Even for a player as uninterested in touting his own accomplishments as Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker, winning Player of the Week honors for the first time surely would merit some back-patting. Right?
“I think a lot of it stems from our whole lineup as a whole,” Tucker said Monday before going 2-for-5 with an RBI single as the Cubs (8-5) opened a three-game series against the Rangers with a 7-0 win at Wrigley Field. “Everyone’s been putting together really good at-bats. I just want to continue that, in my part. So I feel pretty good at the plate right now and in the field and everything. So I just try to have good at-bats and keep it rolling for the rest of us.”
Yes, the Cubs fared well offensively last week, starting with a three-game series in Sacramento, where they scored 35 runs against the Athletics, and continuing into a chilly weekend series at Wrigley, where they handed the Padres their first two losses of the season.
But Tucker was on another level, going 9-for-23 with three home runs, three doubles and eight walks — good for a National League-best 1.461 OPS, a .913 slugging percentage and a .548 on-base percentage.
“I hope when we go to spring training with Kyle next year that he’s not going to have to play next year,” manager Craig Counsell said, laughing.
Tucker had just one hit in spring training before the Cubs flew to Tokyo to open the regular season. Clearly, it wasn’t a sign of what was to come.
“He’s had a great week, and it’s been fun watching Kyle kind of at the peak of who he is as an offensive player,” Counsell continued. “And he’s just so locked in from Pitch 1 and ready to do damage — and at the same time, spitting on the stuff he doesn’t want to swing at.”
Since Counsell brought up next spring . . .
“Yeah, I shouldn’t have said that,” he said with a chuckle.
That’s because Tucker, whom the Cubs acquired from the Astros in December in his final year of team control, can hit free agency next offseason.
“Obviously, he’s a great player,” team president Jed Hoyer said Friday. “That’s why we traded for him. “Clearly he’s the kind of player you want to build a lineup around, build a team around. And any conversations we have with him we’ll keep internal.”
Tucker has expressed openness to listening to any extension proposals the Cubs might bring to him. Their approach to spending, however, doesn’t suggest an extension will be feasible, especially if first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s reported 14-year, $500 million contract extension with the Blue Jays is an indication of the market.
“It was what [Guerrero] wanted to do, and I’m sure he loves playing in Toronto and everything,” Tucker said. “So that’s great for him. But everyone’s a little different. Right now, I’m here to play this year and play for the Cubs. So I’m excited to get out there and play again [Monday night] and just kind of see where everything goes after that.”
Monday was only Tucker’s fourth game at Wrigley as a Cub. Facing the Rangers, he didn’t seem to be looking for answers about his future from the city or fans. That would be skipping a few steps.
“It’s been great ever since I’ve been over here,” he said. “Everyone’s been super nice and helpful and everything, and the hospitality has been great. And obviously, you guys can walk around this facility — it’s really nice. So I don’t know. I’m just here to play some baseball and see what happens after that.”
