On August 31, the Yankees acquired Andrew McCutchen from the Giants for two prospects as the Yankees needed someone who can give some type of production in the absence of Aaron Judge. Many people thought of this trade as a one-month rental, but it has turned out the other way. With both Gardner and Cutch free agents after this season, here’s why the Yankees should re-sign the 31-year-old McCutchen.
On-Base Machine:
Andrew McCutchen has always been a great hitter who can hit for power, run and field. But the part of his game that is better than the rest is his ability to get on base. Andrew has a lifetime on-base of .378. and since joining the Yankees he has an on-base of .440.
Despite being a pretty small sample size, Cutch is constantly getting on-base in different ways. He has at least four games where he has been on base at least three times, including the past three games in a row.
Your @TheCUTCH22 scoring drive summary: pic.twitter.com/Y9v59oQgeK
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 16, 2018
Amazing plate discipline:
Another great trait for a leadoff hitter is having good plate discipline. Cutch takes it to Judge type levels. Cutch sees an average of 4.21 pitches per at-bat, which puts him in 10th place in all of baseball. In a stat seen during a Yes Network Broadcast, it showed that Rarely swings at balls out of the strike zone and leads the MLB in that.
As a result of his high on base, Andrew has created 87.7 runs which is 37th in all of baseball. The ability to get him on base a lot really helps this team as we all know they love the long ball and it will create more runs.
Not to mention that he is a great clubhouse guy similar to Todd Fraizer of last year but a better hitter. With Brett Gardner most likely not getting resigned and the uncertainty of Clint Fraizer and his concussion, the Yankees need some outfield depth and a good leadoff hitter. Cutch checks off all of those boxes and should remain a Yankee.
great job brandon