Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch mentioned months ago that the organization’s top position prospect would find his way to the bigs this summer. Now, after his promotion, Kyle Tucker seems ready to demonstrate why he’s the club’s main prospect.
The Houston Astros are done with the outfield experiment. Now they’re bringing in the big guns, namely their top prospect Kyle Tucker, who they promoted Saturday morning.
And the outfielder looks poised to play an everyday role.
With Carlos Correa out, Marwin Gonzalez – the team’s Swiss-army knife – has shifted into shortstop mode. Meanwhile, manager A.J. Hinch has maneuvered Tony Kemp, Jake Marisnick, Josh Reddick and George Springer around like a carousel.
Now he can ultimately keep his most productive outfielders in Springer and Reddick in their preferred positions. Therefore, it seems that Kemp and Tucker might split time in left field. Or Hinch can move Reddick into a the main left-field role, giving Tucker time in right.
Though Marisnick is one of the better fielders in the entire league, his bat wasn’t good enough to keep him in the bigs. Houston optioned him to Triple-A Fresno in the move.
Tucker’s bat, if it remains hot, will be a relatively large upgrade in left field. Houston’s players in that position rank 20th in the league in OPS and runs.
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Compared to nearly every other position on the team, it’s a disappointing statistic for the Astros.
What does Tucker offer?
That’s why Hinch called up Tucker, who boasted a superb .306/.371/.520 slash line in Triple-A. He accumulated 66 RBIs, second-most in the Pacific Coast League.
And his promise at the plate doesn’t end with his ability to bring in runs. The 21-year-old exhibited great power by walloping 14 home runs across 80 games. Also, the outfielder swiped 14 bags.
Tucker’s fielding is still a work in progress, but he should spend most of his time in either of the corner spots. He sports an average arm and strong mental capacity with good decision-making.
Nevertheless, what gets fans excited is his prowess at the plate. But Tucker has also improved as he was promoted, at least within the past two seasons. He made a major jump while in Triple-A after posting a solid .837 OPS in Double-A last year.
And it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see Tucker stay with the team for the rest of the season. Of course, there is always the chance that he struggles as he becomes accustomed to MLB pitching.
Also, Hinch has to decide what to do with the club once Correa returns. Tyler White or Tucker might be the odd men out. Yet that will be determined once the superstar shortstop slides back in the lineup.
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Until then, the Houston Astros have a prime opportunity to gauge just how good Tucker can be. And if his Triple-A performance is a good projector, then it seems he will fit well into the Houston lineup.