Cutch sees no need to move from center field

PITTSBURGH — When the time comes, Andrew McCutchen says, he’ll be willing to talk about it. But he doesn’t believe it’s time for a position change yet.

Almost as stunning as McCutchen’s nearly season-long slump at the plate was how poorly he graded out on defense, according to advanced metrics. By two prominent figures — defensive runs saved and ultimate zone rating — McCutchen was the worst fielder in baseball this year. His DRS total (minus-28) was the lowest in the Majors, and his UZR (minus-17.6) was better than only shortstop Alexei Ramirez.

It seems unlikely that McCutchen could have fallen so far in just one year; in 2015, he was worth minus-8 DRS and posted a minus-4.5 UZR. Last week, Pirates GM Neal Huntington said the club’s internal evaluation of McCutchen was “a little bit different” than the publicly available metrics. Still, the Pirates will be asked this question throughout the winter: Is it time to move McCutchen to an outfield corner?

“I don’t see myself needing to move. I don’t feel like I’m slowing down and hurting my team because of where I play,” McCutchen said in an interview with MLB.com. “Playing center field is one thing, but being a leader out there is another. That’s something we need.”

McCutchen is flanked by Starling Marte in left and Gregory Polanco in right. Polanco has developed into an above-average right fielder. Marte grades out and passes the eye test as one of the game’s best outfielders, …

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