Jim Hicks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Hicks |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: May 18, 1940 Claiborne County, Mississippi |
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| Died: October 29, 2020 (aged 80) Missouri City, Texas |
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| debut | |||
| September 19, 1964, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| April 20, 1970, for the California Angels | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .163 | ||
| Home runs | 5 | ||
| Runs batted in | 14 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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James Edward Hicks (born May 18, 1940 – died October 29, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and sometimes a first baseman. His MLB career lasted from 1964 to 1970. Later, he also played in Japan's professional baseball league from 1973 to 1974.
Jim played in 93 games for three different MLB teams. These teams were the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and California Angels. He was born in East Chicago, Indiana. Jim went to college at the University of Illinois. He batted and threw with his right hand. He was tall, standing 6 feet 3 inches, and weighed 205 pounds.
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Early Baseball Career
Jim Hicks played professional baseball for 16 seasons. This included time in both North America and Japan. During his career, he hit more than 245 home runs.
He first signed with the Chicago White Sox team in 1959. For six seasons, he played in their minor league system. These are teams where players develop their skills before joining the main league.
In 1964, Jim got his first chance in the MLB. He played in two games for the White Sox as a pinch runner. A pinch runner is a player who runs the bases for another player. He also played some games with the White Sox in 1965 and 1966. However, he only played in 31 games during those years.
Big Success in the Minor Leagues
After the 1967 minor league season, the White Sox sold Jim's contract. He then joined the St. Louis Cardinals organization. In 1968, Jim had a fantastic year. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
Triple-A is the highest level of minor league baseball. That year, he had a great batting average of .366. He also got 149 hits, including 32 doubles and 23 home runs. He also brought in 85 runs for his team, the Tulsa Oilers.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Jim's amazing 1968 season helped him get a full season in the major leagues in 1969. He played for both the Cardinals and the California Angels that year. In May, he started 11 games as the Cardinals' right fielder. However, he was only hitting .182 with one home run.
On May 30, he was traded to the California Angels. The Angels used Jim in 37 games. He played as an outfielder, first baseman, and pinch hitter. A pinch hitter is a player who bats in place of another player. He only got four hits in 48 at bats for the Angels. But three of those hits were home runs!
Later Career and Retirement
Jim started the 1970 season with the Angels. He got one hit in four times at bat as a pinch hitter. Then, he was sent to the Angels' Triple-A team, the Hawaii Islanders. Jim was 30 years old by then.
He played three strong seasons for the Islanders. Each year, he hit over .300 with good power. Because of his strong play, a team from Japan, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, signed him. He played two years in Japan. He appeared in 183 games and hit .247 with 33 home runs.
Overall, Jim Hicks had a lifetime batting average of .163 in the major leagues. He got 23 hits, including one double, three triples, five home runs, and 14 runs batted in.
Jim Hicks passed away on October 29, 2020.
