agreed to a one-year $5 million deal on Monday to return for his 12th season with Pittsburgh. MLB.com's Alex Stumpf was the first to report the terms of the deal between the Pirates and McCutchen.
Pittsburgh won its lone series of the season against the American League Pennant-winning New York Yankees and won one of two series against the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Overall, Pittsburgh went 4-5 against the Yankees and Dodgers and was swept handily in a three-game series against Boston in April.
Of the 12 playoff teams from 2024, Pittsburgh won the season series against four and split against two. The Pirates were 44-61 against teams that were over .500 last season.
If the Pirates are going to improve on being 76-86 for a second straight season and missing the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons, McCutchen may have to find himself at the heart of the team's success.
The Pirates legend was far from a good story who just found his way back onto the team that drafted him with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2005 MLB Draft. He was one of Pittsburgh's top hitters in 2024, batting .232/.328/.411 with 20 home runs and 50 RBIs.
Along with his strong performance last season, McCutchen's play for Pittsburgh since the franchise drafted him has established him as one of the franchise's best players in the 21st century. He's also a former MVP, five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, and winner of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award in 2015. He won the MVP in 2013 after posting an MLB-leading 7.8 WAR and batted .317/.404/.508 with 21 home runs and 84 RBIs.
Overall, the Pirates legend has amassed a 42.7 Wins Above Replacement and has batted .284/.375/.475 with 235 home runs and 818 RBIs. McCutchen is among the franchise's all-time great players, ranking in the top 10 in Wins Above Replacement, games played, at-bats, home runs, RBIs, hits, doubles and total bases.
While the offense likely isn't going to be Pittsburgh's calling card again in 2025, McCutchen believes his team can overcome that if they play the game the right way and improve in other aspects. And if the Pirates can do that, McCutchen thinks the sky is the limit for them.
"We're not going to slug more than all the teams, but we can do a lot of the small things and be really good at it," McCutchen said. "If we can do that, we'll have more of an opportunity to win games. [We need to] execute when we need to execute, make the big pitch when we need to make a big pitch and make the plays we need to make the plays. We do those small things right, it'll go a long ways. I think [if] we can get better at that, this team will get to where we want to go."
