Cutch might not be Bucs’ best player

It’s no secret that Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen is the face of the franchise. One need look no further than the multitude of commercials, merchandise and other promotional endeavors to see a sea of No. 22s.

It could also be seen as no secret — a dirty little one at that — that McCutchen may not be the club’s best player anymore.

Which is fine.

Let’s review McCutchen’s first 46 games of the 2016 season, more than a quarter of the way through its entirety. Inserted into the No. 2 hole to ostensibly to have their best hitter produce more offense, McCutchen is instead striking out at an alarming pace. In being set down at 23.4 percent on the year, McCutchen has the second highest K-Rate percentage of any regular on the team. His nine home runs do lead the team, but his run production has far been outpaced by Gregory Polanco, who is taking the exact leap forward that many thought he would do. Three of McCutchen’s home runs came in one game against the Rockies earlier this year, while Polanco has steadily been performing as a consistent RBI machine.

But for Pittsburgh Pirates fans, the statistics above shouldn’t matter much. It’s a true testament to this team, specifically how it’s put together, that the club is not entirely reliant on one player to shoulder a load. In developing other starts, the Pirates have not only become a better team, but have also safeguarded themselves against exactly what they are seeing now with McCutchen.

Kang’s return phenomenal

It was hard to predict what Jung Ho Kang’s performance would look like as he returned from an injury so horrific that many equated it to a serious car accident.

Kang has simply been phenomenal, with 17 RBIs in his first 17 games back. More impressive than his raw production is the type of hitter he has become. In having to rework his swing from the ground up, Kang has exhibited a new level of patience. This manifests itself in not only a lowered strikeout rate (18.2 percent, as opposed to 21.3 percent in his debut year), but also in waiting for the right pitch to drive.

To the naked eye, it would appear that nearly all of Kang’s hits go for extra bases. While that may not be true, he has more than doubled his extra base hit percentage from 8.8 percent to 16.7 percent. Skeptics will point to small sample size, but rate statistics such as these give a good indicator of the type of hitter a player is regardless of how many plate appearances he has made.

With Kang providing instant offense near the middle of the order, hitters such as Francisco Cervelli and Starling Marte could greatly benefit.

Wadell’s potential fading

After breezing through his first two starts for the Altoona Cruve, Brandon Waddell has cooled. Having been previously featured in this column, Waddell may now be feeling the effects of moving from college baseball to Double A in under a calendar year. In this past three starts, Waddell has failed to pitch more than 5.1 innings, with the nadir being his May 29 start against Bowie. Chased after completing just three innings, Waddell gave up seven earned runs on eight hits and four walks; this without recording a strikeout.

The Pirates are bullish on Waddell, and rightfully so. Without dominating “stuff,” the lefthander will have to take his recent struggles in stride and remain focused on his craft. Waddell’s own history shows an ability to bounce back. The lefty went through similar troubles in Morgantown for the West Virginia Black Bears last year before earning a promotion. Waddell will now have to deal with the microscope being pointed directly at him.