The Diamondbacks announced that infielder Cole Tucker has been outrighted to Triple-A Reno. There was no public announcement of Tucker having been designated for assignment, but the club evidently passed him through waivers in recent days. Arizona’s 40-man roster now sits at 39.
The fact that the 29 other teams in the league passed on a chance to grab Tucker for nothing shows how far his stock has fallen in recent years. Selected by the Pirates with the 24th overall pick in the 2014 draft, he was considered one of the better prospects in Pittsburgh’s system during his time in the minors. Baseball America ranked him one of the ten best Pirate farmhands for five straight years beginning in 2015.
Tucker was always considered a glove-first prospect, but the Pirates surely hoped for more offense than what Tucker was able to provide during his time in the organization. In 154 MLB games over 2019-2022, he hit just .211/.259/.314 for a wRC+ of 53. They eventually ran out of patience and designated him for assignment at the end of May.
The Diamondbacks snagged Tucker off waivers, perhaps hoping that a return to a familiar environment could reinvigorate his career. Tucker was born in Phoenix, played high school ball at Mountain Pointe High there and was committed to the University of Arizona before being drafted. It wasn’t a perfect homecoming, however, as the D-Backs weren’t willing to commit to having Tucker on the big league roster. He was instead optioned to the Triple-A team in Reno. In 22 games for the Aces, he’s hit .235/.297/.296 so far, producing a wRC+ of 50. He’ll now stay with the Aces but without occupying a spot on Arizona’s 40-man roster.
He should try Asia. He’s just not good enough for major league baseball.
he’s not good enough for the NPB or KBO.
he’s not even good enough for AAA
He’s got Vanessa I think life is pretty good for him rn
agree. he’s better off than many MLB players
Clock is ticking on that relationship. When’s the last time you saw a Hollywood singer/actress with a used car dealer? Or a AAA baseball player making $900/week?
This news is so big I think my head is going to fall off.
He’s not even good enough for single A ball
I never liked this pick for my Pirates, I was hoping for Matt Chapman who the Athletics drafted with the next pick. I believe many inside baseball thought he was a reach in the 1st round.
I wouldn’t worry about it because “your” Pirates would have traded Chapman when he became “too expensive” just like the A’s did and he would have never contributed to any amount of winning in Pittsburgh. Tucker fits the franchise’s mold of playing subpar baseball with subpar baseball players much better. Good pick!
That’s a disgraceful response on your behalf. Pirates drafted plenty of highly regarded players and a lot of them continued to be solid after leaving Pittsburgh. Your response is a small minded nonsense with no evidence to support your theory. Go kick rocks
As a fan of baseball, I enjoy watching McCutchen, Gerritt Cole, Stallings, Frazier, Taillion, Holmes, just to name a few of the players Pittsburgh has drafted… contribute meaningfully to their respective teams.
The Dbacks successfully got Tucker where he belongs….off the 40 man roster, stashed in the minors as organizational depth. That’s the point of this article.
Another draft mistake by the Pirates.
He should focus on his social Justice causes that he prioritized over his MLB career. There’s more opportunities there then in baseball for him
Who hurt you, fragile one?
I just can’t imagine hating on someone for having convictions. I personally want athletes to use their wealth and influence to make the world a better place.
It’s a tough league. I do remember his value really appreciated after a productive AFL stint in 2017, coming off of a season split between A+/AA during which he stole almost 50 bags. BA lauded him for character. I think they tend to fall in love with speed, to a fault. I thought he’d be a pretty good #2 hitter, so they weren’t on an island.
The real tell was there was never any significant power here, and the BA/BB/K were all adversely impacted as better pitching was better able to exploit a profile without power threat to keep it honest.
The DBACKS always make the wrong decisions, see where this ends
Didn’t even know he was on the dbacks. Everytime he hit a HR vs the cubs, I called him Nicole Tucker. Screaming at my TV asking myself how the hell can you give up a HR to this punching judy scrub. Lol