Kyle Tucker Is Baseball's Most Underrated Star
It makes sense why certain players fly under the radar. If you play for a bad team or play in a small market, it makes sense why you may not get national attention. Back in the day, circa 2014 when the Astros were still awful, Jose Altuve was one of those underappreciate players we rarely discussed. But as I mentioned, the team was miserable and rarely got national attention. This is why it's very baffling to me that Kyler Tucker never seems to get the recognition he deserves. Don't get me wrong; he's gotten plenty of accolades. He's made it to the All-Star Game twice, won a Gold Glove, and was a key piece of Houston's World Series Championship from a season ago, but I feel like when we have discussions about the best players in baseball, Tucker's name is rarely brought up. It's about time that we change that.
It's no secret that the Houston Astros offense in 2023 has yet to be up to par with recent Astros teams. There are reasons for this. Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez have each missed significant time with injury. It feels like Yodan has been out forever at this point. This has made what Tucker has done this year that much more impressive. I'm a big believer in lineup protection, and Tucker hasn't had a ton this season, considering the injuries that the Astros have suffered. Tucker currently ranks just outside the top ten in all of baseball in OPS. Something tells me he will find his way into the top ten very soon. His numbers since the All-Star break are hilariously dominant. In seven games, he's hitting .482 with a 1.620 OPS. Last night, he had the best game of his professional career, going deep three times in Houston's win over the A's.
It's not as if Tucker has been some flash in the pan, either. He's coming up on several years now of remarkable consistency. He's also been durable as hell so far in his young career. Since 2021, Tucker's twenty-fourth season, he's seventeenth in baseball in fWAR. That's ahead of Bo Bichette, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, and Ronald Acuna Jr. He's twelfth in wRC+, which is ahead of Matt Olson, Jose Ramirez, Pete Alonso, and Nolan Arenado, to name a few. He's also sixteenth in OPS and sixth among all outfielders in DRS since the start of 2021, AND he's been a pivotal piece for the Astros in two straight World Series runs. He kind of does it all. So what gives? Why doesn't Tucker get more love?
Over the last few years, Kyle Tucker has been sandwiched between many superstars in Houston. He doesn't have Yordan Alvarez's generational power, nor does he have Jose Altuve's pedigree. He goes about his business rather quietly. Also, as good as his numbers are, they aren't quite great enough for him to be put in that top tier with the Juan Soto's and Aaron Judge's of the world. Unlike Judge, though, Tucker has stayed remarkably healthy. As I said, this has been an Astros team riddled with many injuries, yet King Tuck keeps chugging along. Part of Tucker's appeal is that he's a very quiet player. Many players may put together flashier highlight reels, but in the long run, Tucker is the guy you would rather have in your lineup.
I don't see the "Kyle Tucker is underrated" movement lasting much longer. The Astros will be back in October this year, and from an offensive standpoint, he'll be the biggest reason for their success. He didn't exactly come out of nowhere, either. Tucker was one of baseball's top prospects for several years, and the Astros held onto him at the deadline in 2018 and 2019 because they believed they had a future star. Once again, the Astros were correct in their assessment of a prospect. He's a star right now, but his number post All-Star break make me believe he's headed for superstardom.