Andrew McCutchen grew up playing baseball in Fort Meade, Florida. In his 2015 essay, “Left Out,” he recalled the appeal of Ken Griffey Jr. and the adults who helped him keep playing. Coaches Jimmy Rutland, Kim Cherry and Michael Scott contributed to expenses such as travel, uniforms and tournament fees, costs that could otherwise have limited his opportunities. McCutchen identified himself as African American in the essay while describing the financial demands confronting young players.
Travel and equipment were practical concerns in a sport where competitive youth programs charge for nearly everything. A talented player whose family could not cover those costs could simply disappear from the game. McCutchen wrote from his own experience in one Florida town, and he named the people who had paid his way.
By 2013, he had earned one of baseball's leading individual honors. In November 2013, the Baseball Writers' Association of America named him the National League's Most Valuable Player. He received 28 of the 30 first-place votes. During that season, he batted .317, hit 21 home runs and stole 27 bases for Pittsburgh.
The Pirates reached the postseason that year for the first time since 1992. They won the National League wild-card game before losing to St. Louis in the division series. The writers submitted their ballots before the postseason began, so the award recognized McCutchen's regular-season play.
He received the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award.
Community work continued through Project Pittsburgh, an initiative Andrew developed with Maria McCutchen. A November 2019 UPMC announcement described a week of volunteering across several causes and a planned children's-hospital visit. It invited people to participate in service alongside the couple.
The Homeless Children's Education Fund recorded one completed activity during that period. Its newsletter described McCutchen and volunteers making journals and writing encouraging messages in books for children staying in Allegheny County shelters. The essay that carried his name still describes the coaches who covered his costs when he was a young player in Fort Meade.
