As part of the Rafael Devers trade, the Boston Red Sox received Jordan Hicks from the San Francisco Giants. Things didn't work out for Hicks in San Francisco as a starter, but Red Sox fans had high hopes for the right-hander as a reliever. His first outing in Boston was a success, as he recorded a one-two-three inning, but his second appearance left a lot to be desired, and taught Red Sox fans a lesson St. Louis Cardinals fans know all too well.
Hicks has the stuff to be one of the best relievers in the game. He averages over 97 mph with his sinker, and has a wicked sweeper as well. Unfortunately, he's never quite met his potential on the bump, and to be completely blunt, his stuff is far more hittable than you might expect when watching him.
The stuff being hittable leads sometimes to outings like the one we saw on Wednesday.
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Red Sox fans must temper expectations for Jordan Hicks
Boston's defense didn't help him, but Hicks also was far from dominant on Wednesday. The right-hander allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits. He issued a walk and didn't strike out anyone while only recording two outs.
Again, he pitched into some bad luck, but that's bound to happen on occasion when you don't miss bats. Despite averaging over 99 mph on his sinker, Hicks didn't generate a single whiff using that pitch. He did get a pair of whiffs on his sweeper, but his go-to pitch not generating a single whiff is concerning. Ultimately, this has been the story of his career.
While decent, Hicks' 22.7 career strikeout rate is far from eye-popping, especially considering his stuff. In addition to that, Hicks has a career 11.5 percent walk rate, a mark well above league average. A pitcher who doesn't have great command who also happens to allow a good amount of contact, even when a lot of it is on the ground, is often not a very successful one.
Hicks is fine, but there's a reason he's never saved more than 14 games in a single season before, and it goes beyond his rotten injury luck. Cardinals fans saw the inconsistency from Hicks throughout his tenure in St. Louis. They saw spurts of dominance, but they saw a lot of rough patches.
Ultimately, Hicks is a good reliever to roster, but he's far from the solution. He should be treated as a decent arm and nothing more, someone whose penchant for allowing baserunners will always keep him from being a lights-out option at the back end of games.