For the past three seasons, Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker has been regarded as one of the better all-around players in the game. For instance, Tucker, Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts and José Ramírez are the only active players to hit 30 homers and steal 25 bases in a season while striking out fewer than 100 times. He also plays excellent defense.
But the idea of Tucker as a potential home run champion? That’s a new one.
With 13 home runs—including a tear of eight in his past 15 games—Tucker leads the American League. What we’re seeing is someone who at age 27 is not just on a hot streak but elevating his game to a new power level as he gets stronger and learns how to drive the baseball in the air with topspin. His .596 slugging percentage and league-leading .997 OPS would be career bests.
Just as Adrián González, Shawn Green and Tino Martinez were, Tucker is an excellent left-handed hitter who is growing into power with experience and added muscle. His ground balls and line drives are turning into doubles and homers. Tucker is hitting fly balls at a career-high 43.3% rate. Only Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy have a higher flyball rate. Last year Tucker ranked 23rd (32.7%). Only Bellinger and Edouard Julien have boosted their flyball rate more than Tucker has in 2024.
How has he done it? Rotation, posture, wrist position and extension.
Here are two swings to compare from Tucker, both on fastballs down the middle. The first swing is from last year. It resulted in a ground ball out.
The second swing is from this year. It was a 422-foot home run.
At contact the swings are fairly similar. But in the middle images you begin to see major differences. This year, he is fully rotating with his head behind the contact point, as you can see by the position of his shoulders (turned more toward the pitcher) and head (farther behind contact point). The front side is firmer this year.
In the middle photos, also note that his top hand last year is beginning to turn over, which abbreviates the extension. This year, without the early rollover of the wrist, the bat is extending through the baseball.
The final images show the follow-through. Last year, because the top hand was turning over, the finish was lower. This year, the finish is much higher. The top hand has not turned over. That’s the result of driving through the baseball to create lift.
Tucker is on a 50-homer pace. That may be a bit ambitious, but it looks like his first 40-homer season is possible.