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What is the best offensive lineup the Pirates can make?
By Baron Dionis
Designated Hitter, Andrew McCutchen
Andrew McCutchen is the lead-off hitter for the Pirates best offensive lineup. He has struggled this season, but stat cast metrics prove that he has been very unlucky. Through 35 games played, McCutchen has a batting average of .213 with six home runs and 11 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .698, which includes an on-base percentage of .320 and a slugging percentage of .378.
McCutchen also has a wRC+ of 101, which is one point above the league's average. One thing that he has struggled with this season is striking out, which is currently at a career-high of 26.5%. The second-highest strikeout percentage in his career is 23%.
Despite having some low hitting numbers, stat cast metrics prove he should be better. His slugging percentage is very low at .358, but his expected slugging percentage is at .515, which is in the 90th percentile. He also is one of the top hitters in the league with a barrel percentage of 18.2%, which is in the 97th percentile, and a hard hit percentage of 50%, which is in the 88th percentile.
McCutchen has also been the most successful this season when he leads off. When he is the first name on the lineup card, he has a batting average of .269 with five home runs and six runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .862, which includes an on-base percentage of .355 and a slugging percentage of .507 in this spot on the lineup card.
Despite the team's struggles, the Pirates face of the franchise has been a solid hitter in the lead-off spot. He will remain the designated hitter for the rest of the season.