It is not the end of the Pittsburgh Pirates yet! The Pittsburgh Pirates’ $5 million ace is staying with the Pirates and shows no signs of retirement. Rather, he has shown his next, better version, highlighting some tactical changes that will keep him strong and active for long. So, who is it?

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Andrew McCutchen for a one-year, $5 million contract in December. It is a good low-cost addition to the lineup, as the 2013 National League MVP has shown his mettle during the 2024 season, posting 20 home runs at an average of.232 and.739 OPS. McCutchen is expected to enter the 2025 season, ranking fourth in terms of the home runs made in Pirates history, sixth in RBI, fifth in extra-base hits, and ninth in games played. So, what’s ahead for him now?

Amid the rumors of retirement, Andrew McCutchen showed some good signs of improvements, which he pointed out to be some tactical changes. On March 14, during the “Baseball is Dead” podcast, when asked about how everything was going, the 38-year-old outfielder said, “There’s a lot of things that I have had to learn, which is why I am being able to communicate with a lot of guys because, you know, the game is constantly evolving, constantly changing; it’s ultimately the same game, but you have numbers, you’ve got velo, you have exit velo, and slugging. There’s a lot of stuff now that seems to be taking precedence over the game. ”

McCutchen mentions that he is here to share his experience with the others in the team and also learn a lot himself. He went on to say about adjusting to their language, which could also be effective for staying at a certain level while staying true to himself. Andrew McCutchen had a.284 average with 329 doubles, 45 triples, 235 home runs, 818 RBIs, 935 runs, along with a.375 on-base percentage, a.475 slugging percentage, and.851 OPS in the 1578 games across the 11 seasons he played for the Pirates.

Given his impressive performance and new version, McCutchen admits that communicating with the others will definitely help him to learn more and maintain a good balance too. On the other hand, Pirates’ pitcher Andrew Heaney shows some good signs of recovery.

Pirates’ ace pitcher shows good improvements in the spring training

Judging a player on the basis of spring training statistics is not enough to judge a player’s mettle. And the same happened with Andrew Heaney, who acquired an 18.00 ERA over the two starts during his third outing on Friday at the LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. Heaney was signed by the Pirates for a one-year, $5.25 million contract. Although it’s too early to tell how he may perform, Heaney seems to be moving in the right direction, as he spent the longest time during spring training. But that’s not all!

Andrew Heaney even allowed just four runs on the five hits; that too, two earned, and he struck out four without any walks. Heaney managed to retire the first four men that he faced, but there was one out in the second inning. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers’ catcher, Dillon Dingler, managed to get the Tigers back on the game, making it 1-0. And that’s where Heaney couldn’t do much, giving away three more runs. However, despite the errors made by the Pirates, Heaney showed some great signs, which indicates a major boost to the lineup as well.

What’s your take on it? Let us know in the comment section below. 

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