Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker compared to Hall of Famer Larry Walker
When Cliff Floyd watches Kyle Tucker play, he is reminded of a certain Baseball Hall of Famer.
During Saturday’s “Watch With Cole and Cliff” live stream on the Marquee Sports Network app, Floyd was asked for a player comparison from his era (Floyd played in MLB from 1993 to 2009).
While Floyd thought for a moment, host Cole Wright wrote down on a notecard whom he thought the former Chicago Cub would guess.
“Larry Walker,” Floyd answered.
Wright had written down Walker as well, and made sure to let everyone know he had the answer right.
“Larry did everything above average. Like, really good,” Floyd said. “You know, like five tool. (Tucker is) five tool.”
Comparing Tucker to a player with Walker’s résumé isn’t a stretch at all. We looked at Tucker and Walker’s stats through the same number of regular season games played:
| Kyle Tucker | Larry Walker | |
| Games | 657 | 657 |
| Batting Average | .276 | .280 |
| OPS | .876 | .832 |
| Home Runs | 131 | 96 |
| RBI | 440 | 366 |
| Stolen Bases | 98 | 97 |
| Gold Gloves | 1 | 2 |
| All-Star Games | 3 | 1 |
[READ: How Jed Hoyer, Cubs feel on potential Kyle Tucker contract extension]
Walker, of course, is in the Baseball Hall of Fame after a 17-year career in which he accrued 72.7 WAR.
The Cubs have been the best run-scoring offense in baseball this season, averaging 6.04 runs per game. In 2024, they averaged 4.54 runs per game, 12th best in MLB. So, with an offense that brought back most of their starters, Tucker can be viewed as the difference-maker as the new addition.
Much of the attention surrounding Tucker has been on his offensive capabilities. But Floyd continued his Walker comparison by pointing out the two’s similarities on defense.
“I mean, when he gets back running real well,” Floyd said about Tucker. “He gets good jumps on the ball in the outfield, and he’s got a cannon for an arm. So, I think all of those things wrapped up.”
[READ: Cliff Floyd predicts Michael Busch’s ceiling with Cubs]
Tucker won a Gold Glove in 2022 with the Houston Astros, and he has flashed the leather early this season for the Cubs.
Tucker has led the Cubs to a 14-10 start to the season despite facing a slew of good teams. That stretch will continue Tuesday night as the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers head to Wrigley Field.
Shota Imanaga is scheduled to start against the Dodgers, with “Cubs Live!” beginning at 5:30 p.m. and first pitch at 6:40 p.m.