Pirates' Andrew McCutchen Reveals Turning Point In Career
The road to the big leagues wasn't a smooth one for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder turned designated hitter Andrew McCutchen.
McCutchen believed he was on the cusp of reaching the big leagues at just 20 years old in 2007. Instead, he was sent down to Double-A Altoona on the final day of Spring Training to begin the year. A 'heartbroken' McCutchen struggled to begin the season, batting .189/.247/.311 with just seven RBIs.
Seeing McCutchen carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, Altoona manager Tim Leiper had a conversation with the Pirates outfielder. That conversation got McCutchen back to who he was and he credits it with getting him to where he is today.
"I put pressure on myself and had a bad first half of the season," McCutchen said in a Q&A with MLB.com's Jim Lachimia. "But Tim Leiper, who was Altoona’s manager at the time, gave me one of the best pep talks I’ve ever had. He reminded me how good a player I could be, and why I played the game. That changed the trajectory of my career. It was beneficial to go through those struggles because that propelled me to my successes in the big leagues."
Leiper is currently the San Diego Padres third base coach, infield coach and baserunning coordinator. He spent three seasons as Altoona's manager from 2006-2008.
After seeing his numbers steadily improve, McCutchen was back to being himself in July, batting .309/.389/.404 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. After putting together a strong month of August, he was eventually called up to Triple-A Indianapolis at the end of the season.
McCutchen spent the 2008 season and part of 2009 in Indianapolis before he was called up to the Pirates.
McCutchen has gone on to become a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, an MVP, a Gold Glove award winner and he's won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. He's also among the franchise's best statistically, ranking in the top 10 in Wins Above Replacement, games played, at-bats, home runs, RBIs, hits, doubles and total bases.
For his career, McCutchen has hit 319 home runs, driven in 1,095 runs while slashing .273/.367/.462. With the Pirates, the former MVP has batted .284/.375/.475 with 235 home runs and 818 RBIs across 11 seasons.
