Pittsburgh Pirates: Best 60 Game Samples Sizes in Team History

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: Andrew McCutchen #22 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 24, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: Andrew McCutchen #22 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 24, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
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September 25, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a double during the first inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
September 25, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a double during the first inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew McCutchen: May 5, 2012 through July 15, 2012

The 2012 season was the start of a four-year stretch for Andrew McCutchen in which he was one of the five best players in baseball. Cutch batted .313/.404/.523 with a .412 wOBA, and 157 wRC+. Among players in this four-season run with at least 1500 plate appearances, McCutchen was top 10 in the MLB in OPS (7th), wOBA (5th), and wRC+ (4th). McCutchen was the only National League player to have at least 75 home runs and stolen bases, and the only other player to reach this milestone was Mike Trout.

Cutch was downright awesome at the plate in 2012, though. In 673 trips to the plate, he batted .327/.400/.553, accumulating a .403 wOBA and 158 wRC+. McCutchen’s 31 home runs this season is still a career-best for the outfielder. McCutchen took home the National League Center Field Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, along with finishing second in MVP voting behind San Francisco Giants backstop Buster Posey.

McCutchen’s 60-game span from May 5 through July 15 of this season was phenomenal. He turned in a .400/.451/.757 line, .499 wOBA, and 226 wRC+. This made him 126% better than the league average batter in 2012. McCutchen is just one of 26 players in MLB history to bat at least .400 in a 60-game sprint, and his wRC+ ranks 17th all-time. McCutchen’s stretch here is one of 103 60-game spans where the hitter was 100% or better than the league average (200+ wRC+). He had a 5.1 fWAR, which ranks 17th all-time. He crushed 21 homers in this time as well.

This 60-game sprint by McCutchen is easily one of the best in baseball history. He ranks top 20 among many of the most important statistical categories, such as OPS, wOBA, wRC+, and fWAR. The 2012 season is one that most McCutchen fans likely remember fondly, and even though he didn’t win the MVP that season, that still doesn’t take away from his great season.

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