Dalton Hicks - 2015

[nicksaviking]

Dalton (nee DJ) Hicks
 

Hicks is a 6'5" 250 lb 1B drafted out of Central Florida in the 17th round of the 2012 draft. His size is indicative of his expected talents. He is an all-or-nothing hitter who, if he makes it to the majors, may very well turn out to be a true three outcome hitter. He is a 1B/DH who is slightly faster than Adam Dunn with his leg caught in a bear trap while carrying Kennys Vargas, but he does possess some power potential.

 

Out of high school he was drafted by the Giants in the 46th round. He went to college instead, but he was included on the Maxpreps 2008 All-American team with the likes of Danny Hultzman, Garrit Cole, Kyle Skipworth, Eric Hosmer, Tim Beckham, Casey Kelly, Zach Hood, Matt Hobgood and fellow Twins BJ Hermson and Aaron Hicks. Very strong company by any evaluation.

 

Hicks ended his first season of pro ball in dramatic fashion, hitting a walk off grandslam in the decisive game of the Appalacian Leage championship.  He finished the season with a .270/.382/.435 slash to go along with four HR, although the last one was probably worth more than the first three combined. The four HR was a little light for the all-or-nothing slugger but he did miss three weeks in the end of July/beginning of August.

 

In 2013 Hicks split his time between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers putting up a combined slash of .289/.358/.486. At the time of his promotion to Ft. Myers, he was leading the Midwest League in RBI and among the league leaders in HR and 2B.

 

Upon his promotion, his SLG% dropped as is the case for many players in the pitcher friendly FSL. However his OBP increased due to a 4% jump in his BB rate while his K rate remained the same, 21%.

 

2014 once again saw Hicks begin with the Miracle and he started off slow, his .262/.344/.407 slash doesn't scream for attention, but his second half showed the power potential that lurks in a man his size as he hit 8 of his 11 HR in the second half and raised his SLG from .346 to .407 in only two and a half months.

 

To start 2015, Hicks will begin the year with many familiar faces and trying to find playing time for a loaded Chattanooga lineup.  He'll likely be fighting with Max Kepler and Mike Gonzalez for 1B time but will likely see plenty of days at DH.

[nicksaviking]

After one game, Hicks is leading the Lookouts in batting, hitting .500.  That average may come down a little, but he is also tied for the team lead in RBI, which is a position he is very familiar with.

[nicksaviking]

Hicks continues to lead the Lookouts in batting at .380 with 5 doubles, 2 HR and even a triple on this young year.  He currently has 9 BB second only to Miguel Sano, and his 18% K rate is quite a bit less than all the regular starters aside from Jorge Polanco.

 

Perhaps most surprisingly, he's played all 14 of his games at 1B, with Max Kepler yet to get a look there and Michael Gonzalez manning DH regularly.  His defense is not the high point of his game, I'd like to think the fact that he isn't a regular at DH means the club sees enough potential that they want to make sure he's still capable of playing a position as he advances through the system.

 

With the only player standing above him at Rochester being journeyman Reynaldo Rodriguez, Hicks could be among the first promoted to AAA despite the boatloads of talented teammates he currenty has in AA. 

 

Of course the club could also decide to stick Kennys Vargas at 1B in Rochester upon what looks to be his inevitable demotion.

[jokin]

 

I think it's going to be Vargas going down rather than Hicks moving up. At this point in time, Hicks seems like a critical Chattanooga component, along with Polanco, in helping the rest of the club to get their bats going.

[Seth Stohs]

Was selected Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month by Twins Daily for April.

[GMinTraining]

Underrated Prospect

[bulldozier14]

Any reason he hasn't played since the 6th?

[nicksaviking]

Still on the shelf.  Someone probably knows why he's out but I and Google do not.  

 

The only hint that I can gather is from his Twitter feed in which multiple times he has commented on how excited he is to see a movie called Pitch Perfect.  Upon further research (see: asked the wife) I am told that he is actually likely referring to the movie Pitch Perfect 2 which is a musical about female acapella groups.  The logical explanation from this is that he has been suspended.

[lightfoot789]

That is funny.  Never Dalton though.  To much of a leader.

[nicksaviking]

Hicks has returned to action. He is hang with the kids in the GCL hopefully teaching them everything he has learned.

 

No doubt he will soon return the Chattenooga, though with everyone's favorite Kraut and Kennys Vargas there, something will likely have to give. Kepler could be moved back to the OF full time, but one would think a Kepler or Vargas promotion is coming. Hicks may look at his injury and think had he not gotten hurt, it may be he who could be considered for AAA. The corner OF/IF options are plenty, the organization is going to need to start moving these guys or risk losing or worse yet, stagnating these fellas.

[Shane Wahl]

Fort Myers made sense, given the injury.

 

Still, DJ is absolutely a nice trade bait player right now, so I hope he gets to Chatty really soon. Kepler should be in AAA, clearly.