Some people collect coins, others pins or magnets. Cole Tucker is also a collector. His item of choice: Baseball gloves.
"I’m a glove guy," Tucker said. "I love gloves. Me and my dad have been collecting gloves forever. We have dozens, probably 100 baseball gloves back at my parents’ house back home.”
“Some of them are [from former big leaguers]," Tucker said of his collection. "I’ve kind of nibbled from guys and said, ‘Hey, if you’re not taking any of these gloves home, I’d love to have them.’ "
Tucker's collection includes a few gems like a signed Ozzie Smith Rawlings Pro-12TC and a 'flashy' white and orange glove used by Adam Jones. A few of the gloves he owns are for use while the rest are for show. Of those available for action, none are for the outfield.
Tucker added a few new outfield mitts to his collection this summer. Both could be filed as work related expenses.
Just days before the start of the 2020 season, a positive COVID-19 test from Gregory Polanco created a need for outfield depth for the Pirates. That need was filled by moving Tucker to the outfield, a position that he had never played as a pro.
A new position meant the need for new equipment. Thankfully, manager Derek Shelton came through and added to Tucker's collection.
"Shelty has a glove that Byron Buxton gave him last year," Tucker said. "It says ‘Shooter’ on it. That’s what everyone calls Shelty. It has the Rawlings platinum glove labels – which I haven’t earned – but it’s the only Rawlings glove that we had that was broken in around here when I was told. I was going to be playing some outfield, so I’ve been using that.
"... When we played the Twins, I was like, ‘Yo, Bux, I got your glove!’ He said, ‘I saw that. I love it.’ So, it’s cool to have his blessing to use his platinum glove."
Shelton wasn't the only one who had gifts. Tucker's teammates also made a contribution.
"[Keone] Kela gave me one of [Starling] Marte’s Gold Gloves, which has the gold labels on it, which I also haven’t earned," Tucker said.
Tucker says he ordered a few gloves for himself but they have yet to arrive.
"It's kind of a struggle," Tucker said. "I’ll have some of my own eventually that I’ll use next year but I’m running with those right now."
For most players entering their first full season in the major-leagues, a position change less than a week from opening day would be a frustrating task to be dealt. Fortunately for the Pirates, Tucker is not most players.
The former first round pick has not seen a full inning in the infield this season. Instead, the 24-year-old continues to receive opportunities in the outfield, a place he says he is happy to be.
“I was happy because it gave me an opportunity to play and it gave me an opportunity to be on the team and make a difference," Tucker said. "When I was a little kid, I wanted to grow up and be a major leaguer. I wasn’t too particular about the team or the position or the situation, you know? You kind of have to have that happy-to-be-here, happy-to-contribute mentality in whatever you’re doing."
In addition to the Pirates coaching staff and his teammates, Tucker has gone outside the organization for advice on the transition. A friend of many young MLB stars, Tucker says he has received a few pointers from pals Scott Kingery of the Phillies and 2019 National League MVP Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers, who also made the move to the outfield early in their careers.
"Scott’s been asked to play all over the place, and he has been ever since he was in college, really, so I’ve been talking to him a lot just about versatility and how the game looks from different angles and reads to make and what the mentality is and the thought process is out there," Tucker said. "He’s helped me a ton. With Cody, too. Cody could win a Gold Glove at first base, but he plays outfield mostly. Just the mentality of going back and forth and how the game looks different."
The transition has not come without its challenges. Tucker's growing pains were on display in the Pirates Aug. 3 contest against the Twins, where in just his second career start in centerfield, he misjudged a fly ball that resulted in two runs:
Later in the game he nearly collided with right fielder Guillermo Heredia on a fly ball to right-center due to a lack of communication:
Less than a month later, Tucker has started to show notable progress in the field. Here he is in the Pirates win on Friday night, placed in a similar situation to the near-collision in Minnesota. This time, Tucker takes charge, calls off Bryan Reynolds and makes the catch:
"I just did it and it was second nature," Tucker said. "I didn’t think anything about it. When I caught it and threw it in, I thought to myself, Did I just call him off on a ball he could’ve easily caught? But it was just second nature and kind of happened. I’m just trying to be aggressive out there and let my athleticism play. There’s a lot of space out there so I’m just trying to be rangy and fast and make plays in the gaps.”
Shelton also took time to highlight the play following the team's win on Friday.
"He was aggressive going on the one ball into the gap and just the more he's out there, the more comfortable he's going to get, the more aggressive he is going to get," Shelton said. "And we need Tuck's energy. If you spend five minutes with him, you talk about Reynolds, that way, Tuck is always up here and we need that energy and I think he brought it tonight and it was good to see."
While he admits his progress as an outfielder is nice, Tucker says deep down he always will view himself as an infielder. On days where he does not find himself in the starting lineup, Tucker says he will do infield drills, just incase if he is ever needed at his old spot.
“I’ve done it for so long, I don’t ever think I’ll lose that side of me," Tucker said. "I’m working to make sure that I don’t lose those skills, just in case my number is called."
Tucker has also been working hard at the plate, where he has been hot over the past week, going 6-for-17 (.353) with three RBIs and a run scored in his past seven games. With so many different aspects of his game to work on each day, Tucker says balance is the key.
"I’m still doing stuff in the infield and working with [outfield coach Tarrik] Brock in the outfield and in the cage with those guys," Tucker said. "It all goes together. It’s the responsibilities of being a big-league player, just learning as I go and trying to have success on both sides of the ball."
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