I know it's a bit early to discuss this: but with all of the "move Alvarez to 1B, Walker to 3B, etc." talk that's been happening lately, it got me to thinking about the (hopefully) crowded outfield that is probably only a year or so away, with the Pirates not having much in the 1B prospect pipeline.

Is is conceivable that Andrew McCutchen could be a viable option at first base?  When I first thought of that thought, I said to myself, "that's crazy, leave your All-Star alone."  But, once I got past that, I thought about the fact that, though McCutchen has great range, his arm and his rainbow throws leave a lot to be desired.  

In a competition with Jose Tabata, Alex Presley and Starling Marte, McCutchen could very well end up 4th in terms of playing defense in the outfield.

Plus, we can only hope that Robbie Grossman, Josh Bell and others will be joining the discussion in a few years.

It might be an unorthodox thing to think about (and obviously it assumes that Presley, Tabata and Marte are all going to be solid MLB starting outfielders, but it's interesting to think about:

1. Whether McCutchen's offense would be enough to make him a viable 1B (obviously, in comparison to the recent play of the Pirates' 1B (Derrek Lee, not withstanding), he'd be a HOFer!!)

2.  Would McCutchen be agreeable to such a move? 

3.  Could McCutchen become a competent 1B?

Again, I get that it's an odd thought.  But the Pirates have to be willing to think in some unorthodox ways in order to get their 9 best players out on the field.  And when you've got a very, very productive player in McCutchen, and if you've got a better OF option than a 1B option to put out there on the field, it starts to make a little more sense.