North Shore Notes
On The Dugout Steps
Andrew McCutchen

Since being taken by the Pirates with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 Amateur Draft, Andrew McCutchen has been hailed as the cornerstone of the Pirates' latest rebuilding project. A five-tool talent with terrific athletic ability and excellent bat speed to go with plus-plus running speed, fans and baseball analysts alike have envisioned McCutchen becoming the most exciting player to don a Pirates uniform since Barry Bonds.

Pittsburgh fans got their first glimpse of McCutchen this summer and he did not disappoint. Initially peeved by the Nate McLouth trade that cleared space for McCutchen to assume the centerfield duties at PNC Park, fans soon realized that the guy taking McLouth's place wasn't your typical Pirates prospect.

No, McCutchen, at 22, was already a better player than McLouth and much more dynamic. He exuded a cool confidence not often seen in rookie ballplayers, and his clutch performances immediately endeared him to the Bucco fan base. McCutchen finished the season ranked either first or second on the team in every relevant offensive category-despite spending the first two months in the minors-and was named Baseball America's Rookie of the Year.

PSR's Zak Koeske spoke with the Pirates' rookie sensation before one of the Bucs' final home games about his time in the big leagues this season and his plans for next year.

PSR: You were drafted by the Pirates out of high school. Four years later, you're in the big leagues. What would you say is the biggest difference coming from high school to professional baseball?

McCutchen: [laughing] You just can't compare it. High school was like Little League to me. It was easy. It really wasn't much of a competition. I'm not bragging on myself, but I stuck out. You come here and everybody's the same. Everybody's just as good or better. It's really an eye-opener just to see how much talent's out there and how really lucky you are to be here - to be in the bigs with all these guys that have been playing their whole lives.

PSR: What kind of changes have you seen since coming to the majors?

AM: There's really no comparison because it's such a big difference. Everything's different from the ball fields to the games being played. The atmosphere is different. In the minors, you can have your days and then you can have days where it's just another day. But here it's like you're ready. You want to be here. You're ready to play because it's the big leagues. It's something that a lot of people dream of and a lot of people don't get an opportunity to do, so you definitely can't take it for granted.

PSR: What do you need to improve for next year?

AM: I feel like I just need to continue to keep doing what I'm doing, basically. Don't really change too much. Actually don't change anything at all. Besides just the physical part of what I do - working out, getting stronger and having that longevity throughout the season. I've never played this many games. This is definitely something new, and basically this is the learning part for me. September is learning for me. And you know, hopefully down the road October will be learning for me, too. I just need to learn how to spread that out and stay healthy and stay on top of my game throughout the whole year.

PSR: Beside the physical aspect, do you have any personal goals for next year?

AM: No, I really don't try and set goals. Because it's just added pressure on yourself. I just try and do things right and try and work hard and stay healthy. Those are the biggest things. So, I'm just gonna go out and work hard this off-season and just get ready for next year.

PSR: Will this team improve next season?

AM: Let's hope so. We want things to turn around. This last month is really important to us. We can't go through the motions here because this is essentially what we're gonna have next year. So you need to have that faith, within yourself and within your team, that you'll be able to do it next year. We really need to just come together and finish strong, because we really wanna be better. We don't wanna have a slow start. You know, it's a new team and we don't want it to be a long year. We want it to be an exciting year.

PSR: This is an extremely young team, with none of the regulars over 30-years-old. Do you think it helps to have so many guys so close in age and in the same situation in their careers?

AM: It works both ways. It works to your advantage and to your disadvantage. It works to your advantage because everyone's so young that we're really in the same boat, basically just feeding off of everyone's energy. At the same time it kind of works to your disadvantage, because it's good to have veterans on the team who have been to the playoffs, who may have been to the World Series. They can teach you certain things that you wouldn't know.