Houston Astros’ Slugger Kyle Tucker Is Just Beginning His Climb To Stardom

To this scout, Houston Astros 2022 All Star right fielder Kyle Tucker could become one of the most dominant MLB game-changing forces at the plate.

The Astros offer a wealth of offensive riches with players like Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Michael Brantley, and newly acquired Jose Abreu, just to name a few. Somehow, the accomplishments of Kyle Tucker don’t seem to get enough recognition.

About Kyle Tucker:

Left-handed hitting Kyle Tucker was a high school hitting star at Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. He hit .484 with 10 home runs in his senior year.

Considered one of the finest young hitters in the 2015 MLB First Year Player Draft, the Houston Astros selected Tucker with the No. 5 overall pick in the draft.

The Astros had two of the first five picks in the draft. They used selection No. 2 on third baseman Alex Bregman, with Tucker being chosen at No. 5.

Tucker received a $4M signing bonus, which was $188,700 under the MLB suggested bonus amount for that slot.

Tucker is the younger brother of outfielder Preston Tucker, who is now out of baseball. At the time he was drafted by Houston, brother Preston was in the Astros organization.

Tall and slender at 6-4, 199 pounds, Tucker has extremely quick hands through the ball. His bat speed and outstanding hand-eye coordination stand out as well above average components of his hitting mechanics.

This scout was first able to evaluate Kyle Tucker when he played for Mesa in the 2017 Arizona Fall League. Using a rather pronounced upper-cut swing at the time, Tucker hit only .214 in his 95 plate appearances. He didn’t hit a home run, but finished the fall season with six doubles and one triple.

Even with unimpressive Fall League stats, Tucker made a positive, lasting impression on this old scout.

Scouting notes created at the time by this observer included the following: “Long and lean, Tucker hit in some bad luck during the fall season. Power potential exists with quick bat and a pronounced upper-cut swing. Fast, with excellent base running instincts and ability. Raw prospect, but could flash power to blend with the speed at maturity.”

At the time of the evaluation/review, this scout placed a scouting grade of 60 on Tucker’s overall game. His best tools were his power potential and his speed. His grade equated to that of a player with at least two better than average major league tools, and the ability to make occasional All Star teams. He showed promise as a defender in the outfield.

Tucker was only 20 at the time of that scouting evaluation. Since that time, Tucker has developed into a consequential, game-changing power hitter from the left side of the plate.

Tucker made his major league debut July 7, 2018, after parts of five seasons in minor league development.

Tucker got off to a bit of a slow start as a major league player in the Astros lineup, initially struggling to hit major league pitching. However, he has steadily shown the type of impact this scout projected when Tucker was in development. Frankly, there is likely much more to come from his powerful swing and consequential bat.

Last season, Tucker was a very instrumental part of the Astros team that defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. Tucker hit .257/.330/.478/.808 with 30 home runs and 107 RBIs in 2022. He had 28 doubles and one triple among his 140 hits. Tucker stole 25 bases in 29 attempts, using the speed and base stealing instincts he flashed early in his professional career.

Making good contact at the plate, Tucker has seen his playing time and plate appearances increase markedly in the past three seasons. In fact, in those three years, Tucker has been under 100 strikeouts in each season.

Tucker recognizes pitches quickly out of the pitcher’s hand, and his plate discipline is a true asset in his approach to hitting. He is patient and selective, with very good strike zone management.

A rather dramatic pull hitter, Tucker gets plenty of loft on the ball, even with a more recent slightly less upper-cut approach to his swing. He does hit some lofty home runs, and has enough power to take the ball out of any major league park.

Entering the new, 2023 season, RosterResource lists Tucker as hitting 6th in the Astros lineup. To this scout, that is yet another indication that Tucker simply isn’t recognized yet for the overall abilities and power he has demonstrated in the past few seasons. He would do well hitting a bit higher in the batting order.

Manager Dusty Baker might wish to alternate right and left-handed hitters, which helps explain why Tucker is listed in the sixth spot in the batting order. For now.

Projected Astros 2023 Lineup:

The projected Astros lineup listed by RosterResource is as follows:

Jose Altuve-2B (Bats right)

Michael Brantley-DH (Bats left)

Alex Bregman-3B (Bats right)

Yordan Alvarez-LF (Bats left)

Jose Abreu-1B (Bats right)

Kyle Tucker-RF (Bats left)

Jeremy Pena-SS (Bats right)

Chas McCormick-CF (Bats right)

Martin Maldonado-C (Bats right)

Defensively, Tucker’s 2022 Gold Glove Award as a top defensive right fielder is a tribute to his quick first step, good routes, and his ability to track the flight of the ball off the bat. He has a strong, accurate arm, and is capable of playing any of the three outfield positions with well above average ability.

Tucker remains a work in progress. This may be the year he gains the type of recognition commensurate with his ability and skills.

Summary:

Kyle Tucker made the National League All Star team last season.

A consequential hitter who is gaining power, Tucker uses his excellent hitting mechanics and a bit of an upper-cut swing to launch balls out of the park.

A Gold Glove winning right fielder last year, to this scout, Tucker does not receive the accolades and attention his abilities and tools deserve.

After a slow start to his big league career, Tucker has shown improvement in every phase of his game during the past two seasons.

This scout looks for continued growth, development and improvement in Tucker’s game, as he tries to help his Houston Astros club win another World Series title.