The words "superstar" and "Pittsburgh Pirates" haven't gone together since a young kid named Barry Bonds was making his clean mark on Major League Baseball as a five-tool left fielder during the Pirate's last winning season. That seems like a lifetime ago, when in reality it was roughly 20 years. Hard to believe that there are children in college who weren't born yet the last time the Pirates were any good or had a superstar.
To quote Pittsburgh's own O.A.R., "Oh my God, tell me this won't last forever." Cheer up, Pirate fans and sympathizers, forever is about to end.
For the many that have never heard of Andrew McCutchen, he was the Pirates' first-round pick back in 2005 and has just finished his first full major league season (he was called up back in June of 2009).
McCutchen batted .286, hit 16 HR, drove in 56 runs, and stole 33 bases this season. His best month was probably his most recent in which he batted .326 with four home runs, 15 RBI, and four stolen bases for September.
Many are probably asking what makes him so special? The Pirates have had a handful of good outfielders in the past (Jason Bay and Nate McClouth being the most recent), but none have become true superstars. What makes him different?
Simple, he can single-handedly change a game.
Because the Pirates are rarely, if ever, nationally televised, no one has gotten the chance to witness this unique ability that only few players currently possess.
A perfect example was the game on Sept. 25, when the Pirates were playing the Houston Astros in an utterly meaningless game between two teams that had been out of the playoff hunt since July. There were two outs with runners on base and a ball was hit hard in the right center gap. Typically, this would go as a two-run double.
Then, there was this flash of dreadlocks and McCutchen came in out of nowhere to make a nearly impossible play seem routine.
On McCutchen's next at bat, with the score tied 3-3, he hit a fairly hard ball into left field. Again, typical single for most, but because McCutchen ran out of the batter's box at top speed, he was able to slide in for a double. Sure enough, the next batter, Jose Tabata, drilled a single which allowed McCutchen to score easily.
Not only did this showcase his athletic ability and speed, but it also showed his competitiveness and desire to win. It would've been easy for him to take the single and hope his teammates would string together a couple hits, but instead he realized that this may be their best chance, and took a risk that paid off. The Pirates never trailed again and won, 6-4.
McCutchen has shown this ability numerous times, but never in front of a national audience because well, he plays for the one of the worst teams in the past 20 years and FOX and ESPN would be stupid to show one of their games very often.
This may change next year, however. Typically, the third year is when a player "puts it all together" and reaches his potential. Well, considering this was his second year playing more than 100 games, don't be surprised if the center fielder puts up some crazy numbers next year.
Now, is he inconsistent? Does he make a dumb mistake occasionally? Absolutely. The kid is about to turn just 24 years old next week. He can only get better, but his ceiling is incredibly high because of his athletic ability, competitiveness, knowledge of the game, and the fact that he's proven he can play at a high level at such a young age.
It's no longer a matter of if he can become a superstar, but when. For the Pirates' sake, I hope it's while he's in Pittsburgh.
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