Andrew McCutchen made his major-league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009, the same year MLB Network was launched. So, it makes sense that the five-time All-Star and former National League MVP will serve as a guest analyst on some of the network’s signature shows.
“I broke into the league around the same time MLB Network was starting, so we’ve kind of grown up together,” McCutchen told MLB Network. “It’s been fun watching the crew do their thing from afar all these years, so I’m looking forward to watching the games and sharing things I see from the studios. It’ll be fun.”
McCutchen, who has 333 career home runs in 18 major-league seasons, will join MLB Network in its studios in Secaucus, N.J., for live pregame and postgame coverage of the playoffs this week.
He will turn 40 on Saturday, played 12 seasons with the Pirates and is considered a franchise icon after serving as catalyst for the 2013 team that snapped a two-decade streak of losing seasons by making three consecutive wild-card appearances. After playing for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, McCutchen returned to the Pirates in 2023 and served three seasons as their designated hitter before spending time this season with the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves.
MLB Network is expecting McCutchen to be a natural, given his colorful personality and candor on camera. He was voted winner of the Chuck Tanner Award by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America multiple times for cooperation with the media.
“I’ve been with MLB Network since Day 1, and Andrew is one of the most charismatic players we’ve covered,” said Chris Roenbeck, MLB Network’s coordinating producer of MLB Tonight. “I look forward to him bringing his signature energy and wisdom to our show.”
On Monday, McCutchen will be on MLB Tonight’s “National Pregame Show” with Greg Amsinger, Harold Reynolds and Dan Plesac at 3 p.m., leading up to Game 2 of the American League Division series between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians.
“I’ve never been more excited for a current player to come in than I am with Andrew,” Reynolds said. “He’s got a great personality, great knowledge. It’s going to be a lot of fun to have him in the studio.”
On Tuesday, McCutchen will join co-hosts Robert Flores, Mark DeRosa and Lauren Shehadi on MLB Network’s morning show “MLB Central” at 10 a.m.
“Anytime we can get a current player in-studio, it really makes a difference on the insight we can give to our fans,” Flores said. “Andrew McCutchen is one of the great personalities in the game, so I can’t wait to hear what he has to say on postseason baseball.”
MLB Network has created a tradition of using current major-league players in the studio during the postseason, with Harrison Bader, Matt Carpenter, Jazz Chisholm and Stephen Vogt among their recent guest analysts. For DeRosa, Eric Hosmer and Chris Young, those guest analyst cameos have led to full-time roles with MLB Network.
“Bringing guys in during the postseason has been a staple of ours from the beginning,” said Marc Caiafa, MLB Network’s senior vice president of production. “When I learned that Cutch was interested in hanging out with us, it was an immediate yes. His career speaks for itself, and he’ll bring some energy into the building and fresh perspective on our shows. I’m excited for our fans to watch him in this setting.”
Featured Local Businesses