Perhaps \u2018\u2018King Tuck\u2019\u2019 is a more appropriate nickname than we thought.<\/p>\n
Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker is good at baseball, which explains the \u2018\u2018King\u2019\u2019 portion. And everyone calls him \u2018\u2018Tuck,\u2019\u2019 which kind of sounds like \u2018\u2018Tut.\u2019\u2019 That seems to be all that was needed to whip up the moniker.<\/p>\n
But Tucker got some props from a teammate that reveal that maybe \u2018\u2018King Tuck\u2019\u2019 is truly Arthurian, after all.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He walks more than he strikes out, and he hits for power,\u2019\u2019 third baseman Matt Shaw told the Sun-Times on Saturday. \u2018\u2018That\u2019s like the Holy Grail triangle of baseball.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Now that we know his name and his quest, it\u2019s time someone asks Tucker what his favorite color is. It might reveal something about his plans for free agency.<\/p>\n
Whether the Cubs are able to hang on to Tucker past this season or not, he\u2019s having the type of impact they hoped he would when they traded for him last winter \u2014 an anchor of the lineup putting up MVP-style numbers.<\/p>\n
If it weren\u2019t for Pete Crow-Armstrong exploding onto the national stage, Tucker would be the talk of Wrigleyville.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s slashing .277\/.387\/.504, good for an .891 OPS. He ranked 16th in the majors in that category entering the Cubs\u2019 2-1 victory Saturday against the Pirates. Plus, he\u2019s got 13 home runs, 43 RBI and 17 stolen bases.<\/p>\n
And, yes, Tucker has walked more than he has struck out, with 47 free passes, one of the highest totals in the majors, compared with 45 punch-outs.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that part of Tucker\u2019s game that has Shaw awestruck. For someone just getting his feet wet in the majors, watching Tucker work not only has been informative, it also has been inspirational.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He\u2019s a type of guy, he understands himself, he understands how guys are going to try to get him out,\u2019\u2019 Shaw said of Tucker. \u2018\u2018But, most important, he\u2019s so committed and focused on his plan, day in and day out. And that makes him elite.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Everyone\u2019s trying to do that, right? Everyone is trying to be 100% committed to their plan. But when you see someone actually do it, day in and day out, you realize, \u2018Wow, this is possible.\u2019 .\u2009.\u2009. You might be 99% committed to your plan, but then you see Tuck do it again and again and again, and you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, I can do this every time. It\u2019s possible.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018That\u2019s where he almost gives an extra confidence to guys, like, \u2018This can be done.\u2019 It\u2019s the big leagues, but if you focus and you\u2019re prepared enough and you know yourself well enough, you can walk more than you strike out. .\u2009.\u2009. As a hitter, that idea of walking more than you strike out at the big-league level is just this amazing thing that you strive for.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Knowing it\u2019s possible and seeing him do it and seeing the level of focus in his at-bats, it definitely spreads to everyone else. Like, \u2018Yeah, we can do this.\u2019\u2009\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Manager Craig Counsell has dismissed the idea that Tucker or anyone else dramatically can affect outcomes throughout the lineup, and even Shaw talked about how individual baseball is. In other words, Tucker\u2019s effect on the Cubs is not to have everyone do as he does.<\/p>\n
Rather, the Cubs can look to Tucker as someone who has things figured out. His accomplishments before arriving on the North Side \u2014 three All-Star appearances, a Silver Slugger and a top-five finish in MVP voting \u2014 speak to that.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not trying to replicate Tucker\u2019s game but trying to understand themselves as well as Tucker understands himself that can help youngsters such as Shaw and Cubs hitters in general.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It\u2019s all just experience,\u2019\u2019 Counsell said. \u2018\u2018And when you\u2019re around different people and people who are really good at their craft, you take note of things and try to apply them to your game.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The production doesn\u2019t hurt, either.<\/p>\n
And as long as Tucker is bringing that Holy Grail to the lineup, Wrigley Field can be a baseball version of Camelot for the Cubs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tucker’s ability to walk more than he strikes out has Cubs hitters thinking they can accomplish big things, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":61620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n