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Tracking Aaron Hicks
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In our previous entry, we examined the professional career of Twins 2007 first round draft pick Ben Revere, currently with the Ft. Myers Miracle. In today's installment, we'll look at 2008 first rounder Aaron Hicks and how he is progressing in his first "full" season of pro ball.
The Twins held the 14th overall selection in the 2008 MLB Draft and used it on Hicks, a 6-2, 170 lb. high school outfielder from inner-city Los Angeles. The switch-hitting speedster was considered perhaps the greatest athlete in the draft and the Twins could not pass him up, despite the fact they had taken a speedy high school outfielder in the first round of the 2007 Draft in Ben Revere. Some evaluators rated Hicks as the best prospect out of LA since Darryl Strawberry (#1 overall by the Mets in 1980). The MLB.com draft tracker had this to say about Hicks:
"Hicks is one of the more athletic outfielders in the high school ranks and perhaps in the draft class. How high he gets drafted depends on how highly people project what he can become. He's got a ton of tools, but will he learn how to use them? Someone is sure to take that chance."
The Twins signed Hicks shortly after the draft to a $1.78M bonus and assigned him to the Gulf Coast League Twins, similar to what they did with Revere a season prior. With the GCL Twins, in a pitchers' league, Hicks simply dazzled. He hit .318/.409/.491 in 204 plate appearances with 10 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, and 27 RBI. He swiped 12 bases in 14 attempts. A sign of concern was the strikeout to walk ratio, which was a bit high at 32:28. However, Hicks displayed the five-tool talent the Twins hoped to see.
The Twins elected to exercise caution again in 2009 and started him out with Jake Mauer in Extended Spring Training. With injuries hitting low-A Beloit, the Twins assigned Hicks there on June 19, and the speedster took his first cuts above rookie ball. In his first 8 games there, Hicks is off to a slow start. In 35 plate appearances, his batting line is .222/.371/.259 with a double and 6 RBI. He has struck out 8 times, but has drawn 7 walks, which shows some plate discipline. It's too early to tell how Hicks will progress, but there is no reason to believe he will not improve as the summer goes on. He just needs plate appearances.
Twins' followers like Aaron Gleeman, Seth Stohs, Josh Johnson, Nick Nelson, and Travis Aune all love Hicks, and have him rated in the top three in their annual prospect listings. Twins fans should be excited about the athleticism of their top pick in 2008, but must realize that it took high school outfielders Torii Hunter five seasons and Denard Span six to reach the majors for good.
Wednesday Afternoon in KC: Minnesota went for the series win and a 6-3 road trip in the KC finale on Wednesday afternoon and got it with a 5-1 win over the Royals. The victory gave the Twins four road series victories in a row and improved them to 17-24 on the road. Minnesota is now two games over the .500 mark for the first time all season.
Glen Perkins was good in this one, scatterin 10 hits over 7 innings, but allowing the Royals only 1 run. He walked none and struck out just on hitter, but was effective. Joe Nathan got the final out for his 21st save.
At the plate, Michael Cuddyer hit his 12th homer and added an RBI single later in the game. Joe Mauer was 3-3, starting July off right.
The win was clouded by three players leaving with injuries: Mike Redmond (right forearm), Nick Punto (back), and Justin Morneau (left groin). Stay tuned for developments.
Thursday is an off-day for the team, and then the Detroit Tigers come to the Dome for a big three game weekend set. The Twins swept the Tigers the last time they met in Minneapolis in May.
In the Meantime.....: Twins Geek looks at Twins' reliever Bobby Keppel ; Seth Stohs has his thoughts on future Twins' roster moves as well as New Britain all-star selections; Over the Baggy looks at Scott Baker's release point statistics
