Dunlap: Hate To Say It, But McCutchen Needs To Sit
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - Cutch has to sit.
That doesn't look right on my computer screen when I type it.
It doesn't feel right when I try to process that thought before it soars through my fingers and into my keyboard.
So I'll type it again just to make sure I got it right.
Cutch has to sit.
Damn.
As much as I'm trying to resist this, Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen has to be demoted to the bench for at least a few days. There doesn't seem to be any way around it after a 1-for-4 performance on Sunday in Milwaukee that included an UnCutchlike three strikeouts.
McCutchen hit .190 over the last seven days and is at just .204 after the All-Star break as he's occupied that third spot in the order. He saw a spike in average in July (.247) but that came on the heels of a June where he hit just .202.
It is one of the great head-scratchers in Pirates history.
How a man can produce like a world-beater for a portion of his career and look so average --- if even that --- all of a sudden.
That's why, in my opinion, it is a must manager Clint Hurdle sits McCutchen for this upcoming Atlanta series.
Give the centerfielder time to unplug, get off his feet and see things from a different vantage. And then, perhaps when the Pirates host the Reds this weekend, get McCutchen right back in there hoping the pause cured some things.
Man, I hate saying that sitting McCutchen is part of the solution, but it really seems to be the case right now.
There's a little more to why I hate typing these words about Andrew McCutchen; a little more to why I hate sharing feelings that it is probably time he's relegated to the bench. He isn't some far away, robot of a superstar to me like he is to so many who adore him --- a guy they simply see on television or from their seat at PNC Park.
He's a human to me.
A human who cares about others.
A human who partakes in a good deed not to get noticed, but because it's the right thing to do; he's a person the world needs more of.
How do I know? Because my family has been on the receiving end of McCutchen's kindness.
A few months ago my 5-year-old daughter underwent the second major kidney surgery in her brief life. She withstood the lengthy procedure and requisite Children's Hospital stay thereafter, keeping it all together and displaying a toughness that I don't think I possess. The poking and prodding, the pain and discomfort --- she gritted through it and will forever be one of my heroes for how she handled such a tough time. She isn't totally out of the woods yet, but hopefully the worst is behind her.
That said, when we gathered the mail upon arriving home after her hospital stay, there was a get well box from Pirates players Andrew McCutchen and Josh Harrison.
It was unsolicited.
It had hand-written notes from each of those men and a bunch of other things.
It was something that --- while fighting through deep pain --- made the time a little easier for my sweet little Darran girl because, oh my, how she loves her Pirates and her Cutch and her J-Hay.
It was something I will never forget, as a Major League megastar --- and another prominent player who has been an All Star --- took the time and effort to brighten the spirit of a sick little kid.
A few weeks after my daughter's surgery I was in the underbelly of PNC Park a few hours before game time and Cutch was on his way to the batting tunnel.
He stopped and asked about my daughter. At length. He wanted to know exactly what she was afflicted with, how she was doing, what the prognosis was and, also, how the rest of our family was holding up.
In that moment, he wasn't some MLB megastar. He was just a human caring about another person who was having it a bit rough. Andrew, before hopping into the batting cage, said, "you know she's in my prayers right now."
I'll never forget that. Ever.
So that's why it's tough to write these words today, almost impossible for them to come out actually. But it's my job to have opinion and call them like I see them.
I know Andrew McCutchen is one of the finest people in baseball.
I know Andrew McCutchen --- when at optimal performance level --- is one of the best players in this grand game.
I also know it feels like what's going on with him right now is just about inexplicable. It doesn't make sense to see him so lost at the plate and, at times, so aimless on the basepaths and in the outfield.
So I also know that maybe, just maybe, what could salvage his season is a few days off. In my opinion, we have reached that point.
It probably is time to sit him down --- at least for these next three games in Atlanta.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
