By John Perrotto
July 17, 2013
NEW YORK -- Terry Collins has a big soft spot in his heart for Pittsburgh and the Pirates. He played in the minor leagues with the Pirates and later was the manager of their Class AAA farm club in Buffalo and the major-league bullpen coach.
Now manager of the Mets, Collins is thrilled to see the Pirates have the second-best record in the major leagues at 56-37 and seem, at the very worst, poised to end their streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons.
“I think anyone with any Pirates’ ties is, deep down, pulling for them,” Collins said.
What impresses Collins, who served as a coach for the National League team on Tuesday night in the All-Star Game at Citi Field, the most about the Pirates is center fielder Andrew McCutchen.
“He’s everything that’s right about the game of baseball,” Collins said. “Tool-for-tool, he is the best player in the National League. He can fly, he can run down everything in center field, he can hit for average, he has some pop in his bat. He’s got it all.
“The best part about him, though, is that he plays the game the right way. He plays hard and he plays hurt. He is just a great representative for the franchise.”
McCutchen has embraced being the face of the franchise since unofficially receiving that title last year in spring training when he signed a six-year, $51-million contract extension that took effect this season. In addition to being a talented player, McCutchen is well-spoken, has a magnetic personality and possesses an innate quality that makes people like him.
The All-Star Game is always a great off-the-field test for the players. From the time they arrive in the host city on Sunday night until they leave on Wednesday morning after the game, they are constantly in motion and many of the activities include interacting with fans and the media.
Some players handle it better than others.
Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez, for one, looked like he would have been more comfortable wearing a parka in the Mojave Desert than taking part in the press conference for the Home Run Derby.
McCutchen, though, relishes the interaction. Wave after wave of reporters came to McCutchen in the last two days to get his reaction to the Pirates having such a great first half and ask what he thought their chances were of continuing to play well in the second half.
While answering the same questions had to be monotonous, McCutchen did so patiently and good-naturedly. It is part of the job of being a star player and he fully understands it.
And that is why the usually cost-conscious Pirates haven’t thought twice about giving big money to McCutchen.
Photo: Vincent Pugliese / Getty Images
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