The month of June has been very generous for Andrew McCutchen in his four years in the Majors as it normally is the month to jump start his season. It was the case last year as it helped propel him into the MVP picture. So far this June, he’s posted a .351/.711/1.128 line with 11 doubles, eight home runs and 25 RBI in 24 games.
“I’m just seeing the ball and hitting the ball,” said McCutchen. “I think I definitely have spurts where I feel good. I feel really good now and I’m just trying to stay patient and consistent. Just keep the same game plan, whatever they give to me, just take it and take your walks and steal a base.”
His numbers this month aren’t unexpected as the center fielder loves hitting during this month. McCutchen’s career numbers in June are .322/.538/.933 with 47 doubles, 10 triples, 21 home runs and 108 RBI which lead any other month of production in his career.
“I really can’t pinpoint that,” said McCutchen. “The weather starts to heat up and with me being from Florida, I like when it’s hot. I feel good every single day, so that might have something to do with it but also just getting into the swing of things. It’s been my plan the whole time this year to get myself ready to hit and not miss the pitch when they give it to me so, that’s what I’m trying to do every time I have an at bat.”
Once a player goes on a hot streak, they tend to try to break down how they are doing it (i.e. swing, plate approach, etc.) and when they start to cool off, they try to change their approach. McCutchen doesn’t tend to do that as he has learned that overthinking something will have you worse off than continuing with the approach you had.
“I’m trying to simplify the game as much as possible,” said McCutchen. “I don’t think so much and a lot of this game is mental. Sometimes you go out and you don’t do so well and it’s not necessarily physical, it’s really more mental than anything and that’s what I try and think about when I have these types of games is what I’m thinking about when I’m hitting.”
Another problem that has arisen from McCutchen’s success is that pitchers are avoiding him at the plate more than pitching to him. He currently leads the league in walks (53). Manager Clint Hurdle doesn’t see it as a big problem because he knows McCutchen can even turn a walk into a double.
“He’s in command of the at bat and the pitches that aren’t there, he’s taking,” said Hurdle. “Walks are still showing up and one of the ways he can combat it a little better is to get on and go. Steal a base, get yourself in scoring position, try and present a problem for the opposing team. It’s so fun to watch a guy up there with that kind of confidence night-in and night-out.
Hurdle doesn’t mind the publicity that McCutchen is getting because it usually means that he is doing something really good which, in turn, means the team is succeeding as well.
“You know what’s nice is we can even have this conversation about how many times we’ve seen him hot and put him up there and measure him,” said Hurdle. “This is hot. When he gets a pitch to hit, he’s not missing it. The balls are going line-to-line. Once this calendar flipped, he’s hit another gear.”
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(Photo Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
