The tribute video that will be shown on the PNC Park scoreboard Friday night will include prominent moments from Andrew McCutchen's nine years in Pittsburgh, from his first major-league hit off Mets starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey in April 2009 to his first career grand slam last September.
It will be a snapshot of his legacy in a Pirates uniform; however, his impact on the city's baseball club lives on. The culture and identity established by him and many others, including Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison, has been the foundation of the Pirates' hot start, despite the many new and young faces in the clubhouse.
It's by design, too. Young players such as Josh Bell came up through the system admiring those veterans, and upon reaching the major leagues, they were taught the formula that led the Pirates to three consecutive playoff appearances.
"They were like the forefathers for our class, like 2011," Bell said. "Like me, [Tyler Glasnow], [Jameson Taillon] was right before. [Chad] Kuhl was right after, [Adam] Frazier was right after. All the young guns in the clubhouse, they laid the foundation for how we play the game, us being scrappy players. We win by any means possible."
The Pirates accomplished that for a portion of McCutchen's time in Pittsburgh, reaching the playoffs for three consecutive seasons from 2013-15. They defeated the Reds in the Wild Card game in 2013 before losing to the Cardinals in five games during the National League Division Series.
It was the only time they'd advance past the Wild Card round, though. The Pirates lost in that round to the Giants and Cubs in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Slowly, those who played alongside McCutchen, Mercer and Harrison in those memorable games left via trade, free agency or retirement.
Neil Walker was traded to the Mets in exchange for Jon Niese. Russell Martin signed with Toronto as a free agent following the 2014 season. A.J. Burnett retired. Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon left. Francisco Liriano was traded to the Blue Jays. Gerrit Cole was dealt to the Astros in January. Capable replacements were found to fill certain spots; however, problems began following Walker's departure.
Some young players proved capable of replacing production, but the clubhouse culture wasn't the same, as Sean Rodriguez explained to reporters at PiratesFest in December. They missed the playoffs in 2016 and again in 2017, but McCutchen did experience somewhat of a career renaissance during his final season in Pittsburgh.
After reaching the Mendoza Line in Atlanta May 23, McCutchen rediscovered his swing. He batted .411/.505/.689 in June with six home runs, 23 RBI and only 12 strikeouts in 90 at-bats to be named National League Player of the Month. He then batted .322 in July before struggling in August and then finishing strong in September and October.
McCutchen finished the season with a .279/.363/.486 slash line, as well as a team-high 28 home runs and 88 RBI. That included his first career grand slam on an eight-RBI night in late September — his second-to-last home game as a Pirate, but his exit came less than a month before pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.
Drafted 11th overall in 2005 by Dave Littlefield and Ed Creech, McCutchen batted .291/.379/.487 with 203 home runs and 725 RBI in his nine seasons with the club. He was also named National League MVP in 2013 and was the recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award.
This is another snapshot of what he accomplished in Pittsburgh:
Yet, his legacy could be best described by the men who admired him even before they were his teammates. Jameson Taillon, the man who will throw that first pitch to McCutchen Friday night, met him shortly after he was drafted by the team in 2010.
Taillon, sitting at his locker stall in Chicago Wednesday, recalled a time when McCutchen and other major leaguers went to Pirate City to answer the questions of minor leaguers such as Taillon. Afterward, many of those minor leaguers lined up to take a picture with the face of the franchise.
"He had professional baseball players wanting to get pictures with him," Taillon said, laughing. "That's the ultimate honor. That tells you how big of a star he was and how highly regarded he was. Man, he had that superstar status, and I got to become teammates with him. J-Hay, Jordy, all those guys before us, I used to go to big-league spring training days when I was done with my minor-league day, and I'd go watch them in the stands and stuff."
The Pirates, possessing one of the youngest rosters in the major leagues, are trying to continue what McCutchen helped build. They'll enter this three-game series five games over .500 and one game out of first place in the Central Division, led by one of the top offenses in the NL.
They have 10 comeback wins, including three of four or more runs, and are 17-0 when leading after six innings. Corey Dickerson, one of the players tasked with replacing McCutchen's production, is batting .323 with a .895 OPS and a team-high 26 RBIs. Meanwhile, the Giants enter the series with a 19-19 record.
It's a series fans have been anticipating from the moment McCutchen was traded, and the man in the tribute video will be facing a club that resembles some he was part of during his time in Pittsburgh.
"Were going to win in different ways," Bell continued. "We're going to pitch, we're going to play defense. Were going to steal bases when we can, beat up on pitchers and get to the bullpen. They established that and we're still rolling with it today. We're still doing it. It's just different faces, different pieces to the puzzle coming together."
• This is the best Tyler Glasnow has looked since arriving in the major leagues. Don't believe me? Well, watch this:
Tyler Glasnow, Filthy 3 Pitch K (81 mph curve, 97 mph alien cutterish fastball type of thing and an 88 mph Slider). ? pic.twitter.com/tEmFqrNh57
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 2, 2018
The 24-year-old has pitched multiple scoreless innings on three different occasions for the Pirates this season. His 2 1/3 scoreless frames against Chicago Tuesday kept the Pirates within striking distance, and they eventually came back to defeat the White Sox. He's averaging 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings and opponents are batting .233 against him.
But Glasnow has imploded on multiple occasions, including last week against the Nationals when he allowed six runs in one inning. It was the second time this season he threw fastballs right over the middle of the plate; however, he's met Hurdle's expectations. After all, the plan was for this to be a learning experience for Glasnow, and it's yielded far better results than his time in the rotation last season.
• The Pirates' front office deserves credit for finding reliever Richard Rodriguez. The 28-year-old was awful in 5 2/3 innings for the Orioles last season, but he has 22 strikeouts to two walks in 12 1/3 innings — an average of 16.05 strikeouts per nine — since being recalled by the Pirates last month. That's the fourth-highest mark among major-league relievers, trailing only Josh Hader, Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances.
• It's time to give Michael Feliz a shot in the eighth inning. George Kontos has five walks to five strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings, allowing 9.4 hits per nine. Opponents are batting .270 against him. Meanwhile, Feliz is averaging 12 strikeouts per nine innings with a 1.20 WHIP.
The Pirates are waiting for Feliz to have more consistent fastball command before considering him for such a role, but it's time to wonder if Kontos is still the best option as Felipe Vázquez's setup man.
• Joe Musgrove hasn't been successful as a major-league starter. Nick Kingham has, albeit in a very small sample size. Musgrove has never started more than 15 games in a season since being drafted in 2011 and has pitched more than 100 innings only once. Meanwhile, Kingham has thrown 100 innings on four occasions and gave the Pirates a chance to win in both of his starts this season.
Musgrove has been an above-average, versatile reliever for a playoff team. Oh, and twice he's gone on the disabled list with shoulder discomfort. It might be time to change the plan.
• Jung Ho Kang started facing live pitching this week. His return is still at least a month away, though. He'll need to face breaking pitches in a game and Triple-A Indianapolis is the most likely destination. Is he really an upgrade over anyone on the Pirates' 25-man roster? Remember that Harrison will be replacing Max Moroff in less than a month.
You can't get rid of Sean Rodriguez, either. He's important to clubhouse chemistry, plus he's a steady defender at seven positions.
• The Pirates haven't received enough consistent production in the leadoff spot and Gregory Polanco has been too inconsistent in the two-hole. Meanwhile, Dickerson, Starling Marte and Francisco Cervelli have been outstanding. Switching spots isn't simple, though. It's a risk to switch an order that ranks second in the NL in runs.
• Hurdle deserves credit for what's occurred over the past six weeks. He's made smart, calculated decisions with how to handle his bullpen, as well as his bench. The batting order he drew up has also worked nicely. It hasn't been perfect, but the Pirates have made improvements with aggressive base running, infield shifts, controlling the running game and plate discipline.