{"id":65297,"date":"2025-07-01T08:45:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T08:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=65297"},"modified":"2025-07-01T08:45:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T08:45:44","slug":"how-cubs-kyle-tucker-keeps-refining-his-elite-plate-discipline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=65297","title":{"rendered":"How Cubs’ Kyle Tucker keeps refining his elite plate discipline"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of all the on-field attributes that right fielder Kyle Tucker\u2019s teammates and coaches could rave about, his disciplined approach at the plate draws some of the most praise.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle\u2019s one of the elite offensive players in our game,\u201d Cubs manager Craig Counsell said last week in St. Louis. \u201cIt shows up every day. Maybe it\u2019s not always a home run or three hits or whatever, but the pitch selection is always so good .\u2009.\u2009. kind of matchup-proof. And those are valuable, valuable players to have in the lineup every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tucker, whom the Cubs acquired from the Astros last December to help raise the level of their offense, is in the 98th percentile in chase rate (17.4%), according to Statcast \u2014 discipline that has allowed the rest of his offensive talents to shine in what likely will be his fourth straight All-Star season. Committed to only swinging at his pitch, he has the sixth-highest OPS among qualified major-league hitters. His walk rate (14.3%) is in the 95th percentile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve tried to get good at not chasing pitches and trying to lay off the pitches on the edges,\u201d he told the Sun-Times recently. \u201cMy thing is, if you\u2019re able to not swing at the pitches they want you to swing at, you can draw walks and get on base and just provide opportunities for guys behind you. Or you can wait them out, and they\u2019re going to have to throw pitches over the plate, to where you\u2019re more likely to barrel those balls up or have a lot more success swinging the bat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Selectiveness isn\u2019t a new skill for Tucker, but only over the last few years has he refined it. Jason Kanzler, the Cubs\u2019 director of player development, got a firsthand look at Tucker\u2019s dedication to it when he was a member of the Astros\u2019 coaching staff in 2022-23.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unsurprising how good he is with his plate discipline, but it\u2019s also so<\/i> surprising how good he is with his plate discipline,\u201d Kanzler said. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible, his ability to control the zone, how early his takes are when it\u2019s not a pitch he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2022, Tucker\u2019s 26.1% chase rate already was well above average. But over the next two seasons, it steadily dropped, to 21.6% in 2023 and 17.5% in 2024, according to Statcast.<\/p>\n

Tucker attributes the swift improvement to simply putting emphasis on the skill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re able to mentally lock in with that stuff, then over time, you naturally get better and better at that stuff, especially if you make a point of doing it and make it part of your routine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t just about balls and strikes, either. Plotting Tucker\u2019s swing percentages and slugging percentages by zone reveals hot spots on the inner half of the plate, from the middle up, which shows he\u2019s swinging most often at pitches he\u2019ll do damage with.<\/p>\n

Players trying to hone their swing mechanics often will look at video from the best stretches of their careers. Tucker describes using a mental version of that process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to figure out the times when I\u2019m doing well and try to figure out how to prolong that,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd just the mental-play side of things, how to recognize what I\u2019m doing in those times and just try and do it every time, or as often as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cubs of the Futures: Wiggins, Caissie<\/h3>\n

Prospects Jaxon Wiggins and Owen Caissie are set to represent the Cubs in the All-Star Futures Game on July 12 at the Braves\u2019 Truist Park, three days before the All-Star Game. Major League Baseball announced the full rosters Monday.<\/p>\n

Wiggins, a right-handed pitcher, was cruising through High-A with a 1.71 ERA when the Cubs promoted him to Double-A in mid-May. In seven starts with Double-A Knoxville, he\u2019s averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.<\/p>\n

Caissie, a towering outfielder and left-handed hitter whom MLB Pipeline identifies as the Cubs\u2019 No. 1 prospect, is tied with catcher Moises Ballesteros in leading qualified hitters at Triple-A Iowa in OPS (.877).<\/p>\n

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The Cubs dropped a three-game series in Houston this weekend after splitting series with the Cardinals and Brewers and losing to the Mariners.<\/p>\n

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By\u00a0Maddie Lee <\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Cubs were shut out for the fifth time this season in a 2-0 loss Sunday.<\/p>\n

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By\u00a0Maddie Lee <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tucker went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer, two singles and a double Saturday night against his former team.<\/p>\n

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By\u00a0Maddie Lee <\/strong><\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tucker’s ability to control the strike zone has helped him put together what’s expected to be a fourth straight All-Star nod.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":65299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Cubs' Kyle Tucker keeps refining his elite plate discipline - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=65297\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Cubs' Kyle Tucker keeps refining his elite plate discipline - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tucker's ability to control the strike zone has helped him put together what's expected to be a fourth straight All-Star nod.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=65297\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-01T08:45:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/avtvip-6.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=65297\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=65297\",\"name\":\"How Cubs' Kyle Tucker keeps refining his elite plate discipline - 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