Cole Tucker

Cole Bryson Tucker

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Mountain Pointe High School
• Debut April 20, 2019

• Born July 3, 1996 in Phoenix, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Infomation

Shortstop Cole Tucker was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates and scout Mike Steele in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft with the 24th overall pick. He signed on June 12th for $1.8 million and soon made his pro debut with the GCL Pirates, hitting .267 with 13 stolen bases in 48 games. He began 2015 with the West Virginia Power.

Tucker had a memorable major league debut with the Pirates on April 20, 2019: his first major league hit was a tie-breaking two-run homer off Derek Holland that proved to be the difference as the Pirates defeated the San Francisco Giants, 3-1, in a rain-shortened game. Jung-Ho Kang struck out immediately after his long ball, after which the game was called. His next homer, on May 14th, was also special, as it came at Chase Field, the ballpark he visited assiduously as a kid growing up in Phoenix, AZ. It was part of a 6-2 Pirates win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. He hit .211 in 56 games his rookie season, with the 2 homers and 13 RBIs. His OPS+ was 63.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he appeared in 37 of the Pirates' 60 games, hitting .220 with 1 homer and 8 RBIs for the last-place team. His OPS+ was a terrible 44. He bounced back to some extent in 2021. While his batting average was almost identical at .222 in 43 games, with 2 homers and 12 RBIs, his OPS+ rose to 73. He spent half of that season back in the minors with the Indianapolis Indians, hitting .223 in 61 games, with 6 homers and 20 RBIs. 2022 turned out to be a disaster however, as he hit .175 in 18 games for Pittsburgh and .135 in 10 games at Indianapolis. The Pirates gave up on him and placed him on waivers in June. He was claimed by the Arizona Diamondbacks and hit .237 in 35 games for the AAA Reno Aces, also losing a significant amount of time to injury and making a rehabilitation stop with the ACL Diamondbacks.

He became a free agent following the 2022 season and signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies, who invited him to spring training in 2023.

Tucker's brother, Carson Tucker, was a 1st round pick of the Cleveland Indians in the 2020 amateur draft.

In the offseason, he has been a drummer in several bands. In February 2023, he became engaged to actress Vanessa Hudgens. The two had been dating since Valentine's Day in 2021 and he proposed two years later on a trip to Paris, France.

Related Sites

• Cole Tucker on mlb.com
• BR Minors page