Andrew McCutchen

After nearly a decade in Pittsburgh, McCutchen was one of many core players the Pirates sent packing in last winter's retooling. The move to San Francisco unsurprisingly hurt McCutchen's power output, with the 32-year-old finishing with a career-worst .424 slugging percentage that may have slid further if not for a late-August trade to the Yankees. Aside from that, McCutchen's skills otherwise seemed to hold steady, as he maintained his usually stellar plate discipline and was active on the basepaths, though his efficiency took a hit. With little in McCutchen's batted-ball profile foreshadowing a major decline, it looks safe to pencil him in for another season of above-average production at the dish, with a ninth straight 20-homer campaign well within reach with half his games coming at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

It wasn't a return to MVP form for McCutchen in 2017, but he did bounce back considerably and in turn quieted the naysayers (for now). Much was made of the wear and tear on McCutchen's lower half from all the years of patrolling center field, but he generated good bat speed last season, posting the second-highest home-run total of his career. He did that despite nursing a nagging thumb injury during the summer months. McCutchen trimmed his strikeout rate by more than three percentage points and added back to his walk rate, resulting in a .360 wOBA (.354 xwOBA). While he did fade down the stretch with a .260/.341/.433 line in the second half while taking a slight step back on the whole against right-handed pitching, McCutchen proved he still has something left in the tank as he enters his age-31 campaign. In January, the Giants acquired him from the Pirates for Kyle Crick and Bryan Reynolds, and it's expected that McCutchen will stabilize a San Francisco outfield that desperately needed upgrades after a dismal 2017 campaign.

What happened to the Andrew McCutchen who finished top-five in NL MVP voting four straight seasons from 2012 to 2015? Fantasy owners saw the 30-year-old unexpectedly drop off a cliff last summer. He batted just .241/.311/.408 with a 35:107 BB:K through July. A final two-month rally -- .284 batting average, .852 OPS and 34:36 BB:K -- helped salvage a terrible showing, but serious questions remain. Defensively, McCutchen finished last in defensive runs saved (-28) and numerous other metrics, leading to speculation Pittsburgh might move him from center field. They should. He swiped only six bases (in 13 attempts) and rarely showed the athleticism that made him elite. The outfielder will likely rebound to some extent in 2017, but even his late-season improvement wasn't on par with his previous All-Star seasons. Waiting on him to drop in drafts might be the best route to take.

McCutchen’s 2015 season wasn’t too far off from what he did in his MVP season in 2014. However, he did have fewer extra-base hits, hit below .300 for the first time in three seasons and the stolen bases were noticeably absent. From a skills perspective, he is very stable as a guy that gets on base at an elite rate and makes contact better than the league average. Baseball statistics are anything but linear, though the three-year downward trend in McCutchen’s steals is worth watching because it could pull him out of a lock status as first-round pick if he doesn’t trade the steals out for more power. Another 20/20 season is possible, but so is a 30/10 with some favorable HR/FB fluctuation. At worst, he’s a top-20 pick, but he can finish in the top 10 again. An incredibly safe pick.

A rib avulsion fracture forced McCutchen to the disabled list for the first time in his six big-league seasons, but he still suited up for 146 games in 2014. The 28-year-old batted .314/.410/.542 with 25 homers and 18 steals in 648 plate appearances, making his third straight appearance as an NL MVP finalist (he won in 2013). Opponents continue to pitch McCutchen carefully; his zone percentage (pitches thrown inside the strike zone) dropped for the sixth consecutive campaign to a career-low 42.2%, but the center fielder still found a way to put up big numbers. He led the NL with a .952 OPS and is primed for yet another big season in 2015.

McCutchen enters his age 27 season with a shiny new NL MVP Award under his belt. His league-leading 8.2 WAR in 2013 included 21 homers, 27 steals, 97 runs scored and a .911 OPS. He saw action in 157 games, making it four straight years McCutchen's played in at least 154 contests. Cutch wrecked left-handed pitching to the tune of a .388 batting average and 1.130 OPS, which was actually worse than his 2012 numbers (.392 BA and 1.141 OPS). After tailing off the past couple seasons, the Pittsburgh center fielder avoided a late-season collapse at the plate. McCutchen is in the prime of his career and could easily contend for a second straight MVP in 2014.

McCutchen nearly won Pittsburgh's first MVP award since 1992, when Barry Bonds turned the trick. Cutch finished third in NL MVP voting, compiling a slash line of .327/.400/.553 with 31 homers and 20 stolen bases in 593 at-bats. His season could be broken into three speeds; slow, Mach 5 and idling. He didn't homer until the 26th game, but then lit up major league pitching to the tune of a .393/.452/.700 slash line in his next 81 contests. From August 9 to season's end, however, McCutchen saw his MVP hopes dashed with a .240/.341/.408 mark. It's hard to fault him for expanding his strike zone as opponents intentionally walked him 13 times and right-handers consistently fed him breaking pitches low-and-outside off the plate. Southpaws had no such answer for him -- McCutchen shredded lefties to the tune of a .392 batting average (51-for-130) and 1.141 OPS. On the basepaths, his struggles continued -- he was thrown out 12 times in 32 stolen base attempts and picked off six times as well. He's not the biggest guy around at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds and the Pirates would do well to give him more days off in the early season. Still, he's just 26 years old and trending in the right direction.

McCutchen went big in 2011, setting career-highs in homers (23) and RBI (89). Unfortunately, the strikeouts increased from 89 to 126 as he added power to his repertoire. He finished with a .259 batting average after a second-half slump saw him compile a .227/.336/.416 line in 185 at-bats the last two months of the season. He stole 23 bases in 33 attempts based on sheer speed but lacks the base-stealing instincts to double those numbers. It's pretty safe to pencil in another 20/20 campaign for McCutchen in 2012. At 25, he's still working on different aspects of the game and if he puts it all together, look out, because Cutch hasn't yet peaked.

When it comes to fantasy prowess, McCutchen represents the best Pittsburgh has to offer. In his first full season at the big league level, McCutchen put up a composite line of .286/.365/.449 with 16 homers and 56 RBI. He also finished 12th in the NL with 94 runs scored and fifth with 33 stolen bases (in 43 tries). The 24-year-old center fielder shows a decent eye at the plate (70:87 BB:K ratio), but tries to pull everything during slumps. His BABIP of .311 was strangely low, given his fantastic speed. There was talk that he played through a knee injury for much of the season, meaning that a healthy McCutchen might even do better in 2011.

McCutchen made a statement with his rookie season in 2009, putting up marks of .286/.365/.471 while hitting 12 homers with 22 steals in 108 games. He showed a flair for the dramatic with a three-homer game and a walk-off dinger, becoming the heart and soul of the team despite not coming up from Triple-A until June 4. The Pirates will eventually move him down from first to third in the order, giving him an opportunity for more RBI. There's always a chance for a second-year letdown, but McCutchen is the real deal and is one of the Bucs' best prospects since Barry Bonds. The combination of McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez figures to get its first look at some point in 2010. At 22, McCutchen's keeper value may even be higher than what fantasy owners can expect in the coming season.

McCutchen seems older than 22 if only because he's been touted as a star since being drafted in 2005. One of the youngest players at Triple-A last season, McCutchen hit an uninspired .283 with nine home runs and 50 RBI in 512 at-bats. To his credit, he did attempt a career-high 53 stolen bases, successfully nabbing 34, and improved his BB:K ratio from 48:94 to 68:87. Pittsburgh has handled McCutchen with kid gloves, keeping him away from winter ball in the offseason to give him some additional rest. At some point, the organization needs to find out what it has in him, especially with Nate McLouth as the team's only other entrenched outfielder. Expect to see McCutchen in the majors after the arbitration clock passes another year in 2009.

McCutchen got his first taste of cold-weather baseball in 2007, and the results were not pretty. Playing in the Pennsylvanian mountains of Altoona, the outfielder struggled for the first time in his professional career. McCutchen, Pittsburgh's No. 1 pick in 2005, batted .214 the first two months of the season. He warmed up after that, however, finishing with a .258 Double-A batting average before hitting .313 in 67 Triple-A at-bats. Still just 21, McCutchen figures to start the 2008 campaign with Triple-A Indianapolis. If he does make the majors this summer, his biggest fantasy impact figures to be on the basepaths, where he stole 21 bases last year. Eventually he'll also hit for power, but he went deep just 11 times in 2007, including an inside-the-park job.

McCutchen is the most highly touted prospect in the Pirates organization. He has demonstrated both power and speed in the low minors since being selected with Pittsburgh's No. 1 pick in 2005. Playing primarily for High-A Hickory, McCutchen batted .291 with 14 homers, 62 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 114 games. As a reward, the speedy center fielder was promoted to Double-A Altoona where he hit .308 with three dingers and 12 RBI in 78 at-bats. Generously listed as 5-foot-11, 170, McCutchen will likely start 2007 with Altoona. Should he continue to produce at the higher levels of minor-league play, it would not be surprising to see McCutchen called up mid-season. More likely he'll make his major-league debut in September, but stranger things have happened.

McCutchen, 19, got off to a great minor league start last summer after the Pirates chose him with their No. 1 pick in June. Compared with the likes of Marquis Grissom, McCutchen hit a combined .310 (65-for-210) between Rookie ball and A-ball. The wiry-framed outfielder, who hit a pair of homers and stole 17 bases last year, will likely hone his game for Low-A Hickory in 2006. It wouldn't be surprising to see him end up at Double-A level with another strong season, however.