Andrew McCutchen Will Be Hard to Replace
This one hurts. It was announced on Tuesday that center fielder Andrew McCutchen is out for the season after tearing his ACL in Monday night’s game against the San Diego Padres.
McCutchen was a key part of the Phillies’ success through the first two-plus months of the season. In the leadoff spot, McCutchen hit .256/.378/.457, and also contributed with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 45 runs scored, good for sixth in baseball. But more than that, he knew how to work the count. He’s currently second in the majors in walks at 45 (first in the National League), and third in the NL seeing 4.45 pitches per at-bat.
His injury is a major blow to an already-depleted Phillies outfield. Odubel Herrera has been on administrative leave since his arrest for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Memorial Day. Now, two-thirds of the Phillies Opening Day outfield will miss a significant portion of the season.
So what are the Phillies to do?
Newly acquired outfielder Jay Bruce will see a lot of time in left field now. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. Yes, Bruce has power from the left side of the plate, with 14 home runs and 28 RBI. But his .214 batting average and 53 strikeouts leave a lot to be desired. For a team that already strikes out a lot, Bruce might hurt. While he’s better served as a bench player, at least the Phillies aren’t paying him a lot.
The interesting piece in all of this comes in the form of the newest Phillie, Adam Haseley. The number three prospect made his Phillies debut yesterday, starting in centerfield, less than a week after being called up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Haseley hit .275/.358/.466 in the minors, and has often been talked about as a future cornerstone of the franchise. It’s unfortunate to see him up due to an injury, but it will be exciting to see what he can do. And if he plays like he did in the minors, he may not be sent back down again.
While he gets his legs under him in The Show, he’ll presumably split time in center with super utility man Scott Kingery. “Jetpax” will play third when he’s not giving Haseley a spell.
While the outfield gets figured out, the tougher piece to put together is who hits leadoff. As has been mentioned, Cutch was a stellar leadoff man, and really set the tone for the rest of the lineup. He’s going to be next to impossible to replace, but they need to try.
The most obvious option seems to be Cesar Hernandez, and that is who was there Tuesday night, the first game post-Cutch injury. Here’s the problem with this – Cesar has been crushing it lower in the lineup. In years past when he hit leadoff, it almost seemed like he put too much pressure on himself to get on base. Why mess with a good thing?
The better option to hit leadoff is Jean Segura. He gets on base at a nice clip, can cause havoc on the base paths and, like McCutchen, is a big reason for the success the Phillies have had so far this season.
The ideal lineup right now would be Segura (SS), Kingery (3B), Harper (RF), Hoskins (1B), Realmuto (C), Hernandez (2B), Bruce (LF), Haseley (CF). And as Haseley progresses, his spot in the lineup can change.
All of this, though, gives the Phillies another glaring hole to fill this summer. They were already going to go after pitching and try to trade for a starting pitcher or bullpen piece. Or sign Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel.
One possible player the Phillies might want to think about making a move for is Kansas City Royals outfielder/second baseman Whit Merrifield. Merrifield, like Kingery, can play multiple positions across the diamond and would give the Phillies a huge boost offensively at the top of the order. He signed a very team-friendly contract this offseason and would be a good option to replace Herrera in the center, depending on how things work out with Haseley.
But because he has such a team-friendly contract, the Royals might not be inclined to move him unless they get a great return. And unless the Phillies can fleece Kansas City, those prospects need to be used to get Madison Bumgarner or Trevor Bauer. The outfield will figure itself out. Pitching is what will win the Phillies a championship.
While the loss of McCutchen is a tough one, the Phillies got him for more than his production at the plate and in the field. His veteran leadership presence and the clubhouse culture that he creates will have a big influence on the young team this summer.
Photo: via Twitter (@ JamieApody)
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