Forming the best possible second half lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates

Designated Hitter: Andrew McCutchen

Andrew McCutchen has had his ups and downs this year, but throughout it all, one thing that has held true is that the former MVP has gotten unlucky, whether that be via bad calls or batted ball luck. Either way, Cutch will look to run into some better results into the second half of his 16th MLB season.

Cutch hasn't been a horrible hitter. He is batting .221/.324/.381 with a .314 wOBA, and 101 wRC+. His strikeout rate is up to 26.4%, which is a career-worst, but he's still walking at a healthy 11.7% rate. Cutch has run into a dozen home runs with a .159 isolated slugging percentage, but the underlying numbers for his season are very promising and point to some better games ahead.

The veteran has a .343 xwOBA, which gives him the 23rd-largest gap between wOBA and xwOBA in baseball this year. Cutch's xSLG% is .460, giving him the 12th-biggest gap between SLG% and xSLG%. He is making quality contact at a career-best rate with a 12.4% barrel rate. Opposing pitchers aren't fooling Cutch. Umpires apparently do not like McCutchen's strike zone, as he has the third-most out-of-zone called strikes in baseball this year.

At some point, more things have to start going McCutchen's way. He's still a great hitter, and once Cutch runs into just slightly better luck, he'll find his stride again and be a key part of the Pirates' lineup during the second half of the year.