BRADENTON, Fla. — Andrew McCutchen, the Pittsburgh Pirates' top position player prospect, will begin the season in the minor leagues, general manager Dave Littlefield said Tuesday.

McCutchen, 20, has had an impressive spring, making several outstanding plays in the field, but it hasn't been enough to wrest the starting center fielder's job away from incumbent Chris Duffy.

"Andrew McCutchen has played very well and you could say he has been a surprise, though I don't know if anything he does can really be termed a surprise anymore," Littlefield said Tuesday. "He has had a very impressive camp but we just don't feel he is quite ready for the major leagues yet."

McCutchen is likely to stay in the major-league camp for another week before being assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis or Class AA Altoona.

McCutchen was the Pirates' first-round draft pick in 2005 following his senior year of high school in Fort Meade, Fla. Last season, he hit a combined .294 with 17 home runs, 74 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 134 games with Altoona and Class A Hickory.

Going into Tuesday's exhibition game against Detroit, McCutchen was batting .293 (12-for-41) with one home run in 13 games.