Over the next several weeks RealGMBaseball will be holding our 2014 Major League Baseball ‘Be The GM’ Contest to determine which player would be the best selection to build a franchise around.
The contest, which is being brought to you by the Original Retro Brand, is described and previewed here: RealGM’s 2014 ‘Be The GM’ Contest. You’ll want to check out the link for rules on how to enter to win a $50 Retro Brand gift card and to see the full contest schedule.
We have advanced into the Elite Eight and will determine our Final Four over the next two weeks.
Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers are featured in Wednesday’s matchup. Voting will extend through July 11.
It's hard to believe that McCutchen, the reigning National League MVP, is just 27 years old. A career .298/.385/.495 hitter, he has been the face of a baseball resurgence in Pittsburgh. An All-Star for three consecutive years, he appears headed for Minneapolis next month (.319/.419/.546).
He is an above-average hitter, but McCutchen is one of the most valuable players in the game today when you consider the complete package. He has ranked in the top three among NL WAR leaders in each of the last two seasons. The outfielder ranks 38th among all active players in WAR with 30.9 over his 822 games.
Kershaw is arguably the best pitcher of his generation, having won a pair of Cy Young awards (with a second-place finish mixed in) over the last three seasons. The 26-year-old has a 2.55 ERA, 1.077 WHIP and 1,321 strikeouts over 1,267.1 career innings with the Dodgers. He has led the National League in ERA three years running.
The left-hander was second among all NL players in WAR (8.4) last season and first among pitchers (7.9). Kershaw is still approaching his prime, but already ranks twelfth among all active pitchers in career WAR (35.9). The only knock you can find on him are his postseason numbers, but the sample size is small. In nine playoff appearances, six starts and 38.1 innings, he has a 4.23 ERA, 1.278 WHIP and 39 strikeouts.
Vote In This Matchup: McCutchen or Kershaw?
Previous Matchups:
July 2: Trout or Hernandez?
June 30: Tanaka or Cabrera?
Next Matchup: July 14 – Final Four Begins!
Don’t forget to Tweet your pick along with #BeTheGM to be entered to win a $50 Retro Brand gift card.