Andrew McCutchen and What I Learned at the Braves Game Last Night

Andrew McCutchen is fast.

He can hit.

And he's going to be a star.

Somewhere between Nate McLouth's first home-run as a Brave and Craig Monroe being thrown out at home in the 11th inning, it occurred to me that maybe the Pirates made a very smart move in dealing McLouth to Atlanta.

It may have been during McCutchen's second triple.

It's rare you come away from a baseball game being overly impressed with a player on the opposing team, but that's what happened last night after watching the rookie fly around the bases.

While the Braves will play the Pirates for three more games (hopefully all shorter than 15 innings), I'll be making it a point to keep an eye on the young center fielder from now on.

Maybe you have no idea who I'm talking about. 

Andrew McCutchen was the top prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

A speedster, McCutchen belongs at the top of the order, bringing his career .286 AVG and .362 OBP from the minors.  He kept a 162-game average of over 100 runs and 30 stolen bases throughout his professional career.

Watching him play, however, makes his talent even more impressive.  He's a rally igniter similar to the likes of Jose Reyes, a player you just want to watch.

So after seeing the new-look Braves and Pirates battle it out into the wee hours last night, I can come away confident that Pirates fans need not be upset about their team's dealings. 

They knew what they were doing.