The Red Hot Andrew McCutchen

Andrew McCutchen struggled mightily through the first month of the season. Despite having a good month power-wise with 5 home runs, Cutch hit only .219/.330/.417 in the first 25 games of the season. He picked it up a little bit when the season got into May, but still wasn't quite himself, hitting only .275/.373/.480 in May. Recently though, McCutchen's been on fire and is helping the Pirates offense in a big way.

In his last 22 games, the Pirates center fielder is hitting .337/.416/.573 with 4 home runs, 14 RBI, 16 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases. That's a line that showcases the completeness of this kid's game. The defense has been there all year, but he has shined in the field recently especially, making one of the best plays we've ever seen him make in Wednesday's game with the Mets.

McCutchen has experienced a good amount of bad luck this year. He currently has a BABIP of .299, but that has risen significantly during his recent hot streak. Before these last 20 games or so, his BABIP was in the .270's, which is really low for a guy with this kind of speed. The luck seems to be gravitating towards the norm and Cutch's statistics are being helped because of it. He seems well on his way to getting his batting average back in the .280-.290 range, which is fantastic for a guy that is hitting for power at the rate that he is this year.

The Pirates have played 58 games this year and McCutchen has 9 home runs. That puts him on pace for a 25 homer season. Stealing bases is another huge part of McCutchen's game, and he's on pace for a 30 steal season. That pace may be deceiving because he had a slow start to the season steal-wise. He is getting on base more often now and going more often, however he does seem to be settled into the 3-hole so it's hard to project what his pace will turn into.

If McCutchen can hit 25 homers, steal 30+ bases, hit .280+, and play the type of defense he plays, there is no doubt in my mind that he's one of the most valuable players in the game. He's doing all this at the young age of 24, which is astounding.

I know you don't need anyone else to tell you that Andrew McCutchen is a special player, but I'm gonna McSay it again.

Andrew McCutchen is a special player. The Pirates need to lock him up for a long time... or maybe the Giants will give us Ryan Vogelsong back for him. Hmmmm...