Thread: Aaron Hicks - P?

I don't think switching him to pitcher is a reasonable option. Not after spending this much time developing him as an outfielder. I am sure he still has the raw tools to pitch but doing so at the professional level is far different than in high school so he would essentially hitting the reset button on his development.

Originally Posted by PMKI

I have this weird feeling that Aaron Hicks will end up being a All-Star caliber OF for us in the future.

It's not a weird feeling, it's completely natural. Aaron Hicks is rising slowly through the minors, just about the same way Torii Hunter did, and the way Dennard Span did. Some ball players need a full schooling in the minors before they emerge as a polished product. Sometimes, like Span and Hunter, they get a brief taste of the big show, then get sent down for some specific instruction, then come back up as an emerging star.

At 22, Aaron Hicks is a looooooong way from looking like a wasted pick. He is already regarded as an excellent pro-caliber outfielder, and he's gradually getting better as a hitter. Within two years he'll get his first taste of the show, then maybe a little more AAA, then back up to stay. That's my prediction. We may well see Hicks, Benson (Arcia?) and Buxton together in the outfield within three years.

Originally Posted by jimbo92107

It's not a weird feeling, it's completely natural. Aaron Hicks is rising slowly through the minors, just about the same way Torii Hunter did, and the way Dennard Span did. Some ball players need a full schooling in the minors before they emerge as a polished product. Sometimes, like Span and Hunter, they get a brief taste of the big show, then get sent down for some specific instruction, then come back up as an emerging star.

At 22, Aaron Hicks is a looooooong way from looking like a wasted pick. He is already regarded as an excellent pro-caliber outfielder, and he's gradually getting better as a hitter. Within two years he'll get his first taste of the show, then maybe a little more AAA, then back up to stay. That's my prediction. We may well see Hicks, Benson (Arcia?) and Buxton together in the outfield within three years.

I would be suprised to see Buxton in the bigs within 3 years although it would be nice. What are your guys thoughts, how long will it take Buxton to reach the show?

I think 3 years would be pretty optimistic for Buxton but you never know how players will develop. Joe Mauer was a great prospect coming out of the draft, but how many people would have guessed that he would be starting at catcher in the bigs at age 20. As far as Buxton goes, I would guess it would take 4-5 years for him to be ready to signifcantly contribute.

I am not worried about Hicks. Some tools develop faster than others and for him it is the hitting. I do think they will stop the switch hitting which should help. Even if he took another couple of years to be ready, he would still only be 24 years old.

Switch hitting is not over rated. What most kids struggle with is curve/slider recognition. What switch hitting does is position a batter so he NEVER EVER has to face a curve ball or slider that starts at his body before moving into or through the strike zone. Ya think that might've helped Cuddyer? Or Morneau? The Twins have to see if they can improve Hicks' recognition/sight or mechanics before they scrap the idea. Have a little paitience with the kid.

T98 is absolutely right. Most of the kids on the Twins roster "pitched" in HS. Most can throw 90 MPH+. But that's a long way from being a ML pitcher.

Originally Posted by Paul

The Twins have to see if they can improve Hicks' recognition/sight or mechanics before they scrap the idea. Have a little paitience with the kid.

How many more years does he need to hit in the low .200s vs RHP? it's been that way all the way through. Hits well right-handed, struggles left-handed.

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

How many more years does he need to hit in the low .200s vs RHP? it's been that way all the way through. Hits well right-handed, struggles left-handed.

The kid is 22 yrs old in AA. You may be right and they may ultimately scrap the LH side. And he might then struggle to hit "the low .200s vs RHP" from the right side.

Or maybe the Twins are right and they find the bug, and his ceiling goes way up. And we get to watch him in the allstar game every year.

They better find the bug soon. 5 years in, striking out just over 1 in 3 at bats lefthanded.

At risk of hijacking this thread - I'm wondering why Butera hasn't been tried at pitcher. Wasn't he hitting the low 90s when he pitched a few weeks ago? With coaching, couldn't he hit the mid 90s? If he can control it, would he have the makings of a big league pitcher? Unlike Hicks, it seems like his ceiling as a position player isn't anything above replacement level.

Obviously I don't know much about this stuff - is it common for position players to be able to throw 90 mph?

Originally Posted by Paul

The kid is 22 yrs old in AA. You may be right and they may ultimately scrap the LH side. And he might then struggle to hit "the low .200s vs RHP" from the right side.

Or maybe the Twins are right and they find the bug, and his ceiling goes way up. And we get to watch him in the allstar game every year.

I would rather have them scrap the LH side now instead of finding out that they have to do that in the bigs or even AAA. Give the guy some time to figure out what a curve or slider looks like from the right side. He might actually be surprisingly good at seeing them. He's had enough time to show that he is having a hard time from the left side of the plate. And all I'm advocating is for him to try it in a practice situation. If he can't see a slider to save his life from the right side, then keep him a switch hitter and hope he figures things out.

James, most have a hard time wrapping their mind around this. Bear with me here. It takes a ball traveling 90 MPH approx .42 seconds to travel from the release point of the pitcher to home plate. You can divide this number into roughly thirds giving you .14 second. This time is used up to:

1. Start swing and recognize the spin, velocity and direction of the ball.
2. Calculate the arrival, point and time, of the ball.
3. Alter or stop swing accordingly.

If you add in any time required by the body to determine jeopardy and solution from a slider, that adds a real burdon and steals time for step 2. This leads to guessing ala Cuddyer. This is why you see batters swing at the low outside slider in the dirt or in front of the plate.

Hicks has shown he has the hand eye coordination and vision for success on the right side. I don't know but, I assume he's been switch hitting for quite some time, and the coaches he has still believe he can hone his LHed swing. Or it might be a vision thing. His left eye may be dominant. This might just require reps. Or it might be something that cannot be overcome. Either way it takes time. And I think it's a good investment to allow that time.

So far in AA, Hicks' OPS is about .050 better than Span's at the same age and level. His OPS vs. RHP is about the same as Span's. Fangraphs and Baseball Reference agree that Span has been worth about 3.9 WAR/150 games. That's pretty valuable - only the top 25 pitchers in baseball had a higher WAR in 2011. I know we're all disappointed that Hicks isn't hitting like the second coming of Carlos Beltran, but if all he amounts to is Denard Span with more pop and a better arm, we should still be very pleased. So, no, he's not going to pitch.

As for the switch hitting, his Iso from the right side this year is .146 and from the left it's .152. His K/BB ratio is nearly identical from each side. His (back of the napkin) BABIP from the right side is about .372 (probably coming down a bit as the year goes on) and .270 from the left (probably going up). The main trouble is that he's had far more PAs from the left side in which he hasn't put the ball in play. He's seems to be less aggressive (more passive?) versus RHP. He needs to learn to overcome his natural tendency to sit back and let it rip earlier in the count. He's still young enough that he could develop a more assertive approach through coaching and experience.

I realize he has speed but how is his range in the outfield? I really wish I could watch some of AA and single A games.

Originally Posted by Paul

James, most have a hard time wrapping their mind around this. Bear with me here. It takes a ball traveling 90 MPH approx .42 seconds to travel from the release point of the pitcher to home plate. You can divide this number into roughly thirds giving you .14 second. This time is used up to:

1. Start swing and recognize the spin, velocity and direction of the ball.
2. Calculate the arrival, point and time, of the ball.
3. Alter or stop swing accordingly.

If you add in any time required by the body to determine jeopardy and solution from a slider, that adds a real burdon and steals time for step 2. This leads to guessing ala Cuddyer. This is why you see batters swing at the low outside slider in the dirt or in front of the plate.

Hicks has shown he has the hand eye coordination and vision for success on the right side. I don't know but, I assume he's been switch hitting for quite some time, and the coaches he has still believe he can hone his LHed swing. Or it might be a vision thing. His left eye may be dominant. This might just require reps. Or it might be something that cannot be overcome. Either way it takes time. And I think it's a good investment to allow that time.

I do understand all of these things. I know it takes a while for these skills to develop. I'm not saying that he gives it up yet. What I suggested is that Hicks sits in the batting box during a bullpen session from a right handed pitcher. He may be better at picking up the ball than he thinks he is. The only reason anyone is suggesting he gives up hitting from the left side is that the right side is his natural side, and he is hitting left handed hitting well.

You are right that maybe he needs more time to develop the switch hitting skill. But he has been learning this since he started playing baseball at age 12. But he is still young as well. More than likely, he will remain a switch hitter. If he's good at, then keep it up, but there is no harm in letting him stand in the box during a bullpen session to see if he can track the ball from a right handed pitcher three or four times. Maybe that is a skill that would take him even longer to master than hitting from the left side. Maybe he picks it up right away.

The Twins and the Wolves have been stockpiling their 5 tool stars and former lottery picks for next year. Just wait!