Tucker

[JimR]

How long do you stay with him? I know Bregman started slow. I know Tucker has been a slow starter at every level. I know he is not striking out like Fisher did. I know the team is winning despite his struggle to adjust.

How long?

[Jacksonian]

How long do you stay with him? I know Bregman started slow. I know Tucker has been a slow starter at every level. I know he is not striking out like Fisher did. I know the team is winning despite his struggle to adjust.

How long?

Is he hitting the ball hard?

[jbm]

Is he hitting the ball hard?

Not really, but I’d stick with him for quite a bit longer, simply because they’ve been pretty committed to him since his call up.  So, stick to the plan.

[TerryPuhl21]

How long do you stay with him? I know Bregman started slow. I know Tucker has been a slow starter at every level. I know he is not striking out like Fisher did. I know the team is winning despite his struggle to adjust.

How long?

I’m guessing the plan was to call him up and hope that he took off like Acuna and Albies did for Atlanta. That clearly isn’t going to happen. Like you I’m impressed that he isn’t striking out. I hope that means he’ll be fine and will take off after he makes some adjustments. The question is how long that will take? If the projection on Correa is that he will be fine and they expect him to fully recover and not have any lingering issues throughout the rest of the year, I think they stick with Tucker and Kemp all the way. If there is fear however that Correa’s issues could linger, then a deal for a bat could force him back to the minors until September call ups.


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[JimR]

Is he hitting the ball hard?

No.

[das]

No.

An unorthodox swing rarely plays well in the bigs.  People like Bagwell are certainly the exception.  What Tucker made up with bat speed and plate discipline at the lower levels may not be good enough if the MLB-caliber pitchers can exploit that long swing of his.

(I know you know all of this, Jim.  It's more of just a general comment for the thread...)

[JimR]

An unorthodox swing rarely plays well in the bigs.  People like Bagwell are certainly the exception.  What Tucker made up with bat speed and plate discipline at the lower levels may not be good enough if the MLB-caliber pitchers can exploit that long swing of his.

(I know you know all of this, Jim.  It's more of just a general comment for the thread...)

He drops the bat and sweeps it through the hitting zone. Yes, boy, his swing is long. His swing has served him well so far so we will see.

[moriartp]

I'd give him 100 plate appearances.

[Reuben]

Either Blum or Bagwell made the observation recently that the reason Tucker’s swing looks so awkward is that he doesn’t let go of the bat with his top hand. Both hands clutch the bat all the way through his follow-through, which just is not the graceful, balanced swing you expect from good LH hitters. Obviously, he hasn’t settled in and started barreling up balls yet, but maybe he “looks” like he’s struggling more than he really is, because of the unorthodox finish.

[austro]

Either Blum or Bagwell made the observation recently that the reason Tucker’s swing looks so awkward is that he doesn’t let go of the bat with his top hand. Both hands clutch the bat all the way through his follow-through, which just is not the graceful, balanced swing you expect from good LH hitters. Obviously, he hasn’t settled in and started barreling up balls yet, but maybe he “looks” like he’s struggling more than he really is, because of the unorthodox finish.

I'm judging his struggles by the large number of softly-hit balls to 2nd base.

[JimR]

I'm judging his struggles by the large number of softly-hit balls to 2nd base.

This. I do not give a shit where his hands are.

[das]

He drops the bat and sweeps it through the hitting zone. Yes, boy, his swing is long.

It took me 3 weeks of watching him to finally figure out who he reminded me of.  Aha moment was last night when I jumped up and yelled "Will Clark, that's it!!!".  My cat looked at me like I was crazy.

Clark did not have that hitch where he drops the bat head though.

[Reuben]

I'm judging his struggles by the large number of softly-hit balls to 2nd base.

I haven't been able to watch many games since his call-up, so I defer all "judgement" to those who have. Just passing along what to me was an interesting observation, a week ago, by either Blum or (I think) Bagwell.

[Lefty]

No.

A whole lot of his hard-hit balls are on the ground to the right side.  Right where they shift him.

He has to get the ball up in the air.

[NeilT]

I don’t think you give him more than three years.

[HudsonHawk]

Either Blum or Bagwell made the observation recently that the reason Tucker’s swing looks so awkward is that he doesn’t let go of the bat with his top hand. Both hands clutch the bat all the way through his follow-through, which just is not the graceful, balanced swing you expect from good LH hitters. Obviously, he hasn’t settled in and started barreling up balls yet, but maybe he “looks” like he’s struggling more than he really is, because of the unorthodox finish.

You know who else had a swing like that?  Ted Williams. I think Tucker will be fine.  The biggest jump in baseball is from AAA to the Majors.  He will adjust.

[JimR]

You know who else had a swing like that?  Ted Williams. I think Tucker will be fine.  The biggest jump in baseball is from AAA to the Majors.  He will adjust.

Ted Williams for sure.

[juliogotay]

PBS is doing a Ted Williams documentary. I believe it is showing on Monday evening in D-FW.

[juliogotay]

You know who else had a swing like that?  Ted Williams. I think Tucker will be fine.  The biggest jump in baseball is from AAA to the Majors.  He will adjust.

Hinch on Tucker: He's having an adjustment period to this level. He's done this at every level. He did it in A-Ball, he did it in Double-A, he did it in Triple-A, and now in the big leagues. He's learning on the fly...It's a good reminder that it's a tough league.

[JimR]

PBS is doing a Ted Williams documentary. I believe it is showing on Monday evening in D-FW.

They used Tucker as a young TW because of his swing.

[NeilT]

They used Tucker as a young TW because of his swing.

Right body type too.

[JimR]

Right body type too.

Yep. Splendid Splinter.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

PBS is doing a Ted Williams documentary. I believe it is showing on Monday evening in D-FW.

Article in The New Yorker about the documentary, mentions Tucker.

[Snuffy]

Article in The New Yorker about the documentary, mentions Tucker.

Indeed!

(From 1st paragraph) ....A camera filmed him as he (Tucker) hit, capturing two thousand frames a second, against a black screen. Nick Davis, who was directing the shoot (and dressed as an umpire, for verisimilitude), estimates that, of the hundred cuts Tucker took, he “smacked the shit out of the ball” ninety-eight times.....

[Snuffy]

A Forbes article touts Astros program to make phenoms (like Tucker) felt welcome and encourages smooth transition to major leagues.


PS: Two videos from last night's broadcast, one from the Rockies and one from the Astros, may have demonstrated this:

The 1st was captured on the Rockies broadcast.  (The Astros broadcast cut away early and did not catch it.)  It provided a brief glimpse of Reddick patting Tucker on the shoulder as he crossed the plate on Kemp's RBI single.(2:52:06)   (You can hear the pat.)

The 2nd from the Astros broadcast highlighted Reddick's celebration in the dugout (3:01:15 - Astros broadcast) showed a vet pulling for the rookie.  Good stuff!