The New York Yankees boast some of the most prolific names in Major League Baseball with outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Seldom you hear the name Aaron Hicks in the conversation when referring to some of baseball’s best, and by no means should he be included in that topic, but his value is far more than some might think.
How valuable is Aaron Hicks to the New York Yankees?
The natural switch hitter is equally consistent on both sides of the ball, earning a .248 batting average and just two fielding errors in his most recent campaign. His defensive abilities are the more impressive skill for Hicks, yet his 27 home runs in 2018 surely jump off the page. All together, the starting outfield group produced 82 homers.
His value as a consistent bat in the lineup and a sure-fire defender is cherished by the Yankees, who have struggled to lock in healthy and productive free agents in the outfield – see Jacoby Ellsbury.
Hicks has had two solid seasons in New York, and he’s gearing up for a third in 2019. He will certainly be an impactful player after an impressive bout of strength at the plate last season. He earned a career best 581 plate appearances in 2018, contributing 90 runs to the Yankees’ offense.
One of the more impressive stats in regard to Hicks is his walk-rate – 15.5% last season. The first half of the season was far different from the second, as he displayed a boost in power early on but began to focus more on his on-base-percentage. His ability to get on base and draw walks is exactly what the Yankees want/need, simply because he offers a potential run for sluggers like Judge and Stanton.
The Yankees play a very home run based offensive scheme, which allows players like Aaron to be patient at the plate and find a way to get on base.