New York Yankees CF Aaron Hicks appears to be on the verge of a breakout, which is huge for the entire offense despite the unit’s depth.
It is no secret the New York Yankees have the deepest lineup in the MLB, but one of their most dangerous hitters—center fielder Aaron Hicks—has struggled for the most part since his return from the injured list.
Hicks missed the first two and a half months of the season dealing with a back injury. It’s an ailment that took two cortisone shots to help get him to return. It’s taken him a while to get back into the groove, but the Yankees will need him to get hot for the second half of the season. There’s evidence a hot streak could be on the precipice.
While the numbers on the season won’t look great for Hicks, he’s in the middle of a stretch that could be a precursor for the 29-year-old to get hot. On the season (40 games), Hicks is slashing .238/.331/.456 with eight home runs, 28 RBIs and a 97 OPS+. Those aren’t terrible numbers, but nothing to write home about.
However, in his last 13 games, Hicks has been showing more of the game the Yankees expected when signing him to a seven-year, $70 million extension this offseason. Over that span, Hicks is hitting .326 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. That includes the game-tying home run in the top of the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
He’s even come through with some big hits for the offense. Take the pinch-hit home run in the 8-4 extra-innings win against the Rays on Friday for example. To be able to come off the bench and lead off the eighth inning with a game-tying home run shows he’s seeing the ball better than he did for the month of May and June.
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With Giancarlo Stanton likely out until August with a knee injury, the Yankees will need the outfield to continue hitting well. Of course, that includes right fielder Aaron Judge—who is getting hot in his own right. But they also need Hicks to continue his strong play over the last 13 games.
Hicks has been a very solid hitter for the Yankees over the last two seasons. He’s had an OPS+ of 122 and 126 in each of the last two seasons in New York.
Even though the Yankees lineup is incredibly deep, they will need Hicks to get hot, especially if he’s going to continue hitting in the middle of the order.
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