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Andrew McCutchen has been compared to a young Barry Bonds. Not because he takes steroids and kicks puppies. He’s getting the comparisons because McCutchen is toolsy. Hey, Grey, my friend works at Home Depot and we call him Toolsy. Good to know, random italicized voice. McCutchen’s power is still developing and the speed is already there. He’s the top prospect for the Pirates (which is a bit like being the world’s tallest midget), as long as the Pirates don’t turn him into a crappy pitcher or lose him to the Calcutta Cricket League. (As some longtime readers may know, a few years ago I pitched a baseball reality show to studios. One of our biggest hurdles was who in their right mind would sign a winner of a reality show. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates!) With the hype on McCutchen, can he help your fantasy baseball team in 2009?

The short answer is no. The long answer is nooooooo. The Pirates’ GM Neal Huntington said that McCutchen won’t be getting the starting job out of spring training. If McCutchen were playing for the Marlins, he’d prolly be going on his third year in the majors.  In all fairness, there’s only room for one Mc in center (much to the chagrin of anyone named Seamus in the Pirates organization), and McLouth is doing just fine. There’s a good chance McCutchen will simply be refining his tools in the minors in 2009 and if he gets the call it won’t be until rosters expand in September. Unless something changes in spring training, McCutchen is only a very deep sleeper in 2009 NL-Only leagues and a good, late draft pick in keeper leagues.