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.
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.
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:
148 Games Played, 573 AB, 101 Runs Scored, 138 Hits, 87 RBI, 98 BB, 32 HR, .263 AVG
This post was published on 2019-02-25 12:00