Former Cardinal continues to make St. Louis look completely hapless

The San Francisco Giants may have found a hidden gem with Jordan Hicks.

During the offseason, the Giants signed Hicks to a four-year, $44 million contract and revealed plans to convert him into a starting pitcher rather than have him work as a reliever as he did during his time with the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays.

So far, the experiment has worked out quite well for the Giants. In five starts, Hicks is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.61 with San Francisco.

And as the season progresses, Hicks is hoping that he'll become a mainstay in the Giants rotation.

"I'm just excited to see what I can do for myself and that I can do it," Hicks said. "I've never had the opportunity. I just want to make the most of it."

Hicks briefly had the opportunity to start in St. Louis, but he struggled and was moved back to the bullpen. He has obviously done quite well, and he is yet another former Cardinal who has found success with a new team, adding insult to injury for St. Louis fans.

Hicks' transition adds insult to injury for Cardinals

Hicks made eight starts with the Cardinals in 2022, going 0-4 with a 5.47 ERA. He even stated last year that he didn't feel like he got a fair shot to be a starter with St. Louis.

But now with the Giants, he is getting that opportunity and he's running with it.

To be fair, his opportunities to start in St. Louis were limited, but him transitioning to a top starter with the Giants after not doing so with St. Louis ultimately is further proof of a major flaw with the Cardinals' organization when it comes to player development.

Hicks joins Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill as the latest former Cardinal to reach his full potential with a new team. The Cardinals failed to maximize Hicks' potential, and the way he has pitched in San Francisco only makes things worse for Cardinals fans, who are tired of seeing their former players struggle in St. Louis, only to improve significantly with a new team.

Other examples include Randy Arozarena, Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, and Adolis Garcia.

The 27-year-old right-hander was also completely affordable for St. Louis, and they passed up an opportunity to reunite with him and maximize his potential by giving him a fair shot at starting.

It's clear that the Cardinals have a player development flaw and need to make some changes to their system in order to avoid this happening with every player that leaves the organization.

The Giants clearly saw something in Hicks that the Cardinals didn't and are getting the absolute best out of him in what may end up being his first full season as a starter in the big leagues.