The Los Angeles Dodgers are rounding into shape as the playoffs are just a couple of weeks away, and perhaps the most important part of that resurgence is Kyle Tucker.
The right fielder has been the subject of complaints and jeers for much of the year after he underperformed his $240 million contract, the largest average annual value in baseball.
Over the past eight games, though, Tucker has been among the best hitters in the sport, and there’s hope he can continue to rake.
Division-clinching game solidifies Tucker’s turnaround
Tucker has notably struggled at home this year, but his coming out party actually began on Sept. 9 at Dodger Stadium.
In that 14-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds, Tucker hit 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, scoring twice in the process.
Two days later, he went 3-for-3 with another homer — a grand slam, his first in three years — and a triple, scoring twice and driving in five runs.
In the seven-game span that ended Wednesday, Baseball Reference shows that Tucker is hitting .333/.433/.833/1.267 — unreal numbers given his yearly stats of.226/.327/.373/.700.
In those seven games, he also hit three homers, a double and a triple, driving in seven runs and scoring nine times.
Thursday, though, was Tucker’s best game yet as a Dodger.
He hit 4-for-5 with a homer and two doubles, driving in three runs and scoring twice.
He very nearly hit for the cycle, with many wanting him to try to stretch that second double into a triple to achieve the feat.
Tucker, however, pushed back on that notion, telling David Vassegh postgame that he “tried my best.”
“I didn’t think I was going to get there. I probably would have been thrown out halfway, but it’s all good,” he said.
Tucker said all that through a Champagne-soaked smile, but it’s clear to see that he was happy about more than just his team clinching the division.
Tucker seems to have found his groove, something surely helped, at least in part, by mechanical changes he’s made with the coaching staff.
What October heroics can do for Kyle Tucker
It’s crazy to think that just a few weeks ago, fans were debating if Tucker should be given a standing ovation at home to help build his confidence.
Whether it was the ovation, those mechanical tweaks or a combination of those and other factors, Tucker’s confidence is clearly back.
He’s again a threat in the batter’s box, and that bodes well for the team’s three-peat chances.
It will be interesting to see if Tucker’s renewed performance continues in the upcoming series at home, but given that this hot streak started at Dodger Stadium, there’s hope he can keep it up.
He has experience with winning playoff baseball, and the Dodgers hope he can be part of another title run next month.
