Most of what I write on the site involves analysis. That’s usually prospect analysis, focusing on what a player could become, or player analysis in the majors, trying to focus on the value of a player and what that player might be able to do to get more value. Because of this approach, it’s hard coming up with ideas to write about Andrew McCutchen. It’s not really hard to come up with ideas. It’s just that every idea is a “here’s another example of how awesome Andrew McCutchen is”.
He’s the MVP. He’s the best player on the team. He’s the only consistent offensive player. He’s in the middle of an extension that looks like one of the best deals in sports, and has him under team control through the 2018 season. He’s still young, and just entering his prime, which means he’s got a good chance to maintain his MVP production over the next few years. He’s starting to get national exposure, appearing on video game covers, proposing on Ellen, presenting country music awards, and producing shows on MTV.
It’s hard to add anything beyond that, which means all you can do is submit that additional proof that Andrew McCutchen is awesome. Today’s additional proof that Andrew McCutchen is awesome comes from his response to a question about being a leader and giving advice to his teammates.
“I think if you want to have a kind relationship with your spouse, that’s what you have to do. Us as men, we can’t just blurt out whatever is on our mind, because that creates an argument. You have to go ‘alright, let me think about how I want to say this, because I don’t want to make her mad’. That’s kind of how things go. So as men, I really think relationships with your spouse helps when it comes with your teammates, because you want to be the same way. You want to approach them in the way, where if you have something to say, if it’s criticism, you want to come at them like ‘don’t take it the wrong way, I have something I’d like to share with you’. Share it with you in your locker, don’t share it with you in front of the whole dugout. Or in the tunnel, when it’s just you and him. Whatever it is, that creates a really good vibe for you and that person.”
I don’t know how the 13% of my audience that is female feels about that analogy, but maybe the rest of you guys will be as amused as I was. For more on Cutch, here is McCutchen from earlier in the interview, discussing his busy off-season, and what leadership means to him.
Coverage Notes
I’ve been working on getting ahead with some articles this week. Last year it was pretty overwhelming covering both the majors and the minors once minor league camp started. That will be next Monday, and I’m hoping to get at least 4-5 days ahead with articles before that happens. Fortunately I’ll be two days ahead by tomorrow afternoon. My focus while I’m down here is to have more time to work on each article, which should allow me to focus more on the quality of each article, rather than focusing on the quantity aspect in getting X amount of articles up per day. Mostly that involves trying to get as much information from as many sources as possible, and extra time definitely helps there.
So far most of the coverage has been on the majors, and all of the articles and videos have been on pitchers. That’s for the obvious reason that pitchers and catchers are the only guys who have reported. Tomorrow is the first full-squad workout, so I should start to get more videos of hitters. Next week I’ll be adding more coverage of the minor leagues once all of the prospects arrive.
Links and Notes
**With Spring Training underway, now is the perfect time to get your copy of the 2014 Prospect Guide. You can purchase your copy here, and read about every prospect in the Pirates’ system. The book includes our top 50 prospects, as well as scouting reports and future potential ratings for every player.
**Some #ElectricStuff From Charlie Morton to Charge Your Day (Video)
**Neal Huntington Talks About the Upcoming Outfield Shifts
**Stolmy Pimentel Looks Like a Favorite For the Opening Day Roster
