Andrew McCutchen has won his second straight National League Player of the Month award, making him the first Pirate since Bobby Bonilla in 1988 to win the award in two straight months.
↵McCutchen hit .446/.510/.739 in July, blasting seven home runs. He also had a dozen multi-hit games in July. He leads the National League in batting average, at .373, and is tied for third in home runs, with 22. He's second in the league in OPS (1.064), five points behind the Reds' Joey Votto.
↵McCutchen's huge breakout season has probably been the biggest factor in the Pirates' remarkable turnaround this year, and if the season ended now, in early August, he would probably be the National League MVP. Actually, he'd probably win it in runaway fashion, since the Pirates are a great story, and some of the other top players (like David Wright and Ryan Braun) aren't playing for contenders.
↵For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.