Maybe it’s the lack of pinstripes.
Or the ability to grow out your facial hair.
Whatever it is, Aaron Hicks is thriving in his time away from the Yankees.
The former New York outfielder has been a lightning rod for the Baltimore Orioles in the 10 games since they’ve signed him, hitting .345 with a 1.058 OPS and walking more than he’s striking out.
Hicks has raised his OPS from .524 at the time of his release from the Yankees to .688, and he’s gotten on base at a .472 clip with the Orioles.
Baltimore, which signed Hicks for the league minimum after the Yankees designated him for assignment with $30 million left on his deal through 2025, was hopeful about Hicks’ ability to contribute as a replacement for center fielder Cedric Mullins, who hit the injured list at the end of May.
“You may not get a great outcome on everything, but we see stuff with Aaron Hicks that we like and it feels like a good fit for us,” O’s executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said, according to the Baltimore Sun. “I hope this is a shot in the arm for him, and I hope that he helps us out and helps us win some games.”
New York gave up on Hicks after more than two seasons of subpar play.
The 33-year-old center fielder, who the Yankees acquired via trade in 2015, had his best year in pinstripes in 2018, when he had an .833 OPS and hit 27 homers.
The Yankees rewarded him after that season with a seven-year, $70 million extension, a deal that looked like it had a chance to age well — at the time, Hicks was a switch-hitting slugger who could handle center field.
A combination of injuries and inconsistent performance characterized most of the rest of Hicks’s tenure in pinstripes.
After he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, he put together a solid season (.793 OPS) in 2020, but admitted his arm never made it back to full strength that season.
His 2021 and 2022 seasons were dismal at the plate, as he combined for a .639 OPS and just 12 home runs over the two years, which were partially hampered by surgery for a torn tendon sheath in May 2021.
When he struggled to open 2023 and the relationship between Hicks and the team began to appear publicly frayed over playing time concerns, the Yankees cut him on May 20.
Now, it looks as though a change of scenery may have been just what he needed.
Credit: Source link
