Clint Hurdle On McCutchen: 'He Still Believes He Can Play Center Field, And I Do Too'
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - It's been an off-season full of decisions already for Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and he joined The Starkey and Mueller Show to talk about the biggest one so far, moving Andrew McCutchen from center field.
"Throughout the process, Andrew has been completely selfless," Hurdle said. "He still believes he can play center field, and I do too. There were times last year where he played the best center field I've seen him play in six years. At the end of the day, we wouldn't be having this conversation if it wasn't for having Starling Marte, who is a very gifted, elite defender as well."
While talking about the future of his outfield, Hurdle also talked about his own future with the organization as he heads into the final guaranteed year of his contract, and if that's something he has put a lot of thought into.
"Those things take care of themselves. I'm happy to be where I'm at," Hurdle said.
When asked if he wants to manage "many more years," Hurdle went on to say, "I believe I'm in a very good place mentally, I believe I'm in a very good place physically, so I have an energy level and a hunger for the game and a taste for the game as much as anything to try and continue to be a small part of a big group of people trying to bring a World Championship to Pittsburgh."
Click the link below to hear more from the Pirates manager as he talked about whether or not he likes his players participating in the World Baseball Classic, what the next step is for Jung Ho Kang and what he expects from Josh Bell and Tyler Glasnow this year.
