Is Houston Astros Star Most Underrated Player In Baseball?

Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker remains criminally underrated.

May 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) hits a home run. / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

It's no secret that the Houston Astros have been a major disappointment this year. Even after sweeping a four-game series from the Oakland A's and winning seven of their last eight games, they're still six games below .500 and five games out of first place in the AL West.

With so much going wrong for the Astros, it's been easy to overlook what's been going right for them. Ronel Blanco has been a great story (recent suspension aside), Jeremy Pena has bounced back from his sophomore slump and Jose Altuve continues to defy both his age and size.

And then there's Kyle Tucker, who's quietly evolved into one of the best players in baseball and is doing everything he can to keep Houston afloat.

Kyle Tucker is off to an incredible start this season. The 27-year-old leads all of baseball in HR (13) and leads the American League in OPS (1.001) and OPS+ (187).

He’s on pace for 39 2B, 50 HR, 112 RBI, 123 BB, 23 SB and 8.8 WAR. #Astros pic.twitter.com/qBcVcpfh4O

— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) May 16, 2024

For starters, Tucker has played nearly every day, missing just one game so far. Not surprisingly, the Astros lost that day.

At the plate, he's been phenomenal. The 27-year-old right fielder is batting .280/.408/.592 with 13 home runs, 29 RBIs, 31 runs and more walks (34) than strikeouts (31). His 13 homers are the most in baseball, while his 1.001 OPS, 187 OPS+ and 93 total bases all lead the American League.

Throw in his six steals in six tries and solid defense, and he's having an MVP-caliber season.

Unfortunately for Tucker, he doesn't get nearly the attention he deserves. He's been consistently overshadowed by his teammates throughout the years, failing to stand out on star-studded rosters. Now that he's finally the best player in Houston, the team is terrible and nobody cares. He's still flying under the radar compared to some of the game's bigger stars even though his numbers are just as good as theirs, if not better.

Simply put, Tucker needs his teammates to pick up the slack. If they don't turn things around soon, they could end up costing him his first MVP award.