McCutchen eager for challenge of Giants’ tough right field

SAN FRANCISCO » Andrew McCutchen figures San Francisco’s AT&T Park outfield is so big, playing right field will make him feel like a center fielder all over again.

Running catches, ricochets off the wall, tricky bounces and all.

And if he can save his legs a little bit from the action in center, he might just steal a few more bases.

The Giants acquired the popular McCutchen from Pittsburgh on Monday, and he will be their new starting right fielder. Manager Bruce Bochy quickly spoke to incumbent Hunter Pence about making the move from right to left.

“I’m looking forward to right field, that’s one place people can’t pick on me saying my defensive metrics are so bad,” McCutchen said during a conference call Tuesday. “I’m looking forward to being able to play right field. I know there’s a lot of room out there to run. It’s definitely going to be a reminder almost like playing center. I’ve gotten to see Hunter Pence patrol out there quite a bit so I’ll be able to pick his brain quite a bit to learn where to play and how to play, all those things.”

The 2013 NL MVP thinks he will be more comfortable leaving Pittsburgh to join a clubhouse that has many franchise faces — that’s what he was for so long, after all — such as Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey. He joins new third baseman Evan Longoria, acquired from Tampa Bay last month.

Still, this will be a big move for a player beloved in Pittsburgh. McCutchen took the opportunity again Tuesday to thank the organization that selected him in the first round of the 2005 amateur draft for “having faith in me that I could be the player that they felt that I could be.”

“There are a lot of emotions that of course come along with this. I was there for nine seasons. You’re going to have those emotions,” McCutchen said. “A lot has happened. To put it all in a nutshell, we have a lot to be excited about and we have also a lot to be thankful for.”