Pirates Star Still Seeking Ultimate Goal
There are a few accomplishments Andrew McCutchen has yet to achieve with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Still, one goal eludes the Pirates icon.
With time winding down for McCutchen as he enters his 17th season in the big leagues, he's ready to give everything he has in hopes of winning a championship.
"Heading into my 17th Major League season now, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got no matter what," McCutchen said in a Q&A with MLB.com's Jim Lachimia. "I’m going to play every game like it’s my last. That’s the little prayer I say before every game. Winning a championship is still my ultimate goal. That’s what I want more than anything out on that field."
McCutchen, 38, is a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, an MVP, a Gold Glove award winner and won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. For the Pirates, he's top 10 in Wins Above Replacement, games played, at-bats, home runs, RBIs, hits, doubles and total bases. For his career, the former MVP has hit 319 home runs, driven in 1,095 runs while slashing .273/.367/.462.
Part of McCutchen's allure to return to Pittsburgh was how close he feels the team is to contending. The Pirates went 76-86 for a second straight season and were 27-35 against the 12 teams that made the playoffs. Among those teams, the Pirates won the season series against the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles.
"I think we’re really close," McCutchen said. "The reason I say that is because we’ve played the good teams really well over the past couple of years. We do a really good job against those teams. And when we do that, it lets me know that we’re capable of winning more. We just have to be more consistent. Execute when we need to execute. Make the big pitch when we need to make the big pitch. Make the plays when we need to make the plays."
