Mariners sign utility player who is married to Hollywood star
Jan 28, 2024, 5:57 PM | Updated: 6:06 pm
Cole Tucker of the Pittsburgh Pirates watches his grand slam on Oct. 1, 2021. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
(Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
On the same day Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs made Taylor Swift’s presence at this year’s Super Bowl a possibility, the Seattle Mariners added a player who could bring a famous face to their games.
Has trade partner for one of Mariners’ young pitchers emerged?
The Mariners have signed utility player Cole Tucker to a minor league contract with an invitation to MLB spring training, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Tucker is married to actress/singer Vanessa Hudgens.
Tucker, 27, was a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014 and has appeared in 159 major league games over parts of five seasons – four with Pittsburgh and one with the Colorado Rockies. He’s a 6-foot-3, 200-pound switch-hitter who has played every position in the big leagues or minor leagues except pitcher and catcher.
As for Tucker’s other half, Hudgens is perhaps best known for her role in the “High School Musical” movies. She has 66 credits on IMDB as an actress, reached No. 4 on the US pop chart with the song “Breaking Free” (from the “High School Musical” soundtrack), and has a solo record that went gold.
Tucker and Hudgens, who have been together since 2021, married last month after about 10 months of being engaged.
Vanessa Hudgens at the Rockies game today watching her fiancé Cole Tucker pic.twitter.com/QG3cfu3ZG2
— MLB Life (@MLBLife) August 9, 2023
Alright, back to baseball.
Tucker appeared in five games with the Rockies last season, going 4 for 8 with a walk and two RBIs. He spent the majority of the year with Triple-A Albuquerque, where he slashed .280/.391/.407 for a .797 OPS with five homers and seven stolen bases over 70 games.
His best season in the bigs was 2021 when he appeared in 43 games for the Pirates, slashing .222/.298/.342 (.640 OPS) with two home runs and two stolen bases.
Unless Tucker plays his way onto the Mariners roster in spring training, he will likely begin the season just a short trip down I-5 with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.
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