Houston Astros Slugger Helps Lead Way in Latest MVP Poll

The Houston Astros very well may have the next American League MVP if this slugger keeps up his current pace.

Kade Kistner | May 21, 2024

May 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) is congratulated / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

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Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are slowly starting to crawl their way out of the early hole they had buried themselves in to start the 2024 MLB season.

Through rotational injuries, underperforming stars and a sense of dread surrounding the team, this squad is starting to play good baseball again and look like the dynasty of the recent past.

One large part of that success has been slugger Kyle Tucker and his incredible success despite the dysfunction around him.

While Tucker has always been a great player since his Major League debut in July of 2018, this season has seen him take that success to new heights.

Tucker is outperforming all of his career averages and owns a slashline of .288/.421/.618 with 15 home runs in the 2024 season. He also owns an OPS+ of 197, with the average OPS+ sitting at 100.

In simple terms, Tucker has been downright unstoppable at this plate this year.

In the latest MVP poll from MLB.com, Tucker sits in second with six votes and behind only Juan Soto of the New York Yankees.

"Tucker was already one of MLB’s best players over the past three years, but he has taken his game to another level in 2024," writes Thomas Harrigan. "The left-handed slugger is tied for the MLB lead with 15 homers and leads the AL in on-base percentage (.417) and slugging (.623) over 46 games. He has been especially hot lately, slashing .326/.491/.907 with seven homers and 12 RBIs over his past 13 games to help Houston get back into the postseason race."

If Tucker can maintain this pace the rest of the season, there is a very good chance that not only will he earn some serious consideration for the MVP award but Houston will be looking at a postseason spot as well.

Published May 21, 2024

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.