Andrew McCutchen: The march to glory goes on
The National League Most Valuable Player Award had all the elements of surprise. There were top 5 candidates competing. Andrew McCutchen, the Pittsburgh Pirates centre fielder, was one who was being seen as the likely runner-up, if not the winner.
But it ended with the San Francisco Giants Buster Posey winning the NL MVP, followed by Milwaukee Brewers Ryan Braun. McCutchen got 245 points in the votes balloted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
There were several reasons why Andrew McCutchen had made to the Top 5 list and ultimately be a strong contender for it. That he led the team in hitting and home runs were but two highlights of his run during the whole season.
That he appeared in 157, out of 162 games played by the team, was a manifestation of the consistency he showed, performing brilliantly. That his team could not eventually make it to the postseason games was a disappointment that will remain there in the storehouse of memory.
He had 194 hits during the whole season, scoring 107 runs and had .327 batting average with 31 homers to his credit.
It was in the second half of the season, especially in the last two months, wherein his batting average dropped. From the high batting average of .367 in August, it came down to .253 as the Pirates went on to finish the season with 79-83 record.
Nonetheless, if he could not win the NL MVP, he did win the Gold Glove Award, a resounding recognition of his performance. That he outshone the bigger rival candidates in the league did once again go to show the talent of the player.
For manager Clint Hurdle, it was quite a sight to watch as the player emboldened the team’s defence, adding more strength to the offence.
"Watching this young man perform and taking into consideration his cast of characters, I often caught myself thinking, 'Wow, this is special.' It was a very special time and place for him in the game," Hurdle said. "And he had fun with it, didn't put any extra pressure on himself."
Things would indeed be quite different for the McCutchen if the Bucs succeeded in qualifying for the postseason. Nonetheless, that did not materialize. In years to come, with the kind of performance he has shown this season, McCutchen will be a great asset for the Pirates, enabling them to rise as a force to reckon with in the league.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect the official editorial policy of Bettor.com
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect the official editorial policy of Bettor.com
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