Cutch compares favorably to greats at 1K mark

Andrew McCutchen clearly is one of the greatest in today's MLB. When compared to two historic Pittsburgh Pirates, he also is already one of the franchise's all-time greats.

McCutchen played in his 1,000th career game on Monday night -- and marked it in style with a two-run double that started the Bucs toward a 5-2 victory over the Marlins in Miami -- a nice round number that offers a convenient opportunity to compare.

And Cutch compares astonishingly with legendary Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente and Barry Bonds, whose Cooperstown-standard career flowered in Pittsburgh.

Benchmarks at the 1,000-game milepost:

• McCutchen (1,864) has accumulated more total bases then either Bonds (1,783) or Clemente (1,693).

• McCutchen has more extra-base hits (416) than Clemente (313) and is hot on the trail of Bonds (427).

• McCutchen's double Monday night was career No. 230, more than either Bonds (219) or Clemente (176).

• McCutchen has more hits (1,115) than Bonds (976) and is on the heels of Clemente (1,170), who had already won the first of his four National League batting titles before he reached the 1,000-game mark in mid-1962.

• McCutchen has a higher OPS (.886) than both Bonds (.882), who had a higher-profile as a power hitter, and Clemente (.774).

• McCutchen's RBIs (543) are nearly on a par with that of Bonds (547) and considerably ahead of Clemente (473).

One other key department in which McCutchen could lap his two iconic predecessors: team wins.

Clemente's tenure peaked with 97 wins by the 1971 Bucs. Bonds' 1991 crew won 98 games.

Entering Tuesday, Cutch's 2015 Pirates were on pace for 99 wins.

McCutchen's accomplishments are not lost on Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who has watched McCutchen turn into one of the game's best players over the last few years while helping Pittsburgh end its 20-year streak of losing seasons.

"He's the face of the franchise from the player pool," Hurdle said. "He's got national recognition now, which I think is a somewhat tangible sign and evidence that the player and organization are growing together. I think he was able to send clarity to our fanbase that Pittsburgh was important, the organization was moving in the right direction. He wanted to be a part of it when he signed the [long-term] contract he signed a few years ago.

"When your best player is arguably one of your hardest-working players, it makes everyone's job on the periphery easier."