Hicks

[twinsnorth49]

Yes and no. What I see differently with Hicks is he's finally making good contact and that was the final missing piece. Earlier this season, I became more positive about him after he stopped being so passive at the plate. That was encouraging. We knew Hicks had poise and good discipline. What he was missing was authoritative contact and the confidence to swing. In May he started swinging but still lacked contact. Now it appears he's finally getting the contact part of the puzzle.

 

Hopefully he can adjust as pitchers develop new approaches against him so the contact element remains strong. That's the key piece we didn't see earlier in the season.

I relate poise to confidence and there is no doubt he is far more confident at the plate. He seemed more intent on actually hitting the ball in May but he didn't look all that poised to me. Right now he just looks like he knows he's going to hit the ball and as a result is having great AB's like I haven't seen from him before.

[Jham]

 

I relate poise to confidence and there is no doubt he is far more confident at the plate. He seemed more intent on actually hitting the ball in May but he didn't look all that poised to me. Right now he just looks like he knows he's going to hit the ball and as a result is having great AB's like I haven't seen from him before.

Careful sabre-guys, "confidence" is a first-cousin to "clutch"!  I agree though.  From a human perspective, let alone a fan perspective, it's nice to see Hicks have some success and look like he's having fun up there.  There was a time where it was painful to watch, and Hicks would basically go up there just hoping to draw a walk.  He's swinging hard now.  Now he just needs to pass the magic ballet shoes on to Santana.

[twinsnorth49]

Careful sabre-guys, "confidence" is a first-cousin to "clutch"! I agree though. From a human perspective, let alone a fan perspective, it's nice to see Hicks have some success and look like he's having fun up there. There was a time where it was painful to watch, and Hicks would basically go up there just hoping to draw a walk. He's swinging hard now. Now he just needs to pass the magic ballet shoes on to Santana.

Oh I agree, confidence can be fleeting and I don't mean to imply it's the sole reason for his success, he's clearly put in the work. Having said that, the mental game is so key to batting and Hicks just seems much more mentally prepared.

[Shane Wahl]

The natural Hicks timeline was basically always projecting out to 2015 as his solid MLB season (2013 AA/AAA, 2014 AAA/MLB).

[70charger]

Don't look now, but Hicks's triple slash is, as of today, eerily similar to one Mr. Joe Mauer.

[JB_Iowa]

Dustin Morse ‏@Twins_morsecode  · 2h2 hours ago 
Over his last 8 games, @AaronHicks31 is hitting .417 (10-for-24) with 6 walks. #MNTwins

 

 

SSS to be sure but not the Hicks we saw earlier in the year.

[drivlikejehu]

Hicks is up to a RC+ of 102. I'm not surprised he's doing better - all along I've felt that his tools and minor league performance held out legitimate hope that he would perform better at the highest level.

 

I've been in a tiny minority though - 95%+ of this board had given up on him. And who knows, he could go back to struggling... but I don't expect him to, now that he's using a balanced approach at the plate.

[twinsnorth49]

Hicks is up to a RC+ of 102. I'm not surprised he's doing better - all along I've felt that his tools and minor league performance held out legitimate hope that he would perform better at the highest level.

 

I've been in a tiny minority though - 95%+ of this board had given up on him. And who knows, he could go back to struggling... but I don't expect him to, now that he's using a balanced approach at the plate.

95%+ on this board had not given up on Hicks. Most had just given up on whether he'd ever turn into a quality big league hitter, yourself included I believe.

 

The biggest question with Hicks involves Buxton. When Lord Byron takes his rightful place in CF, will Hicks continue to hit well enough to regularly man a corner spot? I love his approach and results right now but I can't say I'm convinced yet.

[DaveW]

 

95%+ on this board had not given up on Hicks. Most had just given up on whether he'd ever turn into a quality big league hitter, yourself included I believe.

The biggest question with Hicks involves Buxton. When Lord Byron takes his rightful place in CF, will Hicks continue to hit well enough to regularly man a corner spot? I love his approach and results right now but I can't say I'm convinced yet.

His defense in LF or RF would be so elite that he doesn't need to be a 125 OPS+ guy for his bat to play. We are talking Alex Gordon level elite defense in LF for Hicks, which brings up another point. I think Alex Gordon could be a potential comp for Hicks if his new found "bat" sticks.

 

Jason Heyward is another "comp" if his bat ends up cooling off a bit.

[twinsnorth49]

His defense in LF or RF would be so elite that he doesn't need to be a 125 OPS+ guy for his bat to play. We are talking Alex Gordon level elite defense in LF for Hicks, which brings up another point. I think Alex Gordon could be a potential comp for Hicks if his new found "bat" sticks.

 

Jason Heyward is another "comp" if his bat ends up cooling off a bit.

It isn't even a question if his bat sticks, obviously. Sure his defense in the corners gives his bat a fair amount of latitude, but only so much.

[drivlikejehu]

 

95%+ on this board had not given up on Hicks. Most had just given up on whether he'd ever turn into a quality big league hitter, yourself included I believe.

The biggest question with Hicks involves Buxton. When Lord Byron takes his rightful place in CF, will Hicks continue to hit well enough to regularly man a corner spot? I love his approach and results right now but I can't say I'm convinced yet.

 

I did not give up on him being a decent hitter. There are threads from just a few weeks ago where poster after poster said he couldn't hit, end of story, but I argued that his AAA performance should not be disregarded and that the pieces were there for him to be decent offensively.

 

Admittedly, my thinking has been that the Twins could use more power in those corner outfield spots, and so I haven't necessarily seen Hicks as part of the Twins' outfield future. My hope had been that Hicks would establish his ability enough to build trade value. 

[TheLeviathan]

It's been an encouraging 40 plate appearances, but can we not obnoxiously pat ourselves on the back until the sample is just a tad larger?

[Mike Sixel]

Night and day.....I like whichever this is better than the last version.

[drivlikejehu]

 

It's been an encouraging 40 plate appearances, but can we not obnoxiously pat ourselves on the back until the sample is just a tad larger?

 

Waiting for a larger sample would be the safe approach. Of course, the same was true when Hicks got off to a slow start after raking in AAA, and most of TD wrote him off anyway.

[TheLeviathan]

Waiting for a larger sample would be the safe approach. Of course, the same was true when Hicks got off to a slow start after raking in AAA, and most of TD wrote him off anyway.

Except that was based on his cumulative big league play and the feeble contact he was making. The sample was nearly 500 at bats.

[jorgenswest]

Except that was based on his cumulative big league play and the feeble contact he was making. The sample was nearly 500 at bats.

500 at bats for an established major leaguer is very different from a player's first 500 at bats. Arcia, Hicks, Dozier, Plouffe and Hunter all look pretty bad at the first 500 plate appearances. You can't learn to hit major league pitching in AAA. It takes time measured in years.

 

Teams need to invest 1500 plate appearances in their prospects. They need to use those options. The Royals waited longer than 1500 for Gordon and Moustakas. The Twins will need similar partience with their prospects. It would be wise for TD readers to ignore any post using stats early in a career in an argument that the player can't or won't ever hit.

[drivlikejehu]

 

Except that was based on his cumulative big league play and the feeble contact he was making. The sample was nearly 500 at bats.

 

In 2013, Hicks couldn't even hit in AAA, let alone the Majors. In 2014 he was better at each level (though still not good). And in 2015 he took a huge jump forward in AAA, and now in the Majors. 

 

Looking at his career totals didn't tell the story, which is why I knew it was premature to give up on him.

[Mike Sixel]

I think most people said, "demote him to AAA"......not "they should just cut him", but maybe I'm misremembering.

[twinsnorth49]

 

In 2013, Hicks couldn't even hit in AAA, let alone the Majors. In 2014 he was better at each level (though still not good). And in 2015 he took a huge jump forward in AAA, and now in the Majors. 

 

Looking at his career totals didn't tell the story, which is why I knew it was premature to give up on him.

What exactly do you mean by "give up on him", what context are you using here? You yourself once said you had long since given up on him actually being a good hitter. I think most peoples opinions were that they were unsure about his long term future in the Twins outfield considering his performance and other players.

[drivlikejehu]

 

What exactly do you mean by "give up on him", what context are you using here? You yourself once said you had long since given up on him actually being a good hitter. I think most peoples opinions were that they were unsure about his long term future in the Twins outfield considering his performance and other players.

 

Give up on him being a starting MLB outfielder. I had long since given up on him reaching the star potential once envisioned - a solid defensive CF with good hitting is a star, but there is plenty of room between star and 4th outfielder.

[d-mac]

 

Nobody gets angry it's just.not.gonna.happen. ever...

 

It's just a dumb idea. Brain injuries are serious. 

[TheLeviathan]

 

Teams need to invest 1500 plate appearances in their prospects. They need to use those options. The Royals waited longer than 1500 for Gordon and Moustakas. The Twins will need similar partience with their prospects. It would be wise for TD readers to ignore any post using stats early in a career in an argument that the player can't or won't ever hit.

 

That's a fair point and one I agree with, but there is something to be said for not all 500 PAs are created the same either.  The problem, for me, with Hicks was that he wasn't doing anything that was going to make him a sustainable big league bat.  He was making weak contact and was much weaker from the left hand side.  These were things we knew about him and he had long since established.  (The platoon splits for sure and his career OPS in the minors is hardly setting the world on fire.)

 

Personally, I relegated him to likely 4th OF status because of that platoon split and the horrendous contact.  Now maybe these last 40 PAs are just a flash in the pan (we've seen it before), but at least they have reversed both of those trends.  I hope they continue so I end up wrong - won't be the first or last time I'm sure.

[USAFChief]

A couple things...Hicks is not physically the same as he was even a year ago. He is much bigger and stronger. I think that has helped him be a more dangerous hitter, particularly ularly from the left side.

 

While the results weren't there so much earlier this year, his approach at the plate was vastly improved, IMO. More aggressive, looking for balls to hit, rather than balls to take. There's a difference between plate discipline and a too passive approach.

 

I could be wrong, but I've always liked his potential, and I believe he will hit enough to be a good corner OFer if/when Buxton pushes him off CF.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

While the results weren't there so much earlier this year, his approach at the plate was vastly improved, IMO. More aggressive, looking for balls to hit, rather than balls to take. There's a difference between plate discipline and a too passive approach.

Yep. I believe I said something like this about Hick in May: The results aren't there but I'm more encouraged by the kid's plate appearances than I have been at any point in his MLB career.

 

We knew Hicks was disciplined. That doesn't go away and I wasn't even a little concerned about his lack of walks... In fact, I was encouraged by it. He wasn't going up there to draw a walk, he was going up there to hit his pitch. Once he figured out "his pitch", the walks would return. Guys don't forget how to be selective at the plate but teaching a free-swinger to be selective is relatively rare in baseball. Hicks spent most of 2013 and 2014 afraid to swing the bat. Nobody is going to succeed with that mindset but it showed that Aaron had the ability to be selective with his swings.

 

Looking at Hicks in May, he had all the tools to become a productive MLB player even if the results weren't showing it. All that was missing was the hard hit contact tool which is starting to come around. If that contact ability sticks, Hicks is the player most of us thought he was going into 2013. Not elite but pretty good and quite valuable.

 

It also helps that his defense has mostly sorted itself out. It appears that he really was affected by either his inept plate appearances or the upper decks of MLB stadiums and maybe both.