Ex-Mountain Pointe baseball coach talks developing Pirates' Cole Tucker, MLB players

Professional athletes returning to their hometown can be equally nerve-racking and exhilarating for their families, friends and former coaches.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie shortstop Cole Tucker is in his native Phoenix to play in a three-game series against the Diamondbacks beginning Monday. 

His Phoenix Mountain Pointe high school baseball coach Brandon Buck will add another proud moment to his resume as a former coach when he sees Tucker play at Chase Field. 

"He's a special kid," Buck said. "Just to see him do what he's doing in time, knowing that being a tremendous person is the most important thing to him." 

Tucker has appeared in 19 of the Pirates' 37 games played this season, batting .186 on 11 hits with two RBIs and six runs.

The 22-year-old's became one of baseball's biggest stories of the season in his MLB debut. Tucker hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Giants on April 20. 

It turned out to be the game-winner for the Pirates when the game was rained out that same inning. 

Tucker's parents watched in awe at PNC Park and Buck was ecstatic yelling at his TV from his current home in Idaho. 

"I was screaming nonstop," Buck said. "Screaming, smiling and crying at the same time. He's such as great young man and I've been so blessed... That first game, that's where all the work and effort that you put in, you're there in Pittsburgh to win a game for them, that's just something, you almost can't even write that in a movie."

Buck played a role in developing Tucker's and his older brother's talents on Mountain Pointe baseball team between 2006 and 2014. In 2014, Cole Tucker was a first-round draft pick by the Pirates. 

As a senior, Tucker represented Team USA in the 18U Baseball World Cup before he committed to play at University of Arizona. 

"I knew his family and them seeing him come in as a freshman, just doing extremely well, growing and then playing for Team USA and starting shortstop," Buck said. "I think it's like time. He had everything there, but developing...getting a little bit thicker, stronger because he was always a really tall kid. He just had that 'it' factor with that confidence, self-belief in who he was. No one was going to deny him the opportunity. He would find a way to get it done." 

When Tucker was a freshman, Mountain Pointe was the 2010 state title runner-up and won the 6A state championship the following year.

Buck coached a total of 19 MLB drafted players during his days at Mountain Pointe.

This includes active players Scott Kingery of the Philadelphia Phillies, C.J. Cron of the Minnesota Twins, C.J.'s younger brother Kevin Cron of the Diamondbacks' AAA team Reno Aces, Ernie De La Trinidad of the Twins' AA team Pensacola Blue Wahoos, and Brantley Bell on the Cincinnati Reds' AA team Chattanooga Lookouts. 

"I'm very fortunate in the fact that I get to watch Cole play for the Pirates, Scott Kingery play for the Phillies and C.J. Cron play for the Twins," Buck said. "I had the honor of coaching all of those players. I have the MLB (cable) package and so those are my teams. I keep tabs and stay heavily involved with all of them."

Buck left coaching and education for the business industry in 2016. 

"When I coached there (at Mountain Pointe), it was all about building relationships and that was not just a commitment for four years, but that was for life with one another, Buck said. "They know it's gonna be a grind, but they're gonna find a way to work and enjoy every moment of it.

"Baseball is in their blood. It doesn't matter if it's A-ball or rookie ball or the big league, they're gonna play. They want to be around a ball and the game."

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Reach the reporter at dana.scott@azcentral.com or at 480-486-4721. Follow his Twitter @iam_DanaScott.

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