DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Andrew McCutchen might bat second. Or cleanup. Or he might simply be slotted back at third, where he's hit for years.
Only one thing is certain at this stage.
"I honestly don't care," Cutch was saying before seeing his name at No. 2 for the second time this spring and homering for the fourth time in five games Sunday in the Pirates' 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. "I mean, I don't mind it. I'm open to it. But it doesn't matter."
He might also get back to pulling the ball more, as his long-ailing knee is fine, and his legs are producing power. That was evident yet again here, as he pulled the first pitch he saw from here to Tampa -- albeit foul -- before driving the next pitch entirely the other way:
Great stuff, right? I mean, who else switches bad intentions so easily?
"It's nice to have that leg power, that torque back. It gives me that extra split-second to wait on the ball, do what I want with it," he said. "But at the same time, you've still got to hit the ball where it's pitched."
Right. And that's a beautiful case in point up there. Including the preceding foul ball.
This might be an actual thing now. Clint Hurdle just might bat Cutch second to start the season. What came across as a one-day doldrum-breaker last week now has a sequel. And with each passing day, the manager sounds more and more open to the idea, saying after this game in an extensive talk we had in his office: "If that's the direction we go, I'll be just as interested in the impact it has on Andrew scoring more runs as I am in his driving them in. He'd be at No. 2 with some quality bats behind him. It can make a difference."
If it happens, it's likely to raise eyebrows across baseball. But it shouldn't.
Let's start with this: Hurdle's emphasis in this equation is on stacking on-base percentage at the top, and there's nothing remotely original about that thinking, much less revolutionary. It isn't based on advanced stats, as OBP stopped being an advanced stat about two or three decades ago. And it's only been, oh, a century-plus since managers began thinking it was a good idea to stick people who reach base atop the order.
This isn't about the stubborn geezer finding some fresh level of enlightenment, as has been unfortunately painted by far too many:
Clint Hurdle once spent a whole year batting Aaron Miles first and Royce Clayton second. Amazing how far he's come. https://t.co/xkFwA27rx0
— Matthew Pouliot (@matthewpouliot) March 19, 2016
- Jaso, 1B: He's been too efficient, including this spring, to ignore.
- Marte, LF: His OBP skills are on the incline. No sense suppressing that. Sky's the limit with his player. And oh, did I mention he "loves" the No. 2 spot?
- McCutchen, CF: Don't mess with success. Sorry. I get all the benefits, but this has been his home since 2011, and it's kind of worked out well.
- Jung Ho Kang, 3B: Yeah, I'm cheating by skipping forward to his full recovery, but his combination of power, contact and confidence makes him a natural.
- Polanco, RF: If the sky's the limit with Marte, then the solar system's the limit with this one. For the Pirates to be all they need to be offensively, he's got to be in the middle.
- Harrison, 2B: Taking the skeptical route here. He needs to show 2014 form before bumping any of the top five.
- Cervelli, C: No harm in trying him at No. 2 on occasion to keep him on edge, but this has been his best sustained spot through his career.
- Jordy Mercer, SS: If only because his past two Aprils saw him bat .175 and .197.