Aaron Hicks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aaron Hicks |
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Hicks with the New York Yankees in 2016
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| Free agent | |||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: October 2, 1989 San Pedro, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 1, 2013, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Batting average | .231 | ||
| Home runs | 109 | ||
| Runs batted in | 392 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Aaron Michael Hicks (born October 2, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These include the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Angels. He is currently a free agent.
Hicks was chosen by the Twins in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made his first MLB appearance in 2013 with the Twins. After the 2015 season, he was traded to the Yankees. In 2023, the Yankees released Hicks. He then signed with the Baltimore Orioles.
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Aaron Hicks was born on October 2, 1989, in San Pedro, California. His parents are Joe and Jody Hicks. He grew up in San Pedro and went to Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. There, he was a standout baseball player. He also attended MLB's Urban Youth Academy. This program helps promote baseball in city areas.
Baseball Career Highlights
Playing in the Minor Leagues
Aaron Hicks is a switch hitter, meaning he can bat from both sides of the plate. The Minnesota Twins picked him in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. This was right after he graduated from Wilson Classical High School. In his first year as a pro, Hicks was named a Rookie All-Star by Baseball America. He was also called the top young player in the Twins' system.
He hit for a .318 average with four home runs. He also had 27 runs batted in (RBIs) for the Gulf Coast League Twins. In 2009, Hicks played for the Beloit Snappers. He hit .251 with four home runs. He returned to Beloit in 2010 and hit .279 with eight home runs.
In 2011, playing for the Fort Myers Miracle, he hit .242 with five home runs. In 2012, he hit .286 with 13 home runs for the New Britain Rock Cats. Hicks was considered one of the top 100 young players by Baseball America four times.
Time with the Minnesota Twins (2013–2015)
On March 24, 2013, the Minnesota Twins announced Hicks would be their starting center fielder. He chose jersey number 32 to honor baseball legend Dave Winfield. He was sent to a lower league team in August and did not return to the Twins that year.
In 2013, Hicks batted .192. This was a challenging year for him at the plate. Despite this, he was named the starting center fielder for the 2014 season. His hitting did not improve much in 2014. After 47 games, he was sent to a Double-A team.
Hicks briefly stopped switch-hitting in 2014. He felt less confident batting left-handed. However, he went back to switch-hitting less than a month later. For the 2015 season, Hicks improved. He hit .256 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs in 97 games.
Years with the New York Yankees (2016–2023)
Early Success and Strong Throws
On November 11, 2015, the Twins traded Hicks to the New York Yankees. The Yankees wanted Hicks because he was athletic and had a strong throwing arm. He was also good at hitting against left-handed pitchers.
On April 20, 2016, Hicks made an amazing throw against the Oakland Athletics. He threw the ball at 105.5 miles per hour. This was the fastest throwing speed ever recorded by Statcast at the time. In 2016, Hicks played 123 games. He batted .217 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs.
By June 2017, Hicks was having a great season. He hit more home runs (10) and RBIs (34) than he did in all of 2016. On April 13, 2017, he hit two home runs in one game. One was batting left-handed, and the other was right-handed. Hicks finished the 2017 season with career highs. He had 15 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .266 batting average.
On March 30, 2018, Hicks was placed on the injured list. He returned on April 12 and hit an inside-the-park home run. He hit another one on May 19. This made him the first Yankee since Mickey Mantle in 1958 to hit two in one season. On July 1, Hicks hit three home runs in a single game. He ended the 2018 season with career highs of 27 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 119 hits.
Contract, Injuries, and Fan Reactions
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In January 2019, Hicks signed a one-year contract with the Yankees. A month later, he signed a big seven-year contract extension. He started the 2019 season on the injured list due to a back problem. On June 29, 2019, Hicks made history. He hit the first MLB home run ever in Europe during the 2019 MLB London Series.
Later in 2019, Hicks had an elbow injury. He decided to try to recover without surgery at first. He was added to the team's playoff roster. However, he later had surgery and was expected to miss a lot of time.
The 2020 season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hicks was able to return to play just eight months after his surgery. In 2020, he played 54 games, batting .225 with six home runs.
In May 2021, Hicks had surgery on his left wrist. He played in only 32 games that year. On July 6, 2022, Hicks hit his first career grand slam. This happened during a big 16–0 win.
During the 2022 season, Hicks faced some tough moments. Fans at Yankee Stadium sometimes showed their disappointment. This happened after some plays where he struggled. On September 23, Hicks hit his 100th career home run. In 2022, he batted .216 with eight home runs.
Hicks started the 2023 season on the bench. He played in 28 games for the Yankees, batting .188. On May 20, 2023, the Yankees decided to release him. His manager, Aaron Boone, said that injuries had a big impact on Hicks' time with the team.
Playing for the Baltimore Orioles (2023)
On May 30, 2023, Hicks signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He joined the team after another player got injured. Hicks played very well with the Orioles. He helped them win 101 games and finish first in their division.
On June 20, he had a game with four RBIs, including a three-run home run. He also hit a home run against his old team, the Yankees, on July 4. Hicks dealt with hamstring and back injuries in July and August. But he returned in time for the end of the season. In the playoffs, Hicks helped the Orioles. He finished the regular season with the Orioles hitting seven home runs and batting .275.
Short Time with the Los Angeles Angels (2024)
On January 29, 2024, the Los Angeles Angels signed Hicks to a one-year deal. He played in 18 games for the Angels. He hit .140 with one home run and five RBIs. On April 29, Hicks was released by the team.
Personal Life
Aaron Hicks' father, Joe Hicks, was also a baseball player. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1975. However, his career ended early due to an eye injury. Because of this, Joe Hicks encouraged his son to play golf. Aaron Hicks is a skilled golfer. He has competed in many youth golf tournaments.
On October 27, 2021, Hicks got engaged to professional golfer Cheyenne Woods. They got married in February 2022. Their son was born in April 2022. They live in Scottsdale, Arizona.
