Baseball fans love to speculate and anticipate the arrival of minor league prospects. Even for a team like the World Series Champion Houston Astros, highly touted rookies are a hot topic of discussion. The latest such man of interest is newly promoted Astros rookie Kyle Tucker, nicknamed by his teammates, 'Ted,' as his swing is reminiscent of that of Hall of Famer Ted Williams.
The younger Tucker, at age 18, was sent to the Astros Gulf Coast League (Rookie) team, where he hit .208 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI in 33 games. On August 1, he moved up to the Greeneville Astros, an advanced rookie league, where he finished the season. His .286 average in 30 games helped to earn him a promotion the following spring to full season Class A with the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League. A solid 101 game stint with the Bandits saw him hit .276 with an on base percentage of .348. A late season promotion moved him to the Advanced A Lancaster JetHawks of the California League, where he lit up the desert with a .339 average and an impressive .435 OBP.
The Astros in 2017 moved their Advanced A team to Buies Creek in the Carolina League, and that's where Tucker played for 48 games and a .288 average and 9 home runs, matching his entire 2016 long ball output. A promotion on May 30 to Double A Corpus Christi (Texas League) saw him explode for 16 home runs in 72 games. His average with the Hooks dipped to .265, but it was obvious that he was making significant progress, including improving defensive skills, and the Astros invited him to Spring Training in 2018.
Tucker's 40 game Florida spring stint was impressive, as he slashed .409/.438/.818, with 5 home runs and 21 RBI. His home run total tied with J.D. Davis for the team lead, and his 21 RBI was 10 more than 2nd place Carlos Correa, more than double anyone else. The young slugger struck out only 9 times, possibly the most impressive statistic of his spring. Many people thought his performance would convince the Astros to put him on the Opening Day roster, but they sent him to Triple A Fresno.
With the Grizzlies, Tucker continued his assault on minor league pitching, with an impressive slash line of .306/.371/.520, 14 home runs and 66 RBI in 80 games, featuring an 18-game hitting streak from June 10 through June 29. During the streak, he had three hits seven times, including a four-game span with 3 hits in each game. Although he went hitless in the next four games, it could not have been clearer that this guy deserved a big league call up.
Tucker was not in the Fresno lineup on July 6, prompting speculation that he was on his way to Houston. The Grizzlies tried to quash the rumors by tweeting, "GUYS GET DAYS OFF," but sure enough, the next morning Jake Kaplan reported on Twitter that the young slugger was to make his Major League Debut that day (July 7.) Astros GM/President of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow tweeted:To the delight of Astros fans everywhere, Tucker's name was in the pre-game lineup, batting in the seventh slot, wearing #3. At Minute Maid Park, on his first big league plate appearance, the new Astro received a nice ovation from the nearly 40,000 fans. He struck out in his first three chances, but with one out in the 7th inning, he ripped a line drive off 1st baseman Matt Davidson's glove and into right field. The crowd erupted with a standing ovation while the baseball was retrieved for posterity. He scored a few minutes later on a Marwin Gonzalez single.Ted is here pic.twitter.com/qS8IcYqmiN— Jeff Luhnow (@jluhnow) July 7, 2018
In the 8th, Tucker came up with the bases loaded, drew a walk earning his first MLB run batted in, and the Astros went on to win 12-6. It was a successful debut for this highly touted rookie, a young man who had been in the spotlight since 2015.
For sure, it was a great day for Tucker, the Astros, and their fans – waking up to the news that a well-known rookie would play his first big league game. For Tucker it was surely a dream coming true – just three years removed from being a high school senior to the day when he stood in a Major League batter's box and felt the thrill of his first hit.
Kyle Tucker may be the new golden boy, and he earned it with his minor league success. However, as is the nature of Major League baseball, he is not the only Astros prospect waiting for such a chance. There is always another young phenom waiting to earn a place on a big league roster, and the Astros have several promising minor leaguers working towards the day when they have the same chance.
Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. His books include: 'Twisted Logic: 50 Edgy Flash Fiction Stories', 'The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other Rock & Roll Stories','A Sports Junkie', 'The Avery Appointment', 'Between the Fuzzy Parts'. His books are available in paperback and e-book.
He writes about sports for Season Tickets, food and travel on Miles & Meals, and music/guitars on The Backbeat.
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