Kyle Tucker Wins Cubs’ First Outfield Silver Slugger Since Sammy Sosa

On the same day he was extended a qualifying offer from the Cubs, Kyle Tucker became the team’s first Silver Slugger winner in the outfield since Sammy Sosa in 2002. Despite his second-half slump and missing a chunk of the late season due to a calf strain, Tucker managed to slash .266/.377/.464 with 22 homers. Though that latter total was 11th among NL outfielders, his .363 wOBA and 136 wRC+ trailed only fellow Silver Slugger outfielders Juan Soto and Corbin Carroll.

As for whether a team will see fit to pay Tucker $300 million or more for a decade, well, that’s yet to be determined. He’s proven he can still be very good even when he’s not at full strength, but is that enough to merit a monster contract?

“One problem I have is that it’s Five-Tool Lite,” Eno Sarris said on The Athletic’s Rates & Barrels podcast. “None of his tools are elite. His speed is already falling off; his contact rate is good, but it’s not elite like Luis Arraez or anything; and, most importantly — and this is what I think is true when you look at the best contracts, the best big contracts, one thing is true for all of them: They all have elite bat speed.

“And one of the reasons that this is a big deal is that bat speed only goes down. And bat speed is one of those things that fuels homers, doubles, even singles. It fuels everything, it’s a really important thing. And so, when you don’t have elite bat speed, you do have these other things, and none of them are necessarily elite. Like he doesn’t play center field. There’s no thing that really stands out that’s elite. I’m not sure that’s worth 11 years and $400 million.”

I tend to agree, but I guess we’ll find out before long whether another team leans to the contrary. We can be pretty certain at this point that it won’t be the Cubs.