Pittsburgh Pirates

Andrew McCutchen: Face of the Pirates franchise no more

By Alby Oxenreiter, Channel 11 Sports
By Alby Oxenreiter, Channel 11 Sports

PITTSBURGH — It might be said that Andrew McCutchen was destined to play for the Pirates.

He was born and raised in Fort Meade, Florida, only about 60 miles from the spring training home of the Bucs.

In 2005, four months before his 19th birthday, McCutchen was drafted by the Pirates with the 11th overall pick in major league baseball's amateur draft.

Now, 12 years later, the face of the franchise has moved on.

McCutchen provided countless thrills and led the way in the resurgence of the Pirates. He was the team’s best player during an historic time for one of the major league’s oldest franchises.

I first met McCutchen in 2005 at a post-draft news conference at PNC Park.

RELATED: Pirates trade Andrew McCutchen to Giants

It was roughly 13 months (409 days to be exact) after the Steelers had drafted Ben Roethlisberger with the NFL’s 11th overall pick, and only 53 days before the Penguins would take Sidney Crosby with the NHL’s first overall pick.

It took four years for the 18-year phenom to reach the big leagues, but in June of 2009, McCutchen was ready for prime time.

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With his service in the minors complete, McCutchen was called up from AAA Indianapolis and made his major league debut, playing center field and batting leadoff against the New York Mets.

That debut, and that game, were overshadowed by another significant sporting event in Pittsburgh. On that same night, only a stone’s throw from PNC Park, the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings at Mellon Arena in Game 4 of the '09 Stanley Cup Finals.

RELATED: Pirates trade Gerrit Cole to Houston

A special time for the Penguins coincided with the beginning of something very special for the Pirates. McCutchen, as with Steelers superstar Troy Polamalu, became well-known for his hair, and eventually, his well-documented haircut.

In the summer of 2014, McCutchen revealed to me in an interview that he was considering cutting his famous dreadlocks. The following spring, he did just that.

McCutchen was always cooperative and professional with interviews, although perhaps a bit reluctant at times. He willingly answered questions, but rarely gave reporters a glimpse of his personality.

He was, however, extremely giving of his time for a variety of charitable efforts, perhaps most notably his work with Make-A-Wish. I remember one summer day in particular, when McCutchen turned baseball dreams into reality by treating a Make-A-Wish child to a game of catch in center field at PNC Park. McCutchen never said no to my requests, donating autographed, game-used bats for the auction at my annual charity golf tournament.

In 2013, when McCutchen became the first Pirates player since Barry Bonds in 1992 to win the National League Most Valuable Player award, I talked to him one-on-one about what it meant to him personally, and to the franchise that had waited so long for the return of a winner. That award came on the heels of the Pirates' first postseason appearance in 21 years.

Then, one month later, during an appearance on "The Ellen Show," McCutchen proposed to Maria Hanslovan, of Dubois. They were married in November of 2014, and it wasn’t unusual to see them around Pittsburgh, like the night I spotted them on the sidelines at Heinz Field.

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It was a grand era for the Pirates. They fell short of a World Series title, but after suffering through two decades of futility, the Pirates earned three consecutive postseason appearances.

No one could have guessed that only a few years later, the cornerstone and superstar of the team would be playing elsewhere.

Andrew McCutchen was many things: a five-time All-Star. a league MVP, an ambassador for major league baseball, and the pride of Pittsburgh baseball. The face of the Pirates is now a former Pirate, but his impact with the team, the city and its fans will not soon be forgotten.

 

Cox Media Group

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