‘Pirate Captain’ Andrew McCutchen (37, Pittsburgh Pirates) finally boarded the pirate ship again.
On the 21st (Korean time), McCutchen held a press conference to officially join the club at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He said, “Simply put, I want to win. I want to win. Especially, I want to win here.”
McCutchen was a symbol of Pittsburgh in the 2010s. Pittsburgh was a weak team that did not make it to the postseason for 20 consecutive years from 1993 to 2012. It was McCutchen who ended the dark period that seemed to never end. In 2013, he batted 0.317 with 21 homers, 27 stolen bases, and 84 RBIs, leading the team to the National League Wild Card. It was his first fall baseball in 21 years. In recognition of his miracle, he was also awarded the National League MVP (Most Valuable Player).
His nickname is ‘Pirate Captain’. It may have been natural since he was the leader of the pirates (Pirates), but it was a title that appeared after a long time since Barry Bonds. With McCutchen, Pittsburgh enjoyed its heyday. Following 2014, he stepped on the wild card stage until 2015. In particular, in 2015, with 98 wins and 64 losses, he showed off his strength, ranking second in the overall winning rate in the Major League (MLB).
However, the team’s heyday, and McCutchen’s performance, did not last until 2015. McCutchen had a 2016 OPS (on base plus slugging percentage) of 0.766, his personal performance declining. It was the first OPS record below 0.8 since his debut. The team also failed to advance to the postseason with a record of 78 wins and 83 losses. In 2017, to make matters worse, he lost his main power and continued to fall due to Kang Jung-ho’s drunk driving and Starling Marte’s illegal drug discipline. 바카라
Eventually, Pittsburgh, which began rebuilding, traded McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants in 2018. After that, McCutchen drifted through the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers.
I turned around and returned to my parent team. As the years go by, McCutchen’s performance has not peaked in his MVP years or even in 2018 when he left the team. The contract he signed with Pittsburgh is only worth 5 million dollars a year. Pittsburgh’s performance is even worse. From 2019 to 2022, it has stayed at the bottom of the National League Central Division for four consecutive years. In particular, they have recorded more than 100 losses in the past two years and are still continuing the image of the MLB representative weak team.
Of course, there are also positive factors. With key prospects such as O’Neill Cruz being called up, the team is gradually being equipped. “If this team was going to lose 100 times again, I wouldn’t want to come back to this team,” said McCutchen.
The Associated Press of the United States introduced McCutchen as a player who acted as a lever to restore the long-suffering relationship between Pittsburgh fans and the club. It has become a new identity for Pittsburgh.”
McCutchen said, “I don’t think (my career) will end after only playing this year. He wants to continue playing in Pittsburgh.”