Must Read Material: How Andrew McCutchen became a Star

Great read over at Deadspin this afternoon, which properly places Andrew McCutchen as the NL’s best asset at the moment.

That’s what McCutchen means to Pittsburgh. He’s a living rebuke to all the incompetence of the past two decades—talent identified, talent developed, talent retained. His handling has been a smart exercise in Bonds-proofing, from the moment he was drafted, through the gaming of his arbitration clock, to the signing of his extension. The Pirates’ timing was impeccable. His pace through Sunday—.372 average, 38 home runs, 114 RBIs—has been accomplished over a full season by just six other players in history, according to ESPN. Imagine what might have happened had the Pirates and McCutchen not reached an agreement on a long-term deal during the offseason. Hammond, for one, suggested the Bucs might have been in a difficult spot if McCutchen were to continue hitting at anything close to his current pace.

“There’s a good chance that there’s no way Pittsburgh could have signed him,” Hammond said. “He would have gone into another stratosphere with this kind of performance. But there’s no need to speculate on that because that’s not even going to be an option.”

How Andrew McCutchen Became A Star And Redeemed Two Decades Of Pittsburgh Jagoffery. [Deadspin]