Pittsburgh Pirates: Cole Tucker suddenly famous after a date

Cole Tucker of the Pittsburgh Pirates quickly became a famous baseball player after his date with actress Vanessa Hudgens

Cole Tucker, the former first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, is gaining fame in a way the team did not expect. Tucker was seen having dinner outside with the “High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens over the weekend. According to E! News, Hudgens posted on Instagram with the caption “Date night.” I also did the hard work of checking Instagram, and yes, they follow each other.

Hudgens is clearly the more famous one of the duo as she starred in “High School Musical.” Hudgens has also appeared in movies like “Spring Breakers”, and “Bad Boys for Life”, but her early acting career is what made her iconic.

I am sure many of Hudgens’ followers were wondering who Cole Tucker is. I would not even be surprised if many MLB followers did not know who Tucker was either. But it is clear that Tucker has been a fan of Hudgens and “High School Musical” for a long time. It was bound to happen at some point.

So, who is Cole Tucker?

Tucker was drafted in the 2014 MLB Draft in the first round as the 24th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates. As he was drafted straight out of high school, it took him a little time to reach the big league team. He debuted in 2019 and played a third of the season. Last season, he only played 37 out of 60 games. The Pirates shortstop/outfielder has a career .215 batting average in 93 MLB games. Tucker also holds a -0.8 WAR and has only hit three home runs and drove in 21 RBIs. As you can see, he has not quite hit his stride in the big leagues.

The good news for fans is that he is still 24-years-old. In case you were wondering, Vanessa Hudgens is 31-years-old, a seven-year difference. The Pirates finished last in the NL Central and only won 19 games during the shortened pandemic season. The Pirates have not reached the playoffs since the 2015 season and have lived right below .500.

Tucker was supposed to be a part of the Pirates’ rebuild the last couple of years but he has not produced yet. The positive is that he is just 24-years-old and has plenty of time to figure things out. It just might be a matter of how long the Pittsburgh Pirates would give him a chance especially if the Pirates’ struggles continue.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping that Tucker will prove his former first-round draft pick status and I would not be surprised if Hudgens is thinking the same thing. We have seen some big couples from the MLB as of late: Dansby Swanson and Mal Pugh, Justin Verlander and Kate Upton. Cole Tucker and Vanessa Hudgens could become another big celebrity couple if Tucker can become an MLB star.