Michael Tucker (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
Michael Anthony Tucker is a 1st Baseman for the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
organization. Tucker played with the Kansas City Royals
(-, -), Atlanta Braves
(-), Cincinnati Reds
(-), Chicago Cubs
(2001), San Francisco Giants
(-), Philadelphia Phillies
(2005), and New York Mets
. He batted left-handed
and threw right-handed. Tucker currently plays for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, an independent Atlantic League team located in Waldorf, Maryland.
(at the time a NCAA Division II school) from 1989 through 1992. In November 2005, Tucker was among the selection of Longwood's first Hall of Fame class, including basketball
player Jerome Kersey
and LPGA
golf
er Tina Barrett
.
After college, Tucker begin his pro baseball career in the minors in . Tucker spent most of the 1993 season with the Single-A Carolina League
Wilmington Blue Rocks
. Before making the move up to Double-A and spending time with the Memphis Chicks
(now West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx) of the Southern League
. In , Tucker played in Triple-A with the Omaha Royals
of the American Association
before joining Major League Baseball and the Kansas City Royals.
(.283), runs
(80) and hits
(141) in 138 games. In 2004, for the Giants, he played 106 games in right field and 25 in center. He ended the year with a .256 average, 13 home run
s, 62 RBI
, 77 runs, and a significant .340 on base percentage
. In nine of his ten seasons, he collected 11 or more home runs, with a career-high 15 in .
Tucker hit the very first home run in a regular season game at Turner Field
. His shot came off Kevin Foster in the third inning of the Braves' 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs
on April 4, 1997.
During a game on June 24, 2004 a day after Tucker almost came to blows with Dodger pitcher Jeff Weaver after a collision along the base line, Tucker was once again center stage. It started when Gagne threw a high fastball that sent Tucker tumbling to the ground. Though the pitch appeared to be well over the plate, Tucker stepped toward the mound and pointed at Gagne, a former hockey player who welcomed the invitation and dropped his glove. Teammates intervened, however, and no punches were thrown.
Gagne turned even more violent when he learned of his ejection, attempting to charge the umpires gathered at the mound. He flipped the ball over his shoulder toward the mound while leaving the field, then tipped his cap to the Giants fans jeering him above the dugout. Manager Jim Tracy and other Dodgers defended Gagne, saying it was ridiculous to think that he was throwing at Tucker. But in a radio interview, Gagne said he was trying to "send a message, and I guess [Tucker] didn't like it." You know the game enough to know what was going on," Gagne told Fred Roggin. "What [Tucker] did was not respectful to Jeff Weaver... [My teammates] are my family, they're the people I'm with more than my real family, so you have to respect my players." When asked if he expected punishment, Gagne had this to say: "They better not. That's totally stupid. It was just a fastball inside; I didn't know it was going to be that big of a deal, but people complain. The game has changed. There's no crying in baseball."
As for Tucker, apparently it wasn't the pitch that angered him so much as the smile on Gagne's face. "Don't throw 97-98 up and in and then smile at me," Tucker said. "You see the replay, you see the ball and then he walks down toward me, smiling like, 'OK, get up.' That's what got it going."
"If Gagne's got a problem, it's a short walk from where his bullpen is to right field," Tucker said the next day, refusing to let it go. "If Tracy's got a problem with me, it's a short walk from where his dugout is to home plate. I'm not that far away. I'm not that hard to find."
Kelvin Pichardo. Tucker, whose playing time has been limited that season after starting for most of 2004, joined a Phillies team in the heart of the playoff chase.
On January 9, 2006, Tucker agreed to a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals
. On August 9, Tucker's contract was purchased by the New York Mets from the Triple-A Norfolk Tides
after Cliff Floyd
was placed on the 15-Day DL
. On May 17, , Tucker signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox
, but was released on July 7 of the same year.
Tucker was basically a streaky line drive hitter with gap power whose struggles against left-handed pitching made him a platoon player throughout his career. Although his 108 stolen base
s career total doesn't show it, he was an aggressive and smart base runner. In the field, Tucker had the ability to play all outfield positions well, particularly in right field. He had good range and a strong and secure arm.
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs is an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2008 season...
organization. Tucker played with the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
(-, -), Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(-), Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(-), Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(2001), San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(-), Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(2005), and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. He batted left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
and threw right-handed. Tucker currently plays for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, an independent Atlantic League team located in Waldorf, Maryland.
Early career
He attended the then Longwood CollegeLongwood University
Longwood University is a four-year public, liberal-arts university located in Farmville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 and became a university on July 1, 2002...
(at the time a NCAA Division II school) from 1989 through 1992. In November 2005, Tucker was among the selection of Longwood's first Hall of Fame class, including basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player Jerome Kersey
Jerome Kersey
Jerome Kersey is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association for a number of teams, but most notably for the Portland Trail Blazers. He also has served in various coaching roles in the NBA. Kersey is currently a resident of Happy Valley, Oregon in...
and LPGA
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er Tina Barrett
Tina Barrett (golfer)
Christina "Tina" Barrett is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour.Barrett won once on the LPGA Tour in 1989.-LPGA Tour wins :-External links:...
.
After college, Tucker begin his pro baseball career in the minors in . Tucker spent most of the 1993 season with the Single-A Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
Wilmington Blue Rocks
Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Blue Rocks play in the Northern Division of the Carolina League.-Franchise history:...
. Before making the move up to Double-A and spending time with the Memphis Chicks
Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1901 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a...
(now West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx) of the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
. In , Tucker played in Triple-A with the Omaha Royals
Omaha Royals
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a United States minor league baseball team currently based in the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major league club and has been a member of the expanded Pacific Coast League since 1998. From 1969 to 1997,...
of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
before joining Major League Baseball and the Kansas City Royals.
Atlanta Braves & San Francisco Giants
Tucker enjoyed his most productive season in 1997 with the Braves, when he posted career highs in batting averageBatting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(.283), runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(80) and hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(141) in 138 games. In 2004, for the Giants, he played 106 games in right field and 25 in center. He ended the year with a .256 average, 13 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, 62 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, 77 runs, and a significant .340 on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
. In nine of his ten seasons, he collected 11 or more home runs, with a career-high 15 in .
Tucker hit the very first home run in a regular season game at Turner Field
Turner Field
Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...
. His shot came off Kevin Foster in the third inning of the Braves' 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
on April 4, 1997.
During a game on June 24, 2004 a day after Tucker almost came to blows with Dodger pitcher Jeff Weaver after a collision along the base line, Tucker was once again center stage. It started when Gagne threw a high fastball that sent Tucker tumbling to the ground. Though the pitch appeared to be well over the plate, Tucker stepped toward the mound and pointed at Gagne, a former hockey player who welcomed the invitation and dropped his glove. Teammates intervened, however, and no punches were thrown.
Gagne turned even more violent when he learned of his ejection, attempting to charge the umpires gathered at the mound. He flipped the ball over his shoulder toward the mound while leaving the field, then tipped his cap to the Giants fans jeering him above the dugout. Manager Jim Tracy and other Dodgers defended Gagne, saying it was ridiculous to think that he was throwing at Tucker. But in a radio interview, Gagne said he was trying to "send a message, and I guess [Tucker] didn't like it." You know the game enough to know what was going on," Gagne told Fred Roggin. "What [Tucker] did was not respectful to Jeff Weaver... [My teammates] are my family, they're the people I'm with more than my real family, so you have to respect my players." When asked if he expected punishment, Gagne had this to say: "They better not. That's totally stupid. It was just a fastball inside; I didn't know it was going to be that big of a deal, but people complain. The game has changed. There's no crying in baseball."
As for Tucker, apparently it wasn't the pitch that angered him so much as the smile on Gagne's face. "Don't throw 97-98 up and in and then smile at me," Tucker said. "You see the replay, you see the ball and then he walks down toward me, smiling like, 'OK, get up.' That's what got it going."
"If Gagne's got a problem, it's a short walk from where his bullpen is to right field," Tucker said the next day, refusing to let it go. "If Tracy's got a problem with me, it's a short walk from where his dugout is to home plate. I'm not that far away. I'm not that hard to find."
Late career
In August 2005, San Francisco traded Tucker to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor leaguerMinor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
Kelvin Pichardo. Tucker, whose playing time has been limited that season after starting for most of 2004, joined a Phillies team in the heart of the playoff chase.
On January 9, 2006, Tucker agreed to a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
. On August 9, Tucker's contract was purchased by the New York Mets from the Triple-A Norfolk Tides
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...
after Cliff Floyd
Cliff Floyd
Cornelius Clifford Floyd, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early years:Floyd was born to parents Cornelius Clifford Floyd, Sr. and Olivia Floyd. After spending 13 years as an only child, Floyd was joined by brother Julius...
was placed on the 15-Day DL
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
. On May 17, , Tucker signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, but was released on July 7 of the same year.
Tucker was basically a streaky line drive hitter with gap power whose struggles against left-handed pitching made him a platoon player throughout his career. Although his 108 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s career total doesn't show it, he was an aggressive and smart base runner. In the field, Tucker had the ability to play all outfield positions well, particularly in right field. He had good range and a strong and secure arm.
Return to Pro Baseball in the Minor Leagues
In 2009, Tucker came back to baseball by signing with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. He was inactivated after playing just 12 games hitting .231 and considered retirement in May 2009. But Tucker signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on July 15, 2009 and rediscovered his swing. In 57 games, he hit .332 as the Blue Crabs reached the Atlantic League Championship series.External links
- ESPN - profile and daily updates