Wisconsin Timber Rattlers third baseman Tucker Neuhaus discusses his 2015 season and talks about his old hitting coach in high school, Wade Boggs. May 16, 2015


He learned hitting from Wade Boggs, loves to fish the Wolf River and considers himself a member of Packer Nation.

Meet Tucker Neuhaus, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' third baseman, a high draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers and a well-spoken 19-year-old mature beyond his years.

Neuhaus struggled at the plate his first two seasons of professional baseball, but is off to a strong start for the Rattlers. He took a .300 batting average into weekend play with one home run, eight RBIs and a team-high .480 slugging percentage. He had an 11-game hitting streak — the longest by a Rattler this season — snapped Friday night.


Q: You're one of the few players on the team that has been productive at the plate. What's been key for you?

A: I'm seeing the ball well. I'm trying to have a good at bat every time I go up there and not worry too much about the big picture. I'm trying to focus on every single pitch."

Q: You started the season on the disabled list. What was your injury?

A: "I had vision issues. The first night of the season in Burlington it got dark and the lights came on and and my eyes just went crazy. It had to get some glasses, mainly just for night time. It was really weird, but things have worked out real well since then."

Q: Most people your age are just finishing up their freshman year in college, but you're in your third season of professional baseball. What's it been like playing pro ball at such a young age?

A: "It's been fun. It's definitely a journey. A couple years ago, I didn't think I'd be living in Wisconsin, Montana, Arizona and all over the place. It's a great opportunity and it's fun to travel and play ball in a bunch of different cities all over the nation. I never really get homesick or anything like that. I just enjoy it and try and make the most of it."

Q: You were a shortstop in high school, but have played mainly third base in the pros. What's that adjustment been like?

A: "It's mainly the way balls are hit at you. A lot of them are chopped, sliced and smashed at you from a little closer. You don't see the batter quite as well. But I think I've made the adjustment pretty well. It's fun to get repetitions and watch myself grow and become a better third baseman."

Q: As a high draft pick (a competitive balance round B selection), you reportedly signed with the Brewers for the slot value of $771,000 plus $64,000 for your college education. That's a big chunk of change for a 17-year-old. How surreal was that?

A: "That was pretty cool. I went and got the truck of my dreams, a Toyota Tacoma. And I bought my mom a car . I put the rest away."

Q: Your hitting coach in high school (Wharton, Florida) was Wade Boggs. What was it like working with him?

A: "It was awesome. Wade is a great dude. It was cool just being around him. He helped me a lot because he knew I was probably going to play pro ball. I got a lot of good advice from him."

Q: The man was a hitting machine in his big-league career. What did he teach you about hitting?

A: "Mainly how to approach stuff. How to be looking middle and to not try to pull the ball all the time. He didn't really tweak my mechanics all that much. A lot of what he taught me was mostly mental. He taught me to stay level with my confidence and to not get too high or too low."

Q: Have you stayed in touch with him?

A: "Yeah, he's still coaching at Wharton. I went and saw him and my former head coach during the off-season."

Q: How closely do you follow Tampa's professional sports teams?

A: "I'm a hockey guy. I'm a big fan of the (Tampa Bay) Lightning, and the (Minnesota) Wild, too. I was born in Minnesota and played pond hockey there as a kid before we moved away. It was so expensive (hockey in Florida) and there wasn't a lot ice around, and baseball was all over the place. So I stuck with baseball."

Q: Your father (Ken Neuhaus, a former University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire player) was a college baseball coach. Where did he coach and what influence was he on your path to baseball?

A: "He was a head coach at Bethel University (in St. Paul, Minnesota) and an assistant coach at Iowa and Southern Illinois. He coached about 25 years and scouted for the (Cincinnati) Reds for a few years. Now he's an American history teacher in the Tampa area. I grew up around the game. I went to all his practices and was in the dugout all the time as a little kid. He was able to put me in a position to be surrounded by a lot of people who really knew the game. So, I learned a lot about baseball at a young age. He and my mom are going to come down after the school year is out and spend a few months here."

Q: Your brother, Tyler, a catcher at Hillsborough Community College (in Florida), was killed in a single-car accident in 2012. What impact did that tragedy have on your life?

A: "It made me mature a lot. It made me grow up. It kind of put my whole life in perspective. Coming into pro ball, there's some things that other young guys struggle with, but none of that is too hard for me after going through that."

Q: In a high school game, you punctured an eardrum after taking a ground ball off your ear. How painful was that and how did it affect your game?

A: "Bruce Seid (the late former director of amateur scouting for the Brewers) was actually at that game. It was kind of a freak thing and it was really painful. I lost my hearing for about a week and a half, and I didn't really have much coordination. When that happens, your coordination gets totally thrown off."

Q: Prior to getting drafted by the Brewers, you worked out for the Cubs at Wrigley Field. As a Cubs fan growing up, how cool was that?

A: "That was an awesome experience. And the day before I worked out in Wrigley, I worked out at Target Field in Minnesota, where I grew up. So I had family there to watch me hit. And right after that, I worked out for the Brewers at Miller Park. All of it was like a dream come true."

Q: Even though, you're a Florida guy, you're a Green Bay Packers fan. How did that happen?

A: "My grandma lives in Green Bay and my mom lived in Green Bay for a little bit. They're big Packer fans, so I became one, even though I was born in Minnesota and spent some of my early years there. I grew up with a Brett Favre jersey on, always rooting for the Packers. My grandma came to one of our games just the other night. She loves having me close by."

Q: Have you been to a game at Lambeau yet?

A: "I went there for the first time for the Packers' playoff game against Dallas. That was fun — cold, but fun. It was just a great atmosphere.


MLB team growing up: "The Cubs. My dad is from Iowa, so I grew up going to Cubs games. We made it to Wrigley once a year."

MLB player: Nomar Garciaparra. I played shortstop and that's what he played. I just liked his style of play. I used to try and throw sidearm like him when I was a little kid."

Food: "Probably just a nice steak."

Movie: "Miracle."

TV show: "Entourage"

Musical group/artist: "Lacrae. That's what's mainly on my iPod right now."

Hobbies outside of baseball: "Fishing. I'm a big fisherman. I have a boat and I went out on the Wolf River the other day and caught some walleye. Fishing here is a little different from fishing in Florida, where it's mostly just large-mouth bass. So, it's kind of cool to get in these different rivers and lakes and go after different fish."

Place to go in Grand Chute/Appleton: "I've been going to Angels (Restaurant). It's a breakfast, lunch place on the east side of Appleton."

Best advice: "Just realize every day that it's a game. And there are a lot of games. So don't take one game more seriously than the next. And just realize there is a lot more in life than just baseball."


Tucker Neuhaus

Age: 19

Height/Weight: 6-1, 205

Position: Third base

Residence: Tampa, Florida

Bats/throws: Left/right