Aaron Hicks: A Man Among Boys

Hicks is swinging a hot bat for the Miracle

Aaron Hicks is in his first season for the Fort Myers Miracle after spending parts of the last two seasons with the Beliot Snappers. In those two seasons at Beliot, he saw his numbers improve greatly at the low A level. The jump to High A can come with some bumps and bruises for a hitter and there were plenty of bruises in the first month of the season for Hicks.

The month of Aprils was a dark one for Hicks as he struggled to find his swing at the High A level. His batting average was in the territory of most of the Twins back-up catchers and that is not the place for a top prospect to be occupying.

Offensive Output in April

BA: .211

OBP: .303

SLG: .289

OPS: .593

R: 13

2B: 2

BB: 11

As the season has progressed so has the offensive output of Mr. Hicks. A recent string of games has shown that the transition of Hicks is one to watch for the Miracle. Since the start of June, Hicks has shown a tremendous ability to get on base and he combines that with his speed to help his team to score runs. (It also helps to have a three-time MLB batting champion hitting behind you in the line-up for some of the games.)

Offensive Output in June (though 6-13-11)

BA: . 367

OBP: .513

SLG: .500

OPS: 1.013

R: 8

2B: 4

BB: 9

Some of those numbers are off the chart for the month of June but there are other numbers from the entire season that help to show the worth of this top prospect. Hicks has thrived at the plate with runners on ahead of him.

Runners On (2011 Season)

BA: .337

OBP: .437

SLG: .518

OPS: .955

R: 34

2B: 7

BB: 16

Since Hicks was drafted in the first round by the Twins in 2008, there have been a lot of eyes on the development of Mr. Hicks. Hicks was a high school standout when he was drafted and that has allowed the Twins to move Hicks through the system at a constant pace. By having Hicks succeed at each level that he plays, his confidence is going to continue to grow as he moves through the system. 

The temperature is starting to heat up in Florida and that could be bad news for pitchers of the Florida State League. The warmer air is only going to help the ball fly off the bat. Hicks will continue to showcase his skills in the Florida sun and his offensive output will hopefully continue to move away from that awful month of April.

Hicks continues to show his worth to the Twins and he continues to show the Florida State League that he is a man among boys...