Pirates’ McCutchen a different type of leader

BRADENTON — The Pittsburgh Pirates’ dream outfield is nearing reality.

When it does, when Gregory Polanco joins Starling Marte to fill the corner positions at PNC Park, it will make the man in the middle the group’s elder statesmen.

That’s right — Andrew McCutchen, the pride of Fort Meade who is less than 10 years removed from being drafted out of high school, will be the oldest outfielder in the Pirates’ starting lineup once Polanco, 22, considered the Pirates’ top prospect who ended last season with Triple-A Indianapolis, gets the call to Pittsburgh Marte is 25. “It’ll be a little different, having both of them out there and being the older guy of the bunch,” McCutchen said. “At the same time, knowing those guys are going to bring a lot to the table is great.”

The National League’s reigning MVP, McCutchen won’t turn 28 until October, making him younger than any of the three outfielders — Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner, 30, and Carlos Beltran, 36 — expected to start for the New York Yankees, the Pirates’ opponent for Wednesday’s Grapefruit League opener at McKechnie Field.

Pittsburgh is a different animal, however, and McCutchen is a different player — a guy who is ready to embrace his ever-increasing leadership role in the Pirates’ clubhouse but has absolutely no plans to exploit it.

“If Marte has something to say to me, I’m not going to be like, ‘Dude, I’ve been in the big leagues longer than you, so I’m not going to listen to what you have to say,’ ” said McCutchen, who made his Pirates’ debut in 2009. “If you have something to tell me, I’m going to sit there and listen regardless of how long I’ve been here and how long he’s been here. I’m going to listen to what he has to say because it will probably benefit you. I think that’s the big key for any player.”

McCutchen plans on leading with his play, a good choice considering he’s coming off a stellar year that garnered the Pirates’ their first MVP award since Barry Bonds won it in 1992. And while Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has noticed McCutchen piping up a bit more in meetings, he doesn’t expect his star to become a word man any time soon.

“By no means is he the guy who’s doing all the talking and getting the group together. He loves leading by action,” Hurdle said. “He knows there’s more for him, there’s more that he wants to get done in the game not just for himself, but for that city. It started when he inked a contract two springs ago to make that commitment to the organization, to be all in.”