BRADENTON, Fla. -- Andrew McCutchen will learn a new outfield position this spring, but his spot in the lineup will stay the same.
McCutchen will bat third this season, manager Clint Hurdle said Tuesday. Backed by supporting data and logical reasoning, the Bucs bumped McCutchen to the No. 2 spot last spring but eventually returned him to the three hole.
"We had that conversation as well. We like the men, the core group we have. We like the lineup," Hurdle said. "Looking at it, we had some guys fit into some spots last year. We've got some guys that I think can add value to the top of the order.