Jordan Hicks Fantasy Baseball News
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Eventful second appearance
Jordan Hicks allowed an unearned run on two walks and a hit batsman over two-thirds of an inning in a Grapefruit League tie with the Astros on Wednesday.Making his second appearance of spring after a 22-pitch battle of wills against the Mets’ Luis Guillorme encompassed the first Sunday, Hicks once again put together a rather unusual performance. The flamethrowing right-hander worked himself into trouble with an error on a comebacker and some notable control issues, but manager Mike Shildt kept things in perspective when evaluating Hicks’ second taste of game action in 21 months. “I think it’s just getting back into competition in over a year,” Shildt said. “I thought it was a fantastic outing. Ton of soft contact, around the plate again. I was really, really, really pleased with Jordan.”
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Unique Grapefruit League debut
Jordan Hicks faced only the Mets’ Lucas Guillorme in the right-hander’s Grapefruit League debut Sunday, engaging in a 22-pitch sequence that culminated in a walk.Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports the at-bat took 12 minutes and included six pitches of over 100 mph. It was Hicks’ first taste of official game action since June 22, 2019, and while the original plan had been to deploy him for one inning Sunday, he was removed from the contest following the walk due to his pitch count.
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Spring debut up next
Jordan Hicks, who has been impressive in live batting practices and a “B” game appearance, will next progress to making his Grapefruit League debut at a yet-to-be-determined date, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.Manager Mike Shildt confirmed the right-hander’s imminent spring debut Friday, and Silver notes it could unfold this weekend against either the Mets or Marlins. The eventual appearance will mark Hicks’ first in official game action since June 22, 2019 following Tommy John surgery that summer and a subsequent 2020 opt-out.
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Impressive in ‘B’ game
Jordan Hicks recorded a clean inning on 11 pitches during a “B” game against the Nationals on Wednesday, his first game action of any kind since June 2019, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. “I don’t think it would have mattered what lens you’re looking [through],” said manager Mike Shildt. “It was pretty darn good.”The right-hander recorded a strikeout while also inducing a pair of groundouts. Hicks, highly regarded for his ability to consistently hit triple digits on the radar gun when healthy, was also recorded at 102 mph in a live batting practice session Wednesday, further corroborating the fitness of his surgically repaired elbow. Assuming he remains free of any setbacks in coming days, Hicks’ next step will be his Grapefruit League debut.
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Game action likely next step
Jordan Hicks, who’s already thrown a pair of live batting practice sessions, is scheduled to pitch in a “B” game Wednesday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. “The good news is, Jordan is in a really good place, on track for the season,” manager Mike Shildt said. “But we’re just taking it rightfully slow and building up the intensity to what that looks like for competition.”The right-hander has been brought along carefully this spring after last pitching in June 2019, but with Hicks passing every test put in front of him thus far, he appears to be on the cusp of game action. If all checks out well after Wednesday’s outing, Hicks would likely be deemed ready for his Grapefruit League debut.
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Puts in ‘monumental’ live BP
Jordan Hicks was thoroughly impressive facing live hitters for the first time in spring training Monday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.Hicks’ session was the talk of the morning portion of spring camp Monday prior to the St. Louis Cardinals’ Grapefruit League contest against the Marlins, with manager Mike Shildt describing the performance as “monumental” and fellow reliever Andrew Miller noting it’s always an eye-opening experience to watch his bullpen mate throw, even after not facing big-league bats for nearly two years. Hicks last saw game action in June 2019 due to Tommy John surgery and his opt-out of the 2020 campaign as a high-risk player, and he reported getting through his first session without any setbacks. Shildt noted Monday that Hicks will likely work at least once more against his own teammates before making his Grapefruit League debut, emphasizing that “[he’s] close, for sure.”
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Strong first throwing session
Jordan Hicks was impressive in his first throwing session of spring Thursday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. “All the feedback from the pitching coaches, [and from] Jordan, was favorable,” manager Mike Shildt said. “Ball was coming out really clean, had life to it. We’ll see how he recovers today, but a very positive first day for Jordan Hicks, no question about it.”The right-hander will have plenty of eyes on him as he looks to return to full strength following Tommy John surgery. Hicks last faced bats in live action June 22, 2019, so he’ll presumably have plenty of rust to knock off over the next several weeks. Even though he should get plenty of reps in spring camp and Grapefruit League action, he could start the season sharing closing duties with several other experienced ninth-inning options in the relief corps until he’s deemed back to 100 percent.
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Likely eventual primary closer
Jordan Hicks, who missed the 2020 season due to the completion of his recovery from Tommy John surgery and his decision to opt out for precautionary health reasons, is expected to eventually return to full-time closing duties, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.Goold answers a reader question about whether the hard-throwing right-hander has a chance to be named the official closer by Opening Day by emphasizing there are likely to be a couple of moving parts to the equation. How Hicks looks after last pitching in a major-league game June 22, 2019 will naturally be one of the major factors at play, as well as how others capable of handling ninth-inning work such as Andrew Miller and Giovanny Gallegos perform in exhibition play. Goold adds it’s his belief the St. Louis Cardinals will unsurprisingly err on the side of caution with Hicks and allow him to reacclimate at his own pace, as opposed to applying any indirect pressure by officially labeling him the closer early in camp.
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Reaches terms with Cardinals
Jordan Hicks signed a one-year, $862,500 contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.Hicks gets a raise in his first year of arbitration eligibility despite the fact that he didn’t play at all in 2020. He was already set to miss a portion of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he wound up electing to opt out of the entire campaign, as his status as a Type 1 diabetic meant that playing during a pandemic would be unwise. He’s expected to enter the upcoming season fully healthy and retains the huge potential that comes with his record-setting heat, but his injury history makes him something of a risk.
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Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks: Entering 2021 healthy
Jordan Hicks (elbow/opt out) is expected to enter spring training on a normal throwing schedule, Brendan Schaeffer of KMOV News reports.The 24-year-old decided to opt out of the 2020 campaign due to some lingering inflammation from his 2019 Tommy John Surgery and the fact he’s a Type 1 diabetic, but he’s on track to return next season. Hicks had a 3.14 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB over 28.2 innings while going 14-for-15 in save opportunities during 2019, so he’s the presumed favorite for the closer’s role entering spring training.
