Could we see Andrew McCutchen at first base for Pirates? Why not?

If Scott Hatteberg can do it, anyone can do it!

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ All-Star outfielder, Bryan Reynolds, is dealing with right tricep soreness, and thus has been taken out of his usual spot in right field and is now making starts as the team’s designated hitter. That move has seen Andrew McCutchen relegated to the bench, sitting out three straight games.

However, Cutch has been seen taking reps at first base, fielding ground balls. Pittsburgh Post Gazette writer, Noah Hiles, reported the sighting on X.

“Andrew McCutchen is on the field, taking grounders at first base. I’m like 90% sure he’s just messing around, but it’s still an interesting visual.”

Hiles went on to report that manager Derek Shelton stated that McCutchen will not be playing at first at all this year, and further confirmed he was just having fun. But why not?

The team is already no stranger to throwing players into new positions. Oneil Cruz still looks like a fish out of water in centerfield, yet they continue to let that experiment play out. Although it is a position that Endy Rodriguez has played at in the Minors, the team threw him at first base to start the regular season after not getting any reps there in Spring Training.

Now again I ask; why not? As long as Reynolds is the DH, it is a liability having Cutch on the bench. While he is certainly past his prime, he is still one of the best hitters on a Pirates team that has little to no offensive production. So far through this season, the former MVP is hitting .250/.357/.940 with one homer and two RBIs. Though only a small sample size, he’s still performing better than the aforementioned Rodriguez, and occasional fill in Jared Triolo.

Defensively, Cutch has always had a sure hand. Undoubtedly, he did rely on his speed and athleticism in his younger days as a centerfielder, but he still has shown to have enough quickness to handle the responsibilities of being a first baseman. His IQ as a baseball player in his 17th season also far exceeds any other player on the roster.

Rodriguez has been playing well in the field this season after his return from injury, and obviously Jared Triolo is a Gold Glove winner for his work as a utility man, but at this point, the team has to question what is more important to getting wins. McCutchen might be a step behind his younger teammates defensively, but he still is showing far more poise at the plate and that shows in his production. The team has enough capable defenders, and not enough hitters. This doesn’t seem like a hard equation.

Granted, this is all highly unlikely. Bryan Reynolds won’t be out forever, Spencer Horowitz will return from rehab eventually, and McCutchen will likely ride out his golden years from the bench or the DH position. Still though, it’s not the worst idea in the world. I don’t want to say it’s time for drastic measures, but it’s not like the team has any better solutions to this long standing problem of stagnation in the face of adversity.