Pittsburgh's star center fielder talks about choosing baseball over football, turning around the Pirates franchise, and carrying on Jackie Robinson's legacy.
Written by Jose Martinez (@ZayMarty)
The outskirts of downtown Pittsburgh seem like a ghost town on a gloomy Tuesday afternoon in April. Aside from the occasional speeding car or a random passerby appearing every so often, the sidewalk along the 10th Street Bypass is practically empty. Then, a familiar face appears in the distance—and not just any face. It's Andrew McCutchen, the 25-year-old center fielder who's widely known as "the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates." And the man nicknamed "Cutch" will remain that face for at least the next six seasons since the team signed him to the second-largest contract in franchise history.
He isn't incredibly tall—a little under six feet—but it's hard to miss McCutchen, even from a distance. It may have something to do with his signature brown-to-burnt-orange dreadlocks, undisturbed by scissors for the past six years—and his impeccable sense of style. Today he's paired dark wash jeans with a black tie and a shiny charcoal dress shirt that reflects the rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds. Cutch himself represents a glimmer of hope to the city's dedicated fan base that hasn't seen a winning record from their MLB franchise in 20 years.
In five short seasons, McCutchen has become a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, and emerged as one of the league's brightest young black stars during a time when baseball has seen a decline in the number of African-American players. It's been 66 years since Jackie Robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier, and last year African-Americans made up just over seven percent of players in the league, down from over 18 percent in the mid 1980s. Earlier this year baseball commission Bud Selig announced the formation of a special diversity committee to help reverse that trend. The league's initiative includes the RBI program, which stands for "reviving baseball in inner cities."
At a very early age my dad taught me about Jackie Robinson, who he was and what he did. It was Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson—two very big guys. He instilled what they did in me so I could know why I am where I'm at now.
McCutchen didn't grow up in the inner city. He was raised in Fort Meade, a smallish city in central Florida. But as he describes his upbringing, "it wasn't always rainbows and butterflies." His parents couldn't always afford to send him to play baseball. "It's expensive: you've got cleats, gloves, bats, balls, uniforms—so many things that you have to be set financially to pay for. It's tough. Another thing is finding a place to play. In Florida, it's a lot easier versus coming to a place like Pittsburgh where it's cold. There's also the upkeep for fields. It's a lot easier to go to an open area and put concrete down and put basketball goals up and shoot around."
And then there are economic and social factors. "In the African-American community, you can shy away from there being poverty and single family homes," says McCutchen. "It's tough when single moms and dads have to work and can't always take [their kids] here and there. So many things have changed from the '80s to now. Things have gotten tougher. That's why you have the MLB team that's committed to change things and make a difference. I'm all for it. They have my support and any way I can help, I'm here to help."
On April 15—the anniversary of Jackie Robinson's historic first game in the major leagues—every player in the league wore his No. 42 jersey as part of Jackie Robinson Day commemorations. The day held special significance for Cutch, who knew about Robinson long before he watched the movie 42. "At a very early age my dad taught me about Jackie Robinson, who he was and what he did," says McCutchen. "It was Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson—two very big guys. He instilled what they did in me so I could know why I am where I'm at now. It's something that comes over you when you actually put that jersey on. It's amazing just to be able to put a uniform on and play the game of baseball and go out to show my talents—to win a championship. Back then, it wasn't like that. He opened a lot of doors for people like myself."
As a child, McCutchen looked up to athletes like Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Jordan, and Deion Sanders. He sometimes wore their jerseys. Now, he is the player kids are looking up to. "Last year, I was riding down, and I see a couple people walking—a man and a little boy, and they had on McCutchen shirts. I thought that was the coolest thing ever," he recalls. "I still don't know how to react to it but it's great to get that opportunity. It shows that I'm doing something right." Andrew is also a rising MLB star, which is evident in the way he utilized Twitter to get his 171,000+ followers to vote him as the cover athlete of MLB 13: The Show, beating out second-place finisher, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, by 19,093 votes.
All of this might never have happened. But Cutch's father Lorenzo wasn't going to allow his son's dreams to die. Lorenzo's own dad abandoned him as a child, so he was determined to be there for his son to guide him, teach him and help him succeed on the playing field and in life.
Andrew Stefan McCutchen was born on Oct. 10, 1986 to Lorenzo McCutchen and Petrina Swan, who were both in high school at the time. As a freshman at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., Lorenzo balanced his aspirations of playing football with his role as a young father by working as a cook and even picking fruit on weekends to provide for his baby boy. Eventually, Lorenzo chose his son over any potential football career, leaving school and marrying Petrina when Cutch was five. Around that same time, Andrew was introduced to baseball by his father in the form of skipping rocks. "We would get up, go to the railroad tracks to get smooth rocks, put them in this pan and then go out to the lake," he remembers fondly. "We would just throw them and try to skip them. I think that really developed the desire to pick up a baseball and throw it. When I started playing baseball, it became natural." But having a love for the sport wasn't enough. "I got help from other family members and friends," McCutchen confesses.
While his parents couldn't give their son the silver spoon lifestyle, his father gave him advice, encouragement and stern parenting that would eventually prove to be priceless. When Cutch was a teenager he was listening to an explicit rap CD and his father broke it in half. "I grew up in the church and he's a youth pastor. That’s not a good representation for what I believe in and stand for," Andrew admits. "People would've thought my life was strict. But in actuality, it really wasn't," he says. "I was able to do anything any other kid could do, and basically, my father knew that in the long run, I'd appreciate it."
After I tore my ACL, my dad was basically like 'you're playing baseball, not football.
As Andrew got older, he expanded his interest in athletics by participating in football and track & field. "I was fast," he says. So fast that in high school, Cutch thought he could play wide receiver for the football team. "I loved it and it was fun" McCutchen recalls. "Friday night lights, stepping out, and our football team was good." Then, in his last game as a member of Fort Meade's junior varsity football team, Cutch got pinned between two tacklers as he tried to slip through the defense and felt something snap in his knee.
It was his anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. "After I tore my ACL, my dad was basically like 'you're playing baseball, not football,'" Andrew remembers. But once he fully recovered, McCutchen went against his father's advice, developing into a top-flight college prospect. "I signed a scholarship to go to University of Florida," Cutch recalls. "The coach at the time came up to me and said, 'Can you outrun the guy that we just signed a scholarship for?' I said 'Yes, I can,' and he said 'Well, we'll keep an eye on you.'"
Ultimately, that letter of intent to UF and attending college altogether fell by the wayside when the MLB came calling at 18 because, as Cutch puts it, baseball "became something I loved to do; every other sport I played was fun but it wasn't something I really loved doing." McCutchen was selected in the first round, 11th overall, by the Pirates in the 2005 MLB Draft. But why did Cutch work so hard and even go against his fathers wishes to pursue a football career, only to pass it up when an MLB opportunity came along? Did any of it have to do with his father's early departure from the sport in order to fulfill a paternal role for young Andrew? "Not really, I never thought of anything that way. My parents had always supported me doing anything I wanted to do. I'm sure that was hard for him considering he went to school for it and didn't finish it," he acknowledges. "I had already messed myself up enough and missed out on a year and he didn't want me ruining that. I'm sure he saw something in me with baseball that stood out, maybe more than football." Immediately after answering the question, though, McCutchen leans forward, looking off into the distance and remains quiet for a little while.
In 2005, McCutchen began his minor league baseball career, but more importantly, he was a first-round selection. "Being a first-rounder means people are going to have their eyes on you. A lot of people have an expectation of you being something big," Cutch points out. Throughout his career in the minors, Andrew heard it all. From people within the Pirates organization were telling him "they haven’t seen a talent like mine in such a long time and if you do the right things, then you can potentially help the franchise" to the critics, saying "'McCutchen can be a risk,' 'McCutchen is playing teams that don’t have a whole lot of talent so we don’t know what his ceiling could be,' 'he’s scrawny' (he currently weighs 185 pounds), 'he’s small' (he’s 5’10”), 'his arm is bad,' and so on" to even his own psyche, as Cutch remembers, "watching people play in the big leagues and thinking to myself, 'Man, I don’t think I’m ready for that.'"
All the negativity and head games could've caused the metaphorical ship that was McCutchen's career to veer off course, but as always, Andrew's father remained the anchor in his life that wouldn't let him fail. "Basically, [he told me to] believe in what you can do and if you believe, there’s nothing anyone can tell you. Regardless if you’re hitting .048, you still gotta believe that you have the tools to be the best player and you can have the best game of your life every time you step onto that field. Even when people say that you’re a bust or that last year was a fluke," he recalls.
After spending four successful years in the minors, McCutchen made his major league debut against the New York Mets on June 4, 2009 and he immediately felt that adversity creep in again. "The Pirates lost a great player in Nate McClouth, and at the time, a lot of fans were upset because they wondered why they would trade away their best player for a minor league guy they didn't know much about," Cutch recollects. Through it all, Cutch believed that he could have the best game of his life when stepped onto the field at PNC Park. So, in his debut on that Thursday night, he had one memorable night. "In the first game, I nearly got every 'first' out of the way: first hit, run scored, stolen base, RBI, walk. I had a great game and did it all," Cutch recalls. "From then on out, I think people started noticing that I could be a real good player."
Now in his fifth year with the Pirates, McCutchen is a two-time All-Star, 2012 Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger Award recipient, who will call Pittsburgh home for at least the next five seasons after signing a six-year, $51.5 million contract extension last spring. During those decades of futility, Pirates fans developed a love/hate relationship with the team and McCutchen knows both sides very well. Sitting on a marble bench, situated between the Roberto Clemente Bridge and the Andy Warhol Bridge, looking out towards the Allegheny River, Cutch reflects on Pittsburgh as a sports town. "I love the city and the people," he says. "They're so passionate about their sports teams. I've been on bridges [after the NHL's Penguins won the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals] and it's been so full with people that it would be rocking. They just love their teams and want to win." At the same time, McCutchen realizes that winning over the fans is a process. "You're gonna have your naysayers and doubters," he admits. "I quoted something last year and it's stuck with me ever since. It was 'We won't let our past dictate our future. Our determination will turn our doubters into believers.' It's something I live by. There will be people who aren't gonna like us and people who will be upset with us and they're supposed to be."
Part of the change in Pittsburgh's fortunes has to do with accepting change. Cutch recently took to Twitter poking fun at a sports announcer for talking about "rap singers." He laughs it off now, but there's something serious underneath his jokes. "I wasn’t mad at all, but it was the phrase 'rap singers,' because either you’re a rapper or a singer. He was talking about 'you see the bill on his hat and how straight it is?' and he continued on, saying 'how they wear their pants all baggy now, they’re like rap singers.' And I’m like, 'What? Rap singers?' I tweeted it out because I thought it was funny. Some people live in the past. They don’t like that things change and can’t accept that. And this guy was just one of those people who was old school and lived back in the day where players wore tight pants. Then, someone sent me a picture of Babe Ruth with huge, baggy pants... Things change and people gotta accept. It doesn’t matter how people look, but rather, how you play and that you win the game."
With each passing year, McCutchen's stats have gotten better. Last season, he set new career highs in home runs (31) and RBIs (96). And while the appeal of joining a bigger market and reaching new levels of fame could overcome an athlete, Cutch remains the stand up guy who is dedicated to finishing what he started, giving the city of Pittsburgh that long-awaited winning season and even more. Maybe this year is the year. While it is an all too familiar adage, the Pirates do have the best record in the league this season. Maybe the franchise's luck is finally turning around."I'm here for a reason," Andrew says, with an air of confidence. "I hope that for as long as I'm here I'll have that opportunity and make it come to pass."
