Andrew McCutchen was not entirely thrilled by his move from center field to right.
McCutchen said Friday that he was not consulted about the position shift, and was initially quite unhappy with the move.
“It wasn’t an ask,” McCutchen said Friday, via Jayson Stark of ESPN. “It was more of a ‘say.’ It was ‘I have to move there.’
“That was one of the first times that that was something I wanted to go against,” McCutchen said, on the day he attempted to put his tumultuous, trade-rumor-filled offseason behind him. “It wasn’t something I was ready for or I wanted to do. But as I keep saying that, I’m talking about myself. So I just had to not be as selfish and just accept that that’s what I had to do and move over to right.”
McCutchen has grown to accept the decision, but he feels he could still play up the middle.
“It’s more difficult because I feel I can still play it,” McCutchen added. “I don’t feel like I’m at the end of my career. You know, people like to say, ‘Torii Hunter moved to right.’ Uh, also, Torii Hunter was 35 years old when he moved to right. So at the same time, I’m 30, and I feel like I can still play it.”
McCutchen said he has been working to look at the positives of the move, including playing the same position as Roberto Clemente, which he alluded to in a tweet. McCutchen could be forgiven for feeling the way he does, though. After an offseason filled with trade rumors, they’ve essentially forced him to change positions, and it may be a sign that the franchise cornerstone may be playing elsewhere sooner rather than later.
