McCutchen shows that he's still got it in shortened Spring Training stint

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Andrew McCutchen has never played at the Rangers’ home of Globe Life Field, which opened during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

He could call that ballpark home in the near future.

With just weeks left of Spring Training, McCutchen signed a Minor League deal with the Rangers on March 6 with the hopes of doing enough to break camp with the club. In a small sample, he’s already shown that he’s still got something left in the tank.

“He's doing a really good job,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “He's a winning player. He's trying to fight to get on a team, and he's also trying to get numbers and produce. He’ll hit a ground ball to second to try to win a game in Spring Training. That shows you what he's all about.”

McCutchen believes he didn’t need a full slate of Spring Training games to show what he was capable of. That’s worked in his favor so far.

In Wednesday night’s win over the Royals, McCutchen hit his first homer of his shortened Spring Training, raising his average to .533 with a 1.600 OPS in his six Cactus League games. He’s got six walks to just three strikeouts in that time.

“It's not just necessarily the result, it's more of the quality of the results,” McCutchen said. “I’m getting consistent at-bats, working counts. Even when I'm behind, I’m getting the full counts, getting myself swinging at the strikes and not swinging at balls. It’s all of those things. Lots of people probably look at the result. I'm looking more at what led to the result. That has felt really good and consistent.”

Despite his belief in himself, McCutchen knew he was going to be fighting an uphill battle when he came into camp.

He appeared in 135 games for Pittsburgh last season, ranking third on the club in home runs (13) and RBIs (57), but still was without a deal as the calendar turned to March. That left him without the ability to see live pitching and no way to get into game shape.

He never questioned his abilities -- he knows what he’s capable of. But he did question if any of those things would translate onto the field when it mattered.

“He’s a veteran, a pro that came in ready to play and ready to produce right away,” Schumacher said. “The at-bats have been just like I remember him. He doesn't swing outside the strike zone. He has long at-bats inside the strike zone. He does damage. He’s physically ready. So I'm very impressed with where he's at and not surprised, because that's what I expected. … He was prepared, but to just jump in and hit plus velo right away. It's been impressive.”

Make no mistake, he’s not been given a spot on the Opening Day roster already. The competition for the Rangers' final bench spot is still up in the air, and includes another veteran outfielder in Mark Canha.

Canha also signed a Minor League deal with the Rangers just weeks into camp and has hit .324 with an .843 OPS in 13 Cactus League games as of Thursday. As right-handed-hitting outfielders, both he and McCutchen would likely serve in similar roles if they make the Opening Day roster.

“Mark's had a very nice last five or six games,” Schumaker remarked. “It's exactly what you're hoping for and looking for in that position. He's played a good outfield as well. He’s a veteran player that's done this before. There's still competition. You love competition. We’re going to see where this is gonna all shake out, probably in Arlington [for the exhibitions] at some point.”