Earlier this week, the Phillies announced that they will wear a No. 15 patch on their jerseys this season honoring the memory of Dick Allen, who died in December, three months after having his number retired by the ballclub.
Andrew McCutchen is thrilled that he'll be sporting Allen's number on the sleeve of his uniform.
"I'm looking forward to representing him, wearing the patch," he said. "He brought a lot to the game and this franchise. He's going down in history books as a great player and person."
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Allen, one of the game's most feared sluggers from the mid-60s to the mid-70s, was subject to harsh racism as a minor-leaguer and young major-leaguer.
McCutchen is a member of the year-old Players Alliance, a group of nearly 150 current and former Black professional players "united to use our collective voice and platform to create increased opportunities for the Black community in every aspect of our game and beyond."
McCutchen, in his third season with the Phillies, met Allen a couple of times and is familiar with his personal story.
"I knew a little about him," McCutchen said. "He didn't take no for an answer, even back then when the odds were really against him.
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"He had to deal with a lot of adversity. All he wanted to do, just like Jackie Robinson, was focus on the game and for him that was something that he couldn't do.
"What I liked most about him is he wanted to do what he felt was right and if he believed in it, he did it."
Allen was to be considered for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame by a Golden Days committee in December. The vote was pushed back a year because of the pandemic and Allen will once again be on the ballot this December.
Read more about Allen's career and place in Phillies and baseball history here.