'The missing piece': Pirates feeding off Andrew McCutchen for best start in three decades

That Andrew McCutchen is back with the Pittsburgh Pirates and they are within striking distance of first place in the NL Central is not lost on the 36-year-old right fielder/designated hitter, who has a point to prove.

This isn’t the old Cutch, but rather a return to the Cutch of old.

Even more than anticipated, McCutchen has led the resurgence of the Pirates (14-7), who entered Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds as the hottest team in baseball. After losing 100 games in back-to-back seasons, the Pirates are riding a five-game winning streak, sit a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the division lead and are off to their best start since 1992.

McCutchen is providing flashbacks to his five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP form by slashing .277/.388/.523 with four doubles, four home runs — including a winning, two-run shot in the 10th inning on Jackie Robinson Day — nine RBIs and 11 runs through 19 games.

Where McCutchen batted .291 and averaged 32 doubles, 23 homers and 81 RBIs in his first nine seasons with the Pirates, his numbers dipped after being traded to the San Francisco Giants in January 2018. While playing for the Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, he batted .242 and averaged 20 doubles, 17 homers and 56 RBIs over the past five seasons.

“It just lets me know that all the work I’ve been putting in every single day, every single year, every offseason, I know it’s still there,” McCutchen said. “I know it’s not a matter of, ‘Oh, he’s slowed down a bit.’ No the heck I haven’t. I know I’m better than what I’ve done in the past, and it’s showing. The thing about me is, it’s not near what I know what I can do.”

McCutchen’s confidence has proved contagious in the clubhouse, where teammates marvel at how he carries himself with the swagger of a superstar yet is willing to share the secrets of a 15-year major-league veteran who wants to end his career in the city where it started. Pirates manager Derek Shelton regularly applauds the leadership McCutchen, 37-year-old first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana and 43-year-old left-hander Rich Hill have brought to the club.

But even opponents have noticed the difference.

“To be honest, I think that that was the missing piece,” said Reds shortstop Kevin Newman, who spent the past five seasons with the Pirates before being traded in November. “I think that we had a lot of talent, and I think that’s what we needed and that’s what they needed. To get that with not only getting Cutch back but a few more guys with the veteran presence, I’m not surprised they’re playing the way they’re playing. That, to me, was what they needed.”

Upon his return after signing a one-year, $5 million contract in January, McCutchen promised to be a leader. Whether that’s by answering questions, taking professional at-bats or dancing under the disco ball, McCutchen has brought an enthusiasm that has allowed the Pirates to enjoy every moment of their early success.

“It’s presence, really,” Pirates catcher Austin Hedges said. “It’s the second he steps into the doors of the clubhouse or goes onto the field, that’s a pro. That’s a guy who’s done it for a long time and does it the right way. For a lot of young guys in this clubhouse, he’s an amazing vocal leader but leads by example even better. For young guys trying to figure out how they want to go about their day and how they go about their business, all you’ve got to do is look at Cutch, and that’s your perfect example.

“That’s an MVP of baseball right there. There’s a reason for it. If you’re going to win MVP of this game, you’ve got to be a bad dude. You’ve got to have that kind of swagger, and he exudes that every day. It definitely rubs off on the rest of the guys.”

Connor Joe was excited when he learned McCutchen was signing with the Pirates, even as Joe was aware it could come at the expense of his playing time. A 30-year-old outfielder/first baseman acquired from Colorado last fall, Joe was a first-round draft pick by the Pirates in 2014 and remembers being awestruck upon seeing McCutchen at Pirate City during spring training.

Now, Joe is grateful he not only can pick McCutchen’s brain but follow his lead when it comes to making baseball fun again. Pirates players swing a sword in the dugout after every home run, and McCutchen is at the center of their postgame victory celebrations.

“A lot of the time when we talk about the energy in the clubhouse, a lot of it started with Cutch. A lot of people think it’s a lot of young guys who have a lot of energy, but it’s really Cutch’s swagger that has brushed off on a lot of us,” Joe said. “He shows up to the field the same guy. That’s really refreshing to see, for someone who’s been in the game that long to show up to the field as the same person every day. It just goes to show why he’s been in the bigs for so long and has been so successful.

“After wins, the disco ball is out, the strobe lights are going, the music is blasting and he’s dancing. That’s awesome. For how many times he’s experienced a big-league win, to see him dancing and celebrating is really cool, man. He knows how hard it is to win in the big leagues, and he’s showing us the way, showing us how to celebrate the successes in this game.”

If McCutchen’s return is giving Pirates fans flashbacks to the 2012 season, when they were 63-47, only 2 ½ games out of first place and in wild-card contention on Aug. 8, he promises to be the first to temper such comparisons by delivering a dose of reality.

“We want to be better than ’12 because we ended up not being a .500 ballclub in 2012,” McCutchen said. “Yeah, we had a good start, and it was exciting but we couldn’t keep it up.”

The Pirates, of course, suffered an epic collapse in 2012 by losing 36 of their final 52 games to finish in fourth place at 79-83. It was a humbling lesson for the team, which would end two decades of losing seasons by winning 94 games the following season and clinch the first of three consecutive wild-card playoff berths.

“I think we let a lot of that success get to us,” McCutchen said. “People can say it’s like that, but I’m here and not planning to let that happen. I know what it feels like to surprise people and feel like you have the city right there with you and feel like, ‘Bro, this is crazy.’ You can’t let that stuff get to you.

“As soon as we get on that high horse, I’m the type of person that’s going to knock you off of it. Yes, we’re winning, good job, but we didn’t execute on this play. We need to execute on this play. I don’t care what the score is. We’ve got to make sure we do the small things correct. That could be the difference between winning and losing games.”

Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes said McCutchen already is sending that message to the Pirates throughout their strong start, that following the fundamentals will lead to sustained success: “That was one thing Cutch told us last week. He was just like, ‘Keep doing the little things. Keep playing with energy. The right things will happen.’ ”

That explains why Shelton emphasizes the power of McCutchen’s professional at-bats as the most profound impact he has made on the young club. McCutchen has a .388 on-base percentage this season, 47 points higher than his career average and 72 points higher than last season, and his final at-bat with two outs in the eighth inning of Friday’s game was proof of his patience at the plate.

After grounding out in his first two plate appearances and striking out in his third, McCutchen fouled off the only one of Ian Gibaut’s pitches in the strike zone and drew a five-pitch walk. Then McCutchen scored from first on Carlos Santana’s double to left-center to provide an insurance run in the 4-2 win over the Reds.

“The way he controls the at-bat,” Shelton said. “That has helped us so much because it’s so professional and he doesn’t go outside the zone and he has a professional at-bat every time. He never gives away at-bats.”

What used to irritate Shelton when McCutchen played for the Brewers last season was the length of the at-bats, how he saw pitches and grinded pitchers. That changed when McCutchen became a Pirate, of course, as he’s learned to trust himself and not chase pitches outside the zone.

“I don’t think you appreciate it until you see it on an everyday basis,” Shelton said. “From talking to him, that’s something he’s learned over time. He wasn’t always that (way). He’s also a 36-year-old guy who knows his skill set, knows how he can take advantage. And he’s extremely smart. You talk to him about how pitchers are going to attack him, what they’re going to throw and what they’re going to do to him and he’s extremely aware of what’s going on. It’s impressive.”

So impressive and contagious that Pirates fans are starting to gravitate back to PNC Park again. The home opener drew a sellout crowd of 39,167, which gave McCutchen a roaring, standing ovation for his first game with the Pirates since September 2017, but the numbers dropped drastically. The attendance averaged 10,213 from April 9-12 but increased to 14,051 on Thursday and 17,276 on Friday.

As McCutchen made it clear in his introductory news conference that he wasn’t returning for a farewell tour, he is adamant that there’s still more to come, and he has a lot left to show the baseball world. His greatest impact on the Pirates remains to be seen.

“I don’t know. I’ve done what I’ve always done. I haven’t done anything different,” McCutchen said. “I have the advantage of what I’ve done here in the past and coming back. Guys are excited about that. The city’s excited about that. So you have that alone.

“But coming in, I’m just trying to be positive and play the game hard any way that I can. I’m trying to set a good example with the words that I mentioned when I first got here. This isn’t some show to put people’s butts in the stands. That’s not the reason I’m here. That’s not my reason. I’m here to play. I’m here to win.”

If that sounds like the Cutch of old, it’s by design.