As reported by MLB.com’s Adam Berry, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has announced that Andrew McCutchen will bat third in 2017.
The Pittsburgh Pirates shook up their lineup in a big way this time last season in moving Andrew McCutchen from his customary third-spot in the batting order to the second slot.
After moving him back to third midway through last season, McCutchen will find things to be status quo – at least for now.
Andrew McCutchen will bat third this year, Clint Hurdle said. Also mentioned the possibility Cutch could slide over to CF when Marte's off.
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) February 14, 2017
Indeed, Hurdle has given us the first glimpse of what this Pittsburgh Pirates batting order might look like in 2017. The Pirates famously tried to move McCutchen to the second-slot for the 2016 season, but that did not work out so well for the perennial All-Star and 20134 National League MVP.
Attempting to discern if the move to the new batting slot affected McCutchen’s play – and thus chiefly causing his lengthy downturn in production – is a foolhardy endeavor. We can confidently say, however, that baseball players are creatures of habit, and it would be foolish to think otherwise. With reassurance from his manager that he won’t have to occupy a new haunt, McCutchen can now continue to do what he has done for the entire offseason: concentrate on putting 2016 behind him.
What do you think?
Of course, today’s news from Hurdle does not mean that McCutchen will stay at the third spot exclusively. What do you think? Why not vote in our twitter poll? Is there a better spot for the 2013 MVP? Let us know.
Where is the best spot for Andrew McCutchen to hit?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) February 14, 2017
Featured Image Credit – Daniel Decker Photography
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