Postseason Will Be Nation's Introduction to Andrew McCutchen's Greatness

One of the unfortunate things about playing baseball in Pittsburgh is a truly great and unique talent can get lost in the shuffle because most fans haven't had much reason to watch the Pirates. 

Until now. 

And the biggest story to come out of Tuesday night's playoff game at PNC Park, the first meaningful October game this stadium has ever hosted and first playoff game for the Pirates in 21 years, will be Andrew McCutchen. 

McCutchen, the 26-year-old franchise player, has gradually evolved into one of the best players in Major League Baseball since being called up in 2009. 

A very good player in those first two years with a .286/.365/.459 line and 6.8 wins above replacement, McCutchen's career trajectory has grown exponentially in the last three seasons. 

McCutchen's fWAR total of 15.0 is the second best in baseball among position players, trailing only Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout (20.4). 

When you are keeping the same company as Trout, it is clear that a lot of things are going right. And that is something that can get lost on people not paying close attention to this surprising Pirates team. 

There has been a groundswell of support for McCutchen in the National League MVP race this season, and for good reason. 

Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley wrote a piece for ESPN.com breaking down McCutchen's candidacy, illustrating how much better the Pirates star has been than that of a typical NL center fielder. 

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Consider that the average National League right fielder has posted a .764 OPS this season but the average center fielder has mustered up only a .717 OPS. To match player production to those numbers, Jason Heyward is at .771 while Denard Span is at .714. What this means is McCutchen provides excellent production (.925) at a position where such production is difficult to find. 

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Note: At the time the piece was written on September 14, McCutchen's OPS was .925. It finished the season at .911. 

You also have to factor in the defensive value that McCutchen has in center field, one of the most important positions on the field. He finished third among all qualified NL center fielders with seven defensive runs saved and fourth in UZR. 

When you combine that defensive prowess with tremendous offensive skills, at a position where finding even average hitters is difficult, it pushes McCutchen into the stratosphere of players in baseball. 

That's why it is so great to see McCutchen leading the Pirates into the postseason, because the world will get to see something that hardcore baseball fans have known for years. 

There is certainly a section of the baseball viewing audience that is aware of McCutchen. He was voted as the cover athlete for the MLB '13: The Show video game before the season, but not enough people paid attention to make him a starter in the All-Star game the three years he has made the team.

It's a shame that it's taken this long for McCutchen to captivate fans and analysts on a national level, because we are looking at one of the three best position players in baseball. The team he plays for obviously has a part in that, but talent should be appreciated regardless of what everyone around him is doing. 

A player like Trout, who has yet to play in the postseason because the Angels underachieved in 2012 and fell apart in 2013, commands everyone's attention. When you are putting up historically great seasons, and when those seasons happen to be the first two you play, it is easier for people to watch you. 

But McCutchen did not have that kind of instant success. He was like 99.9 percent of top players who must go through a learning curve in the minors and early days in the majors before reaching their full potential. 

A postseason stage is a proper coming-out party for the nation to learn just who McCutchen is, how great he has been and why Pittsburgh is fortunate to have him. 

J. Brady McCollough of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted McCutchen's new career arc in a profile that ran at the end of spring training this season. 

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He is the Pirates' star center fielder, a two-time All-Star who finished third in last year's voting for National League Most Valuable Player. He is the face -- and the hair -- of the franchise, his long locks having become a symbol of hope for a fan base that has had to take loyalty to new levels over two decades.

--snip--

McCutchen, known more frequently today as "Cutch," is in the process of going from a good player few recognize to a household name for baseball fans across the country, and he has hired a publicist to manage his image and public appearances. 

"

If he thought things were getting out of hand at the beginning of the season, wait until all the gushing starts on Tuesday night. 

Even if the Pirates don't make a run in the playoffs, if Tuesday's game against Cincinnati winds up being the last game for the team and McCutchen in 2013, it will have been worth it for the city of Pittsburgh to cheer about baseball again. 

It will also have been worth it for McCutchen, who can take his rightful spot alongside the biggest names in Major League Baseball when he hears his name announced as the starting center fielder and later when he steps into the batter's box in a playoff game for the first time. 

Fans may not see the very best that McCutchen has to offer, because in a small sample size, a lot of things can happen, and you have to appreciate greatness over 162 games instead of just one. 

So pay attention to what you are seeing when McCutchen steps on the field Tuesday night. He will be the best player on the field—yes, Reds fans, better than Joey Votto or Shin-Soo Choo—and is more than capable of impacting the game in the box, on the bases and in the outfield. 

 

To watch all TBS postseason games online, click here. 

Note: All stats courtesy of Fangraphs unless otherwise noted. If you want to talk baseball, feel free to hit me up on Twitter with questions or comments. 

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