Three Pirates have led the National League in hits over a decade’s span, and Andrew McCutchen is well on his way to leading this one.
But when Roberto Clemente led the 1960s. Paul Waner led the 1930s and Honus Wagner led the 1900s, the Pittsburgh Baseball Club did not trade them away two seasons before the decade ended.
That’s an obscure stat, I’ll grant you. Yet it’s a decent place to start when looking at McCutchen’s stature both in the modern game and within the Pirates pantheon.
Since 2010, the only NL hitter within 70 hits of McCutchen’s 1,339 is Brandon Phillips, and he’s fading at age 36.