Position | Outfield
Bats/Throws | Switch/Right
Born | October 2, 1989 (Long Beach, California)
School | Wilson High School
Height | 6'2''
Weight | 170 lbs.
2008 Ranking | Not Ranked
Breakdown
Aaron Hicks was drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2008 draft. Hicks is considered by many to be equally as talented on the mound as he is at the plate. Much to Hicks' delight, the Twins had every intention of using Hicks as an outfielder despite drafting 4 outfielders in the previous two drafts in the first 3 rounds. Hicks is the best all-around athlete in the Twins system and although he's a great athlete, that doesn't mean that he's "all talk" and he proved that last year. Hicks is far and away the best prospect in the Twins' system. He possesses all five tools teams look for in players, he has outstanding speed, hits for average, hits for power, is an outstanding defender and has a cannon for an arm. On Baseball America's Top 10 Twins Prospects list, Hicks took home top honors. He also 'won' 4 out of 7 other categories in which he was eligible for:
Besides being a top-notch outfielder, Hicks was also on many draft boards as a pitcher as well. He reportedly threw 97 mph in pre-draft workouts and has a 'hammer' curveball. But Hicks wanted to play outfield all along and is getting that chance with the Twins."I want to play the outfield," Hicks said. "I like to hit and I love to play the outfield and go get it."Hicks has been said to have an amazing work ethic and quite a bit of maturity for his age. He is fairly polished for his age and should give the Twins reasons to move him along in the system. I personally don't see why he'd need another half-season of Rookie Ball, but the Twins will probably move him along slowely. He'll be only 19 for all of the 2009 season, but I think that if there's room that he should definitely have a spot on the Snappers roster come Opening Day. But Beloit's outfield looks as if there could be a logjam of outfielders. I wouldn't mind seeing Hicks take the same path as Ben Revere did a year ago, and that is to start the season off in EST and after a month or so he makes the jump to Beloit. I'm all for that as well, only I don't want to see it come at the expense of an injury. Regardless, Hicks is an amazing player and I expect him to perform well at any level he plays.
2008 Statistics
Level G PA AVG OBP SLG XBH HR BBR 45 204 .318 .409 .491 18 4 28
2009 Outlook
Hicks should be in Beloit for all of the 2009 season, but the Twins will likely be looking to send him to Elizabethton after a couple months of Extended Spring Training.
Video
Estimated Time of Arrival
2012
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