Andrew McCutchen has never drawn more than 89 walks in a season, and right now, he’s on track to increase that by a healthy margin. For the first time, opposing pitchers and catchers are making a point of pitching around McCutchen and putting the onus on the hitters who follow.
In the first quarter of the season, it’s a strategy that has paid off. Pedro Alvarez has a .200 average, and entering Saturday’s action, the Pittsburgh hitters who have filled the cleanup spot ranked 20th among 30 teams in OPS (.693). The batters hitting in Pittsburgh’s No. 5 slot ranked 22nd in OPS.
Those numbers must improve. The Pirates have good starting pitching and a good bullpen. But their start has been sluggish, with their offense ranked in the bottom third in runs, and they cannot count on McCutchen to consistently contribute; as the Pirates have seen early this season, he is getting a small handful of pitches with which he can do damage. He is being treated like their Miguel Cabrera.
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