After up-and-down seasons, Cole Tucker searching for stability in swing, role with Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. — Cole Tucker didn’t want to count on what clicked for him last season to carry over. So the Pittsburgh Pirates switch-hitting shortstop sought professional advice from former switch-hitting All-Star, former MLB hitting coach Chili Davis.

It started after a conversation with Pirates manager Derek Shelton and bench coach Don Kelly, who emphasized the need for Tucker to simplify his swing and become more stable in his stance.

After reconstructing his swing last spring, Tucker wanted to build on the success he had in September, when he slashed .256/.320/.400 with three doubles, two triples, two home runs and 11 RBIs in the final 27 games.

“I think it was just eliminating movement,” Tucker said. “I’m a tall, lanky guy. I’m every bit of 6-4 and I’m not 240. I’m closer to 200. … If you’re moving all over the place or moving your hands in a certain direction to try to get to the ball, it’s harder to hit with longer movements. I’m already a long guy so being shorter gives me a better chance of getting the barrel to the ball more often than not. That’s really been my focus for the last several months, for sure.”

Tucker got instant feedback in Friday’s Grapefruit League opener, when he went 2 for 3, hitting the Pirates’ first home run of spring training in the third inning and credited with a triple in the fifth of a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees at LECOM Park. Tucker also made a great defensive play on a pop-up to shallow left field in the third.

“I think he’s on the right path,” Shelton said of Tucker, who also plays second base and the outfield. “The credit goes to him. We just had a general conversation about stability and I think he’s more stable in his set-up. I think at times, previously, we’d seen him lose his legs a little bit. He worked really hard on it this winter. When you work on something and see the immediate results in a game, it’s definitely a bonus. But he definitely looks more stable.”

Stability has been a missing element in Tucker’s major league career. The 2014 first-round pick has batted .217/.272/.330 in 136 games over three seasons, and hasn’t been able to secure a defined role. After starting 36 games at shortstop in 2019, the Pirates experimented with him in center and right field in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and as a super-utility player last year.

Tucker, however, was left behind at Pirate City last spring when the major league club started the regular season so that he could revamp his offensive approach with minor league hitting coach Jon Nunnally. Tucker bounced back and forth between the Pirates and Triple-A Indianapolis last season before sticking from Aug. 28 until the end.

After hitting .143 (2 for 14) in six games in May and .167 (1 for 6) in five games in July, Tucker finally felt like things turned around over the final month, as he found that more controlled movements led to hard contact. He wants to carry over that momentum, especially to silence critics who say he can’t hit. Tucker hears whispers but remains one of the most positive, engaging characters in the clubhouse.

Now, he hopes his bat can produce similar good vibes.

“I don’t carry that with me every day,” Tucker said of his struggles. “People are going to say what they’re going to say. I just continue to keep my head down and work hard. I just want it to happen and want it all come together for me and the team and for so many people who helped me get here. I’m going to keep doing my thing, keep working and keep grinding my (butt) off so that it does happen.”

The conversation with Shelton and Kelly prompted Tucker to turn to Davis, a three-time All-Star outfielder/designated hitter who had 2,380 hits and 350 home runs in a 19-year major league career. Tucker credited Davis helping him “a ton” to understand the importance of a strong foundation would have on his elongated swing.

“Last year was the first spurt where I got to feel prolonged success in the big leagues, that last month or whatever you want to call it,” Tucker said. “It was a really good foundation going into this offseason, I think, and just build on that, barreling the baseball. Not trying to have the perfect swing or trying to hit everything. Just really keying in on what works for me.”

Defense has never been the issue for Tucker, who has made spectacular plays in both the infield and outfield. The Pirates have told him to be prepared to play all over the field. It goes without saying that his production at the plate will have a lot to do with whether he can find a role in the Opening Day lineup.

“It goes back to the stability portion,” Shelton said. “We talked about him being in a better spot underneath his legs. It’s a challenging thing for a tall, lanky guy and he did a nice job with his offseason workouts. He stayed dedicated to it. He stayed disciplined with the things that we felt and he felt he needed to work on and we’re seeing signs of that. Take away the home run and the triple; just the general approach of how he’s looked the last couple days is really positive.”