The Pittsburgh Pirates begin a series against the Tampa Bay Rays tonight and Andrew McCutchen will be in a familiar spot.
The Pittsburgh Pirates tweeted out their lineup today and normally that isn’t really newsworthy. However, today the lineup has the return of Andrew McCutchen to the third spot in the batting order.
👀 our lineup for tonight.
📺 @ROOTSPORTSPIT
📻 @937theFan & the PRN#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/EJNTC3n5Ij— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 27, 2017
Earlier in the season, McCutchen struggled big time as the team’s three-hitter. In 170 at-bats as a three-hitter this season, he hit .200/.271/.359/.630. He looked absolutely lost at the plate and the talk of a bounce back season disappeared.
McCutchen was then moved down to the six spot in the order and something magically seemed to happen. To paraphrase Frosty the Snowman, “There was still some magic in that old bat.” As the team’s six-hitter McCutchen came alive. In 100 at-bats, he hit .380/.471/.690/1.161 with 14 extra-base hits, including eight home runs. He looked like the player that had four straight top 5 MVP finishes from 2012 through 2015.
This move is likely going to inspire a lot of debate. Should the Pirates keep McCutchen where he’s been most productive or should you move him up in the order in an attempt to give him more opportunities with men on base? Clint Hurdle apparently wants to maximize McCutchen’s at-bats as he is back as the team’s three-hitter.
How this will impact McCutchen and the Pirates will reveal itself in the coming days ahead. It’s important to remember that one game will not define this decision. McCutchen could go 4-4 tonight and this decision eventually proves to be the wrong one. Or he can go 0-4 and the decision is eventually proven to be correct. Nothing will be decided tonight. The only thing known is that for at least tonight and likely moving forward, Andrew McCutchen is back as the number-three hitter of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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