SI.com: Hurdle Has Little Hope, So Does This Mean McCutchen Is A Role Player?

Joe Lemire of Sports Illustrated has a post up detailing all of the new managers hired in Major League Baseball this offseason.  Of course it’s a well done post as he typically covers all the angles.  He does so in drilling down through the first nine managers hired.

But for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates the article might get you fired up today.  Of course Lemire thinks little of the Pirates chances for winning under new skipper Clint Hurdle.  But the part that stood out for us

was the Pirates player who he left out of the article.  One of the brightest young players in the game today.  The Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen doesn’t even get ink.

Call me crazy, but I think Lemire calls Andrew McCutchen a role player by leaving him out of the article.  Now wait.  Walker, Tabata, and Lincoln would be the role players, so what is McCutchen?

UPDATE:  We sent a tweet over to Lemire who was quick to respond.   He answers our question ‘if Cutch should be considered a role player’ with this reply.

SI_JoeLemire

1. @rumbunter No, the opposite. McCutchen could be All-Star. In managerial article, wrote only about rookies. Sorry, should have been clearer.

"“….But the Pirates, with only the exception of Alvarez, don’t project as future stars, and role players don’t turn around a moribund franchise.” Joe Lemire, SI.com"

Go check out the rest of the managerial rankings Lemire has completed in his post.

Or watch Cutch in the video below, I really enjoy around the :20 mark where he flys through the air toward home plate breaking the hearts of Phillies fans.