Why does Andrew McCutchen suck now?

[Dick Whitman]

He looked like he was headed to Cooperstown two years ago. Now he's terrible. Batting .231/.311/.413 this year after batting .256/.336/.430 a year ago.

What the hell?

Andrew McCutchen Has a Plan, Is Running Out of Time | FanGraphs Baseball

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Proper style is Andrew McCutchen -- HOFer?

It's too bad. He and the Pirates' resurgence were one of the great stories in MLB.

Then h went all Samson and cut his hair. Shoulda kept the dreads.

 

[QYFW]

Because he's on my fantasy team?

 

[LongTimeListener]

Mainly it's so OOP has something to ***** about for the next 10 years whether the Pirates keep him or get rid of him.

 

[outofplace]

Nice to know I still own that space in LTL's head.

 

[outofplace]

Proper style is Andrew McCutchen -- HOFer?

It's too bad. He and the Pirates' resurgence were one of the great stories in MLB.

Then h went all Samson and cut his hair. Shoulda kept the dreads.

They wasted that window of opportunity, in part because ownership insisted on going the cheap route. This current team is a mess for reasons beyond McCutchen's struggles. Off-field issues such as Marte's PED suspension and Jung Ho Kang's legal issues took away two key players. Maybe the next cycle of talent will fare better.

 

[CD Boogie]

He looked like he was headed to Cooperstown two years ago. Now he's terrible. Batting .231/.311/.413 this year after batting .256/.336/.430 a year ago.

What the hell?

Andrew McCutchen Has a Plan, Is Running Out of Time | FanGraphs Baseball

His line drive percentage is down from 33 percent to 21 percent over two years ago, and his Batting average on balls in play is only .250, whereas it was otherworldly from 2012-2015: .375, .353., 355., 339.

Last year it was .297, a little below the norm, which is usually around .300.

So he's not hitting the ball as hard and he's not having as much luck.

 

[cranberry]

He's been pretty hot the past week or so.

 

[Dick Whitman]

He's been pretty hot the past week or so.

The Fangraphs story I linked says that he believes he isolated the mechanical flaw. (He actually told this to MLB.com.) I would like to see him get back to his old self. I really like him.

 

[CD Boogie]

The Fangraphs story I linked says that he believes he isolated the mechanical flaw. I would like to see him get back to his old self. I really like him.

I saw a docuspecial on him, I think with MLB Network or maybe it was 30 for 30. I dunno. But he came from real poverty and seems like a genuinely good dude.

 

[Moderator1]

Saw him hit three HR in a game in 2009 and thought I'd seen God. Saw him again during his MVP season and was just as convinced.

Not that my reply answers the question. I'm baffled, too

 

[outofplace]

The Fangraphs story I linked says that he believes he isolated the mechanical flaw. (He actually told this to MLB.com.) I would like to see him get back to his old self. I really like him.

He does have a history of awful starts, though this one has lasted longer than most.

Edit: Meant to go back and add to this yesterday. In 2015, for example, he was hitting under .200 with two home runs May 6 and dropped back down to .225 May 19. He finished that year with a .292/.408/.488 slash line and 23 home runs.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Sometimes this happens to great players around the time they hit 30, whether they have injuries or not.

My childhood hero Dale Murphy is a great example. He went from perennial All-Star/Gold Glover to washed up virtually overnight at age 32 in 1988.

Dale Murphy Stats | Baseball-Reference.com

 

[dixiehack]

It's a wonder Dale Murphy isn't the most bitter man alive. Imagine toiling away in your prime on those horse**** Braves teams and then as soon as you're out of the picture ...

 

[jr/shotglass]

McCutchen does seem like a really stand-up guy. I hope he brings it back.

 

[CD Boogie]

Sometimes this happens to great players around the time they hit 30, whether they have injuries or not.

My childhood hero Dale Murphy is a great example. He went from perennial All-Star/Gold Glover to washed up virtually overnight at age 32 in 1988.

Dale Murphy Stats | Baseball-Reference.com

The drop off from his '87 to '88 season is horrific. Still would entertain a case for him for hall of fame. The last half of his career killed his averages, but he was a top three player in the NL for almost a decade. That's s HOFer to me, same as Mattingly.

 

[Steak Snabler]

It's a wonder Dale Murphy isn't the most bitter man alive. Imagine toiling away in your prime on those horse**** Braves teams and then as soon as you're out of the picture ...

Just like Mattingly with the Yankees.

 

[CD Boogie]

Just like Mattingly with the Yankees.

The Yankees during the second half of the 80s at least -- with Rickey; Winfield and Mattingly -- were pretty good but couldn't get past the tigers, jays and Sox. The Yankees of the Mel hall era were some sad sack ****

 

[cjericho]

The Yankees during the second half of the 80s at least -- with Rickey; Winfield and Mattingly -- were pretty good but couldn't get past the tigers, jays and Sox. The Yankees of the Mel hall era were some sad sack ****

And the season after he retired they won the World Series.

 

[Songbird]

@HighHeatStats thinks this thread is toopid.