Cole Tucker

COLE TUCKER, SHORTSTOP
Born: July 3, 1996
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 185
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Drafted: 1st Round, 24th Overall, 2014
How Acquired: Draft
High School: Mountain Pointe (AZ) HS
Agent: N/A

WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE

The Pirates took Tucker with their top pick in the 2014 draft.  Tucker was not rated as anywhere close to a first round talent, ranking anywhere from the 60s to the 80s with the various draft mavens, raising the suspicion that the team was either drafting for need rather than taking the best player available, or looking to save money from their bonus pool to use on later picks.  Tucker was climbing draft boards just before the draft, though, in part due to a strong performance in a major tournament.  As a result, several teams after the Pirates were considering Tucker as a possible first round pick.  Just the same, most observers seem to have seen him more as a second than a first round pick.

Tucker has good speed and very good athleticism.  He’s also has excellent baserunning instincts.  His offensive value comes mainly due to his projectability as a hitter, as scouts think he’ll add strength to his tall, lean frame.  He’s a better hitter from the left side.  Tucker has a good arm and hands, and some but not all scouts initially thought he’d stay at short.  After several seasons in the minors, that was no longer in question and he’s considered a very good defender.  Tucker committed to Arizona, but wasn’t considered likely to be difficult for the Pirates to sign.  He was one of the younger players in the draft, as he didn’t turn 18 until July.  He agreed to terms just a few days after the draft.  His bonus was $1.8M, which was just $125,500 under slot.

2014
R:  267/368/356, 180 AB, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 26 BB, 38 K, 13-18 SB

Tucker had a solid debut as one of the younger players in the GCL, showing good patience and some power.  He had a large platoon split, posting an OPS of .785 against RHPs and .580 against LHPs.  He also showed some good speed.  In the field, he committed 13 errors, but many of them came early — six in his first seven games at short — when he was playing with an arm injury.  Tucker finished well, batting 278/343/400 in August.

2015
A:  293/322/377, 300 AB, 13 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 16 BB, 49 K, 25-31 SB

The Pirates sent Tucker to West Virginia in low A to play shortstop in 2015.  He was one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League, not turning 19 the season’s second half.  He started slowly, posting an OPS of .661 in April and .579 in May with very little power and not many walks.  He started turning it around in June, with his OPS improving to .796 that month and .798 in July.  He was a lot better from the right side than the left, with a .797 OPS hitting right-handed and a .656 mark hitting left-handed.  He also did very well as a base stealer.  Defensively, he looked awkward at times, but he had only 13 errors in 65 games at short, which isn’t a large total for that level.  Baseball America rated him the league’s 15th best prospect and indicated that he had a good chance to stay at shortstop.  Unfortunately, health became an issue.  Tucker missed time during a couple stretches with minor injuries, then sat out all of August with shoulder problems.  The Pirates stated that he wasn’t hurt, but late in the month he had labrum surgery.

2016
A:  262/308/443, 61 AB, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 9 K, 1-2 SB
A+:  238/312/301, 269 AB, 12 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 29 BB, 62 K, 5-11 SB

Tucker’s labrum surgery was legitimate cause for concern.  It’s not just very bad news for pitchers; it can be bad for hitters as well, especially hitters who need to throw well, like shortstops.  Tucker, though, recovered much sooner than the expected 10-12 months.  In fact, his injury may not have been the typical labrum injury, which results from repeated stress.  His may have resulted from a collision on the bases.  The Pirates assigned him to West Virginia in early May.  He then moved up to Bradenton at the end of the month when Kevin Newman got hurt.  Tucker played well in the field, showing no sign of trouble from the surgery.  His hitting was another matter, as he showed very little power and struck out more often, once every four and a half ABs, as opposed to once every six the previous year.  Much of the contact he made consisted of weak grounders.  He struggled badly hitting right-handed, with a 164/263/194 line.  Whether he could have been hampered by the after-effects of the surgery, I don’t know.  He didn’t do well at stealing bases, in contrast to the previous season.

2017
A+:  285/364/426, 277 AB, 15 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 34 BB, 70, 36-48 SB
AA:  257/349/377, 167 AB, 4 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 21 BB, 31 K, 11-14 SB

Tucker had some extreme ups and downs, but overall had a very encouraging season.  He struggled through April in Bradenton, hitting 230/320/276.  In May, though, he suddenly started hitting the ball with much more authority than he had at any time previously, batting 304/391/545.  One possible concern was that the power outburst was accompanied by a sharp increase in his K rate, as he fanned once every four plate appearances.  In early June Tucker went out with a broken finger, missing three weeks.  Once he returned, he continued to hit very well until he was promoted to Altoona in late July.  He struggled there initially, but after a month he got hot again, hitting 373/500/610 over the season’s last two weeks.  Tucker was noticeably stronger, but didn’t lose any speed or quickness.  In fact, he was sometimes spectacular on defense.  He also starting stealing bases at a prodigious rate.  His 36 steals led the Florida State League by four even though he played there only half the season.  He has good, but hardly Billy Hamilton-level, speed; instead, he seems to have outstanding baserunning instincts.  He had three hits in the first game of the Eastern League playoffs, but broke a bone in his hand in the second game.  He was slated to go to the Arizona Fall League and it wasn’t clear initially whether the injury would jeopardize that assignment.

2018
AA:  259/333/356, 517 AB, 21 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 55 BB, 104 K, 35-47 SB

Tucker had a difficult first half at Altoona.  A 2-for-40 drought starting in late April fueled a 245/308/324 line through the season’s first 80 games.  After that he hit 281/370/407.  Tucker even struggled early as a base stealer, getting caught in his first five attempts.  He went 35-for-42 the rest of the way.  He had trouble from the left side, which is unusual for switch hitters; he had an OPS of .663 batting right-handed and .787 batting left-handed.  He played well at short, leaving little doubt that he can stay at the position.

2019
AAA:  261/346/413, 310 AB, 15 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 38 BB, 73 K, 11-14 SB
MLB:  211/266/361, 147 AB, 10 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 10 BB, 40 K

Tucker had a big spring and got off to a fast start in AAA, hitting for surprising power.  When Erik Gonzalez and Kevin Newman both got hurt in late April, the Pirates called Tucker up.  Not surprisingly, he struggled at the plate.  With Newman hitting well, the Pirates sent Tucker to Indianapolis.  He didn’t hit well there the rest of the way, falling off to an OPS that was a little below the league average.  The Pirates called Tucker up in September, but they didn’t play him a great deal and he missed the last week of the season with an injury.  For some reason, he didn’t attempt a single steal during his time in the majors.

Early in the 2019 season, Tucker looked like the Pirates’ future at short.  With Newman having a strong year and Tucker not, it isn’t so certain any more.  Tucker is the better defender and scouts still think he has the potential to hit for some power, so the Pirates aren’t likely to give up on him.  He may end up back at Indianapolis in 2020, especially if the Pirates insist on carrying Gonzalez as a utility player.

CONTRACT INFORMATION
2020: Major league minimum
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: $1,800,000
MiLB Debut: 2014
MLB Debut: 4/20/2019
MiLB FA Eligible: N/A
MLB FA Eligible: 2025
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Added to 40-Man: 11/20/2019
Options Remaining: 2 (USED:  2019)
MLB Service Time: 0.080
TRANSACTIONS
June 5, 2014: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st round, 24th overall pick; signed on June 12.
November 20, 2019: Contract purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates.