Article: What lies ahead for Aaron Hicks?

[cmathewson]

The curve ball called third strike is killing him so far.

 

Gladden said it's a typical umpire gauntlet young guys go through. He said he was talking to Bruno, who looked at the Pith f/x data on those called thirds and found all of them out of the strike zone. But eveybody goes through it. Even Mauer did when he was a rookie.

[shs_59]

STUPID STUPID STUPID.

 

I was pissed when hicks made the opening day roster......WHY THE FOCK wreck is confidence and now (at best) take the Dexter Fowler path (if we're lucky)

 

IT still makes ZERO FOCKING sense to not just let him start at AAA Rochester wait untill May or June or even July untill he's tearing it up there and call him up and let him rape.

 

Now we've wrecked his confidence lost a yr. of service time and wil have to send him down to Roc. Eventually here soon.

 

Also would we be 4-1 or undefeated if Darin Mastroianni was the starting CF'er?

 

MY god. I said he was not ready and KNEW it.

 

 

STUPID FOCKING SPRING FOCKING TRAINING it means 99% NOTHING!!

[shs_59]

1-22, with 2 BB's and a gazillion K's

 

what would Mastro be ? 4,5 or 6 for 22 with a BB or 3?

 

would we be 3-2 or 4-1 instead of 2-3? I'm close to certain we would.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Seriously, man, calm down. It's okay, really. Hicks can "lose" a year of service time with a demotion to AAA.

[nmoline]

I think there is too much pressure on him to get on base in front of Mauer from the 1 hole. I'd like to see him moved to the end of the lineup to get some confidence. If he fails there then send him back to AAA but first season in the bigs and you have to bat leadoff in front of Mauer. Have fun with that.

[jorgenswest]

1-22, with 2 BB's and a gazillion K's

 

what would Mastro be ? 4,5 or 6 for 22 with a BB or 3?

 

would we be 3-2 or 4-1 instead of 2-3? I'm close to certain we would.

 

Mastroianni has been hurt. He would not have started this week. Clete Thomas or Joe Benson might be 0-22 with even more K's.

[kab21]

It will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments makes in the next couple of weeks. I wasn't too high on his MLB batting skills this year but this is not a good start.

 

It's a little disturbing how much his body and to a certain extent his face reminds me of Carlos Gomez. So far he hasn't displayed any of his antics that bothered me for so long.

[Shane Wahl]

Thought I was at the Strib site for several minutes while reading many of these comments.

 

Have any of you seen the "photo" with the koala holding his paw up and saying "everyone just calm the **** down"? Yeah.

[Shane Wahl]

Hicks has been overmatched. What were people expecting? He should have been in AAA, most likely. The Twins didn't want to wait and that is going to mean learning on the job.

 

And GUESS WHAT? The fact that Hicks (and Mauer) are not getting on base and yet the Twins are 3-2 is a good thing.

[fairweather]

[h=2]What lies ahead for Aaron Hicks? How about a realization that he's a RHB.[/h]

[Shane Wahl]

What lies ahead for Aaron Hicks? How about a realization that he's a RHB.

 

 

Question: do you think he magically hits RHP as a RHB as well as he hits LHP as a RHB?

[Shane Wahl]

And, oh my god, THAT SHIP SAILED. One cannot advance Hicks this far and then dramatically alter his approach to over half of all the pitchers in baseball.

[Mr. Brooks]

Gladden said it's a typical umpire gauntlet young guys go through. He said he was talking to Bruno, who looked at the Pith f/x data on those called thirds and found all of them out of the strike zone. But eveybody goes through it. Even Mauer did when he was a rookie.

 

Either Gladden was lying, or Bruno doesnt know how to use pitch f/x.

 

Here is the K looking vs. verlander (3rd inning):

(pitch #5, right down the middle)

 

http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/numlocation.php?pitchSel=434378&game=gid_2013_04_01_detmlb_minmlb_1/&batterX=24&innings=yyyyyyyyy&sp_type=1&s_type=3

 

Here is his 3rd inning called K vs Sanchez:

 

http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/numlocation.php?pitchSel=434671&game=gid_2013_04_03_detmlb_minmlb_1/&batterX=23&innings=yyyyyyyyy&sp_type=1&s_type=3

 

 

Here is the 3rd inning K against Porcello, this one is outside of the zone:

 

http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/numlocation.php?pitchSel=519144&game=gid_2013_04_04_detmlb_minmlb_1/&batterX=23&innings=yyyyyyyyy&sp_type=1&s_type=3

 

 

The rest of Hicks K's have come swinging. So, 2 of the 3 looking K's were strikes (both pretty much right down the middle), and the 3rd was outside the zone by about 2 inches.

[buffalo_pete]

Call me crazy, but in my uneducated opinion the place to find out if Hicks can hit big league pitching...is the big leagues.

[Mr. Brooks]

Call me crazy, but in my uneducated opinion the place to find out if Hicks can hit big league pitching...is the big leagues.

 

You don't always find out the first stint up though.

A demotion back to the minors is not the end of the world for a prospect. There are plenty of good prospects who struggled their first call up, went back down, then came up and figured things out in their 2nd or 3rd stint.

IMO, it's probably not that they learn anything new, but that confidence goes a VERY long way in baseball. Sometimes if a guy is hitting really bad, for a long stretch of time, his confidence is shot, and he's never going to break out of that slump until he gets it back.

Sometimes sending a guy down to get his confidence back against inferior opposition can be the best possible thing for a young player.

 

I'm in no way saying its that time already for Hicks. But as some have said, if this continues for a while, and the guys who are around him sense that his confidence is shot, then letting him get his confidence back in AAA might be the best thing for both him and the team.

[jokin]

.

 

 

I'm in no way saying its that time already for Hicks. But as some have said, if this continues for a while, and the guys who are around him sense that his confidence is shot, then letting him get his confidence back in AAA might be the best thing for both him and the team.

 

Morneau said as much in the post-game interview.

 

And good call on Hick's K struggles. They have nothing to do with the umpiring.

 

I am most surprised that there are people out there surprised that Hicks is struggling. No need to panic or write the kid off as a bust. There are major growing pains for most players to make the jump for good. If/when he goes down to AAA will most likely end up being just another part of the maturation process and in the end, a good thing.

[Guest USAFChief]

1-22, with 2 BB's and a gazillion K's

 

what would Mastro be ? 4,5 or 6 for 22 with a BB or 3?

 

would we be 3-2 or 4-1 instead of 2-3? I'm close to certain we would.

Tough to say, of course, but it's conceivable we could be 3-2 even with Hicks in the lineup.

[ashbury]

I think there is too much pressure on him to get on base in front of Mauer from the 1 hole.

 

Move whichever second baseman that day to the second spot. Problem solved.

 

Sincerely,

R. Clyde Gardenhire

[Alex]

Call me crazy, but in my uneducated opinion the place to find out if Hicks can hit big league pitching...is the big leagues.

 

Agreed. Why haven't we called up Arcia, Rosario, Sano, and Buxton yet?

[mudcat14]

Quick, bold prediction. By the end of the month his BA will be up to the .240 range, with an OBP over .300. He'll trend upward and end the season in the .270/.340 range, while providing stellar D. Clearly he's pressing right now, but his patient approach at the plate will begin to pay off.

[Bojangles]

agreed. Why haven't we called up arcia, rosario, sano, and buxton yet?

 

free buxton

 

edit: wow, all caps isn't allowed here? I'm leaving..

[Alex]

Say Hicks doesn't show marked improvement (stays below a .150 AVG, strikes out 40% of his ABs). How long does this last? He is tied for most strikeouts in the entire major leagues, and is in the bottom 5 for almost every category. I'm not saying they should do anything now (other than give him a freakin' day off somehow), but what are the thoughts on how long this can go on?

[Mike Sixel]

Alex, I'd say end of May. completely PoA, with zero thought.

[jokin]

Say Hicks doesn't show marked improvement (stays below a .150 AVG, strikes out 40% of his ABs). How long does this last? He is tied for most strikeouts in the entire major leagues, and is in the bottom 5 for almost every category. I'm not saying they should do anything now (other than give him a freakin' day off somehow), but what are the thoughts on how long this can go on?

 

How long did they stick with Dozier last year?

 

Seriously, until Mastro gets off the crutches. (If he can't go 100%, why wasn't he just DLd? Mind-boggling). Anyone nostalgic yet for a return of Clete Thomas? Certainly not me, but he has started out decently in Roc.

[Shane Wahl]

Hicks will get it together soon.

[wavedog]

Wow, 7 games and his career is over. It will take some patience. If by the end of the month he is still not batting over .100 they may need to send him to Triple A so it doesn't beat him down to bad but otherwise let him battle through it.

[Mike Sixel]

I don't see a single person saying his career is over. Not one, in the entire thread.

[Alex]

Wow, 7 games and his career is over. It will take some patience. If by the end of the month he is still not batting over .100 they may need to send him to Triple A so it doesn't beat him down to bad but otherwise let him battle through it.

 

My question was basically how much longer might a player called up from AA be able to continue at this kind of pace?

[Pius Jefferson]

If he continues to struggle is the first step moving him down or sending him to Rochester?

[Alex]

If he continues to struggle is the first step moving him down or sending him to Rochester?

 

Unless somone else heats up they don't have a legit lead off anyway, but otherwise I'd think moving him down is the way to go.