40 for 40 Presents: Preston Tucker

Who Am I?

Preston Tucker

Left fielder

Age: 26

Height: 6′ 0″

Weight: 215

Bats left, throws left

How Did I Get Here?

Tucker was Houston’s 7th round pick in 2012, and made his major league debut in May 2015.

Contract status:

This is Tucker’s last option year and he will be eligible for arbitration no earlier than 2019.

Why Am I Here?

Perhaps no player better exemplifies Houston’s rapidly improving depth than Preston Tucker. In 2015, he was a contributor to a playoff team, even if he only made three pinch-hit appearances against the Royals. In 2016, he struggled to make contact, a problem likely associated with a shoulder injury that ultimately ended the season. So one injury and a couple of veteran outfielders later, Tucker is an afterthought – nobody seriously discussed him making the big-league roster this spring; he only made one appearance due to his late recovery from shoulder surgery.

So Tucker is left as depth, fighting with guys like Hernandez and Kemp at AAA for the next call should an outfield injury occur.

What Are My Strengths?

Tucker makes decent contact and hits for plus power. While with the Astros in 2015, he showed a consistent line drive stroke and an ability to hit big-league fastballs.

What Are My Weaknesses?

Tucker is a limited defender, even in Minute Maid’s small left field. And while the power is nice, by late 2015 those big league pitchers were figuring out just how vulnerable to breaking balls he was.

Loves to hit: As indicated, Tucker could handle anything without much break – he hit four-seamers, two-seamers, and sinkers at a .326 clip in 2015, including 13 doubles and 7 homers.

Hates to hit: Anything off speed. In that same span, Tucker hit only .174 against sliders, curves, and changeups. This trend continued in 2016, as he only managed 8 for 56 (.143) against these pitches.

What is my future with the Astros?

Preston Tucker has nothing left to prove in the minors – he’s slugged over .500 in the minors at every level over his 5-year career. All that’s left is for him to get another shot if an injury occurs, and to show that he can make the leap to handling major league pitching on a consistent basis. As his options are running out, this looks like his last chance to show that in Houston, or else we’ll be saying “Hey, remember Kyle Tucker’s brother?” in a couple of years.

What is my projected 2017 performance?

Who else would I remind you of?

There’s very little similarity in their swings or personality, but the profile of the minor-league slugger who came up during a playoff run and couldn’t ever quite figure out major league pitchers does remind me of Mitch Meluskey.