When you look to point to one player who will be the New York Yankees MVP this season, the options are endless. The 2019 lineup is loaded with talent.
They have the big names of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorious and they have the kids, Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres. Yes, these players are all beyond talented, but I have a different player winning the team MVP this year: Aaron Hicks.
I will start by saying that I was never a big fan of Hicks. Maybe in part because he was very inconsistent to start his Yankee tenure, dealing with injuries and a lackluster bat. And maybe in part because when Clint Frazier was healthy, I blamed Aaron Hicks as the reason Clint wasn’t seeing time on the field (as a redhead, I am a big Clint Frazier supporter). Those points are neither here nor there as I have fully come around on Hicks as being a damn good player.
Yankees’ Aaron Hicks’s 2018 season:
137 Games Played, 480 AB, 90 Runs Scored, 119 Hits, 79 RBI, 90 BB, 27 HR, .247 AVG
On the surface, these numbers are solid, but again Hicks missed some time with injuries. He clearly has all the tools to produce at a high level when he is on the field consistently. At one point last season, he was the Yankees most consistent player and on a team with this much talent, that is no easy feat. His play in center field was gold glove worthy and he has a rocket for an arm.
2019 Season Outlook and Predictions:
Hicks should, and most likely will be the Yankees leadoff hitter. He seemingly is always working his counts full and making the pitcher work. He has a great eye and is not afraid to take a walk (everything you want in a leadoff hitter).
When he does get on base, he scores runs. Hicks has sneaky good speed and a terrific base running IQ. He also bats from both sides of the plate, which gives the team more lineup flexibility if they so choose. The question with Hicks will be his durability. One thing I had seen people speculate with Hicks is his motivation and his motor. That does not seem to be an issue anymore:
Reporter to Aaron Hicks: “How long did it take you to get over the ALDS?”
Hicks: “I’m still not over it. I’m not over it until we win … I want to win a World Series. Im tired of losing. We’ve come so close, but I’m tired of saying we came close.”
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) February 23, 2019
Caught up with Aaron Hicks earlier this week and asked about the 15 pounds he put on this offseason. With it, what's his biggest focus this year?
"To try to get more power … I want to hit more than 30 (homers)."
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) February 23, 2019
2019 Stat Predictions:
148 Games Played, 573 AB, 101 Runs Scored, 138 Hits, 87 RBI, 98 BB, 32 HR, .263 AVG