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Three Astros Who Will Be Even Better in 2023...And Two Who May Take a Step Back
By Alec Brown
Better: Kyle Tucker
No player is primed for a bigger 2023 than King Tuck. He was great in 2022, finishing with a .259 batting average and .808 OPS. That's an all-star season.
Expect MVP numbers in 2023. Tucker was shifted in 90.9% of his at-bats in 2022. We have written about this extensively, but Tucker's .463 xwOBA when not shifted was higher than what Aaron Judge posted last year in a 62-home run season.
According to Fangraphs, Tucker hit .240 against the traditional shift and .370 against a non-traditional shift last season. He posted a 367 WRC+ against no shift and a 132 WRC+ against non-traditional shifts.
Tucker is going to hit close to .300 with 30 home runs, 25-30 stolen bases, a .900 OPS and, depending where he bats in the order, 100-115 RBI. His 2023 season will go down amongst the greatest single seasons in Astros history.