He's Won an MVP Award and Led the Pittsburgh Pirates Back to the Postseason, but the Best Is Yet to Come for ANDREW Mccutchen
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Steel City Hero He’s won an MVP award and led the Pittsburgh Pirates back to the postseason, but the best is yet to come for ANDREW MCCUTCHEN By Dante A. Ciampaglia 38 Photograph by FRED VUICH FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SIKIDS.COM 39 alk to any Pittsburgh Pirates ANDREW’S fan about this upcoming FAVORITE season, and they will tell you: Excitement is in the air. STUFF That’s because after 20 straight years of losing SUBJECT records, the Pirates finally English broke that unlucky streak Tand went 94–68 in 2013, their first CARTOON winning season since 1992. Not only CHARACTER Popeye did the Bucs reach the playoffs, they advanced, defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the one-game wild-card TV SHOW round. (The Pirates ultimately lost to Shark Tank the St. Louis Cardinals in the divisional series.) Winning is now a reality in Pittsburgh. And you can give a lot of the credit to its star Rare Talent McCutchen is not centerfielder, Andrew McCutchen. only a great teammate who likes to have fun, but his ability COLOR McCutchen will tell you that last to hit, run, and field has earned Red year’s success was a team effort. him baseball’s biggest awards. “Pitching, offense, defense, we had it HOBBY all,” he says. But it’s impossible to in Pittsburgh through at least Drawing ignore how important McCutchen is 2017. “I don’t see myself to the Pirates. His attitude of having being anywhere else,” he fun while working hard set the tone says. “I enjoy my teammates, for the team, while his consistency in I enjoy everything about the the batter’s box — he hit .317 with city. I love being here.” 21 home runs — and his showstopping The feeling is mutual in play in center earned him 28 of 30 the clubhouse. Hurdle loves ACTOR first-place votes for 2013 NL MVP. basketball too, “but baseball was my eye coordination Andrew would use McCutchen was the Pirates, who chose him him for his tireless work ethic, and his Will Smith McCutchen is the kind of athlete number one love.” to become a star on the diamond. “In with the 11th pick in the 2005 MLB draft. teammates appreciate how loose he keeps Pittsburgh fans love: a hardworking His father, Lorenzo, knew from the order to hit something a lot smaller, McCutchen spent the next four years in the things. “He always has a smile on his face. ANIMAL winner who puts team first. And start that Andrew had something you have to concentrate more on it,” Pirates’ farm system. He was called up early You can tell he loves interacting with the Cheetah after leading the Pirates to such a big special. He was a slight kid, but he Andrew says. “Baseball is basically in the 2009 season, and in 2010 made the fans, and he has fun,” outfielder Josh 2013 season, he has become the city’s had a strong arm and hitting came the same thing. It’s just downgrading team as its everyday centerfielder. Harrison says. “Our teammates, we love SPORT TO PLAY first true baseball hero in decades. naturally. So, Andrew and his dad set the size of what you have in your him here. So I know the fans love him.” (OTHER THAN about developing his skills with some hand and what you’re hitting.” Big Turnaround Do they ever. At spring training, the two BASEBALL) Young Star unconventional drills. Before he even The training worked. As In McCutchen’s first full season, Pittsburgh jerseys most worn were Hall of Famer Basketball Located about 60 miles east of started playing baseball, Andrew McCutchen got older, he began to lost 105 games. But things were about to Roberto Clemente’s 21 and McCutchen’s 22. Bradenton is Fort Meade, Florida, used to pick up rocks from the stand out in Fort Meade and around change. In 2011, the Pirates had a new And if you stop any fan to talk about the team, TEAM TO WATCH where the population is about 6,000. railroad tracks and bring them to a Florida. He was a high school varsity manager in Clint Hurdle, McCutchen made all of them will gush about the man who Pittsburgh Steelers It’s surrounded on all sides by farms nearby lake. “He just loved to throw starter as an eighth-grader and in his first All-Star Game, and he had his first brought baseball back to life in Pittsburgh. and phosphate mines. The center of the rocks and see how far he could high demand among the AAU travel of three consecutive seasons with at least “I feel like his purpose is there in FOOD town is a two-block strip comprised throw and skip them, and I really teams. Soon, major league scouts ILLUSTRATED TIELEMANS/SPORTS AL 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. The team Pittsburgh,” his father says. “He was meant A submarine of banks, diners and antique stores. believed that developed his arm began attending games. “Bat speed was competitive until a late-season collapse. to be there, to make a difference, to be in sandwich McCutchen was born in Fort strength,” Lorenzo says. and physical speed were the two For the first time in years, the Pirates were Pittsburgh at this moment and this time.” Meade in 1986, and at five years old His dad would wrap a fishing cork amazing things [about him],” says on the verge of success — and McCutchen Twenty years of losing and heartbreak is an began playing baseball. “It’s the first in tape and thump it at his son, who Jon Spradlin, his coach at Fort Meade gave the team a huge boost when he eternity for fans. But if the reward for Pirates thing I ever did as a kid,” he says. He would try to whack it with a broom Middle-Senior High School. committed for the long haul. In the spring of faithful is that McCutchen landed in Pittsburgh, played other sports like football and handle. It helped develop the hand- One of the teams with a keen eye on 2012, he signed a deal that should keep him most would agree: It was worth it. n FRED VUICH FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (WITH TEAMMATES); JUSTIN K. ALLER/GETTY IMAGES (WITH AWARDS); ANDREW H. WALKER/GETTY IMAGES ADAM (SMITH); GAULT/GETTY IMAGES (BASKETBALL); ANDREW UNANGST/ GETTY IMAGES (SANDWICH) 40 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS SIKIDS.COM 41.