McCutchen Mashing Way to MVP

McCutchen struggled in August but has gotten his groove back (ESPN)

For much of the summer, Andrew McCutchen seemed to have a stranglehold on the National League MVP race.  His Pirates were winning, his stats were off the charts, and he was unquestionably the best player in the Senior Circuit.  From May 8th through August 8th, a span of 81 games (exactly half a season) he batted .393, belted 23 home runs, and slugged .700 (by comparison, Mike Trout batted .335 with 19 home runs and a ..611 slugging percentage during that same timeframe). The dread-locked five tool stud had developed into this year's Matt Kemp, a beast at the plate, on the basepaths and in the field.  This stellar all-around performance helped push Pittsburgh into the playoff hunt, for they led the second wild card with less than two months to go.


But then McCutchen cooled off, and the Bucs followed suit.  Over the next month 'Cutch batted a miserable .231 with only one home run, a summer swoon that may end up costing him his Most Valuable Player trophy.  Meanwhile the Pirates sputtered, enduring another late season collapse as the wheels came off their once promising season.  16 games above .500 as recently as six weeks ago, they're now saddled with losing record for the first time since late May.  They have been the worst team in the National League over that span and yes, that means even the lowly Houston Astros have outplayed them.  As a result, Pittsburgh's playoff chances have plummeted to half a percent.  They trail St. Louis for the second wild card by 5.5 games with 13 left to play, and barring some last-minute divine intervention will fall short of the postseason.  Now all the Bucs can do is try to avoid their 20th consecutive losing season dating back to the departure of Barry Bonds.

While the Pirates continued to fade in September, McCutchen is doing everything he can to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.   After that lengthy power outage the 25 year-old has re-emerged and once again looks locked in at the plate.  With six home runs in his previous eleven games, the Pirates center fielder has vaulted himself back into the MVP race with Ryan Braun and Buster Posey.  He now leads the National League in runs (102), hits (185) and bWAR (6.8--tied with Yadier Molina).  The two-time All-Star smacked his 30th home run of the season in yesterday's 9-7 loss to Milwaukee with a three-run jack off Mike Fiers, putting him on track to reach the century mark in RBI by the end of the season (he has 92).  Heck, with a strong finish he could still potentially wrestle the batting title away from Melky Cabrera, whom he trails .346 to .339.

Like Kemp last year, McCutchen clearly deserves the hardware based on his magnificent individual performance. The question is, will the voters overlook his team's horrific play during the season's most crucial  stretch?  Kemp was victimized by the Dodgers' lackluster record last season, but hopefully McCutchen will not suffer the same fate.  Unlike Los Angeles, the Pirates were in contention for much of the year, and that should still count for something even if they end the year with a losing record.

Besides, stiffing McCutchen would just add insult to injury for the Pirates and their fans, who have been forced to watch the same bad movie two seasons in a row. Last year they watched their team surge into first place in late July.  It didn't matter that their success was unsustainable, or that they lacked the pitching depth and offensive firepower necessary to survive the dog days of August. It made for great drama, and PNC park filled up with fans hoping the Pirates could at least   They were the talk of the town, the feel good story of the summer. And then, suddenly, they weren't.  After dropping a 19 inning marathon in Atlanta, the Pirates turned into pumpkins.  They were the worst team in the National League from July 25th onward as they skidded to a 72-90 record.  They never again won more than two games in a row.  The magic show was over.

And as their season went south, so did McCutchen's.  Following an impressive first half (.894 OPS), he disappeared after the All-Star Break.  Opponents took advantage of his weak supporting cast and pitched around him, but an impatient McCutchen abandoned his plate discipline and started going fishing.  You could see the face of the franchise pressing, trying to save Pittsburgh's season single-handedly. The pressure of trying to keep a sinking ship afloat seemed to wear him down.  The budding superstar limped to the finish line, batting an anemic .216/.330/.392 while striking out in more than a quarter of his at-bats.

This time around, McCutchen is ending his season on a high note.  It probably won't be enough to salvage Pittsburgh's season, but it should be enough to push him over the top in the MVP race.
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