McCutchen finding his place with San Francisco

“This is great. A team picked me up. A team wanted me here. That’s a great feeling, to be able to come somewhere you’re wanted. They’re trying to win.”

There’s an air of confidence in the quiet of the Giants clubhouse, where McCutchen is again sitting with Mays. Some of it stems from familiarity. McCutchen is teammates again with Melancon and Tony Watson. He saw Cueto often, including in the 2013 National League wild-card game — a zenith of McCutchen’s Pirates career. He played Bumgarner, Posey, Pence, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and others in the Pirates’ 2014 wild-card loss.

Posey has known McCutchen since they were teammates on the U.S. Junior Olympic team in 2004 for a tournament in Taiwan. Also on that roster were Justin Upton, Ike Davis, Jon Niese and Tyson Ross. “I remember watching [McCutchen] and Justin Upton and feeling like they were just a tick above everybody else,” Posey recalls. “I’m excited to be on his team again for a few more games than we got to play together back in 2004.”

During live batting practice three days earlier, McCutchen planted a pitch from Bumgarner halfway up the berm beyond the leftfield wall. McCutchen played it cool, barely breaking a smile, so Posey emerged from his crouch behind the plate and gave McCutchen a shove. “You’re getting a guy who loves to play baseball,” Posey says. “A game-changer.”

McCutchen and Jackson were in high school showcases together. The fraternity of center fielders is a small one, Jackson says, so he has always had an eye on McCutchen.

“Seeing the highlightreel plays. Seeing the bat speed. Seeing the lightningquick hands,” Jackson says. “I could keep going. I told him that the other day. I said, ‘Hey, man, I’m going to stop gassing you up.’ “Jackson continues anyway. “He is that rare talent that you see. Everybody knows it when he walks in the room. He’s a special talent.”

McCutchen expects he’ll benefit from a new role in San Francisco. He won’t need to worry about lineup protection here, and there will be fewer media obligations, fewer demands for his time and attention. It’ll be different. Some good, some