After spending much of last year as the target of criticism, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks looks reborn in 2017.
Entering the 2017 season, most New York Yankees fans likely weren't too enthusiastic about Aaron Hicks. Despite a strong spring training, the outfielder was still saddled with memories of his disappointing first year in pinstripes. Hicks slashed a lowly .217/.281/.336 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 123 games in 2016.
Yet manager Joe Girardi couldn't seem to resist finding playing time for him. With Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury getting older and dealing with injuries here and there, it certainly made sense that a fourth outfielder would play a significant role on last year's Yankees club. But Hicks was looking like a major liability more often than not.
When general manager Brian Cashman said that Hicks reminded him of Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., it was hard not to shake your head and laugh a little. After all, Bradley had just put together a 29-game hitting streak, while Hicks was struggling to stay above the Mendoza line. Surely the GM was only trying to justify his trade to acquire Hicks from the Twins, modest though the cost was in backup catcher John Ryan Murphy.
However, something seemed to click around August of last year. From the beginning of that month through the end of the season, Hicks slashed a much improved .271/.333/.424 while belting five of his homers and collecting 12 of his RBI. Not enough to wipe away the ugly first few months of the campaign, but signs of life perhaps?
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Right now, the answer appears to be a resounding yes. On a Yankees team that has had plenty of surprises over the first several weeks of 2017, Hicks is demanding attention. In 23 games, he boasts a .338/.459/.662 line with six home runs and 15 RBI. He's already well on his way to leaving last season's numbers in the dust. Though he didn't begin the year with a formal starting job, Girardi is moving things around to fit him into the lineup regularly.
Some regression is likely coming, though; Hicks' .340 BABIP and .324 ISO will be hard to sustain. Nevertheless, this isn't the case of a mediocre journeyman lucking his way into a few stellar weeks. Hicks is still just 27 years old and has something of a prospect pedigree. He was selected 14th overall in the first round of the 2008 draft by Minnesota, and he routinely made top-100 prospect lists during his minor league career.
Is Hicks finally harnessing the talent that once made him such a well-regarded young player? For the first time at the major league level, he's getting a high volume of playing time. Hicks averaged just 82 games played over his first three seasons with the Twins. Last year was the first time he appeared in over 100 contests in a single campaign, and he looks well on his way to doing the same in 2017. Perhaps getting consistent reps has helped unlock his performance.
While the Yankees' other Aaron is receiving much of the attention – and rightfully so – the team has to be ecstatic about what Hicks is showing them. They would love nothing more than for him to blossom into the player they envisioned when trading for him, adding an impressive feather to Cashman's cap. He'll have to keep this up to prove he's the real deal, but given his background and convincing play thus far, there's reason to believe he can actually do it.
