Madden Monday: Where Andrew McCutchen ranks among all-time Pirates greats

Pittsburgh Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen got his 2,000th career hit Sunday afternoon during a 2-1 win over the New York Mets.

It was a classic McCutchen swing, whipping his quick hands through a pitch from Carlos Carrasco and lacing it into left field.

This moment is everything ???? pic.twitter.com/53yrnjJNwt

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 11, 2023

For McCutchen, that’s now 1,515 hits as a Pirate, 12th most in franchise history. That’s more than the likes of other great Pirate outfielders such as Al Oliver (1,490), Dave Parker (1,479), Bill Virdon (1,431), Andy Van Slyke (1,108), Ralph Kiner (1,097) and Barry Bonds (984).

During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE said that when considering McCutchen’s place among all-time great Pirates outfielders, you have to consider the time in Pirates history in which he debuted and the impact he had in changing the fortunes of what had been a rudderless franchise for 20 years.

Given McCutchen’s five consecutive All-Star Game appearances (and the 2013 National League MVP), being the focal point of the Pirates finally making the playoffs from 2013-15 for the first time after two straight decades of losing seasons means something more than raw statistics.

So does his decision to come back to Pittsburgh this year as a free agent and be the clubhouse leader as the team has worked its way back to relevance for the first time since 2015.

“McCutchen defines that era, and that era defines McCutchen. I think the exclamation point is coming back now as kind of a glue guy,” Madden said.

However, Madden does have six Pirate outfielders in front of McCutchen on his all-time list — Roberto Clemente (3,000 hits), Paul Waner (2,868), Willie Stargell (2,232), Parker, Bonds and Kiner. Clemente, Parker and Stargell were all MVPs and world champions. Kiner, Waner, Clemente and Stargell are all in the Hall of Fame. Bonds won two MVPs here and retired as Major League Baseball’s home run king.

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Maybe if those Pirates teams of 2013-15 ever advanced beyond the NL Divisional Series, ‘Cutch would rise even higher on such lists. But Madden says McCutchen’s place among the all-time greats in Pirates history is solidified.

“They really didn’t accomplish all that much between 2013-15, other than merely qualifying for the postseason,” Madden said. “But, I think if you look at ‘Cutch within the framework of the Pirates franchise, period, he’s pretty good. There are six outfielders in Pirates history, to me, clearly better than him. But he’s also a clear-cut seventh, and he does define that era. He’s very charismatic. There’s no denying his MVP and his five All-Star appearances. Good for him. It’s a big accomplishment. It’s not 3,000 hits, but it’s still big.”

Currently, Madden also thinks McCutchen deserves to be praised for how he is handling his role as a leadoff hitter. Part of the reason it took a while for McCutchen to get over the hump and get to 2,000 is that he had taken 10 walks in June. As a result, his on-base percentage for the month is .438.

As a comparison, Miami’s Luis Arraez leads MLB with a .447 on-base percentage for the season. McCutchen’s is .381 on the year, 10th best in the National League.

“Despite the fact that his legs aren’t what they were, he’s still a pretty good leadoff hitter because he just gets on base,” Madden said. “The amount of walks he’s gotten lately has been incredible. And that shows a bit of veteran savvy on his part because here’s a guy, when he gets put in the leadoff spot, totally tailors his approach at the plate to being in the leadoff spot.”

Also, during the podcast, Madden and I talk about where the Pirates are in the big picture of the NL playoff landscape, some recent comments emanating from the Steelers locker room and how the NHL free agent market may play out for the Penguins.

Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden talk Pirates, Steelers and Penguins