ATLANTA – Kyle Tucker has been selected to four straight All-Star games, though Tuesday will mark his first start.
The star Cubs right fielder has been through the media days and the fancy photo shoots and all the pomp and circumstance that comes with the Midsummer Classic.
The event’s bright lights don’t seem to vibe with Tucker’s laid-back personality, but don’t get him wrong. He enjoys these events.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Tucker said in a Monday press conference at the All-Star Game’s media day. “It never really gets old.”
Having some first-timers around makes it interesting. That’s who accompanied him to Truist Park from Chicago. Pete Crow-Armstrong will start alongside him in the outfield. Matthew Boyd was selected to his first All-Star Game at 34 years old, after coming all the way back from Tommy John surgery.
That prevents these experiences from becoming old hat.
“You see different faces every year and guys like Pete getting into their first All-Star Game and Boyd,” Tucker said. “To see both of them here and excited to be here, being a part of everything, is a lot of fun. You have to enjoy your time here because you never know if you’ll be an all-star or if it’s going to happen in the future, so you just try to enjoy it.”
Tucker said he looked forward to catching up with old teammates from Houston, where he became a superstar over seven seasons. Then came the blockbuster trade that sent him to Chicago in December.
That move occurred entering a contract year, after which he’s expected to be paid heavily, commensurate to his defense, speed and massive amounts of offensive production.
That led to predictable questions about his next contract. It might come in a pact with the Cubs. It might come elsewhere. Time will tell on all that.
Tucker’s getting good at deflecting those queries with middle-of-the-road answers that don’t offer much.
“(I’m going) to ride it out and see things go,” Tucker said. “I’m just trying to do my job out on the field and the other stuff will take care of itself.”
Tucker’s firmly in the moment, which, at this time, is another in a run of consecutive All-Star selections.
“I was hurt last year and I didn’t come, so that kind of sucked,” Tucker said. “But being around everyone and enjoying the moment has been really special.”