Article: Aaron Hicks Is Striding In The Right Direction

[tobi0040]

 

I agree with the assessment of Hicks and Schafer.

I'd disagree on Rosario. In hindsight, most think it was detrimental to Hicks to throw him into CF for 2013 -- so why do the same now to a guy that has shown less than Hicks did at that point? Hicks could at least say he had AA success on his resume.

 

I don't think it is clear that Hicks has shown more than Rosario in the minors. Rosario progresssed through at a slighly younger age and put up slightly bettter numbers overall.  He also made the PR team in the WBC as a 21 year old. 

 

Rosario

 

Age 20 Low A - .835 OPS

Age 21 - .903 OPS at high A, .734 at AA

Age 22 - .672 OPS at AA in 79 games, missed 50 to start the year

 

Total Minors - .829 OPS, 106 2B, 26 3B, 26 HR in 427 games.

Hicks

 

Age 20 - .829 OPS in low A

Age 21 - .722 OPS in high A

Age 22 - .844 OPS in AA

 

Total Minors     .798 OPS, 124 2B, 32 3B, 39 HR in 567 games.

 

You can make a case for both, it is pretty close IMO.  I think people forget that everyone was saying the same things about Hicks prior to his age 22 season.  Lots of tools, relatively underperforming them.  Not putting it together, etc. Then he has one good year (not a phenomenal year) and then makes the big league club the next year and we are all saying the same thing about him.

 

 

Edited March 11, 2015 by tobi0040

[ashbury]

 

I like the tweek from a toe tap to a leg kick. In the video it looks like he is ooordinating all of his body movements better instead of his hips flying open early snd flipping the barrel of the bat at the ball.

I love the nuts-and-bolts discussions Parker provides and the animations are great, but this pair of animations seem like apples and oranges. The leg-kick is indeed a nice looking swing (to my untrainable eyes ) on an inside fastball. But the toe-tap one looks like it was on a pitch he was somewhat fooled on - a bit offspeed maybe and outer half of the plate and he was way out in front and possibly intending to pull but had to change plans and couldn't hold up. No swing is going to look good if that's the circumstance. Pitch recognition would be an equally high priority to fix that swing which maybe only occurred because he had two strikes on him.

[jay]

I don't think it is clear that Hicks has shown more than Rosario in the minors.

You're right that Rosario out hit Hicks thru A ball.

 

We've also seen the Twins put a lot of weight on success in AA as a big hurdle to being ready for MLB. Rosario doesn't have that (yet).

[tobi0040]

 

You're right that Rosario out hit Hicks thru A ball.

We've also seen the Twins put a lot of weight on success in AA as a big hurdle to being ready for MLB. Rosario doesn't have that (yet).

 

That is fair. 

 

My personal opinion is that Rosario is a more natural hitter. His  OPS is weighted towards slugging versus OBP.  I don't think he would have made that PR team as a 21 year old if he could not hit.  I don't see his tools struggling the way we have seen Hicks.

 

Reports on his defense, even in CF have been really good.  Comparing that to what I have seen from Hicks and putting it all together, my money is on Rosario long term.  Maybe not CF in April (though I would not be shocked), but a corner spot sometime in the June timeframe I think has Rosario written all over it.
 

I also think our OF defense could turn into a strength by the end of the year. I think Buxton and Rosario can cover enough ground to mask how poor Arcia is. 

Edited March 11, 2015 by tobi0040

[Parker Hageman]

I love the nuts-and-bolts discussions Parker provides and the animations are great, but this pair of animations seem like apples and oranges.

 

 

Each time I post a video comparison I hope I don't have to provide a disclaim each time that, yes, circumstances are different. You are not going to get the situations to match 100% of the time. Both are fastballs. The first is middle-up. The second is away-middle. That said, in each project I study as much video as I can to provide examples of the overall differences in the swing. 

 

Here's the thing that you should take away -- he was unable hold up with the toe-tap far too often resulting in swings like the one above because of his front side leak (watch the action on his front hip open up):

 

http://i.imgur.com/JHhf3Jt.gif

 

The leg kick, in theory, should help him keep his weight back and provide a better timing mechanism. 

[Mike Sixel]

I too love Parker's work.....

[ashbury]

 

Each time I post a video comparison I hope I don't have to provide a disclaim each time that, yes, circumstances are different. ..

 

...Here's the thing that you should take away -- he was unable hold up with the toe-tap far too often resulting in swings like the one above because of his front side leak (watch the action on his front hip open up):

As it happens I too refrained from adding my own disclaimer that I know it's hard to come up with perfect comparisons.

 

If the more elaborate footwork helps him hold up on embarrassments like that one example, it's all to the good. Since it's a few microseconds longer to develop, though, I wonder if it gives the pitcher a chance to disrupt his timing even more. Pitchers aren't known for cooperating with a batter's timing. And I've heard it said that one man's timing mechanism is another man's hitch in his swing.

[tobi0040]

 

I too love Parker's work.....

 

Agreed, great work as always Parker.

[Parker Hageman]

I've heard it said that one man's timing mechanism is another man's hitch in his swing.

 

 

No question. This could all collapse on him too -- we've only seen a few swings in spring. Pitchers could adjust to that and find a way to disrupt his timing there too. However, in my opinion, changing his timing mechanism and adding what could result in more power in his swing is a step in the right direction. 

 

[Dr. Evil]

Rosario has almost no success at AA. Hicks is improving. It isn't his fault that the Twins rushed him a full 1.5 seasons too early.

It's interesting that you feel this way about Hicks. Normally, you lean more towards "push candidates" and challenging players rather than letting them stagnate or languish. I would offer that the Twins did challenge him at an appropriate point in time. But, as often happens, the player didn't respond to the challenge. So, maybe it takes him a few tries to make the leap for good. I don't see this as necessarily an error by the Twins.

 

Just food for thought.

[bird]

 

I'm really not sure you're making a fair comparison.  Molitor didn't volunteer that information, he was asked directly and made a short, to the point comment.

 

Gardy's problem was that he would go out of his way to call out rookie mistakes in the media (even, to my memory, unprompted) while the same thing wasn't done to other players.  If others start making base-running gaffes and Molitor is inconsistent with his handling, I'll have a problem with that too.  

 

Everyone wants the manager to hold players accountable, that wasn't Gardy's problem.  It was the tact and consistency with which he did it.  Jury is still out on Molitor, so your analogy really doesn't work yet.

 

We've had this conversation before and I'll grant you that Gardy wasn't perfectly consistent nor always tactful. But I think it's wholly unfair to suggest he made a habit of seeking opportunities to criticize any of his players in public. The notion of him as unfair in that way is overblown.

 

Gardy and Molly treated Hicks identically in public in how I see the two specific incidents. Both are fair in their criticisms. I was more humored by the outcry over Gardy, who in fact WAS prompted, and explained in a short, to the point comment why he took the action he did with Hicks. And now, we're seeing a number of commenters "throwing Hicks under the bus" ( albeit gently ) here on this thread. Just sayin'.

Edited March 11, 2015 by birdwatcher

[Squirrel]

We've had this conversation before and I'll grant you that Gardy wasn't perfectly consistent nor always tactful. But I think it's wholly unfair to suggest he made a habit of seeking opportunities to criticize any of his players in public. The notion of him as unfair in that way is overblown.

 

Gardy and Molly treated Hicks identically in public in how I see the two specific incidents. Both are fair in their criticisms. I was more humored by the outcry over Gardy, who in fact WAS prompted, and explained in a short, to the point comment why he took the action he did with Hicks. And now, we're seeing a number of commenters "throwing Hicks under the bus" ( albeit gently ) here on this thread. Just sayin'.

This is not a thread about Gardy vs Molly. Yes, it will be interesting to see how Hicks is handled going forward, but this is an article about Hicks' batting. Let's not make this about the peripherals, please. You are welcome to start a thread about his handling now vs his handling then if you like.

[twinsfan34]

Put me in the rooting for Hicks camp. If he can even 'kinda' get it together, e.g. .250+ AVG, he's a .380 OBP guy. Which is plays well IMO. He's got a good arm in the OF too and can cover some ground. Would be a good RF after Hunter retires and a decent CF until Buxton arrives. 

[jimmer]

 

Put me in the rooting for Hicks camp. If he can even 'kinda' get it together, e.g. .250+ AVG, he's a .380 OBP guy. Which is plays well IMO. He's got a good arm in the OF too and can cover some ground. Would be a good RF after Hunter retires and a decent CF until Buxton arrives. 

There were only 12 qualifying players who had an OBP in the .380s or higher last year.  So yeah, if he can do that, he's a starter for sure.

[Thrylos]

 

I'm a bit humored by the fact that Molitor is receiving praise (rightly so) for taking an action that, when Gardy did the same, he was ridiculed mercilessly for throwing Hicks under the bus. Enjoy the honeymoon, Paulie.

 

We shall see if he does the same thing if a veteran makes a mistake.   That was part of the issue with Gardy.  He had his pets who could do no wrong...

 

Btw, the first base coach is at fault as well.  He should have kept track of the outs and discuss strategy with Hicks based on the outs.  Apparently he did not do that.   Hope that Molly had a talk with him too...

Edited March 11, 2015 by Thrylos

[stringer bell]

I sincerely haven't seen anything that encourages me that Aaron Hicks will improve enough to be even a placeholder in center field.  The supposed improvement after his minor league stint was negligible.  He got on base better, but nearly completely lost any pop that he had in the previous season.  He hasn't shown the ability to be above average in the field or on the bases. 

 

The tools remain in place, but he needs to show much improved performance.  It hasn't worked to push him the last two years, why should this year be different. 

 

Rosario was mentioned as an alternate.  Perhaps he could be a Santana or Vargas--guys that weren't that highly thought of, but who performed when promoted.  I'd love to see Eddie win the job, but I am not going to be concerned if the season starts with Schafer backed by Robinson.  I would be less than happy if that is the way the season ends.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

It's interesting that you feel this way about Hicks. Normally, you lean more towards "push candidates" and challenging players rather than letting them stagnate or languish. I would offer that the Twins did challenge him at an appropriate point in time. But, as often happens, the player didn't respond to the challenge. So, maybe it takes him a few tries to make the leap for good. I don't see this as necessarily an error by the Twins.Just food for thought.

i too tend to lean in the challenge prospects camp, but in this case I also agree with Shane that Hicks was promoted too quickly, and worse than that, it wasn't corrected for any length of time. Maybe it was the right time to challenge him, but when he didn't rise to the occasion, send him to AAA for longer than a month, and sooner than a year and a half later.

 

A month or two in AAA when your head is that screwy isn't enough, and it doesn't appear to be intact yet.

 

I hope Hicks can be a productive big leaguer, but I don't think it will be the begininning of the 2015 season. Maybe a September 2015 call up?

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I sincerely haven't seen anything that encourages me that Aaron Hicks will improve enough to be even a placeholder in center field.  The supposed improvement after his minor league stint was negligible.  He got on base better, but nearly completely lost any pop that he had in the previous season.  He hasn't shown the ability to be above average in the field or on the bases. 

 

The tools remain in place, but he needs to show much improved performance.  It hasn't worked to push him the last two years, why should this year be different. 

 

Rosario was mentioned as an alternate.  Perhaps he could be a Santana or Vargas--guys that weren't that highly thought of, but who performed when promoted.  I'd love to see Eddie win the job, but I am not going to be concerned if the season starts with Schafer backed by Robinson.  I would be less than happy if that is the way the season ends.

id be ok with a Schafer/Robinson platoon. I hope Robinson finds a way on to this team as a late inning defensive sub. Outfield will be brutal again

[jorgenswest]

Thanks for the article.

 

He messed up on the bases and the manager dealt with it in game. I respect that approach much more than making offhand comments in a press conference. I think Hicks will also and respond positively.

 

His approach at the plate is moving in a positive direction. I trust Molitor to know where he should begin the season.

[Shane Wahl]

 

It's interesting that you feel this way about Hicks. Normally, you lean more towards "push candidates" and challenging players rather than letting them stagnate or languish. I would offer that the Twins did challenge him at an appropriate point in time. But, as often happens, the player didn't respond to the challenge. So, maybe it takes him a few tries to make the leap for good. I don't see this as necessarily an error by the Twins.

Just food for thought.

 

Sure, and you are correct in general. AAA in 2013 would have been pushing Hicks. Now I do not think that Rosario needs a full season between AA and AAA this year. I think he and Sano should come up together if they are both doing well enough. 

[JB_Iowa]

I wasn't watching yesterday's game closely but it seems like Hicks bounced back from his benching.

 

2-2 plus a walk amd a stolen base

 

 

I did notice him paying a lot of attention to Butch Davis when he was on first.

 

Now to maintain his attention.

[Physics Guy]

 

I wasn't watching yesterday's game closely but it seems like Hicks bounced back from his benching.

 

2-2 plus a walk amd a stolen base

 

 

I did notice him paying a lot of attention to Butch Davis when he was on first.

 

Now to maintain his attention.

I would agree with this.  Focus and attention span seem to get in the way of his tools at times.

[Parker Hageman]

Mike Berardino posted story on Monday addressing this:

 

Hicks called Brunansky this offseason and said he wanted to try something new at the plate: a leg kick.

 

"It was something I messed around with when I was going righty on righty (last season)," Hicks said. "It seemed to help out."

 

This offseason, while doing some informal hitting sessions with a friend in Long Beach, Calif., Hicks said he "happened to do a leg kick from the left side."

 

Almost immediately, he could feel something click.

 

Each time he made the drive down to San Diego to work with Brunansky this winter, Hicks made an even deeper commitment to the mechanical change. From the left side, it's more of a "leg glide," to use Brunansky's term, but from the right side it's a full leg kick.

 

"It's definitely helping out a lot, especially for my timing," Hicks said. "It's definitely making me stay through the ball and stay up the middle. Now it feels awesome."

 

 

Welp. I guess I won't be writing that story when I get down to cover the Twins. Thanks MIKE. 

[nicksaviking]

 

Mike Berardino posted story on Monday addressing this:

 

 

Welp. I guess I won't be writing that story when I get down to cover the Twins. Thanks MIKE. 

 

Nonsense.  Barardino can tell us that there is a leg kick, but he can't tell us WHY there is a leg kick and what it means to Hicks' swing.  Berardino's got nothing on you.

 

Unless you count a Florida vacation paid for by his employer and Torii Hunter's ire.

[Mike Sixel]

I really hope he figures it out. There is talent there. I'd love to see him succeed*

 

* I feel that way about everyone, really.....