Sunday, June 13, 2010

Around the Diamond- Part 7 -Center Field

First, if you missed another disappointing loss, take a listen to my post-game recap by clicking HERE.

We are on to center field in my look around the diamond and truthfully, there isn't really much to discuss here.  Andrew McCutchen is and will be the center fielder for the Pirates for years to come.  I don't want to hear any of your uneducated "until he gets traded to the Yankees," comments.  The Pirates will make a statement in the next year or so by locking up Cutch to a lengthy extension.

Cutch has now been in the big leagues for a full calender year with good numbers that will just go up.  In his first go around in the bigs, Cutch has a .292avg, 19Hr/36Sb, with a majority of that run production coming from the lead off spot.  Now that he is batting third, he should get even more opportunities to drive in runs.  I want to see Cutch use all of his tools as much as possible.  Use that speed as an advantage.

Offensively, the guy is a doubles and triples machine and the average should be around .310-.320.  I don't need many homers out of him, but need that stolen base number to consistently exceed 50 and drive in around 80 runs if he's batting third all season.  As Jose Tabata and Neil Walker continue to get on base, the RBI numbers should go up, providing Cutch has a bat protecting him in the clean up spot.

Defensively the guy can cover ground and make plays.  He has a above average arm, but likes to show it off a bit too much for me. The throw doesn't have to come home every time.  Other than that i have absolutely nothing to criticize this kid about.

Cutch is the face of the franchise and it's deserving, considering he is the most talented player this team has seen since Barry Bonds.  He is a flat out stud.

2 comments:

  1. He's tremendous. It's funny that before they brought up Walker and tabata, how much better an athlete Cutch is than the whole team

    ReplyDelete