Andrew McCutchen sums up all players’ lockout vibes with perfect meme

Andrew McCutchen is sick of being on the outside looking in.

Ironically, the former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder used a SpongeBob joke about being stuck inside to visualize that sentiment.

On Thursday, the fan-favorite MLB veteran tweeted this popular meme:

He made it even funnier by adding Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” to it. The song has become popular for unfortunate baseball moments, due to its “Hello, Darkness, my old friend,” lyrics.

For example:

Where will former Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen sign when the MLB lockout ends?

As a free agent, the lockout has to be even more isolating for McCutchen than his former teammates, as he is unable to sign with a team until it ends.

However, the 35-year-old outfielder might have better luck when the lockout ends, as the league and players’ union have agreed to bring the Designated Hitter back to the National League. The change opens up McCutchen’s market considerably, as the former Gold Glover struggled defensively in 2021, but continued to slug.

McCutchen hit for one of the lowest averages in his career, but raised his on-base and slugging percentages and OPS from 2020, and hit 27 home runs, his most in a season since 2017; he even hit a grand slam for the first time since 2017.

However, despite his solid offensive season, the Phillies elected to buy out his club option rather than pick it up, so he remains one of many currently untethered players. They seem set on making changes to their outfield, but it’s sad to see McCutchen go. In addition to his bat, he brought great energy to an otherwise somewhat-dispassionate clubhouse.

As to his replacement, we’ll have to wait and see what the post-lockout world brings.