Outfielder Kyle Tucker has been better than advertised.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s saying something, considering the Cubs acquired him in an offseason trade with expectations that he would be the All-Star, Silver Slugger, MVP-type player he was during his time with the Astros.<\/p>\n
But Tucker has lived up to the hype \u2014 and then some \u2014 in his first month playing regular-season games in a Cubs uniform.<\/p>\n
Entering the Cubs\u2019 3-2, 11-inning loss Sunday to the Diamondbacks, he led the majors with 22 runs scored, led the National League with 23 RBI and led the Cubs with six home runs, 29 hits, eight doubles and 16 walks. If it weren\u2019t for catcher Carson Kelly\u2019s out-of-nowhere monster start to the season and his 1.675 OPS, Tucker would be the one dropping jaws with his 1.054 mark.<\/p>\n
In other words, while some fans might have been hoping for a free-agent signing that broke the bank and others still might be bummed about the long-term implications of president Jed Hoyer shipping the Cubs\u2019 first-round draft pick last summer to the Astros, there\u2019s no doubting the front office\u2019s acquisition of Tucker has been a rousing success so far, helping to power MLB\u2019s highest-scoring offense and make the Cubs appear capable of chasing their championship-level goals.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He\u2019s an elite offensive player, and he\u2019s continued to be so this year,\u2019\u2019 manager Craig Counsell said before the game Sunday. \u2018\u2018His at-bats produce runs. [For the hitters] around him, there\u2019s traffic. It\u2019s better to hit with guys on base. Not every team has offensive players this good, Most teams don\u2019t, and that\u2019s a really nice thing to have. He\u2019s off to a great start, and that\u2019s always a plus, too. But he\u2019s been a big deal, no question about it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Obviously, the production speaks for itself. But just his confidence as a player is contagious,\u2019\u2019 second baseman Nico Hoerner told the Sun-Times on Saturday. \u2018\u2018He\u2019s someone who shows up, and it feels like he expects to have success every single time he steps to the plate or gets to the ballpark. He\u2019s played the game at the highest level for a long time and had success on the biggest stages. That\u2019s a great guy to have on your team.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Tucker has been in the middle of everything for these Cubs. During a particularly scalding four-game stretch in the first week of the season, he went 10-for-18 with four homers, four doubles, nine RBI and nine runs scored.<\/p>\n
Tucker\u2019s arrival figured to help an offense that struggled for long stretches last season. Thanks to his presence and the production at the bottom of the order from Kelly and others, Counsell said he thinks the Cubs are in a better position to sustain offensive success than they were a year ago.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018When you go through something like last year, the offensive struggles .\u2009.\u2009. it shakes you a little bit, for sure,\u2019\u2019 Counsell said. \u2018\u2018A star player, he adds wins himself. That\u2019s the big thing. What he does for the players around him, there\u2019s traffic more, it\u2019s attention from the other team, it\u2019s attention from the other pitcher, things like that.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It just puts you in good positions, and we\u2019ve benefitted from it so far, for sure.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The big question remains how long Tucker\u2019s tenure with the Cubs will last. It figures to be a seasonlong wonder whether they will be able to sign him to the type of massive contract other stars have received.<\/p>\n
Right now, however, it\u2019s all about what Tucker is doing at the plate. And, so far, that has been an awful lot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The big offseason trade addition has been in the middle of everything for the highest-scoring team in baseball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":49884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n