(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
From 2017 to 2020, Aaron Hicks was an above-average offensive and defensive outfielder for the New York Yankees.
He had power, a keen eye at the plate, and he flashed a rock-solid glove.
He was also athletic and speedy.
In 2021, however, his Yankees career started to collapse.
Injuries and subpar performance plagued him in 2021, 2022, and the start of the 2023 campaign.
With his OPS at .524 this year, the Yanks had no choice but to release him.
The Baltimore Orioles are always on the lookout for talented players, and despite his recent struggles, Hicks qualifies as such.
They signed Hicks on the cheap to help cover the absence of Cedric Mullins, and the move has been paying off handsomely for Baltimore.
Aaron Hicks since signing with the @Orioles:
.364 AVG (12-33 AB)
.488 OBP
5 XBH
1.155 OPS
Has reached base in all 11 games with the O’s! #MLBNow pic.twitter.com/vdL1L48l8i
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) June 14, 2023
MLB Now reports that as of Wednesday, Hicks is hitting .364 with a .488 OBP and five extra-base hits in 11 games in an Orioles uniform.
That means he is getting on base in nearly half of his plate appearances, which is both amazing and unsustainable.
Still, he clearly needed a change of scenery.
He hadn’t been getting even semi-regular playing time in New York, and now he is starring for the O’s.
It remains to be seen what the team is going to do when Mullins returns and if they call up super prospects Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad eventually.
For now, however, Hicks is showing that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank after a couple of unproductive years.
The fact the Yankees are paying him millions to perform against them also has to feel good for Orioles fans.
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