Andrew McCutchen Is The Face Of The Pirates

By Courtney Swift 3-5-2013

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WEBN Staff Photo

Andrew McCutchen has become one of the most popular faces in baseball.

This spring training is McCutchen’s eighth with Pittsburgh Pirates. But it is his second after a signing six-year, $51.5 million dollar contract. The centerfielder says he plans on approaching camp the same as always.

“The contract of course means I don’t really have to worry too much about going to the minors,” he said. “Other than that it’s the same, nothing’s changed. I intend to be the same person out there every day coming into spring training.”

McCutchen has consistently produced good numbers at spring camp, hitting above .300 in his last four pre-seasons. While he has seen success, he knows there is always room to develop.

“I’m just trying to do everything, just improve everywhere trying to maximize my game as much as I can,” he said. “I know what I need to get done to get myself ready for the season and I’m just going out and doing it every single day, and once the season starts I’m ready to go.

The star centerfielder grew up in Fort Meade, Florida, just over an hour away from McKechnie Field. McCutchen says he is grateful to be with the Pirates so he can visit his hometown every spring.

“It’s nice to be in Florida definitely,” he said. “It’s good to know I’m not too far from home, and if I feel like going home, I can.”

While he might be a familiar face to Floridians, people from all over the country have started to take notice of Cutch. The MLB Network just wrapped up a “Face of Baseball” contest where McCutchen reached the Final Four.

The bracket began with a “face” for each team. With the help of fan voting. McCutchen passed players like Justin Verlander of the Tigers and Ryan Braun of the Brewers before falling short to Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds.

Votto would eventually go on to become “the face of baseball,” but McCutchen was content with the outcome.

“It’s nice to get some of the recognition making it to the final four for the fans to vote,” McCutchen said. “It’s cool to see.  But I’ll just remain the same person and just do what I’ve been doing to get me where I am.”

McCutchen was also nominated to headline one of PlayStation 3’s new games, “MLB 13: The Show.”  It is based on another fan vote, McCutchen won the cover role of the game.

“It’s because of them that I’m on the cover, and it’s amazing,” McCutchen said. “It’s going be awesome just to be able to go through the stores and see that everywhere. It’s definitely something I’m going to cherish.”

You can follow Andrew McCutchen on Twitter. His handle is @TheCutch22. He’s says he’s sure to make you laugh.