One of R Own: The Return of Rucker

Michael Rucker is one of the new faces with the Rainiers this season, although the Rainiers are not new to him. He signed a minor league contract with the Mariners this offseason, and now is getting to pitch in his hometown for the first time since high school. Rucker grew up in Auburn and attended Auburn Riverside High School. He moved to the Seattle area from Mississippi before he started second grade and has been a “Pacific North Westerner ever since.” Playing professional baseball in the area where he grew up has been “a dream” for Rucker and said that “being able to sleep in my own bed in pro ball is amazing.” As a first-time dad, the proximity to home allows him to spend more time with his son and the rest of his family.

As a kid, Rucker attended plenty of Rainiers games and remembers coming to games before the stadium was renovated before the 2011 season. He explained that he’s been telling “some of the guys what Cheney Stadium looked like 15 years ago” and that during batting practice, he’d wait on Clay Huntington Way behind the old plywood wall in right field to snag baseballs as they flew over the fence. He remarked that he “still has a Rhubarb autograph somewhere in my childhood stuff.” The atmosphere at the ballpark was always amazing and he had “a lot of fun” at every game he attended.

Rucker was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 11th round of the First-Year Player Draft in 2016 and made his debut with the team five years later in 2021. In his first season, Rucker “learned how to deal with struggle at the Big League level” and made him into a better player. He also made a lot of “great friends” who he still talks to today from that team. Also, pitching in Wrigley Field was something special for him. Especially in August when the Ivies are fully green, he described it as beautiful and a “great venue for baseball.” Some of Rucker’s favorite memories from his time in Chicago was pitching in the big games in front of the crowd. The atmosphere during those games was always electric and all in all was just “fortunate” to have played at an amazing venue for an amazing organization.

During COVID in 2020, Rucker was going through his childhood things at home in Auburn and found his old baseball card collection. Going through and seeing all the cards he collected as a kid reignited the passion for collecting cards. “It was fun to see some of the old names you forget,” Rucker said. Growing up, he was a Braves fan so he has collected a lot of guys who played for the team in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Rucker explained that he “loves the community” and“ it’s been a fun thing to bond over” with the other guys on the team who also enjoy the hobby. Since he got back into collecting cards, Rucker has expanded into other sports like football but is still chasing one big card for his personal collection. He has been trying to complete his “rookie rainbow” of 2023 Topps Chrome Platinum since the set came out and he has every color except the gold Superfractor 1-of-1, the hardest one to find. Recently, Rucker bought a Topps case and plans to open it when his son is “old enough to where he respects and enjoys collecting cards.” He hopes that he and his son can snag that elusive 1-of-1 and create an amazing memory together.

Rucker has had an amazing start to the 2026 season, having allowed only one run across his first 12 games. He attributed the early success to the support he has and “continuing to establish trust in myself and what I can do” after being sidelined for 2025 after Tommy John surgery. The year off gave him a new perspective of being a professional baseball player and what a “blessing it is to throw a ball for a living.”

With the way he has been performing, keep an eye out for the hometown kid to get another shot in the big leagues in the near future.