Michael Tucker (baseball) facts for kids

Michael Anthony Tucker was born on June 25, 1971. He is an American former professional baseball player. Michael Tucker played as an outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB).

He played for several teams during his career. These included the Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets. He was a left-handed batter and threw with his right-handed arm.

Michael Tucker's Early Baseball Journey

Michael Tucker went to Longwood University from 1989 to 1992. At that time, it was called Longwood College. In November 2005, he was chosen for Longwood's first Hall of Fame class. This is a special honor for great athletes from the school.

After college, Tucker started his professional baseball career in 1993. He played for minor league teams like the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Then he moved up to the Double-A Memphis Chicks. In 1994, he played for the Triple-A Omaha Royals. Soon after, he joined Major League Baseball with the Kansas City Royals.

Playing in Major League Baseball

Tucker made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on April 26, 1995. He was 23 years old. He started the game in left field and batted first for the Kansas City Royals. In his very first time at bat, he hit a single against pitcher Mike Mussina. His team, the Royals, won the game 5-1 against the Baltimore Orioles.

Before the 1997 season, Tucker was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He had a great year in 1997 with the Braves. He achieved his best numbers for batting average (.283), runs (80), and hits (141). He played in 138 games that season.

In 2004, while playing for the San Francisco Giants, he played 106 games in right field. He also played 25 games in center field. He finished that year with a .256 batting average. He hit 13 home runs and had 62 RBI (runs batted in). He also scored 77 runs himself.

Michael Tucker hit the very first regular season home run at Turner Field. This happened on April 4, 1997. It was during the Braves' 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs. In nine of his ten seasons, he hit 11 or more home runs. His highest number of home runs in one season was 15 in 2000.

In August 2005, the San Francisco Giants traded Tucker to the Philadelphia Phillies. He joined the Phillies when they were trying to make it to the playoffs.

On January 9, 2006, Tucker signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals. Later that year, on August 9, the New York Mets added him to their team. This happened after another player, Cliff Floyd, was injured. Tucker signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox on May 17, 2007. However, he was released from that contract on July 7 of the same year.

Return to Professional Baseball

In 2009, Michael Tucker returned to baseball. He signed with the Newark Bears in the Atlantic League. He played 12 games and then considered retiring in May 2009. However, he signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on July 15, 2009. He played 57 games with them and had a strong batting average of .332.