BRADENTON, Fla. — If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going anywhere, Andrew McCutchen will be taking them there.
The Florida native with the flowing dreadlocks is the centerpiece of a resurgence in Pittsburgh under second-year manager Clint Hurdle. It was certainly no surprise that the club worked hard to secure McCutchen's services earlier this month with a six-year deal worth $51 million, with an option for a seventh.
Judging from what the multiple-threat center fielder has done so far in three seasons, and what the 25-year-old from Fort Meade has the potential to achieve, that's a bargain.
For long-suffering Pirates fans, it's also a relief. It suggests the team is serious about trying to reverse its losing ways by keeping the new face of the franchise on the roster at least through 2017.
McCutchen's 2011 season mirrored that of the Pirates, with both getting off to sensational starts. Hurdle's energetic, detail-oriented approach lit a fire under the Pirates with a 53-47 start and a surprising share of the NL Central lead, while No. 22 raced to a .291 batting average with 14 homers and 54 RBI in the first half of the season, earning his first All-Star selection in the process.
But the team and its star player ran out of steam in the second half. Pittsburgh lost 43 of the remaining 62 games to finish with its 19th consecutive losing season, retaining the dubious distinction of the longest professional sports losing streak in North America. McCutchen tailed off as well, hitting only .216 in the second half with nine homers and 35 RBI — with an especially dismal September at .171 (including 25 strikeouts in 76 at-bats).
That pulled his batting average for the season down to .259, well below the .286 he batted as a rookie and .286 he hit in 2010. But his 23 homers represented a career-best (up from 12 and 16 respectively) and his 89 RBI was 33 more than his previous high two seasons ago.
Not surprisingly, McCutchen's primary goal this season is remaining consistent throughout the entire season.
"I honestly don't know what happened toward the end, but it's not something I think about," he said. "I focus on the positive things. The more you do that, the more positive of an outcome you'll have. We need to focus on the first four months that we had last season and go from there."
McCutchen did acknowledge wearing down a bit as the season spiraled, after an uplifting start that had become one of the big stories in baseball. "That's a part of the game — if you do something for an extended period of time, you're going to break down," he said. "So you need to know how to deal with it."
Heading into his fourth season, and buoyed by his long-term contract, he feels ready to handle the grind and excited about the Pirates' prospects under Hurdle.
"Clint Hurdle brings a positive attitude to this team, that's what he's all about — forgetting about the day before and focusing on what's in front of us," he said. "We all look to him and how he's going to react over something. It's always the same reaction every day. Don't get me wrong, when he feels like he needs to lay into us, he does. But we respect him, and he's helped make us better."
Hurdle has made no secret of his admiration of his young playmaker. When McCutchen initially didn't make the NL All-Star roster last season, the manager went to bat for him publicly.
"I think everybody whiffed on this one," Hurdle was quoted at the time. "I know the challenges that come from (selecting players). I sat in that chair, and I know there were managers that were disappointed in me. Well, I'm going to take this opportunity to be one of those managers and be disappointed in the entire process."
After being overlooked in the fan vote, McCutchen missed out on inclusion when NL manager Bruce Bochy opted to add Carlos Beltran of the Mets, even though McCutchen was having a better season.
Playing for a perennial loser didn't help his chances — he wasn't even on the list as a Final Vote candidate. But when Ryan Braun wasn't able to play due to a calf injury, Bochy named McCutchen as a replacement.
"I think there are a lot of guys out there who just know we have hard work in front of us," Hurdle added last summer. "The name on the front of the jersey has some challenges with it, and we're out to knock them down. That's been our goal from the start of the season. This is just another one we have faced. We'll knock this one down, as well."
The Pirates believe McCutchen is critical to that process, hence their willingness to sign him to the second-biggest contract in club history, second only to the 2000 deal inked with catcher Jason Kendall ($60 million over six years).
At the signing, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington explained the club's thinking. "Andrew McCutchen is one of the best young players in the game and we are very pleased to make this type of commitment to a great player and a great person," he said. "It has been our intent for Andrew to be a cornerstone for this organization and this contract solidifies that intent for at least the next seven years."
McCutchen has hit anywhere from first to third in the lineup, and adds not only power with a career slugging percentage of .456 (with 62 extra base hits last year), speed (with stolen-base totals of 23, 33 and 23 in his three seasons) and stellar play in center (with a career fielding percentage of .987). Though his homer total spiked last year, he says that had nothing to do with his drop in batting average down the stretch — and that he's not looking to go long at the plate.
"I don't step up to the plate trying to hit a home run," he said. "You go up there and just try to drive the ball, try to hit the ball as well as I can. That can turn into home runs, singles up the middle or line drives in the gap."
That said, McCutchen has worked on opening up his stance during the offseason, hoping to get on track quickly. The adjustment has paid off nicely this spring with his best exhibition batting average to date (13-for-32 for a .406 average, with two doubles, a pair of homers and 10 RBI).
"I've been able to see the ball a little more," he said. "I'm using both my eyes better, instead of blocking off one of them. It's going to help me stay on the ball a lot more and be more consistent."
For both McCutchen and the team staking its future on him, consistency is the name of the game in 2012.
