Andrew McCutchen

Minor Leagues
McCutchen, who had signed with the University of Florida, was drafted 11th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2005 MLB Draft and signed with the Pirates instead of going to Florida. He started for the South Atlantic League's All-Star team in 2006, his first full season as a professional. At the end of that year, the Pirates named him the organization's Minor League Player of the Year. McCutchen was consistently considered a top prospect, being ranked a top 50 prospect in all four of his minor league seasons by Baseball America, peaking at number 13 before the 2007 season.

2011
During the Saturday night game on July 9, 2011, it was announced that McCutchen would take the place of injured Ryan Braun as a member of the National League All-Star team at the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Phoenix. The announcement was shown on the PNC Park scoreboard, and McCutchen left the dugout to tip his hat to the cheering fans. On August 30, 2011, McCutchen hit a ninth inning homer against the Houston Astros to become the eighth Pirates player to record at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in one season. He was the first Pirate to accomplish the feat since Nate McLouth in 2008. After a disappointing month of September, McCutchen finished the season with a .259 batting average and team highs of 23 home runs, 23 stolen bases, 89 RBIs, and 87 runs. He was nominated as the Pirates' representative for the Hank Aaron Award.