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Tucker finishes first half in strong fashion, earns promotion to High-A
After signing with the Philadelphia Phillies as an undrafted free agent last July, former Northview standout Braydon Tucker arrived at the organization’s Spring Training complex, along with the other draft picks and signees, to begin the ramp up period to finish the 2023 season.
Tucker appeared in four games – two in August and two in September – before heading back home for the winter.
There, the hard-throwing right-hander went through an offseason program to prepare him for what has been – and what undoubtedly will be – the longest season of his life that began in February and will conclude in September.
But Tucker hasn’t looked at it that way. In fact, he said the first half of the season has flown by.
“It’s been an exciting thing, something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Tucker. “It certainly is a long season, but if you start counting the days, then it becomes dreadful. Having the right people around you every day makes it a lot easier. It has definitely flown by, in my opinion.”
And the results have been rock solid as well.
Through the first four months of the season, Tucker, pitching for the Clearwater Threshers, the Low-A affiliate for the Phillies, has been one of manager Marty Malloy’s go-to arms both in the starting rotation as well as out of the bullpen.
Tucker has made 15 appearances, nine of which have come in starts, and owns a 5-2 record to go along with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.03. Tucker has also struck out 62 batters in 64.1 innings.
What’s led to the success on the mound for the former Knight this spring? There’s a couple of reasons, he said. Getting the valuable experience of making four appearances at the end of last season played a major factor in his comfortability in returning to Clearwater in 2024.
“I think the experience at the end of last year was like standing on the beach and watching the ocean waves and just getting my feet wet,” said Tucker. “This year, I finally get to dive into that ocean and take on the intricacies of professional baseball. I’m always comfortable in most situations simply because I like to make myself uncomfortable in a controlled environment when I am doing my own training. That goes into accepting the fact that I can – or could – be thrown into any role. I just go out and compete to the best of my ability to get outs.”
He’s also embraced the different roles Malloy has used him in, and has used the days he doesn’t pitch as an opportunity to get better in some form or fashion.
“There is no real difference in how I plan to attack the hitters, whether out of the bullpen or starting. I always want to attack with everything I have. Some days, I don’t need to use everything,” said Tucker. “Being a reliever, your heart rate can speed up quick before you even get in the game, so being able to control how you breathe is important. Breathing is also very important while starting, but for me, I have plenty of time to relax before and visualize the plan of execution.”
“Every day I don’t start or pitch, I challenge myself to have the most athletic and effortless catch play I can,” Tucker continued. “Always start and finish in any fashion of throwing a ball other than just lifting my leg like every time I do on a game day. Feeling that makes it easy to make adjustments in-game and throughout the season.”
In his final outing of the first half of the regular season, which came on Saturday against the Palm Beach Cardinals, the Low-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, Tucker put together his best professional outing. The right-hander spun six no-hit innings while striking out six batters to earn his fifth win of the season and lower his ERA below 3.00 for the year.
Afterwards, before departing Clearwater for the All-Star break, Tucker, along with teammates Luke Russo, Pierce Bennett and Jordan Viars, was informed that he had been promoted to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, the High-A affiliate of Philadelphia.
Tucker will report to the team later in the week and then begin his time with them on Friday when they’ll begin a three-game series against the Brooklyn Cyclones, the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets.
Even with the recent promotion, Tucker said his goals for the remainder of the year remains the same – to continue to have fun playing the game he loves alongside people that share the same aspirations as himself.
“I just want to keep having fun and staying healthy,” said Tucker. “Staying on top of hydration, nutrition and treatment is the most important stuff, but there is nothing better than surrounding yourself with people who have the same goals and love the game we all get to play.”