Chicago Cubs' Newest Superstar Projected To Lead Team in Home Runs

One insider believes that the Chicago Cubs' newest slugger has the best chance of leading the team in home runs.

Sep 21, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) flicks his bat after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

With spring training underway for the Chicago Cubs, the start of the regular season for them in Japan is right around the corner. 

It has been an exciting offseason for the Cubs this winter. Chicago was able to make a number of notable moves on the trade market to improve a team that won 83 games last year. 

The franchise clearly felt like they left wins on the table last season and wanted to make improvements. Surprisingly, the team didn’t bring in any major free agents, but they still found ways to get better. 

One of the major needs for the Cubs was to find someone who could hit the ball out of the park. Chicago has struggled in this area for a number of years, and they hope that they found an answer to their problems in Kyle Tucker. 

The former Houston Astros star was arguably the most notable player to be traded this winter, and he will be heading to Chicago to be their new star. 

There is a lot to like about Tucker’s game as an overall player, but he can also hit the ball out of the ballpark. Considering the Cubs’ leading home run hitter last year was Ian Happ with 25, improvements in that area were clearly a need. 

Andrew Simon of MLB.com recently spoke about Tucker being projected as the leading home run hitter on the team with 31 in 2025. 

For the last four seasons, Tucker was the model of consistency in the middle of the order for the Astros. Even though he was hurt last season, he still had an excellent campaign. 

In just 78 games played, he slashed .289/.408/.585 with 23 home runs and 39 RBI. With it being basically a half of season of work for Tucker, it’s very interesting to project what his home run numbers would have looked like. 

Even though he has hit 30 home runs twice and 29 home runs in 2023, the left-handed slugger at 28 years old might have found the start of some new power in his swing. 

While the 31 home-run projection is fair based on what he has done of late, there is certainly some upside to his power, as shown by the first half of the 2024 campaign. 

Chicago hasn’t had a 30-home run hitter since Kris Bryant accomplished it in 2019. As long as their new star can stay healthy, he should be able to snap that streak. 

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