At 60, hitting a 100mph pitch out of the park could take some getting used to for Barry Bonds. But just hitting it? Easy. “I don’t care how hard you throw it. Long as I can see it, I can hit it,” declared the former Giants star on a recent episode of All the Smoke. That’s a claim that many, including those who consider him the best in the history of baseball, may not believe. But Andrew McCutchen, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ $5 million star, is certainly not one of them.
But Andrew McCutchen is not just starstruck by Barry Bonds’ 762 home runs and his seven MVPs; this has more to do with his process. The 38-year-old did not just admire Bonds from a distance- he got a front-row seat to a masterclass in thinking that shook his baseball soul.
It began with something simple: a tee. However, Barry Bonds did not adopt it as a warm-up, as Andrew McCutchen said, “As great as Barry Bonds was, his mindset was better. His thought process was even better. The way he thought about things was unlike anyone I have ever seen… He broke down things to a science almost… You got a ball sitting on the tee. Most people just look at it and go, alright, boom. Not him.” His favorite star would zero in on a sliver of red seam and focus on striking between it. Bonds always highlighted precision, and that opened Andrew McCutchen’s sense, and he came to know that hitting is a mental science.
The right fielder added, “He always had a thought process behind what he was going to do before. He knew what he was doing before he did it… I think he is one of the greatest minds in baseball when it comes to, I think, hitting.” What the Pirates meant was that Bonds was always prepared with a game plan.
Where did all of this unfold? Well, San Francisco, where McCutchen once wore the orange and black. The former Giants star stood in the same dugout where the veteran established his empire. In addition, he appreciated the legacy of other Giants stars, like Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. “It was great to be with a guy like him, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey… They all deserve the Hall of Fame,” McCutchen remarked.
Why is the 14x All-Star subject to such appreciation by the current Pirates star? That’s because in a game flooded with stats, Bonds helped McCutchen by providing something rare—perspective. Not just on how to hit, however, how to think like a hitter.
And what happens when inspiration becomes execution? You get moments like the one in the Pittsburgh Pirates—bottom of the seventh, two men on, and the star steps in with ice in his veins.
From admiration to action, Andrew McCutchen channels Barry Bonds in classic cutch fashion
Down 3-2 against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on April 30, Andrew McCutchen did what he has done multiple times before: delivered. His sharp grounder slipped under Dansby Swanson’s glove and rolled just far enough to flip the scoreboard. Two runs scored. Game flipped. Ballpark buzzing. That, right there, is vintage Cutch.
It was not flashy and loud. However, it was opportunistic—exactly the characteristics he admired in Barry Bonds. As he once said, Bonds broke down the game. Currently, he is just doing that in real time, analyzing the field, capturing the moment, and identifying the exact window in which the game could be broken down. It was more than just a hit—it was a highlight of years of preparation.
In addition, the team needed every bit of it. Carmen Mlodzinski highlighted growth in a short beginning, however, the fifth inning almost unraveled everything. Wild pitches from Ryan Borucki opened the door, and the Cubs pounced for three runs. However, the bullpen kept fighting. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jared Triolo chipped in with early RBIs, establishing the stage for McCutchen’s heroics.
After that came the closer, and David Bednar locked aspects down with the first home save of 2025; however, the victory came with a somber note. During the period of the McCutchen’s at-bat, a fan fell from the right-field stands, and it prompted swift action from EMS. Derek Shelton highlighted empathy and gratitude, saying, “I want to offer thoughts and prayers… and thank both our medical staff, the Cubs’ medical staff, EMS, everybody that got to the gentleman.”
Still, it was tough to ignore the MLB poetry- a star once starstruck by watching the MLB’s greatest minds, to now crafting a clutch moment in his personal right. From admiring Barry Bonds to embodying him in vital moments, Andrew McCutchen is not just playing—he is teaching. By instance.
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