If Week Two of McCutchen’s spring with the Rangers goes as well as the first, the question may not be whether he will make the club’s roster.
If Week Two of McCutchen’s spring with the Rangers goes as well as the first, the question may not be whether he will make the club’s roster.Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Monday, Sept.
2, 2024.Since he posted an Instagram story in a cowboy hat and western wear after signing a minor league deal withsaid. “His at-bats have been like I remember them. He doesn’t swing outside the strike zone. Long at-bats. He’ll do damage in the strike zone. So, I’m very impressed where he’s at. Not surprised, because that’s what I expected.”took two days of at-bats in back field minor league games. He doubled in his first at-bat back there. He hasn’t stopped doubling since. In four “A” games, he’s scorched three doubles, had three singles and walked four times. He made outs just three times in his first 12 plate appearances. He swung and missed three times in 40 pitches.“Yeah, probably not,” the manager allowed. “But I knew he was ready, just because of the video work that we saw. But he’s jumped in and hit plus velo right away. I mean, there are guys , who aren’t there yet on the velo. So, yeah, it’s been impressive.”Perhaps there was one other thing for which the Rangers weren’t exactly prepared - just how motivated McCutchen is. He’s said he has a “chip on my shoulder.” That’ll happen when, speaking of shoulders, McCutchen, who spent his first nine years in the majors in Pittsburgh and the last three, was the best thing to happen to Pirates baseball between Barry Bonds and Paul Skenes. He was the only thing to celebrate in a once-proud baseball town. In McCutchen’s first spin in Pittsburgh, he won an MVP, finished in the top five three times and took the Pirates to three playoff berths. They are the only three playoff berths since Bonds left for San Francisco. That was 35 years ago. When McCutchen went back to Pittsburgh in 2023, after five years drifting around four other clubs, it was the idea that he’d finish out his career there mentoring young players and eventually walk across the Roberto Clemente Bridge into retirement.. “I was pretty vocal about doing that, and wanted that. The other side also was pretty vocal about wanting to do that too, but they wanted to do it a little sooner.”McCutchen isn’t sure what exactly the Pirates had planned; all he knew was that he wanted to keep playing. And for them. He’d expressed as much to Pirates owner Bob Nutting in an offseason conversation. Then he waited for a response. He figured he’d hear something directly, especially since he’d negotiated the three previous one-year deals with Pittsburgh without an agent. It never came. At first, McCutchen was puzzled. He won’t say he was hurt. Confused. But not hurt. Just wished the Pirates had acted with more transparency if they didn’t want to continue the relationship. Would have made it easier to pursue a job elsewhere. But it also served a purpose. The episode added a bit of extra edge to his motivation. Even before the cold shoulder, he’d started working on some swing changes to make his swing “more repeatable,” and improve mobility. He knew at 39, coming off the lowest slugging percentage and OPS of his career, he needed to make changes to account for age. It all drove him a little harder. “Last year wasn’t the way I planned to go out,” McCutchen said. “My body wasn’t moving the right way. We had some of the same ballpark effect the Rangers had last year, that the ball wasn’t really flying to left field. You weren’t getting rewarded as often and I was trying to find ways to improve the numbers. How can I get hits? How can I get on base? How can I work counts?” “I put my body into positions that weren’t ideal. I needed to get back to basics and get myself in the most optimal position for 39 that I could get. And, honestly, I feel like I’m in a better spot than I have been in a number of years.”two weeks before McCutchen. And Canha, who entered Sunday hitting .300 for the spring, has had a solid spring. Canha, at 37, may be better suited to play the outfield than the former Gold Glove winner, though McCutchen said a big part of his offseason work was to erase any stigma he’d become “one dimensional and a DH who could barely do that.” A year ago, his bat speed averaged 71.1 mph, according to MLBStatcast, which ranked in just the 34th percentile. Spring training bat speeds aren’t officially tracked, but the Rangers feel they’ve seen a repeated swing and more bat speed. It seems to have shown up in his exit velocities. Though a small sample size, McCutchen went into Sunday averaging 91.5 mph on exit velocity; last spring it was 87.5 mph. “He is repeating the swing with each at-bat,” hitting instructor Justin Viele said. “His at-bat quality is just different than what I saw watching video last year. He’s smart and very cerebral in that regard; he’s made the adjustments. I assumed when he came here, getting into his timing quickly would be a challenge, but he’s turning around heaters.” He’s got another week to go to finish things off, but if Week Two goes as well as the first, the question may not be will he make the roster; it might be about the possibility of him being the alternative DH if Joc Pederson struggles.“I haven’t been in this position, in a place where there are a lot of doubts from other people in quite a long time; I’m motivated in a different way,” McCutchen said. “I remember getting invitations to spring training when I was 20-21 years old, knowing I wasn’t going to make the team, but had the approach that I wanted to showcase that I can do this here, no matter the age. This is kind of the same thing, only the ages are different. I want to show people that I can continue to play this game at a very high level.”Texas Rangers top 30 prospects: No. 10 Seong-Jun Kim is 2-way player and ambitious ventureEvan has covered the Rangers since 1997. He has twice been named one of the top 10 beat writers in the country by the AP Sports Editors. His passions outside of covering baseball are his wife, Gina, his two step kids, two crazy dogs & barbecue. Let's not discuss the cat. Evan graduated from Georgia State University, but oddly is a Georgia fan.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
I traded night sweats for Riley Home Organic Cotton — now every week is Sleep WeekThe Riley Home Organic Cotton Duvet Cover & Shams Set (in Harbor) is a refined bedding set crafted from 100% long-staple organic cotton sateen, offering a soft, breathable feel with a subtle luster.
Read more »
Rangers’ Robert Garcia back from WBC with valuable lessons learnedWhile pitching for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, Garcia got to spend time learning from a two-time All-Star closer.
Read more »
3 Rangers observations: Josh Smith’s heater, 5th starter competitionOver the last nine days, Smith has blasted five home runs between Cactus League play and an exhibition vs. Brazil’s WBC squad.
Read more »
New Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Series Confirms Major Time Jump (And A Returning Villain)The New Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Series Confirms Major Time Jump And The Return of A Villain
Read more »
Rangers see positive injury trend as spring training's last week nearsIf all goes well with Josh Jung and Kyle Higashioka, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker expects to have everyone ready for Opening Day.
Read more »
A good week for Alysa Liu, a bad week for Matt MahanOakland’s hero gets the key to the city while San Jose’s mayor remains stuck in single digits
Read more »