Clark Ehman (Sophomores)

After 5 years, Andrew McCutchen has returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Florida native made his Major League debut on June 3, 2009, for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and ever since, he’s been an iconic figure for the Pirates franchise. In 2012 Cutch registered a League-best 194 hits and hit .327, winning both a Silver Slugger and Golden Glove award. In 2013, he was named the National League MVP with 21 home runs and 84 runs batted in (RBI) . The last time a player on the Pirates was awarded the NL MVP was Barry Bonds in 1992, so it had been a while since the Pirates could claim to have one of the best players in the game. 

Cutch brought a new life to the Pirates. He was on the team in 2013 for the Pirates National League Wild Card game win against the Cincinnati Reds. That game was the Pirate’s first playoff victory since 1992 in the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves. The Pirates had not only a long playoff drought, but the longest streak of consecutive losing seasons in North American professional sports history. 

After three years of leading the Pirates to playoff appearances and 4 winning seasons, Cutch finished with a batting average of .291. During the preseason before the 2018 season, Cutch traded to the San Francisco Giants for several prospects including our current All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds. Later in the 2018 season, Cutch was traded to the New York Yankees to help them with a playoff run. Cutch would go on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies for the next three years before being signed to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022. 

Last month Cutch signed with the Pirates for a one-year deal worth $5 Million. This year, Cutch could reach several milestones. He needs 52 more hits to get to 2,000 in his career, as well as 13 more home runs to get to 300. For those past nine years, Cutch’s time on the Pirates has had a tremendous impact on the team, and on the city. Fans can’t wait for this upcoming season to see Cutch play again and finally return home to Pittsburgh.