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The Minnesota Twins had Aaron Hicks as their Opening Day center fielder in 2013 and 2014, only to send him back to the minors at some point during each season. They don’t appear to think the third time will be the charm, with Hicks being optioned to Triple-A during roster cuts on Saturday.
Hicks has struggled during his time with the Twins over the last two seasons, with a combined slash-line of .201/.293/.313, nine home runs, 45 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 150 games (538 plate appearances). A poor spring (.206 batting average, nine strikeouts and five walks) made the decision to send him to Triple-A an easy one for the Twins. But it’s a clear indictment of Hicks that the team views Jordan Schafer, and most likely Shane Robinson, as an upgrade in center field right now.
Top prospect Byron Buxton is on track to make his major league debut no later than the 2016 season, so Hicks is not being looked as the Twins’ center fielder of the future anyway. But with just over 500 big league plate appearances under his belt and youth (25 years old) still on his side, the Twins should not give up on Hicks yet.
The Twins have had a troubling tendency to trade players at the bottom of their value, which not coincidentally has been in line with four straight 90-plus loss seasons. Carlos Gomez, J.J. Hardy and Delmon Young are the most obvious examples of players that were inconsistent (Gomez), injured (Hardy) or had a clear career-year (Young) during their time in Minnesota. The Twins actually actually made what looked like a solid move by trading Gomez for Hardy, who was then dealt to the Orioles for two minor league pitchers a year later. So the move to trade Gomez, who has reached his potential with the Brewers over the last couple seasons, was compounded by also giving up on Hardy too soon.
I see right now as the low-point in Hicks’ trade value, since other teams likely see the move to demote him as a red flag. There have been signs he may not have what it takes to succeed on a mental level, including briefly deciding to no longer be a switch-hitter last year, but it also should be noted that Hicks has still only played 46 games (144 at-bats) in Triple-A.
New Twins’ manager Paul Molitor looks like he is willing to make decisions without regard for hurting a player’s feelings, unlike his predecessor, and this demotion should be the kick in the pants Hicks needs to jump-start his career. The upcoming season looks like his last chance to prove he can be a part of the team’s future, but the Twins need to stick with Hicks for now and see how he responds to starting the season at Triple-A.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist/Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter or Google +.
