2019 Phillies in Review: Andrew McCutchen

The Numbers

59 G, .256/.378/.457, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 1.5 fWAR

The Bad

Obviously the biggest negative for Cutch this season is the injury that ended his season. On June 3, he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee while in a rundown between first and second base. Losing Cutch was like losing the team’s heart. The team that, until that point had been leading the NL East with a 33-27 record and had NL Pennant hopes, suddenly seemed to forget how to play baseball entirely. Shortly after Cutch’s injury, the Phillies went on a 7-11 stretch that included a seven-game losing streak. By the end of the month of June, they’d gone from being in first place in the division to trailing the Braves by 5.5 games. They never recovered. The vacancy in left field became a black hole of players, including Jay Bruce, Corey Dickerson, Brad Miller, Sean Rodriguez, Scott Kingery and Adam Haseley.

Of course, none of this is Cutch’s fault. It’s no one’s fault, accidental injuries happen all the time. But the end of his season and the beginning of the team’s downfall coinciding can’t just be a coincidence.

The Good

Before the injury, Cutch was one of the top players, not only on the Phillies’ roster, but in the entire league. His place at the top of the batting order set the tone for the rest of the lineup, making it difficult for opposing pitchers to navigate.

One silver lining to his injury was the promotion of Adam Haseley. After a phenomenal start to 2019 with Reading, Haseley was promoted to Lehigh Valley in late May. Less than a week later, he was promoted to the Phillies, making his Major League debut on June 4 in center field. While Haseley certainly wasn’t able to replace the five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP, he did get the opportunity to show he’s capable of being a starting outfielder at the Major League level.

There’s also no way to measure the level of leadership, professionalism, entertainment and joy he brought to both the team and the fans, even after his injury.

After the injury, we also all got to witness the greatness that is Andrew McCutchen live-tweeting Phillies games. What a treat that was.

The Future

ACL reconstruction recovery time is generally 6-9 months, which puts Cutch’s projected return between December and February. Unless there are any setbacks, he should be fully recovered in time for Spring Training. Cutch is signed through the 2021 season, with a 2022 club option.