McCutchen is all right with switching positions
New acquisition will move from center field; Pence will play left field
SAN FRANCISCO >> Along with a new team, Andrew McCutchen will have a new position in 2018.
In introducing their latest acquisition Tuesday, the Giants confirmed that the former Gold Glove-winning center fielder will move to right field at AT&T Park.
To make room, Hunter Pence will slide over to left field. The
team’s opening day center fielder, meanwhile, remains an open question. “We’re engaged in a number of scenarios right now,” general manager Bobby Evans said.
McCutchen, acquired in a trade Monday, said he embraces the position switch — as well as the quirky dimensions of his new home ballpark.
“For me, it’s another center field. I’m just moving over a little bit,” the five-time All-Star said. “I’m still going to be running a lot. And if it’s saving my legs, and I can get some more stolen bases, I’m all down for it.”
Though hardly a surprise,
“I’m just moving over a little bit. … And if it’s saving my legs, and I can get some more stolen bases, I’m all down for it.” — — Andrew Andrew McCutchen, McCutchen, who who was was asked asked to to move move from from centerfield centerfield to to right right
the position switch represents a major turning point for the 31-year-old outfielder. Since the start of the 2010 season, no major league player has made more starts (1,202) in center field.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates tried moving him to right a year ago, McCutchen did so reluctantly and wrote about his “shock” in the Players’ Tribune. “They weren’t asking me,” he wrote. “They were telling me.”
After all, his opening day start in right field last year marked his first game there since 2006 while with Double-A Altoona.
But this time, McCutchen is all aboard.
“Now that I’m going into the Giants organization, this is something that they want me to do. I’m all for it,” McCutchen said on a conference call. “This is where I want to be.”
He even joked: “I’m looking forward to right field. That’s one place people can’t pick on me (by) saying that my defensive metrics are so bad.”
The former National League MVP also said he looks forward to patrolling the spacious right-center gap and plans to pick Pence’s brain about how to handle the angles.
“They call it Triples Alley for a reason,” McCutchen said. “It’s big. If the ball gets out there, you’re going to be in trouble.”
Beyond his easy conversation with McCutchen, Giants manager Bruce Bochy also found an amendable outfielder in Pence, who didn’t blink when asked to switch to left.
“You know Hunter:
He’s a guy that’s going to do whatever you ask of him,” Bochy said. “So there wasn’t a hesitation. … I think he’s just excited about the chance to play with Andrew and improve the outfield.”
Bochy jokingly reminded Pence that the last time he put him in left field was for the 2011 All-Star Game — and Pence responded by throwing out Joey Bautista trying to score from second on a single.
As for center field, where the Giants struggled defensively last season, Evans said “the options remain pretty large.” He did not address names, but rangy Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson are on the market.
Outfield prospect Steven Duggar, 24, looks to be the long-term answer at the position, but the Giants want to give him more seasoning.
“Although I think he’s going give a big push to
make this club,” Evans said. “But this is the time of year where you’d rather have Duggar in your back pocket if you can and work on other things to bring in a center fielder.”
For a day, at least, the Giants were happy to focus on having McCutchen in the fold. They got him Monday in exchange for pitcher Kyle Crick, minor league outfielder Bryan Reynolds and $500,000 in international bonus pool space.
In addition to McCutchen, the Giants got $2.5 million to offset his $14.5 million salary for 2018, the final year of his deal.
“This player has kind of been the apple of our eye in the offseason, and it was a dogged pursuit,” Giants executive vice president Brian Sabean said. “We’re getting a guy that’s a very exciting player and someone we can add to a lineup
that I now think is very formidable.”
McCutchen batted .279 with 28 home runs, 88 RBIs and 11 stolen bases last season. He had a .363 on-base percentage and a .486 slugging percentage.
Bochy said that between McCutchen and new third baseman Evan Longoria, another veteran acquisition, the Giants suddenly have a lineup worth fearing.
“They’re the guys you want up there when you need a big hit or the game’s on the line,” Bochy said. “We had a hard time putting runs on the board last year. You need someone who has a knack for the RBI, and these guys certainly do.”
Evans said he still has to do a “double take” when he sees McCutchen on the Giants roster. The outfielder was the face of the franchise in Pittsburgh. Even as he brokered the deal, Evans wasn’t sure the Pirates could actually bring themselves to say goodbye.
“We were not convinced that they would move him, really, until the last minute of our discussion,” Evans said Tuesday.
The trade felt surreal to McCutchen, too. He’s said over the years that he wanted to spend his entire career in Pittsburgh. The only players to hit more home runs in a Pirate uniform are Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente and Ralph Kiner.
Still, McCutchen suspected the end was near.
“The anticipation was high on my end. My name had been circulating a little bit,” he said. “When the reality of (the trade) hit, the emotions were definitely high. But we’re very excited and looking forward to the next chapter in our lives.”