The Buster Posey news simply wasn’t enough for Team USA, who have also added Andrew McCutchen to their World Baseball Classic roster. Cutch is part of the huge announcement released by the WBC today that featured over 20 new players committing to the tournament. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ outfielder joins Andrew Jones in the Team USA outfield when the tournament begins in March.
Cutch is a five-time All-Star, earning selections from 2011 to 2015. Like Posey, McCutchen also has quite the trophy case, with an NL MVP in 2013, four Silver Slugger Awards, a Gold Glove, and a Roberto Clemente Award. The 29-year-old had his worst season in 2016, but the extra games in the WBC will hopefully get him back on track to start the 2017 season.
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Andrew has been the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates, before and after the dreadlocks, since 2009. However, he has been the biggest name in trade talks at this year’s winter meetings. Despite the down year, Cutch is sure to bring back a huge return to Pittsburgh, who missed out on the playoffs in 2016.
The World Baseball Classic will hopefully help replenish McCutchen’s value in preparation for the 2017 season. Team USA is putting themselves in the best position to win gold than they ever have before, and Cutch will play a big role in doing so. They begin play on March 10th against Colombia at Marlins Park in Miami.