Preston Tucker (baseball)
Preston Michael Tucker (born July 6, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves and in the KBO League for the Kia Tigers. He stands tall, and weighs . Amateur career Tucker attended Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. He enrolled at the University of Florida and played college baseball for the Florida Gators baseball team from 2009 to 2012. As a freshman, he was the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman Hitter of the Year and the Southeastern Conference Co-Freshman of the Year. In 2010, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He set school records for most hits with 341, runs batted in (RBIs) with 258 and at-bats with 1,035. He finished second in school history with 57 home runs and batted .329. Tucker was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 16th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and returned to Florida. Professional career Houston Astros The Houston Astros selected Tucker in the seventh round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. Tucker started his professional career with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League, hitting .321/.390/.509 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs in 42 games. He started the 2013 season with the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A-Advanced California League, and was promoted to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League after hitting .326/.384/.544 with 15 home runs in 75 games. In 60 games with Corpus Christi he hit .262/.347/.456 with 10 home runs. Tucker began the 2015 season with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. With George Springer suffering a concussion on May 6, the Astros promoted Tucker to the major leagues the next day. On May 7, 2015, Tucker got his first major league hit; a double into right field that tied the score at two and became part of a wild comeback in the 9th inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium against the closer Huston Street. In the game, he went 1-for-3 with one RBI and a walk. On May 21, 2015, Tucker hit his first major league home run in a game against the Detroit Tigers. The solo shot came in the top of the ninth inning off Tigers' closer Joakim Soria, tying the game at 5–5 and handing Soria his first blown save of the season. On March 28, 2017, the Astros optioned Tucker back to Fresno. He spent the entire 2017 season in Triple-A without making a single appearance in the majors, although he was still on the Astros 40-man roster that year. On December 15, 2017, the Astros designated Tucker for assignment. Atlanta Braves The Astros traded him to the Atlanta Braves on December 20, 2017, for cash considerations or a player to be named later.