Will the Real Aaron Hicks Stand Up?

Tonight (weather permitting) the Yankees will see Aaron Hicks for the first time as a Baltimore Oriole.

As you surely remember, Hicks was a very good outfielder for the Yankees in 2017 and 2018, then (mostly due to a string of injuries) became…not so good for them, culminating in his release this past May. The release came with no complaints from anyone who’d been watching the situation unfold.

The Orioles took a flyer on Hicks mostly due to Cedric Mullins being on the IL at the time, and Hicks has responded big time for the Birds.

Playing regularly since his debut on May 31^st, Hicks has posted a .379/.475 OBP/SLG line with a 15.8% BB rate, a 140 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR in 26 games. If you prefer counting stats, his production thus far over 162 games would be 110 runs and 75 RBI, he’s also hit four long balls and is three for three on SB attempts.

And since you asked, yes, the 140 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR are both better than any Yankee has posted since May 31^st.

Of course, in the interest of fairness, we must note that 95 PA is a small sample size. Within that small sample, Hick’s BABIP is up a bit (but not significantly higher) from his career norm and his average exit velocity with the Orioles hasn’t exactly lit up radar guns. So, if you’re thinking he hasn’t reverted to the All-Star level player he was from 2017-18, I’d agree with you.

That said, I think we can agree that although he’s not one of the best center fielders in the AL anymore, he certainly wasn’t the 49 wRC+, negative WAR player we saw in the Bronx earlier this season either.

And perhaps fortuitously (for Hicks anyway) even though Mullins has returned, Austin Hays left yesterday’s game after a collision at first base so Hicks may still be a regular in the O’s lineup for the time being. The real Aaron Hicks may have an opportunity to stand up, after all.

Did I miss anything? Let me know. Leave a comment below or yell at me @mybaseballpage1 on Twitter and/or the “My Baseball Page” on Facebook.