Can Houston Astros Slugger Redeem Himself After Horrid 2023 Postseason?

The Houston Astros will need their superstar slugger to have a much better postseason this time around if they hope to compete for a World Series.

Sep 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) looks towards the dugout after hitting a single during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros will need their star slugger to play much better in this year's postseason than he did last year if they want to compete for another World Series title.

Brian Murphy of MLB.com recently went over the top players that need to 'boost their postseason track records' and Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker came up thanks mostly to his struggles a year ago.

"Tucker has had one standout run in the postseason with Houston. That came in 2021 when he crushed four homers, compiled an .874 OPS and racked up 15 RBIs in 16 games. His four other postseasons have left something to be desired," said Murphy. "And although he was fantastic during the 2023 regular season, leading to a top-five finish in the MVP voting, Tucker came up small in the playoffs."

The 27-year-old currently has his mind focused on just getting fully back into the groove of things after his shin injury forced him to miss a shocking 79 games.

Before he got hurt, he was playing out of his mind and squarely in the conversation for MVP. That was, of course, before Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. ran away from the rest of the competition.

Over his first 40 games of the year, he had posted a .288/.415/.600 slashing line with 13 home runs.

Tucker's efficiency had started to take a dip in the final stretch before his injury, but he was still having an incredible season overall.

He had his best game back on Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels when he went four-for-five at the plate with a solo home run. It was just his second time going yard since coming back. His slashing line for the season is back up to .278/.403/.575.

It would be a dream scenario for the Astros if he were able to keep this level of play up for the playoffs, especially given how bad he was a year ago (and the team was still able to push the ALCS to seven games).

He posted a horrid .1.50/.292/.225 slashing line with no home runs and he struck out a quarter of the time. It's hard to win games when one of your best bats only produces a single RBI over an 11 games postseason stretch.

Houston just needs Tucker to continue building up his confidence in the coming weeks before the regular season comes to an end.