Houston Astros Scouting Report on OF Kyle Tucker

Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker came into the league as part of a financial deal, but he’s turned himself into an elite prospect.

Player Profile

The Houston Astros drafted Kyle Daniel Tucker out of high school in Florida with the fifth overall draft pick in the 2015 draft.

Tucker was a solid prospect for sure, but he was regarded as a cheap sign, drafted as the Astros wanted to use their multiple early picks to get two top-10 to top-15 level talents by saving money from their draft slot at the #5 pick spot and use it later, which they did with outfielder Daz Cameron.

Tucker opened his professional career with the Astros’ Gulf Coast League affiliate. He split the season evenly between GCL and the advanced rookie affiliate in the Appalachian League in Greeneville.

Combined, Tucker hit .246/.294/.353 with three home runs and 18 stolen bases. He posted a 6.3 percent walk rate and an 11.42 percent strikeout rate.

His draft pedigree and not being overwhelmed at either level of rookie ball had him ranked #61 with Baseball America, #74 with MLB Pipeline and #93 with Baseball Prospectus.

Tucker spent most of 2016 with Quad Cities in the Midwest League before a few weeks with Lancaster in the California League to finish his season.

He combined to hit .285/.360/.438 with nine home runs and 32 stolen bases. He slapped seven triples and posted a 10.06 percent walk rate and 16.3 percent strikeout rate.

His excellent season jumped him up the ranking services to #19 with BA, #35 with MLB Pipeline and #37 with BP.

I had Tucker ranked #19 in my top 125 MLB prospects list in January for Call to the Pen.

Next: Tucker's scouting report