Pittsburgh Pirates road trip report card for June 20-25

Andrew McCutchen es en fuego

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Andrew McCutchen has been playing pretty well since being moved down to the number six spot in the batting order a month ago. Knowing how well he;s been hitting in the six spot compared to where he was batting third for Clint Hurdle, it seems that Cutch is in the right place. The problem is that the men who have succeeded McCuctchen in the three hole have hardly had similar success.

Since the Pirates decided to move McCutchen down three spots, the three hole has been occupied mainly by John Jaso and Gregory Polanco. Jaso is little more than an above average bat off the bench, while Polanco has stunk since last June. McCutchen is better than both of those guys, which is why he should be getting more at-bats than them.

People who are in favor of McCutchen staying where he is will of course point to the fact that Cutch started to hit as soon as Clint Hurdle moved him. If that theory is legit, then couldn’t the same apply for Gregory Polanco, who’s success on offense is almost as vital to the Pirates as McCutchen’s?

I’m not big on lineup construction, and a hot Andrew McCutchen helps the Pirates regardless of where he is in the batting order. At the same time, it’s only sensible to have your best hitters hitting higher up in the lineup.