Phillies 2020 Season Player Grades: Andrew McCutchen

Grading Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen’s 2020 season

The Philadelphia Phillies signed Andrew McCutchen following the 2018 season with the hope that he would provide a spark at the leadoff spot. At age 32, one couldn’t expect to see McCutchen perform as he did in his prime. Nevertheless, he played very well before going down with a fluke ACL injury on the base paths. He finished with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 43 walks, and a .834 OPS in 59 games. So, what would 2020 have in store after coming off a major injury?

Expectations couldn’t be high for the 33-year old entering the season and in the first few games of the 2020 season, McCutchen went just 1-for-18. He had three multi-hit games over the next nine but didn’t launch his first home run until the Phillies 17th game of the season.

McCutchen eventually found his stroke at the plate, hitting safely in 12 of the next 14 games, including seven multi-hit games with three home runs and 13 RBI. By the end of August, McCutchen was hitting a respectable .261 after a horrendous start.

Playing more like his old self, McCutchen hit six home runs with 14 RBI during September. On September 11, he went 3-for-4 with a bomb and three RBI in an 11-0 win over the Marlins. On September 25, McCutchen was part of a 13-run outburst, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a home run.  Although the Phillies fell to the Rays, 4-3 on the second to last game of the season, McCutchen had his best game, going 4-for-5 with a double and home run.

For the season, McCutchen hit a respectable .253 with 32 runs, 10 home runs, and 34 RBI. Those numbers project to 27 home runs, 92 RBI, and 86 runs scored. In the field, although McCutchen doesn’t have the range he once did, he was excellent fielding the balls he got to, not committing an error in 47 chances.

McCutchen’s overall WAR was slightly below zero, indicating a very mediocre overall campaign. However, playing in nearly every game at age 33 after coming off a major knee injury, with power production similar to that in his prime, McCutchen grades out to a solid B.